EV1 on sale Dec. 5; leases range from $480 to $640

It's not in the Neiman Marcus catalog, but General Motors Corp.'s EV1 will go on sale before Christmas, at least at 26 Saturn stores in Los Angeles San Diego, Phoenix and Tucson.

For those who must be the first on their block, Dec. 5 is the first day anyone can take delivery. The plug-in-and-drive-away car will carry a sticker of $33,995 but don't let that overwhelm you. Saturn expects that nearly all first-time EV customers will go for a 36-month lease.

When various federal, state and local tax incentives are applied - a 10% federal tax credit knocks the capitalized lease cost down to $30,595. Those living in California's South Coast Air Quality Management District also may qualify for an additional $5,000 credit. Such measures will bring the monthly lease payment to about $640 in Arizona, or as low as $480 in the Los Angeles area.

Arizona offers a 60% discount on registration fees for electric cars.

A refundable security deposit will be required and the 240-volt Delco Magne Charge inductive charger will run you an extra $1,995 or may be leased through Edison EV for between $50 and $55 a month.

Standard features include air conditioning, AM/FM-cassette and compact disk player, antilock brakes and a portable 110/120-volt convenience charger.