As a proud Tennessean, a great state that has three excellent automobile manufacturers, I would like to personally apologize for Nissan.
This is the most shameful customer communications I have ever seen.
Has Nissan learned nothing from the Exxon Valdez, the Tylenol tampering case, and a variety of other good and bad communications examples over the past 40 years; to go out and communicate like this?
First Andy Palmer, as most polite and decent Tennesseans recognize, when you are unfortunately going to break a commitment, you start with an apology. And preferably some explanation of why you can't do what you said you were going to do.
And Brian Brockman, this is the biggest unclear mess of a communication I have ever read. I would expect better than this from a small ten person firm. And you're the head of Nissan Communications North America? And Jeff Kuhlman you're head of Nissan Global communications and allowed this mess? If it wasn't for the very much appreciated assistance from evchels and DaveinOlyWA of the advisory group this would be spinning around even more as an unclear mess.
It doesn't help when you make the disingenuous statement that "Owners and prospective owners voiced a preference for a monthly payment program". You structured a survey to get a response like that. That's what you wanted to hear, so you structured the survey to hear that. Most Tennesseans would consider your statement nearly a flat out lie.
The town hall meeting that Jeff Kuhlman, Andy Palmer, and Billy Hayes did in AZ was much more effective communication than this. To brief the advisory group in some detail and solicit questions / feedback, and then to roll out this mess on http://www.mynissanleaf.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is very bad for Nissan and for the LEAF product.
If I was Carlos Ghosn, I would expect all three of you to be at my office first thing on Monday with your resignation letters in hand. This is unacceptable performance for a company of the caliber of Nissan.