scottf200
Well-known member
Have you guys heard any rumors about the March'12 sales numbers?
keydiver said:After almost 4 months I have yet to see another LEAF in the wild.
To be clear I want they LEAF to be successful in sales as well because to me it (news articles) will affect all *EV type of car impressions and sales.SanDust said:Scott, I think the title of this thread probably gives an indication. In any event, Nissan is going to have to learn how to sell a limited range EV.
<snip>
Hopefully I'm wrong and the Leaf will have a great month but anecdotally that doesn't seem to be what is happening.
Blaming the lack of demand on the lack of QC infrastructure is misplaced. If Nissan does this then they will never figure out how to sell the car. In any event, it will be a very long time before a good QC network rolls out. There just isn't a business case for QCs at the moment, so much so that Ecotality wasn't able to give away QC chargers.edatoakrun said:Only when Nissan has to close down it's assembly line, due to lack of global demand, Like GM had to for the Volt, will I be truly "disappointed" by LEAF sales.
I'd rather Nissan sent more of it's LEAF production to the US, but I'm far more concerned that it develops it's BEV program into a profitable operation, rather than make more "loss leader" US sales.
IMO, Nissan would be making a poor business decision, by sending a very large proportion of its current 3,000-4,000 monthly LEAF production the US market, where both LEAF and gas prices are lower, than In most all other world markets, and where the QC infrastructure growth has been so stunted, by the maneuvering of QC-incapable vehicle manufactures.
Expect US LEAF sales to rise significantly, only when US production ramps up.
At work in the Sacramento, CA, area, there are 4 Leafs.Fabio said:In Silicon Valley you can't drive 5 minutes without seeing one.
keydiver said:After almost 4 months I have yet to see another LEAF in the wild.
Depends on where. I live in Silicon Valley can drive maybe 2 hours and maybe see only 0-2 Leafs. Other days, I'm lucky to see a couple.Fabio said:In Silicon Valley you can't drive 5 minutes without seeing one.
cwerdna said:Depends on where. I live in Silicon Valley can drive maybe 2 hours and maybe see only 0-2 Leafs. Other days, I'm lucky to see a couple.Fabio said:In Silicon Valley you can't drive 5 minutes without seeing one.
Fabio said:Try playing the game of "Punch LEAF" driving on 101 between RWC and SJ during commute hours.
cwerdna said:Depends on where. I live in Silicon Valley can drive maybe 2 hours and maybe see only 0-2 Leafs. Other days, I'm lucky to see a couple.Fabio said:In Silicon Valley you can't drive 5 minutes without seeing one.
edatoakrun said:Only when Nissan has to close down it's assembly line, due to lack of global demand, Like GM had to for the Volt, will I be truly "disappointed" by LEAF sales.
I'd rather Nissan sent more of it's LEAF production to the US, but I'm far more concerned that it develops it's BEV program into a profitable operation, rather than make more "loss leader" US sales.
IMO, Nissan would be making a poor business decision, by sending a very large proportion of its current 3,000-4,000 monthly LEAF production the US market, where both LEAF and gas prices are lower, than In most all other world markets, and where the QC infrastructure growth has been so stunted, by the maneuvering of QC-incapable vehicle manufactures.
Expect US LEAF sales to rise significantly, only when US production ramps up.
Expect 5-figure per month Nissan U.S. BEV sales, only when the QC network is well under way.
Until then, Much U.S. LEAF production will probably be sold, in more developed nations.
TurboFroggy said:edatoakrun said:Only when Nissan has to close down it's assembly line, due to lack of global demand, Like GM had to for the Volt, will I be truly "disappointed" by LEAF sales.
I'd rather Nissan sent more of it's LEAF production to the US, but I'm far more concerned that it develops it's BEV program into a profitable operation, rather than make more "loss leader" US sales.
IMO, Nissan would be making a poor business decision, by sending a very large proportion of its current 3,000-4,000 monthly LEAF production the US market, where both LEAF and gas prices are lower, than In most all other world markets, and where the QC infrastructure growth has been so stunted, by the maneuvering of QC-incapable vehicle manufactures.
Expect US LEAF sales to rise significantly, only when US production ramps up.
Expect 5-figure per month Nissan U.S. BEV sales, only when the QC network is well under way.
Until then, Much U.S. LEAF production will probably be sold, in more developed nations.
QC network is a nice to have but not a requirement. 98% of all charging happens at home. For public perception, eh maybe a little, but I don't think it is a huge factor. Until there is a Leaf of every color at every Nissan Dealer in the US, the Leaf is still very supply constrained. Anything talk of lack of sales or slow sales, until that "1 of every color at every dealership" is met, is complete a total BS.
DaveinOlyWA said:TurboFroggy said:edatoakrun said:Only when Nissan has to close down it's assembly line, due to lack of global demand, Like GM had to for the Volt, will I be truly "disappointed" by LEAF sales.
I'd rather Nissan sent more of it's LEAF production to the US, but I'm far more concerned that it develops it's BEV program into a profitable operation, rather than make more "loss leader" US sales.
IMO, Nissan would be making a poor business decision, by sending a very large proportion of its current 3,000-4,000 monthly LEAF production the US market, where both LEAF and gas prices are lower, than In most all other world markets, and where the QC infrastructure growth has been so stunted, by the maneuvering of QC-incapable vehicle manufactures.
Expect US LEAF sales to rise significantly, only when US production ramps up.
Expect 5-figure per month Nissan U.S. BEV sales, only when the QC network is well under way.
Until then, Much U.S. LEAF production will probably be sold, in more developed nations.
QC network is a nice to have but not a requirement. 98% of all charging happens at home. For public perception, eh maybe a little, but I don't think it is a huge factor. Until there is a Leaf of every color at every Nissan Dealer in the US, the Leaf is still very supply constrained. Anything talk of lack of sales or slow sales, until that "1 of every color at every dealership" is met, is complete a total BS.
although correct; outsiders looking in will still have range anxiety. do a poll of your co-workers. have them tell you the average distance of their trips then have them actually track all trips made in a month. u will most likely see a huge difference in figures.
QC does fill a large void both physically and psychologically. it is needed
Actually, they are interacting with us quite regularly here in the San Francisco Bay Area. So far, we haven't discussed the sales process with them, but they are completely supportive of our efforts in promoting the LEAF and their future EV's. If you have specific suggestions for them, we can pass them along. We know that they (or their PR firm) does watch the forum, too.Aeolus said:It seems every day I have at least one conversation with someone who is very interested in my LEAF, and really wants to move in the direction of an all-electric car. I think the LEAF owners are going to sell far more cars than all of the sales people on the floor of the Nissan dealerships.
Which leaves me curious as to why Nissan doesn't seem to interact more with the owners.
gascant said:If you have specific suggestions for them, we can pass them along. We know that they (or their PR firm) does watch the forum, too.
Interesting suggestions that probably would, ultimately, result in more sales. Allow me to be the devil's advocate for a moment, though. The thing is that Nissan doesn't own the dealerships, so I'm not sure how much leverage they have to enforce your suggestions. Local dealers have said that they had to buy their own AV charging docks, tools, and safety gear (which set them back plenty, and created some tension with Nissan). Since dealers finance the cars on their lots, not being able to sell them wouldn't sit too well especially when supplies are so tight. I do think that Nissan is serious about EV's since they've already committed to four of them (and #3 will be unveiled shortly). What would you suggest, given the present limited production, that Nissan could do to make the sales process more user friendly?KJD said:gascant said:If you have specific suggestions for them, we can pass them along. We know that they (or their PR firm) does watch the forum, too.
Yes I have a couple of suggestions.
1) Require EVERY Nissan dealer to have one of every color Leaf on the lot for buyers to see and drive.
2) Require EVERY Nissan dealer to provide a public charge station that can be accessed 24x7 and that means 365 days a year.
The Leaf is a great car. People need to be able to see it and touch and drive it. Same as any other nissan model, they need a good selection of cars at the dealers. The cars will sell them selfs in spite of the bonehead sales people at the dealers.
People need to be able to buy electricity as easy as you can buy gas. The dealers have the most to gain from this and therefore they should put some effort into building the EV infrastructure. They could put up advertising all over the charge station area. It will pay them back in increased car sales over the long run.
If the dealer is unwilling to have an all night charge station at the dealership, they should build one at the nearest freeway exit/entrance. It could be something as simple as the charge stations done at the local Walgreens stores.
I think #1 is a bit excessive for such a limited production quantity (and apparently demand) car. I think they just need to be required to keep a demo or two. If there are other non-Leaf Nissans w/the same colors as the Leaf they don't have, at least the salesman can say, "yeah, that car over there is the same color as ____ on the Leaf." When I got my 06 Prius (when there were waiting lists of >1 month), my salesman pointed out a Sienna w/the same green as the green available on the Prius.KJD said:gascant said:If you have specific suggestions for them, we can pass them along. We know that they (or their PR firm) does watch the forum, too.
Yes I have a couple of suggestions.
1) Require EVERY Nissan dealer to have one of every color Leaf on the lot for buyers to see and drive.
2) Require EVERY Nissan dealer to provide a public charge station that can be accessed 24x7 and that means 365 days a year.
The Leaf is a great car. People need to be able to see it and touch and drive it. Same as any other nissan model, they need a good selection of cars at the dealers. The cars will sell them selfs in spite of the bonehead sales people at the dealers.
People need to be able to buy electricity as easy as you can buy gas. The dealers have the most to gain from this and therefore they should put some effort into building the EV infrastructure. They could put up advertising all over the charge station area. It will pay them back in increased car sales over the long run.
If the dealer is unwilling to have an all night charge station at the dealership, they should build one at the nearest freeway exit/entrance. It could be something as simple as the charge stations done at the local Walgreens stores.
Enter your email address to join: