Some talk of a NIssan Electric SUV

[GetOffYourGas]

As far as excluding a lot of people, folks in northern Europe and Russia get by just fine on 2WD, some of them even RWD like older Volvos, most BMW's and Mercedes, and for the eastern part of Europe the Lada. Heck, you're driving a Leaf in upstate New York.

What people need and what they want (and therefore buy) are two very different things. I have done perfectly fine with FWD cars and snow tires (forget all-seasons in the snow, they are mediocre at best) in upstate NY. But lots of people want AWD. They think that they are better off, although experience tells me the opposite is actually true. Those with AWD tend not to buy snow tires and therefore end up with four wheels spinning that cannot grip the road. It never fails - at the first sign of snow, it is always the AWD SUVs upside-down in the ditch while the FWD passenger cars put on their snow tires, slow down, and get where they are going safely.

[powersurge]

Electric SUV is ridiculous.... Its like saying we need Vegan Sumo Wrestlers.... Yeah right we really need EVs to go off-roading and go on ski trips... That sounds like a 20 year old talking..

What the US NEEDS, and the car have never addressed is... The EV minivan... you can easily hide tons of batteries in the floor panels, and the minivan is what makes American families move daily. They are driven by women (yes, women... ) who stay close to home for many local trips daily. That would be a winner..

[GetOffYourGas]

Electric SUV is ridiculous.... Its like saying we need Vegan Sumo Wrestlers.... Yeah right we really need EVs to go off-roading and go on ski trips... That sounds like a 20 year old talking..

What the US NEEDS, and the car have never addressed is... The EV minivan... you can easily hide tons of batteries in the floor panels, and the minivan is what makes American families move daily. They are driven by women (yes, women... ) who stay close to home for many local trips daily. That would be a winner..

We need EVs that people will buy. And people buy SUVs / CUVs in droves. Minivans are still around, but are rather unpopular. Even at my kids' school during a parents events. Today's soccer mom drives an SUV, not a minivan.

[cwerdna]

What the US NEEDS, and the car have never addressed is... The EV minivan... you can easily hide tons of batteries in the floor panels, and the minivan is what makes American families move daily. They are driven by women (yes, women... ) who stay close to home for many local trips daily. That would be a winner..

We need EVs that people will buy. And people buy SUVs / CUVs in droves. Minivans are still around, but are rather unpopular. Even at my kids' school during a parents events. Today's soccer mom drives an SUV, not a minivan.

Powersurge is right about the unaddressed market in the US. Unfortunately, minivans in the US have been a dying segment for over a decade.

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2018/ ... rly-there/ has an example of a sales graph. It is bizarre that the minivan in the US has such an "uncool" reputation/image with people REFUSING to buy them yet SUVs are somehow "cool" or cooler w/US vehicle buyers flocking to them. Long ago, minivans in the US were a hot segment.

A bunch of companies have pulled out of the segment in the US or pretty much given up in the US consumer versions of them.

[GetOffYourGas]

My point is just that the most useful EV in the world helps no one if it doesn't sell. If people are buying SUVs and CUVs (and they are), we should have electric versions of them.

[powersurge]

Yes, I know that people are buying SUVs. I really think that this is because they like the coolness factor and the idea of 4wd... Those people use the car to just carry a few people, and no significant cargo. They have a similar interior room to a large sedan.

However, True larger families (couples with 2 or more children) will go with a minivan for its comfort and ability to easily carry 6-7 people, plus gear. Over the years I have owned a Grand Voyager and Honda Odyssey, and will always have these minivans. If you measure, an Odyssey has the same interior room as a monster Yukon or Suburban...

That is why I think that an EV people/ gear mover minivan would kill in sales...

[GetOffYourGas]

I think we are taking past each other. I don’t debate the usefulness of a minivan. I just disagree with the conclusion that its utility will make it a big seller. ICE minivans are much more useful than their SUV counterparts yet they don’t sell nearly as well. In your opinion, why would this be different for an EV?

[RonDawg]

As far as why SUV's are selling so well right now, I came across this article: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ ... 531565002/

In short, it says ease of ingress/egress is a huge reason why they're selling so well. Another reason is that the relatively higher seat height from the floor on an SUV vs. a sedan makes for a more comfortable experience once inside. 4WD isn't mentioned at all according to that article.

Minivans have these same attributes, but as mentioned earlier they have become "uncool."

[LeftieBiker]

Both of those attributes are found in the Leaf, so I doubt that the higher ride height is driving the demand for an electric SUV or CUV.

[RonDawg]

Both of those attributes are found in the Leaf, so I doubt that the higher ride height is driving the demand for an electric SUV or CUV.

The Leaf also looks dorkier than just about any SUV or minivan. For the 2nd gen model, Nissan should have updated the styling to look more CUV-like. The tall greenhouse would look better on top of a taller suspension and perhaps some "butch" looking body cladding.