I'm pleasantly surprised by the 74% jump in Leaf sales in August from the previous month (up from 393 to 685). It's pretty clear that the Volt and other Plug-in Hybrids are going to outsell it on a regular basis now, but I think that's just fine if the public can't let go of its gas pumps quite yet. It's better than nothing, and most people will burn almost no gas even with a 40 mile EV range.
The challenge, though, is to keep BEV sales going in the positive direction, and keep overall sales growth percentage year to year (let's say using 2012 as a base year) on par with the Plug-ins. If it goes the other way, and we continue to get a few hundred sold per month, I'm afraid that the large car companies will drop it altogether and focus only on making better Plug-ins. Yes, Nissan has made a huge investment. No, it wouldn't be the first time a bold move failed and a big company gave up on something revolutionary.
The poor debut months for the Leaf's electric cousins, the Focus and Fit, are not a good omen (I mean, NINE total leases for the Fit, really?).
I've had to consider lately whether maybe this turn to the Plug-ins would be a good thing... why not sell the car that can beat an ICE outright in sales, right? But the more I think about it, the death of BEVs (again!) would stifle battery innovation, and make people think it's still OK to burn gas and pollute the planet, even if you're doing it more efficiently.
Keep hope alive, Leafers!
Josh