July Plugin Sales : Leaf 395, Volt 1849, PIP 688, FFE 38

[adric22]

Nissan better have some other plans for that TN plant. As I stated before, they'll be lucky to sell 10,000 or them this year.

478 is a dismal number. Over 20,000 Cruze were sold, 23,000+ Focuses. The average consumer is not going to entertain a $38,000 sticker for a compact car that gets 70 miles of range.

I think we'd better wait at minimum another year before looking too deeply at those sales figures.

• Keep in mind that most of the general public is still blissfully unaware that such a vehicle exists.
• It is also still not possible for most people to drive into their local Nissan dealer, pick out a car, and drive home. That is a very important step for mass adoption. People are impulsive and most people will not tolerate ordering a car and waiting, even if it is only a week or two.
• The Leaf is just now opening to all markets in the USA.

So take your comparison vehicle of a Cruze or Focus and make it available in only 20 states, make sure there are few dealers that have any actually in stock that can be bought on impulse, and then where do you think those sales numbers would be? I bet the sales numbers would be pretty similar.

 

[Nubo]

Isn't the capacity of the Oppama plant around 20K units/yr? So they may never have intended to sell large numbers in USA this year. Rollout seems to be progressing methodically and there is no glut in dealer inventory. Unless there's a huge lot somewhere in Japan with wallflowers, I don't see a problem. Question is whether they are moving all the units they can produce.

Sowing the seeds. Word of mouth will make or break the Smyrna plant production. The car will have been on the roads for a couple of years and lots of people by then will know a LEAF owner or someone who knows one.... I'm loving the car and talking it up to everyone. After 40 years of gas prices, oil wars, pollution, and breathing car exhausts I was SO ready for a change. I think that goes for a lot of people.

 

[TomT]

Just what I need. another $42K+ bloated SUV with mediocre mileage: "17 mpg for the city, and 23 mpg for the highway." I'm looking for a CO but I think I'll pass on this one... I also have no need for seven seats.

The JX is the first luxury vehicle to be produced in the state of Tennessee, and will be built alongside the Nissan Altima, Frontier, Maxima, Xterra, and Pathfinder at the Smryna plant, which has the capacity to produce 550,000 vehicles annually.

 

[kmp647]

infinity better get smart and install a hybrid powertrain form the M35h in that JX

then you are looking at 30mpg

i still think/know public awareness on the Leaf is super low

in this area(northern va) I would bet 1 person in 1,000 who sees my car in a parking lot or on the road knows that it is a plug in eletric vehicle.
people still ask me how much gas it holds, how many miles per gallon
they also seem astonished when I plug it in to a 120v outlet ( dont you have to have some $2000 charger thing? thaey ask)
Now on the west coast I am sure that # is higher

 

[davewill]

Heard a radio commercial this morning touting 2012 Volt leases for $387 a month (or something like that). Sounds like they're trying to flush out the non-HOV sticker Volts in CA before the HOV sticker Volts get here.

 

[Rusty]

Sounds like they're trying to flush out the non-HOV sticker Volts in CA before the HOV sticker Volts get here.

My understanding is dealers can't receive any HOV sticker Volts until they clear their lots of non-HOV Volts.

So if I were a dealer and had a couple still laying around, I think I'd discount them pretty heavily. And that's what we've been seeing in CA the last few weeks.

 

[TomT]

My local dealer here has three for $7K off sticker... Pretty attractive at that price...

Sounds like they're trying to flush out the non-HOV sticker Volts in CA before the HOV sticker Volts get here.

My understanding is dealers can't receive any HOV sticker Volts until they clear their lots of non-HOV Volts.

So if I were a dealer and had a couple still laying around, I think I'd discount them pretty heavily. And that's what we've been seeing in CA the last few weeks.

 

[MrIanB]

Town North Nissan in Austin Texas has about 11 orphan Leafs ready to sell. They are mostly silver, white and I think 1 or 2 blue/red. They were from a fleet in Houston business that fell through and they bought about 14 of them. I know myself and another guy each got one last month but, looks like they are sitting there. They do local tv ads but, they don't feature the Leaf nor mention the $7,500.00 rebate which would help their sales.

Ian B

Come and get them if you can't wait on the list.

 

[BlueSL]

Nissan better have some other plans for that TN plant. As I stated before, they'll be lucky to sell 10,000 or them this year.

478 is a dismal number. Over 20,000 Cruze were sold, 23,000+ Focuses. The average consumer is not going to entertain a $38,000 sticker for a compact car that gets 70 miles of range.

You are right, Train. But there is one more problem -- the plug. Nissan is going to have to find a way to bundle plug (ok, EVSE) installation into the price. While we may have all gotten over the hurdle, it is a huge impediment to others from a psychological perspective. Face it, if you are feeling pinched by the difference between $4/gal gas and $5/gal gas, you are not going to spend more than $1,000 putting a plug in your garage. [cue refrain for Ingineer's mod].

I tell everyone what an incredible car it is. Yet, the only person I can claim to have convinced was someone who was predisposed to buy one anyway for the HOV sticker.

Have you noticed who else is driving these cars? For now, this car is going to sell to (1) the true believers; (2) the rich with an antipathy for foreign oil. All other markets for the car will be of secondary importance until the price comes down, the range goes up, and the up front plug cost issue goes away.

 

[DaveEV]

My local dealer here has three for $7K off sticker... Pretty attractive at that price...

Yeah, no kidding, that does really tilt things in it's favor - especially compared to the plug-in Prius as long as you don't need a carpool sticker. Puts it around $25.5k after tax credits (assuming a base model). If only the rear seats were more usable, I might go for it. Need to move people long distances too frequently, though.

 

[jkirkebo]

I think Nissan is continuing to shift deliveries to other countries. In Norway, for example, 214 Leafs were sold in February. Half the number of US deliveries but with 1/65th the population. The Leaf is the 9th most sold car here so far this year with 1.9% market share.

 

[GRA]

I'm surprised that the Volt did so well, as I expected a big drop-off in California sales for February in anticipation of the HOV sticker-eligible cars coming in March. California Volt sales this month should be interesting, as we'll get an idea of how much those stickers are currently valued.

 

[cwerdna]

anyone know how many Lexus CT200h were sold n FEB ?

Per PDF from http://toyotanewsroom.com/releases/february+2012+sales+chart.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, 1640 CTs were sold in the US last month. More verbiage at http://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota+motor+sales+reports+increase+february+2012+sales.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

That pales in comparison the 20,589 of the Prius family (includes liftback, v, c and maybe a few PiPs).

 

[muus]

Nissan sold only 18 Leafs in Canada during the month of February (http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/930865/nissan-canada-inc-announces-record-february-sales). Nissan Canada has said they plan to deliver 600 Leafs to Canada this year and that works out to 50 per month. I seriously doubt Nissan is going to be able to sell 600 Leafs here, they are much too expensive. The SL goes for about $43k and the SV is about $41k. Add 6K for taxes and you are near 50 grand! Sure some provinces give 5 to 8k (after taxes) but most don't. I wanted to buy the Leaf as soon as it came out but can't afford it

 

[tps]

I was one of those 478 February sales. I'm guessing they diverted a large number of LEAFs for dealer demos. I was the first sale at my dealer, but they had a demo LEAF 3 weeks before mine arrived. They are not allowed to sell their demo until it has 5000 miles, or so they say. Given what looks to be an enormous proliferation of dealer demo cars, I wouldn't read too much of a "low demand" message into low sales just yet.

The word is just getting out about the LEAF here in PA. Everyone who has actually been in my car, either riding or driving, has been very positive about the experience. But they need to be in the car to "get it". Hence Nissan's dealer demo diversion.

 

[Train]

But there is one more problem -- the plug. Nissan is going to have to find a way to bundle plug (ok, EVSE) installation into the price. While we may have all gotten over the hurdle, it is a huge impediment to others from a psychological perspective.

Have you noticed who else is driving these cars? For now, this car is going to sell to (1) the true believers; (2) the rich with an antipathy for foreign oil. All other markets for the car will be of secondary importance until the price comes down, the range goes up, and the up front plug cost issue goes away.

Exactly. Bundling a 220V EVSE could help spur some sales. I look for factory to dealer incentives in a few months. Wait and watch, it's going to happen.

But you drive home the larger point. Until the range is increased substantially and the price is reduced, EV's will remain a niche vehicle. This is quite obvious. It's tough for some to be objective because their own enthusiasm clouds reasonable analysis.

If this car had a $20,000 sticker on it, they could be selling in bunches. That's a reasonable price for what this car provides. At almost twice that price, it just won't make sense, especially for someone that can only own one car. And getting the EVSE, and finding a way to charge it in a car port in an apt complex, and not going to the concert tonight because it's 60 miles from here and I can't make it there and back. And on and on it goes.

These are all reasonable and understandable obstacles that will will cause someone to choose to buy a petrol powered vehicle instead.

The cost of fuel will not matter, even if it rises to $4.50/$4.75 a gallon. People will just buy less of other things to budget fuel for their vehicle, or they'll drive less. That's the simplest thing to do. They need their car to transport them so they do less pleasure driving.

 

[hill]

Nissan better have some other plans for that TN plant. As I stated before, they'll be lucky to sell 10,000 or them this year.

478 is a dismal number. Over 20,000 Cruze were sold, 23,000+ Focuses. The average consumer is not going to entertain a $38,000 sticker for a compact car that gets 70 miles of range.

Wow, that's almost comical ... after selling more units every month than the Volt save one ... the Leaf is going down with the ship ... sell! ... sell! One month's sales does not a car history make. GM let Hummer flounder for over a year before aborting it. Maybe give the Leaf at LEAST 6 more weeks. :lol:

It wasn't a contest when the Leaf was outselling the Volt and it's not a contest now that the Volt is outselling the Leaf. Both GM and Nissan are going to have to learn how to sell these cars. They're more compliments than competitors and strong sales of one should help the other.

Initially the Volt was at a disadvantage because it was rolled out in states that were not as receptive to EVs and it wasn't eligible for a CARB rebate or HOV lane access. As GM moves towards allocating cars based on take rates, and as the new Volts are now eligible for HOV lane access and a CARB rebate, Volt sales should grow stronger.

Don't you think Volt sales might suffer with the PiP now on dealer lots? ... less costly ... higher CS mode ... stickers ... proven track record. But you never know ... you may be right.

.

 

[edatoakrun]

I think Nissan is continuing to shift deliveries to other countries. In Norway, for example, 214 Leafs were sold in February. Half the number of US deliveries but with 1/65th the population. The Leaf is the 9th most sold car here so far this year with 1.9% market share.

Yes, I suspect Nissan may be intentionally selling as small a percentage it can, in America, out of it's about 3,300 a month (?) total production.

AFAIK, the US LEAF price is the lowest in the world, and at current exchange rates, Nissan is probably losing quite a bit of money, on each US sale.

I wouldn't count on any US incentives, or other effective price cuts, until US production, at much lower cost, starts next year.

And maybe, not even then.

What do you have to pay for a LEAF, in Norway?

 

[edatoakrun]

...The cost of fuel will not matter, even if it rises to $4.50/$4.75 a gallon. People will just buy less of other things to budget fuel for their vehicle...

That's about the only part of your posts I agree with.

Many Americans have a dependence on gasoline, bordering on clinical addiction.

I expect some would starve their own children, to feed their SUVs, if gas prices rise to a point that requires such a decision.

And the price already is pretty close to $4.50, here in North California...

 

[tps]

Many Americans have a dependence on gasoline, bordering on clinical addiction.

The LEAF has allowed me to kick my gasoline habit, cold turkey!