Leaf and Infiniti EV survey from Dynamic Research Solutiions

[cwerdna]

So, I got an email survey from Nissan that was mostly centered around the Leaf, Infiniti EV, lease payments and Leaf vs. Prius.

I'm guessing I received it since I've paid the $99 deposit twice but haven't bought/leased.

Two interesting things stood out for me. They brought up a hypothetical program below:

"Go the Distance" Program
This program will supply new Nissan Leaf customers with 10 "punches" to be used to rent a car at the dealership. A "punch" will be worth $40, or the value used to rent a Nissan Altima. This program provides the peace of mind that a car is available to you for longer trips (at no charge to the Leaf customer).

Assume this program comes standard with every new Leaf purchase or lease. To what extent does this program, as specified above, influence your consideration of a Nissan Leaf?

(choices available
Much more likely to consider
Somewhat more likely to consider
Makes no difference
Somewhat less likely to consider
Much less likely to consider
I would still not consider purchasing or leasing a Nissan Leaf

In the Infiniti EV portion, they also floated the idea of some sort of Infiniti vehicle loaner program for long trips.

Also, they brought up some hypothetical pricing and equipment levels. Screenshot at https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/I3pOQYPaHEruKt31n3WzpKKeyFui0dAu5T7DLmegRtY?feat=directlink" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (since I can't add attachments ). You may need to click the magnifying glass, go into full screen mode via F11 or something along those lines to make it readable.

I picked SV. For the S, I think I could do w/o nav (esp. since PNDs are dirt cheap now) and Carwings to save money, but no cruise control on a car that price is just weird.

Note the lease is a 39 months and w/$999 down.

Anyone else get this survey? Feel free to discuss it here. Or, maybe this should be a thread to discuss Nissan/Infiniti EV surveys in general?

 

[Boomer23]

I just finished it, too.

For those who had a hard time reading the small print on cwerdna's picture, the scenario is three different LEAF models, an S, an SV and an SL. The SV is pretty much the same as today's SV. The SL has 17 inch alloys in place of 16 inchers, Quick Charge, the solar panel and fogs and auto on/off headlights and LEATHER SEATING. No mention of backup camera.

The S model has steel wheels, cloth (not recycled cloth) upholstery, no Navi, 4 speakers in place of 6, no Carwings, no Cruise, and a small 4.3 inch display in place of the 7 inch one.

Prices AFTER TAX CREDITS are $28K or $260/mo lease for the S, $31.1K and $300/mo for the SV and $34.1K and $335/mo for the SL. So before tax credits, the SL would be $41,600. Leases assume $999 down and 39 mo/12K miles.

Prices include cost of the home EVSE and installation, and the Go The Distance program that cwerdna mentioned.

Can we put any credence in such a pricing structure for the 2013 LEAF? Probably not, but there are hints there, I would imagine.

 

[Boomer23]

The survey also had a lot to say about the Infiniti LE. All of the information about the car was as publicized at the launch of the concept car at New York this month.

The survey was interested in finding out whether we are interested in buying/leasing the car and at what price point, and a lot about what value-added services would make a difference in our purchase decision. Some of the services sounded cool, like having the car be a mobile wifi hotspot, and the loaner Infiniti car program for when you want to make longer trips. Some of the others were aimed at those who frequent premium hotels and fashion accessory outlets, and Infiniti EV customer-only charge stations at sporting events, high end retailers or hotels/resorts. One was just strange: a frequent flier mileage program : the more electric miles driven, the more points collected, but no mention of what the points do for you. Sounds like it rewards driving more, which isn't green at all.

I told them, in capital letters, to GIVE THE CAR MORE RANGE, LIKE 150 MILES!

 

[DeaneG]

I tried to take the survey, but for some reason it kept asking me what it would take to get me to buy a Leaf, after I already told it I owned one. So it's acting like it was written by the same group that brought us Carwings.

 

[Boomer23]

I tried to take the survey, but for some reason it kept asking me what it would take to get me to buy a Leaf, after I already told it I owned one. So it's acting like it was written by the same group that brought us Carwings.

Yeah, I ignored that logical snafu and just answered the questions. Hopefully when they see that I drive a LEAF and would be very likely to buy or lease a LEAF they'll understand that they wasted some of their own and my time. :lol:

 

[NYLEAF]

They raise the price of the car, but the lease deals get better? Interesting.

While I like the idea of the Go the Distance program (and I know it would do a great deal of help as far as getting a broader range of the public to try an EV), it sort of devalues the whole EV experience, as it basically says "Here's a real car for when your fake car can't do the job." I've never had a sedan come with a program that lets me rent (for free!) a pickup 10 times a year for those trips to Ikea/Home Depot/Costco.

EDIT: I just noticed that the lease and purchase price INCLUDE the home charging station. That's very, very interesting...

 

[Boomer23]

While I like the idea of the Go the Distance program (and I know it would do a great deal of help as far as getting a broader range of the public to try an EV), it sort of devalues the whole EV experience, as it basically says "Here's a real car for when your fake car can't do the job."

I don't see the devaluation that you see in this. I think that it is just a way to realistically acknowledge that owning an EV as your only car today comes with compromises due to the limited charging, especially quick charging, infrastructure. A way to easily and cheaply get the use of a car with unlimited range a few times a year might make a difference in some folks' comfort level.

 

[cwerdna]

For those who had a hard time reading the small print on cwerdna's picture
...
Prices include cost of the home EVSE and installation, and the Go The Distance program that cwerdna mentioned.

Can we put any credence in such a pricing structure for the 2013 LEAF? Probably not, but there are hints there, I would imagine.

One should be able to more easily see it by putting your browser in full screen mode (F11 on PCs) and then clicking on the magnifying glass.

Agree about what your statement on pricing. It is interesting that they're bundling the EVSE installation.

In the section where it kept asking a lot of questions about whether I'd buy or lease the Prius or Leaf given hypothetical purchase/lease prices, I kept answering Leaf because well, I already have a Prius and the Leaf would be a 2nd car. I'm not buying a 2nd Prius while keeping the 1st. I'm not in the market for a Prius until the 4th gen, unless mine gets stolen/totaled before that.

 

[GeekEV]

I don't see the devaluation that you see in this. I think that it is just a way to realistically acknowledge that owning an EV as your only car today comes with compromises due to the limited charging, especially quick charging, infrastructure. A way to easily and cheaply get the use of a car with unlimited range a few times a year might make a difference in some folks' comfort level.

Agreed. When I described this program to my wife, she lit up and said that might be enough to convince her to get one despite her range anxiety...

 

[GerryAZ]

I tried to take the survey. They asked a bunch of questions about vehicles owned and then said I did not qualify to complete the survey (in spite of me owning the Leaf and several other vehicles). I was disappointed because I wanted to see the questions.

Gerry

 

[cwerdna]

I tried to take the survey. They asked a bunch of questions about vehicles owned and then said I did not qualify to complete the survey (in spite of me owning the Leaf and several other vehicles). I was disappointed because I wanted to see the questions.

Judging by the questions, I'm guessing it was aimed at people who don't own Leafs yet. Maybe it was also targeted at people who don't own Leafs but have or are considering Priuses.

 

[spike09]

I tried to take the survey. They asked a bunch of questions about vehicles owned and then said I did not qualify to complete the survey (in spite of me owning the Leaf and several other vehicles). I was disappointed because I wanted to see the questions.

Judging by the questions, I'm guessing it was aimed at people who don't own Leafs yet. Maybe it was also targeted at people who don't own Leafs but have or are considering Priuses.

I took the survey as well and found it quite interesting. Looks like the Nissan Marketing team has come up with some great ideas on how to sell EV and are deciding which ones to implement. The Infinity ideas come right out of the Tesla exclusivity playbook. I would guess to complete the survey you have to indicate you are looking to buy a new car in the near futute.

 

[dcdivenut]

While I like the idea of the Go the Distance program (and I know it would do a great deal of help as far as getting a broader range of the public to try an EV), it sort of devalues the whole EV experience, as it basically says "Here's a real car for when your fake car can't do the job."

I don't see the devaluation that you see in this. I think that it is just a way to realistically acknowledge that owning an EV as your only car today comes with compromises due to the limited charging, especially quick charging, infrastructure. A way to easily and cheaply get the use of a car with unlimited range a few times a year might make a difference in some folks' comfort level.

Another agree on this... We live in DC but my in-laws are in Philly and drive up there about once a month (don't ask!) Since we had 2 ICE cars, one of which was paid off, we got ride of 1 to get the LEAF and kept the other. Since I work from home that basically sits in the garage there is insurance etc. Now imagine we were a 1 car household... I would not have been able to get a LEAF, since we need that longer range often enough. Yes, you could simply rent a car, but those costs can add up.

Listen... I know guys that drive a gas guzzling SUV because they really need the size TWICE a year. Try to explain to them they could save money by getting a smaller call and renting when they need the size... just won't happen... goal should be to get as many people in electrics for daily driving as possible, not pursue some purity of EV mentality.

 

[mkjayakumar]

Prices AFTER TAX CREDITS are $28K or $260/mo lease for the S, $31.1K and $300/mo for the SV and $34.1K and $335/mo for the SL. So before tax credits, the SL would be $41,600. Leases assume $999 down and 39 mo/12K miles.

Can we put any credence in such a pricing structure for the 2013 LEAF? Probably not, but there are hints there, I would imagine.

Pricing doesn't make sense at all. For example the 2012 SV today costs $35K before fed credits. In this scheme it will cost 31+7.5=38.5K. For the extra $3.5K you get a home charger installed plus the free car rental? What's the big deal?

For someone like me who don't care about L2 home charging and have an ICE for long trips, this doesn't make sense.

 

[cwerdna]

To resurrect this old thread that I had to look at, it's interesting that the '13 trim levels panned out pretty closely to what the survey had. I have only glanced at the screenshot and am going by memory from what I recall about '13 specs. I haven't compared them line-by-line.