Caracalover said:
All of these are vehicles that are available in all markets(Unlike the Leaf or Volt), and many of them are sold as fleet replacement vehicles, so it is not an apple to apple statistic by any stretch. Rental car companies are now asking for as many Leaf's as they can get, they just can't get them yet.
Not sure why you feel any of these stats are relevant, they aren't.
I agree, they're not an apples to apples comparison but they do put in context current Volt and Leaf sales vs. the inertia that the rest of the market has since I suspect a fair % of folks here haven't looked at auto sales stats in detail.
Part of why I pointed out monstrosity class SUVs (I see an insane # of them running around, driven solo or w/minimal cargo and passengers where I live) is that there seem to be a # of folks who willingly (and foolishly, IMHO) buy such vehicles when there's no actual need. They either don't care about gas prices (or they do but just complain instead of buying a more efficient vehicle), dependence on foreign oil, global warming, etc. or all of the above. I can't see many of those people buying an EV. "Light trucks" (includes SUVs, minivans, most "crossovers", pickups) made up ~50.5% of US auto sales YTD.
I believe many Leaf early adopters have skewed perceptions. As I've posted before, (partly since I've owned my Prius for close to 6 years now) I've heard enough FUD, misinformation, etc. about hybrids from all sorts of people ranging from people who don't know much about cars and to enthusiasts. Then there are polls like one cited at http://www.npr.org/2011/11/22/142593572/automakers-set-to-steer-customers-to-hybrids" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Nearly half of consumers say they'll never consider buying a hybrid, according to a recent survey by Kelley Blue Book. Moody says the main reason is price — hybrids cost thousands more than comparable gasoline-powered models.
OR
http://www.green.autoblog.com/2011/05/31/gallup-poll-shows-57-of-americans-wont-buy-an-electric-vehicle/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
A recent USA Today-Gallup poll shows that 57 percent of American drivers won't buy an electric vehicle (EV) – no matter how much a gallon of gas costs
For context, Prius has been in sale in the US since late 2000. Insight, IIRC came a bit earlier. One can look at US sales stats of hybrids and EVs at http://www.hybridcars.com/news/october-2011-dashboard-hybrids-have-best-sales-march-31926.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. So, even after almost 11 years, we still have all this FUD, people trying to poo-poo hybrids based on factors like "payback" and hybrids are still a niche.
People have been and continue to unfairly compare hybrids like the midsize Prius to cheap compact or smaller econoboxes (lacking many features) and conclude that it's not worth it. Even though Train's figures are a bit inflated since he omits the current Federal tax credit, the upfront numbers of the Leaf will no doubt be put through the same comparisons.
Can you imagine how much FUD and misinformation is floating around about EVs? Even if they can get past some of that, many (or their spouses) just flat out won't be willing to pay for a range limited car nor be willing to put up w/the charge times (even if these aren't an
actual problem for them). Then there's the justified fear of high battery replacement cost w/no warranty for capacity loss.
Apartment dwellers definitely are a market that is pretty well shut out, for now. Even if I somehow had decent charging at a complex I lived at, what if I need to move and my workplace provides none? That means either ditching the EV, limiting myself to apartments w/charging or units where one can run a L1 cord out from a balcony.
With this bad economy, one might lose a job and have to work somewhere where the Leaf's range is insufficient. Does it make sense to be limited by a car's range? This can be another factor in dissuading a buyer. I'm in this boat w/me not knowing where my future work will be since I left my job last year.