Nissan Admits Delays

[kmp647]

I can see a real tough transition for Nissan dealers when the day comes that the reservation system has ended and they have inbound unsold units, and or some ground stock.


its been tough enough for many of them, being in an information blackout from Nissan corp

having the customers know more about the car and the reservation system. tough

calling your Nissan dealer and having to explain what a Leaf is...... tough

still many dealers are not even Certified and dont seem to know why
" we dont have our chargers yet " ,, " thats why we are not certified"
thats what more than one dealer told me

I had to school em on what certification requires



L E A F I said L E A F not a lease.

ugh

 

[walterbays]

In the end, though, it's not what their competitors say that matters, it's what their customers say. As you said, demand outstrips supply 10 to 1. What the press is saying *right now* - things like "nissan only sold 19 leafs in 2010!" - would actually look better to the average consumer if nissan publically stated that they were slowing the launch to give more attention to the first cars off the line, or to take care of Japanese customers

I think you're right. But that doesn't fit with my idea of Japanese company mentality: If you can't say something successful, don't say anything at all.

I think we'd agree that above all Nissan has wanted to avoid the predominant Leaf story in 2013 being case studies in how it doesn't work - too long commute, too many unplanned side trips, too little public charging infrastructure, too cold, uncooperative employer, etc. They want the first 40,000 (or 16,000) success stories of 2011/2 to sell the next 400,000 cars in 2013/4.

As you note, it's what customers say that's important. So there's another thing I would have done differently than Nissan had I been in charge. I've read a number of stories on this forum of people unable to order a Leaf because they aren't in a rollout market. Maybe they live just across the border from a rollout state, but still aren't allowed. I would have opened sales to anyone who wanted to buy, with lots of extra written and verbal disclaimers to those who want to buy where there will be no public charging, no special cooperation from local governments and utilities, commutes that stretch the range capability, etc. Those would-be early adopters want desperately for this to succeed. They've come up with dozens of ingenious ways of coping with the challenges, and would do anything to make it work. Most would succeed and would have become the strongest champions for the Leaf. And even those who failed would be unlikely to trumpet their failure by going whining to the newspapers about how Nissan forced this stupid car on them.

That's how I would have done it, but again I understand Nissan's reasoning in choosing the safe conservative approach instead.

 

[AndyH]

You all are certainly welcome to your beliefs, but I cannot agree with comments like 'dealer blackout' because Nissan Corporate made it clear from the start that the Leaf sales process was going to be buyer-centric and NOT the traditional dealer-centric process.

The dealers are only 'required' to come into the picture at the end of the process so they don't need to know when the car's going to arrive that far in advance.

I'm not saying AT ALL that Nissan did a perfect job communicating with 'we the reservation holders' but I also cannot attack them for not doing things that didn't need to happen. :?

I've been in sales since about 2001. Let's look at a trade show as an example of a sales process. Pay upfront for space at the show. Get in front of as many people as possible to sift for qualified potential customers. Then work and work and follow-up to convert them to customers. The rule of thumb is that one has to talk with 1000 people to find 100 candidates to sell 10.

I can guarantee that Nissan corporate has done the selling here. The dealer only comes into the picture to set a final price (after Corporate strongly suggested MSRP and no higher), and then do the paperwork and give us a walk-thru before we drive away.

Of course dealers are confused - Corporate has taken all the power away from them! Corporate has turned the sales process upside down! Apparently some of us customers are confused as well, as we're still expecting a 'traditional' dealership experience.

Welcome to the information age, my friends! Don't we make car salesman jokes? We don't like the old system, do we? But it's familiar enough that we fight for it when it's gone. :lol:

 

[evnow]

I think you're right. But that doesn't fit with my idea of Japanese company mentality: If you can't say something successful, don't say anything at all.

Can't say it is a Japanese company mentality. It is the same in all companies. Infact I expect all Nissan communications in the US to come from Americans who are working for Nissan NA. They set the communication culture here. Compare the statements of GM & Nissan for eg. ...

 

[electricD]

Funny how your perspective changes depending on how close you are to getting the car. If you have already gotten one, then year for the very small number of you it went fine. for those that were at least able to order it's not been great communication but at least there is light at the end of the tunnel. But for those of us in tier 2 limbo that were supposed to have ordered in December for deliveries starting in April, but are still seeing a estimated delivery of "Pending", well that is where the problem is. Oh and lets not for the totally forgotten beyond tier 2. AKA,the lost leaves.

Mind you the last communication I got from Nissan regarding my order was back in December when they gave me the vague "late summer" order date. That email coming a week after in a IM chat they said everything was on schedule. HA. So 2 months later and still no update from Nissan, if it hadn't been for this forum and my own searches I would have the slightest idea what is going on. How hard would it be to just once a month just send me a little something telling me the progress of my order?

Form my perspective the pre-order been a disaster that has start to really put me off Nissan more then any supposed "lack of infrastructure" or range issues. Back in June I was all excited trying to be one of the first to put down my $99. But now given the botched pre-order system I'm seriously consider waiting a bit longer to see what the other company will offer.

Nissan needs to start firing a few people and start turning this thing around for the majority of pre-orders or rick loosing customers. Even some more stickers would be nice.

 

[garygid]

No, from my experience working for Pioneer, Japanese Company "culture" is quite different from the typical American company customs, and THEIR customs typically DO extend well into their USA "branches" as well, often with Japanese upper management, or at least policy-making.

For NissanUSA specifically, I do not know.

 

[charlie1300]

I don't see the dealers having any difficulty when they transition back to the old way of selling. I bet they can't wait. That's the way they are used to doing business.
And as far as getting up to speed on the Leaf, a two hour seminar on the selling points should do it. After all, how many salesmen do you think could give a coherent description of how an ICE works, gas tank to tailpipe, or explain how a torsion bar works? If the Leaf does become a mass market car, the customers are not going to all be EEs. It will be easy for the sales staff to at least appear to know more than the customer.

 

[muus]

In case there is still any doubt, please see the following article. THE reason for the delays in deliveries of cars in the US is because Nissan is trying to deliver as many Leafs to the Japanese market before the subsidies end on March 31st.

Nissan has delivered nearly 1000 Leafs in Japan as of the end of January and...

Nissan plans to sell 6,000 Leaf units in Japan by the end of March...

So we can expect a flood of Leafs starting in April, just as the subsides end in Japan and Nissan will be at full production.

Hopefully the constant whining from people that are waiting for their Leafs will soon end. Here I am, in Canada waiting for 2012 when I will (hopefully) be able to place my order... it's just not fair!!!

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/news/20110208p2g00m0bu020000c.html

 

[TRONZ]

So like we have all been thinking... Nissan is admitting delays for U.S. customers.

 

[sjfotos]

From Automotive News:


“I know that some U.S. customers are frustrated,” Shiga said. “But delivery is a little bit delayed because of shipping timing and deliveries to Japan.”

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110218/OEM01/110219850/1493#ixzz1EMnMFM4e

 

[evnow]

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/02/treehugger-radio-mark-perry-nissan-leaf-podcast.php

Nissan is trying to differentiate between "delays" as in production problems and delays as in deliveries to US customers.

TH: How's the roll-out been so far? I understand there have been some delays with delivery?

Perry: You used the term "delay," as far as our deliveries. I wouldn't go with "delay." What we're dealing with right is a huge demand for the car. We have folks that have been waiting patiently for their deliveries and we're not delivering cars as fast as they want, so in their minds it is a delay.

If you look at our production plans, we've built almost 4,000 Leafs globally already. So our production plans are right on track, it's just we have not met consumer expectations here in the U.S. We've made a commitment to everyone who has ordered a car so far that you'll have your Leaf by the end of summer, so we've made that commitment to folks.

later

And again, we appreciate everybody's patience. We beg forgiveness if we are not meeting their expectations. But we're getting cars to them just as fast as we can.

 

[rnkepler]

I think they were caught off guard by the number of enthusiastic people who equate the word 'expect' with 'promise' and then take offense when that expectation is not met.

 

[Boomer23]

As far as my particular March promise, then bumped to April, I think that was due to Nissan's rapid-fire decision to fill the Japan market orders when they learned that the tax credit would not be renewed. Saving face on the home market and all that.

It is kind of hard to take that people with Sept 2 orders and one with an October order now have specific March dates and VINs, but my Sept 3 order date has an April delivery date. It appears to me that Nissan made a cutoff at Sept 2 orders and split some of those folks into March and others into April.

For the April, bumped to May situation, I think that they listened to all of us griping about being in Pending status, please, please just give me a date other than Pending. I admit to writing that somewhere. Where they made their mistake was in over-promising April to so many people. I'd wager that there would be far fewer disappointed people with May dates if they had been changed from Pending to May instead of Pending to April to May. This is pretty basic Business 101, don't promise what you aren't sure you can deliver.

 

[Train]

Did Nissan promise this? Didn't they say that everyone that reserved a car would get their car by the end of summer?

I just don't see anywhere where they made a promise.

 

[stanley]

Boomer23, Could it be that this latest change( March to April and April to May) is because Nissan has finally learned the art of under promise and over produce. If Nissan does meet its production goal of 10,000 Leafs manufactured by the end of March, that would be enough cars to fill even many of the January orders.(6,000 for japan 3,500 for the US and 500 to Europe) However Nissan still has to ship them ,get them through customs, QA and to car carriers to dealers to clean them up and charge them .No matter how hard Nissan works at this process, there are many steps beyond their control that could cause delay. In a perfect world, the vast majority of us could have our cars by the end of April.

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

I haven't seen this much spin since I was in a Disneyland tea-cup.

 

[smkettner]

Yes and just as nauseated

 

[hill]

Nissan said 4 to 7 months. With August 31 2010 as the starting line, NO one has NOT gotten their delivery within the maximum (March 31 2011) window . . . . yet.
So . . . That's the bottom line.

 

[tps]

Yes, and we now know why: The Japanese diversion they did not predict as of August 31. They had a hard choice to make and they made it. No sense further beating on this dead horse!