Nissan Leaf pre-orders already exceed production capacity

[Cacti]

"Wow, it sure didn't take long for pre-orders of the Nissan Leaf to exceed the company's current production capacity. In just a few short weeks, Nissan has tallied around 17,000 pre-orders from interested U.S. and Japanese buyers, exceeding initial capacity. So now what? Well, Nissan is working on a solution as we speak. The company will try to allocate additional capacity for the Leaf, but there's no guarantee it can be done in time for expected deliveries.

As it stands, Nissan has enough capacity to deliver around 12,000 Leafs by next March, but that means the company will fall well short of meeting demand at the rate pre-orders continue to come in. Still, that's a better problem to have than too many Leafs and not enough interested buyers. Assuming Nissan doesn't find a quick-fix to grow more Leafs, production capacity for the new EV will grow after the car's U.S. and UK production sites come on-line within the next few years. But right now, a few years is really a few too many."

http://green.autoblog.com/2010/05/19/nissan-leaf-pre-orders-already-exceed-production-capacity/

 

[garygid]

No worry mate, not all of the pre-order Reservations will result in sales.

For me, if the CA $5000 rebate is "gone" (funds unavailable), that could easily make another car purchase just too expensive for me. We shall see.

Trouble is, there is almost no way to know (at order time) if the rebate funds will still be available at the time of "delivery".

 

[EVDRIVER]

No worry mate, not all of the pre-order Reservations will result in sales.

For me, if the CA $5000 rebate is "gone" (funds unavailable), that could easily make another car purchase just too expensive for me. We shall see.

Trouble is, there is almost no way to know (at order time) if the rebate funds will still be available at the time of "delivery".

Don't count on the CA funds by Dec you will more than likely be disappointed.

 

[garygid]

I am hoping the EV rebate program will get new funding for 2011.

Now, I do not even see how much remains uncommitted.
Maybe they would tell me if I call their San Diego Headquarters?

 

[planet4ever]

I am hoping the EV rebate program will get new funding for 2011.

Now, I do not even see how much remains uncommitted.
Maybe they would tell me if I call their San Diego Headquarters?

You can still see it at
http://energycenter.org/index.php/incentive-programs/clean-vehicle-rebate-project/cvrp-program-status

Currently Reserved $ 35,650
Rebates Issued $ 30,000
Remaining Funds $ 3,660,806

 

[garygid]

Many Thanks, I had not found that page.

It is encouraging that much of the money is still available.

Around $35k reserved, means it should be committed in 14 days (or less).

That might indicate $70k per month, then there should be some left in December. But, we shall see.

Thanks again for the link.

 

[sjfotos]

No worry mate, not all of the pre-order Reservations will result in sales.

For me, if the CA $5000 rebate is "gone" (funds unavailable), that could easily make another car purchase just too expensive for me. We shall see.

Trouble is, there is almost no way to know (at order time) if the rebate funds will still be available at the time of "delivery".

Do we have an Aussie amongst us?

 

[garygid]

Possibly, but not me, g'day. (grin)

 

[Frank]

Many Thanks, I had not found that page.

It is encouraging that much of the money is still available.

Around $35k reserved, means it should be committed in 14 days (or less).

That might indicate $70k per month, then there should be some left in December. But, we shall see.

Thanks again for the link.

The $35k reserved is probably for 7 Teslas. As you said, if the current rate of consumption continues there should be plenty of funds left by December 2010, if the Volt isn't available before the Leaf. GM says that they will begin selling the Volt in Q4 2010. If the Volt gets to consumers before the Leaf, then the funds will probably deplete much quicker.

 

[garygid]

At what rate are the Tesla EVs being produced?

 

[sjfotos]

Possibly, but not me, g'day. (grin)

 

[mitch672]

At what rate are the Tesla EVs being produced?

not very many. to start with, they are $109K or so. also, the glider they are using (Lotus) is being discontinued. I wouldn't expect to see more than another 30 or 40 of the Tesla Roadster produced this year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster

 

[garygid]

40 Teslas, maybe 50% in CA, so 20 x $5k -> only $100,000 ... not much of the $3M.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

No worry mate, not all of the pre-order Reservations will result in sales.

For me, if the CA $5000 rebate is "gone" (funds unavailable), that could easily make another car purchase just too expensive for me. We shall see.

Trouble is, there is almost no way to know (at order time) if the rebate funds will still be available at the time of "delivery".

I could be caught chickening out. Depends in part how things look with the economy when time rolls around. An equivalent gas car would be $10k less, and the Leaf might only save a few hundred bucks a year on gas. For me it's less important that I have an EV than it is that EVs become a viable option in the market. If they're selling like hotcakes I'm happy even if I'm not among the early adopters. Paying a big premium to be first is pretty much out of the question.

 

[garygid]

Likewise, but I am trying to work toward making the EV an ongoing success and a major part of most people's lives.

If Level 3 charger locations were even 10% as frequent as gas stations (most e-fueling will happen at home), I think the EV will be a great success.

How many gas stations do you have within a 10-mile radius?

Here, there might be 100 or more, with many of them just waiting for customers.

 

[mwalsh]

I won't be chickening out if the $5k isn't there. It would be nice, but it wouldn't be a deal killer. Something like a job loss would be, however. And just when I thought we might be out of the woods, it looks like Europe could yet implode and the stock market tank once again!

 

[planet4ever]

Well, I am totally determined that my next auto is going to plug in, and I don't mean for a wimpy 13 miles like Toyota is promising. Also, I really want to get it as soon as possible. The truth is I could be convinced to get a Volt if the price was right and they started selling them in significant numbers by the end of the year. At this point I don't think either condition is going to be met. Tesla is way out of my range, and their Model S is too late and still too costly. BYD?? I don't think so.

So, from my perspective, Nissan may be the only game in town. Besides, it's a darn good game at a darn good price. If I can get the $5K from Ahnold that would be great, but it's not a deal breaker for me. (And I can't lose my job, since I'm already retired, living off an IBM pension and all the SS money the rest of you keep sending Uncle Sam. -Thanks!-)

 

[evnow]

Volt is supposed to be on sale beginning October.