I would be happy if nissan wasn't keeping us in the dark

Well after the Nissan eMail I got today, it might not be bad to start planning on patience for deliveries. And I am an 8/31 order! I mean, I am all for caution during the North American roll out but this is starting to seem more like benign neglect. I wonder how many cars were delivered in Japan starting today???

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/nissan-confident-in-reaching-leaf-target-28569.html

Here is the part of this link that floored me! -

"Nissan plans to sell some 6,000 units of the Leaf on the local market by the end of the fiscal 2010 ending 31 March, 2011. The numbers registered in the pre-ordering process which started back in April show that the respective target is well within reach."

Are I reading this correctly??? This sounds like completed LEAF deliveries and would be about 2000 a month. I though 6000 was the entire LEAF order book for the Japanese market???

garygid said:

What has to happen?
Nissan has to decide to GO, GO, GO!

Click to expand...

Ready, Set, Orphan!

TRONZ said:

Well after the Nissan eMail I got today, it might not be bad to start planning on patience for deliveries. And I am an 8/31 order! I mean, I am all for caution during the North American roll out but this is starting to seem more like benign neglect. I wonder how many cars were delivered in Japan starting today???

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/nissan-confident-in-reaching-leaf-target-28569.html

Here is the part of this link that floored me! -

"Nissan plans to sell some 6,000 units of the Leaf on the local market by the end of the fiscal 2010 ending 31 March, 2011. The numbers registered in the pre-ordering process which started back in April show that the respective target is well within reach."

Are I reading this correctly??? This sounds like completed LEAF deliveries and would be about 2000 a month. I though 6000 was the entire LEAF order book for the Japanese market???

Click to expand...

I'm not sure those facts are correct - didn't we hear from our Japanese speaking board member that Japan was just opening up the order process in December? I too would be floored if Nissan accepted *and delivered* 6000 orders in Japan within 3 months. I'd think this should really mean 6000 orders taken - rather then 6000 delivered. It would, however, explain why we aren't seeing anything here.

I heard US deliveries are slow because

I hope it is just 6000 orders TO BE taken! I did find it interesting that the first Japanese deliveries were already being set before the end of this year. If so, this is a VERY fast conversion from Order to Delivery!

LakeLeaf said:

So as it looks at present, it appears there will be several handfuls of Leafs delivered in the next few weeks. After that - maybe a few handfuls more in Feb - even those being unconfirmed?

But then are we looking at almost no deliveries until the end of the Summer - or do we think that every few weeks a dozen or more cars will make their way to customers?

Click to expand...

What possible logic would there be for a six month gap with no deliveries? Surely end-of-summer delivers could apply, at worst, only to people who have not yet ordered. We know that there must be hundreds (*) of people who ordered in September or early October and who still have a Pending delivery date. Are you really suggesting that most of those will have to wait nearly a year to get their LEAF?

(*) We have about 80 people listed on our spreadsheet who ordered in September or early October and who still have a Pending delivery date. Based on VINs that have been assigned the spreadsheet covers only 30% of the earliest deliveries. It will certainly cover a considerably lower percentage of the people who do not yet have a delivery date. That would mean a minimum of 300 people - probably many more - that you are consigning to the hell of waiting eleven months or longer after their order date.

I call FUD!

http://green.autoblog.com/2010/04/23/leaf-pre-orders-in-japan-already-exceed-half-of-nissans-annual/

They ordered before we did.

Nissan Customer Service told me not to believe what I read on this site. On the other in October they told me that I would probably get delivery in February. From what I am now reading here I wonder if there is any point to my order with a date of December 1. I was part of the roll-out of the Prius, received the car in August 2000, and it was straightforward and open. Right now I am souring on Nissan which seems to have little regard for its most enthusiastic supporters. The only reason that I am not cancelling is because all this negativity may be false and I will get delivery before the beginning of summer.

what exactly is the factory capacity? i thought it was around 50,000??

that is 4,000 a month. if that is the case and builds have been going since October. i would assume a slow start, but we may have 2-3000 in inventory right now. that would be enough to put out 6,000 to them, 6,000 to us.

now their market will not keep pace. its simply too small. so after the first quarter, domestic sales may slow down allowing the excess to the European market keeping us at 2,000 a month.

i guess i dont see a problem with making the Japanese demand and the the 20,000 US allotment met

I have been trying to make this case for the last month or longer. I am in the 8/31 confirmed order group and my Leaf Dashboard says "February Delivery." This after 3 months of assurances directly from their "customer service" phone people that orders in August would arrive by December ("3-4 months after ordering...").

Basically I have (at least somewhat) given up on believing ANYTHING I see or hear from Nissan corporate about the US Delivery Schedule. Those of you on this forum that are excited about the token deliveries made already and cutting Nissan slack for your own delays are simply "better people than I am."

More forgiving for sure.

I am still waiting and do expect to accept delivery on my Leaf, but if there was ANY OTHER real choice....I would walk away from this corporate insensitivity and misrepresentation we have been presented. I have replaced our family cars every 2-3 years for the past 30 years; I have ordered and owned Acura, Audi, BMW, Honda, Infinit, Lexus, Mazda, Toyota and VW, and I have NEVER had such poor buying feedback or service before. Please note that I have NEVER owned a Nissan before, and this experience is doing NOTHING to endear Nissan to me. Our experience with getting an early introduction Infiniti when they first debuted on the American market was incredible, however; further note that I have not listed ANY U.S. car company. My last "American car" was a specifically ordered new 1969 Olds 442 and when that started to have pieces falling off in the first two weeks....

I would further note that I am also waiting for an early delivery of the Chevy Volt. I now have a VIN for my ordered Volt and it is #679 coming off the production line near Detroit. The tracking and feedback process on the Volt, from GM of all sources, is 100 TIMES more informative than what I am getting from Nissan...and my Leaf order was in the "first day 200" that Nissan accepted.

YIKES !

No real information from Nissan for the delay, no apologies and only a token t-shirt mailer...I hope more of you are not being "bought off" so easily.

On the other hand, have a WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON and perhaps we should just hunker down and enjoy our families and forget about this "new tech car business, at least for a week or so?"

George in W. Sacramento (now moving forward on my chargepoint install via the free unit courtesy of my Volt order)

This is all speculation, but if you want to speculate, try thinking about this from Nissan's point of view.

1. Nissan is under no obligation to make public details of their production schedule or which market those cars are destined for. In fact there is a great incentive not to make that public, because failure to adhere strictly to that schedule will cause speculation here and elsewhere that there is some serious problem with the Leaf. 20K in the USA by the end of 2011 is what we have been told, and I don't expect additional details.

2. There is significant skepticism in the general public and press that EVs are viable. Even one problem will be blown out of proportion. So Nissan needs to insure that that the initial roll out goes flawlessly, and they will be very careful to make sure there are zero problems with the first several hundred cars. This means slow production and time taken to individually quality check each Leaf. This will translate to low numbers for the first several months. See EVNOW's projected monthly production numbers earlier in this thread - seems like a reasonable projection, and it shows getting to 20K before the end of 2011. So the only projected production number that Nissan has released is still very possible.

3. Once Nissan gets to the level of confidence they want in the Quality Control of their production, they have every incentive to maximize their monthly production, since selling cars is how they make money. It is reasonable to expect at some point a big jump in monthly production, and Nissan wants badly to get to that point. But they will have goals and standards that have been designed into the roll out that need to be met first. As future Leaf owners, we should be happy that Nissan is sticking with their standards to insure that we get a quality car.

If you are getting a gas-using car, assume for a moment that all existing gas stations do not exist, and that you can only use newly-built stations, or a new, proper, certified gas tank and pump to be installed on your property.

Now, that makes the roll-out of your gas-eater more complicated, and closer to (no, NOT the same as) what Nissan is trying to accomplish.

Stated simply, Nissan (trying to roll-out widely, and in several countries) has a MUCH bigger job than any other vehicle roll-out in history.

Consider giving them some slack to get it done successfully. If you need to complain, go to your PU, Building Department, or Law-Makers and demand to know why THEY are holding things up.

Then, we may move from the dark into the light, and you can be proud that you actually helped.

Still, with little information from Nissan, I am starting to become frustrated. Even a two-month window would be OK. Just not "Pending". An urge hit me this morning to end to the uncertainty and hold out for a 2012, and have seat heaters, pleather seats, possibly improved crash protection, etc. Or get something else.

Yes, yes, follow your urges ...

"That's not the car we're looking for, move along."

But, you COULD wait in line, AND follow other paths, right?

garygid said:

But, you COULD wait in line, AND follow other paths, right?

Click to expand...

I just don't like getting jerked around. It's been eight months since 4/20, and all I have been told is that I might see a Leaf in 2011. Nissan could do better.

We all could.

I would appreciate a formal letter and/or phone call from a live Nissan person stating: "your LEAF as well as others have been delayed due to..." I would prefer this rather than free stickers, magnets and a LEAF shirt! I called my Nissan LEAF dealer, I have called, "live chat" and e-mailed Nissan- no explanation for my LEAF delay. I have my AV charger installed and I am ready! Just wish Nissan would say what is going on!? LEAFs are being delivered so it can't be that they are problems. I understand that Nissan is inspecting the LEAFs but come on!

So, you do not like the explanation they gave you.

What reason would satisfy you?

Uh, NISSAN has told me that there is no delay! Also, Nissan first said that I (as well as others) would get their LEAFs in 2 to 3 months NOW it is 4 to 6 months or 4 to 7 months! NO REASON and NO JUSTIFICATIONS by Nissan. That's fine- I will take my LEAF and when my lease is up they can have their vehicle back. There used to be this thing called customer service- guess I was dreaming again! :!: :?:

charlie1300 said:

This is all speculation, but if you want to speculate, try thinking about this from Nissan's point of view.

1. Nissan is under no obligation to make public details of their production schedule or which market those cars are destined for. In fact there is a great incentive not to make that public, because failure to adhere strictly to that schedule will cause speculation here and elsewhere that there is some serious problem with the Leaf. 20K in the USA by the end of 2011 is what we have been told, and I don't expect additional details.

2. There is significant skepticism in the general public and press that EVs are viable. Even one problem will be blown out of proportion. So Nissan needs to insure that that the initial roll out goes flawlessly, and they will be very careful to make sure there are zero problems with the first several hundred cars. This means slow production and time taken to individually quality check each Leaf. This will translate to low numbers for the first several months. See EVNOW's projected monthly production numbers earlier in this thread - seems like a reasonable projection, and it shows getting to 20K before the end of 2011. So the only projected production number that Nissan has released is still very possible.

3. Once Nissan gets to the level of confidence they want in the Quality Control of their production, they have every incentive to maximize their monthly production, since selling cars is how they make money. It is reasonable to expect at some point a big jump in monthly production, and Nissan wants badly to get to that point. But they will have goals and standards that have been designed into the roll out that need to be met first. As future Leaf owners, we should be happy that Nissan is sticking with their standards to insure that we get a quality car.

Click to expand...

Charlie: Now here's a post that really makes sense. I agree 100% with your views.