That the Leaf hasn't been the success Nissan hoped for, is not a secret. This year through September, the Japanese carmaker delivered only 5,212 Leaf EVs in the United States, down 27.6 percent from the first nine months of 2011 when it sold 7,199 units.
Both these numbers are a far cry from the 20,000 Leafs Nissan wanted to sell in the car's first fiscal year on the market.
However, Nissan isn't sitting with its arms crossed waiting for a miracle to happen, as the company plans to add a lower-cost variant to the range as part of a 2013 model facelift, Autonews reported today.
Nissan hasn't said how much the new entry level model will cost. Currently, the company offers two models in the States, the $36,050 "SV" grade, and the $38,100 "SL", with both prices including destination. In the States, buyers are also eligible for a $7,500 U.S. tax credit.
Unlike the current model that is imported from Japan, production of the 2013 Leaf will shift to Nissan's U.S. factory in Smyrna, Tennessee, starting in December of 2012, with sales said to start in March of the following year.
The move will likely result in lower prices for the entire range as Nissan will not have to deal with the strong yen.
The car's batteries, which are said to represent a large chunk of the Leaf's cost, will also be produced in Smyrna at a new $1.4 billion plant with an annual capacity of 200,000 battery modules. These may be used in other future models as well, including an EV from Infiniti.
11 Comments:
EV'S will never work !
Gas and diesel won't work forever.
It's amazing that Nissan isn't making more pronounced changes. People who are in the marketplace for alternative fuel vehicles are not as price sensitive. So I don't believe that it's the price that's the problem. First, the amateurish built-in-a-barn design is a real turnoff. But more importantly, it's just not a very appealing or practical alternative to hybrids or diesel. It will leave you stranded with no reasonable way to get fueled up again. I don't think some people really thought that an automaker would knowingly build a car that would do that. The Leaf just highlights the reality that battery technology is not quite there yet.
The reason it doesnt sell is because its ugly as hell. It goes 75 miles out of the 100 they claimed, but the average person only drives 45 per day which is more than enough.
Do you have any real reason for not liking EVs? Is it because it depends on how you drive? Guess what? The same goes for gas and diesel powered cars as well.
These are ugly. I couldnt tell from the pictures but when I saw one at work, i couldnt comprehend how bad it looks.
The head lights buldge from the hood, it bothers me.
I wish I could draw better than I do. Id love to design cars.
They need to provide people with an emergency battery that will get you 15 - 30 miles and that is easy to swap into the drive wire. Like a large set of AAs for a remote. Then you could just go home and charge up. No one I know is dumb enough to go further than that when theyre low on gas.
Swing and a miss. It is so disturbingly ugly. Nissan needs to clean house in its design department.
Although, to their credit, I think the new Pathfinder looks great, as does the new Altima.
On the other hand, the Juke is Puke, their minivan is nowhere to be seen b/c it is so ugly, and the Maxima needs work to get it at least as good looking as the Altima.
Maybe... if Nissan included an emergency charging service where a truck with charging capability comes to wherever you are stranded, and recharges your car free of charge (perhaps up to 5 times and then charge a reasonable fee afterward), then people would feel better about owning an electric car.
In practical terms EVs today are little better than those of a hundred years ago. The technology quantum leap hasn't happened and probably never will.
It's what happens when there isn't any drive for technological development; where the money is spent over a century on gasoline engines and their inferior thermal dynamics.
But hey, once we get 500km range from EV's, gasoline won't have much place in the world anymore.
I think if the leaf had a gas engine like the volt, it would sell better. I think nissan is wise to lower the price. It would make a good city car just not a highway car.
I think it looks nice from the sides and back as well but that front end could use some help.
A 23k leaf imo in the city would sell good.
Post a Comment