Ghosn finally concedes 2012 EV targets will not be met

[TomT]

For me:

leather seats: I can go either way on this
nav. systems: must have
backup camera: must have
cell phone connectivity: must have
automatic climate control: must have
power door locks and windows: must have

 

[GRA]

For me:

leather seats: I can go either way on this
nav. systems: must have
backup camera: must have
cell phone connectivity: must have
automatic climate control: must have
power door locks and windows: must have

And they're happy to sell you an SL, and did.

 

[RWatkins]

Primarily because I suspect most people have still never heard of the car or have no idea what it can do.

I think this is the main point.

IMO, there are probably about 10 million drivers in the U.S. who commute 30-40 miles RT each day who currently drive vehicles which consume so much gas that they could lease the LEAF (even at the original rates) and operate it for less money than the gasoline savings they would realize.

If Nissan had developed a rifle-shot marketing campaign focused on ONLY this group and no others, they likely would have been far more successful overall.

+1

 

[RWatkins]

IMO what we are witnessing is a brilliant product which was brought to market by people who thought sales would be driven by an eco-friendly message. In other words, they seemed to view the LEAF like every other car, only greener. That message works for a small group of people, but the fact is that they have completely ignored a massive target market which could (and still can) purchase the LEAF purely based on economic considerations. But Nissan needs to reach that group while avoiding sales to customers who will eventually become disenchanted with the LEAF.

Yes, Nissan should fix their messaging first and foremost. That's been the common thread in almost everything that transpired this year. If the lease payment is close to someone's monthly gas bill, the car will sell pretty much by itself. That said, prospects will need to be able to figure out if the car will work for them or not. Since not everyone will end up buying, even when great lease deals are being offered, Nissan should also be more transparent about things like parts and replacement costs. That would go a long way to remove any uncertainty about long-term operational cost and resale value.

+1 Uncertainty will stop all but the most determined.

 

[tps]

The current BEV (LEAF) vs PHEV (Volt, Prius) situation is not really surprising, since the LEAF can only make use of a currently inadequate charging infrastructure, whereas the PHEVs can serve as a bridge, since they can also use the existing gasoline fueling infrastructure. If anything, IMHO, Ghosn may have overestimated how fast the charging infrastructure could be rolled out.

On another front, I caught a few seconds from a Sunday morning TV interview talking about taxes and how the govenment was bribing folks with a tax incentive to buy EVs. This is factually correct, that's what tax incentives are, the government's way of bribing individuals and corporations to do what it wants done. There are both "carrots", like the EV incentive, and "sticks", like the "sin" taxes levied against cigarette smokers... While many would argue that it's not fair for their taxes to pay for my car, one immediate benefit the tax incentive pays for is cleaner air. We all end up breathing the fumes from their cars when out and about; I'm all for a small part of our tax dollars being used to jump-start the EV industry, until economy of scale can keep it going, providing cleaner air for all of us.