Many of you are assuming it is an "allocation issue," and perhaps it is, BUT I can find no reports that Nissan is actually delivering the LEAF in any real numbers in Japan or Europe at this time either. Basically there have been a few "media events" in Europe AND Japan for the token intro stage deliveries, but real numbers of cars don't seem to be reported delivered in those areas, as far as I can find EITHER.
My own conclusion and that of a number of others is that Nissan found a serious production/design problem in the LEAF as the early cars were being shipped for final delivery and those vehicles were then held for retrofits. With the hypothetical problem identified, that also MIGHT have meant that the production line was virtually stopped while some kind of new part was acquired and introduced for use.
HOW else can anyone explain the absolute fact that
1. Nissan started production about a month before GM started production on the Volt
2. GM has actually built over 1000 of the Volt model, but
3. Nissan has only delivered less than 60 cars IN THE WORLD that can be actually tracked.
4. Vehicle production lines, even in early "ramp up" stages tend toward 30-50 cars a day and at peak production can hit 20+ cars per hour.
To Nissan's credit, if the conclusion of a production/design problem discovered is correct, then Nissan is getting it fixed before cars actually go TO customers, negating any inconvenience and bad press that a "recall" would generate.
And as long as the media reporters continue to suck up Nissan's smokescreen on this issue/problem/delay and simple report it as "a slow and careful ramp up of production," and a number of us, waiting for the cars with CONFIRMED ORDERS accept and believe that drivel (oops, my own position crept in), then all is well on the Nissan CORPORATE PR front.
Nissan KNEW EXACTLY how many cars they believed they could produce when they opened orders; they took confirmed orders in a carefully programmed sequence of days and geographical locales. What they believed they "could do" was clearly outlined to all of us following this process closely from the early, EARLY, announcements. Heck, I stayed home from work on 20 April to sit by my phone for the "call to order," and I returned my initial email to finalize that order IMMEDIATELY (31 Aug.) since I had explored microscopically price and delivery details with at least 5 regional Nissan dealers.
Ordering the LEAF was wonderful the way Nissan allowed the customer control over what dealer would actually deliver our cars; I was also ordering a Volt at the same time, and that process of finding ANY Chevy dealer who would even take my specific order configuration AND then who would confirm such an order at even MSRP was a 2 week process. HOWEVER as soon as the initial ordering experience was completed, the satisfaction aura TOTALLY SHIFTED. GM has been totally transparent and effective in producing and delivering my Volt; it sits now in my garage here in W. Sacramento. My Nissan "dashboard" told me for the first two months after ordering "December Delivery," and then in November sometime it shifted to "February 2011." Now I also see a number of individuals on the forum spreadsheet report with orders taken on Sept. 1 who HAVE THEIR LEAF CARS ALREADY. This even includes one customer on the spreadsheet with the exact same configuration of LEAF that I ordered on 31 Aug,from the same dealer as I am working with, and who ordered on 1 Sept and HAS HIS LEAF NOW.
YIKES ! What explains that little "misorder" on the whole process?
So, there IS a delay in getting the LEAF cars into final delivery readiness, and there is something other than simply sequence of ordering that is generating actual vehicle deliveries (few as there are).
Has Nissan actually answered any of our enquires on these concerns/issues? Not to my satisfaction for sure, as all I am reading from Nissan USA Corporate is one promise followed by a revised statement followed by a complete rewrite of the first promise, followed by a denial of any problem at all, followed by a claim of a carefully planned slow rollout.....
If I wanted political fiction, I would go to the library.