Nissan Addresses Slow LEAF Launch

[evnow]

http://www.plugincars.com/nissan-addresses-slow-leaf-launch-says-expectations-could-have-been-better-managed-106677.html

Nissan Addresses Slow LEAF Launch, Says Expectations Could Have Been Better Managed

Carolin was absolutely dead serious when discussing any of the conspiracy theories that are out there, saying that there were no issues with rewiring or dock repairs. "I can assure you we haven't had cars stockpiled at docks," he said to PluginCars.com in an interview. "The fact is there simply weren't cars on a boat. They were just taking their time in Japan to make sure everything was perfect. We're at the leading edge of technology and the engineers just wanted to make sure that the car was absolutely spot on."
...
"The traditional way of selling cars is you wholesale them to the dealers, and then frankly it's a bit of a free-for-all," said Carolin going on to remark that they did take this element of control away from the dealers. "I think the downside [to LEAF sales process] is that the dealers who are often talking to customers can't always see inside the box—so I can understand the feeling that the process is opaque. It's new for them and it's new for us, but I'm confident—particularly in this first launch here—that the benefits will far outweigh the downside."

 

[Randy]

So far so good with my January 4 LEAF. I've only had one issue (getting the owners portal "LEAF Status" screen to populate with data. All other Carwings functions are fine and the car overall is fine.

I called Nissan support and they got the data flowing in a couple of days. Everything is working great now. It was definitely worth the wait for the car, although we would have loved to have taken delivery on 12/30 or 12/31 for tax purposes. There's always next year for that...

Red Randy

 

[arwang]

Thanks for letting us know about the article. It's good to hear them admit that they could have managed customer expectations better. It's also reassuring to hear them claim that their engineers value quality so highly, especially after the endless waves of Japanese automaker recalls.

 

[EVDRIVER]

I think that was good marketing speak. To say they are on the edge of technology is silly, there is no more tech on that car than a Z or luxury car, more so on some I would say. They are behind for whatever reason, perhaps many but not as a result of "edge of technology".

 

[palmermd]

I think that was good marketing speak. To say they are on the edge of technology is silly, there is no more tech on that car than a Z or luxury car, more so on some I would say. They are behind for whatever reason, perhaps many but not as a result of "edge of technology".

+1 They really did not say anything in this response, but at least the dispelled some rumors (none of which I believed...I believe some of the other rumors that were not addressed).

 

[EVDRIVER]

I think that was good marketing speak. To say they are on the edge of technology is silly, there is no more tech on that car than a Z or luxury car, more so on some I would say. They are behind for whatever reason, perhaps many but not as a result of "edge of technology".

+1 They really did not say anything in this response, but at least the dispelled some rumors (none of which I believed...I believe some of the other rumors that were not addressed).

Classic corporate damage control. I sure hope they put the finishing touches on the technology before it ships, amazing they can finish the design and testing right up to the ship date

 

[kmp647]

so whats left then? just a slow production line?

we know battery production startd long ago


and we dont see boatloads of Leafs going to anothr country?

???????

I know they know how to run a prodcuction line

anybody hav a guess as to how many cars produced since 10/22 ?

maybe 50 days or 55 of running the line ? 20 a day is 1000

40 a day 2000

100 a day 5000?

 

[evnow]

I think that was good marketing speak. To say they are on the edge of technology is silly, there is no more tech on that car than a Z or luxury car, more so on some I would say. They are behind for whatever reason, perhaps many but not as a result of "edge of technology".

You may not like the term - but essentially we could take it as "new to this game". Which everyone is - in the auto majors world.

IOW, the ramp up is slow because this is not something they have a lot of experience doing - mass producing electric cars.

 

[EVDRIVER]

I think that was good marketing speak. To say they are on the edge of technology is silly, there is no more tech on that car than a Z or luxury car, more so on some I would say. They are behind for whatever reason, perhaps many but not as a result of "edge of technology".

You may not like the term - but essentially we could take it as "new to this game". Which everyone is - in the auto majors world.

IOW, the ramp up is slow because this is not something they have a lot of experience doing - mass producing electric cars.

That is not what was said though. It would have more sense but they are not going to admit any issues with production. I wonder how GM did it, that car has far more tech to contend with and they are GM

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

"We're trying to respond as much as we can on an individual basis where people are raising their hand and expressing angst," he said. "We've got a very well structured call center, and even some of my team in the office will step in when someone is really 'angsty' and that helps a lot."


Is THAT my problem? I'm low on f'n *angst*?
I've raised my hand several times, live chat, calls, etc, to put some kind of upper bound on Pending, but nobody ever "stepped in" or helped a lot.

I got the same text I'm sure you've all seen, word for word:

I apologize for the inconvenience. Delivery is an estimated 4 to 7 months after completing your order. When more specific information is available, your account will be updated. Your account will show an expected delivery month when available. In addition, when you are thirty days away from your estimated time of arrival your account will update with a weekly timeframe. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

So I'm just going to say Bullsh*t on that, Brian Carolin. I've asked and asked, but they flat out refuse to put any ballpark on my order timeline. Ever. I can get the above text emailed or read to me as many times as I'd like. Maybe I'm just too polite, since I try to be courteous and professional.

I suppose if Nissan runs on Angst, I'm going to have to serve up a helping the likes of which will wilt trees, frighten children, and make the FCC blanch when it comes over the phone line. I'll ratchet it up until I get Brian Carolin on the phone "helping out". Seems like it should be easier to politely inquire what part of 2011 a car might arrive in, but ANGST is what it takes, I can put aside my courteous voice for a moment.

 

[evnow]

That is not what was said though. It would have more sense but they are not going to admit any issues with production. I wonder how GM did it, that car has far more tech to contend with and they are GM

Historically GM has been somewhat lax on QC ...

 

[PDXLeafer]

... I'm going to have to serve up a helping the likes of which will wilt trees, frighten children, and make the FCC blanch when it comes over the phone line. I'll ratchet it up until I get Brian Carolin on the phone "helping out". Seems like it should be easier to politely inquire what part of 2011 a car might arrive in, but ANGST is what it takes, I can put aside my courteous voice for a moment.

Glad you had the forum available to get that off your chest! I used it in the same fashion not a week ago. I think it helped, but even with an impending (within a few days) order I am still wound up tighter than a cat in a boat in a hurricane!

 

[SteveInSeattle]

I am amazed that people are getting angry-- clearly the demand was greater than they expected and they are doing everything they can..... it is still far better than if they shipped tp dealers and created a very expensive free-for-all. Be grateful you can actually get new technology BELOW MSRP! If you can't wait, buy something else....

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

I've said it before, but the frustration is not from having to wait. I am patient. I can wait. I have waited longer for cars. It comes with the territory in being an Early Adopter, right?

What's frustrating is "Pending" and lack of clarity.
All we have now is "4 to 7 months", which they have revised before. It would be good to hear them make a more confident statement about delivering every order within 7 months, would it not?

 

[evnow]

All we have now is "4 to 7 months", which they have revised before. It would be good to hear them make a more confident statement about delivering every order within 7 months.

I'm sure they can't give any better dates, without having to move it constantly. They must be fighting with Nissan HQ - just like other subsidiaries for allocation.

Looks like they will move people from pending to "month of..." when we are within 2-3 months. Sounds ok to me. Ofcourse the first batch has seen a lot of ups & downs.

All said and done, once a person gets the car - this will all be a thing of the past. Remember everyone was hitting the ceiling for VSP/Weight/L3/SL-e/3.3kw/AV/ETec/ etc etc at various times.

 

[TomT]

Well, if my neighbors Volt is any indication, they nailed it. The fit and finish is excellent and there have been zero problems with it. He now has about 1,200 miles on it...

That is not what was said though. It would have more sense but they are not going to admit any issues with production. I wonder how GM did it, that car has far more tech to contend with and they are GM

Historically GM has been somewhat lax on QC ...

 

[TomT]

Makes me wonder if there is something wrong with me... From the very beginning my philosophy has been that it will get here eventually and I'm not going to worry about it. It's just not that big a deal to me... Hell, I waited 18 months for my 1984 944 to be delivered...

I've said it before, but the frustration is not from having to wait. I am patient. I can wait. I have waited longer for cars. It comes with the territory in being an Early Adopter, right?

What's frustrating is "Pending" and lack of clarity.
All we have now is "4 to 7 months", which they have revised before. It would be good to hear them make a more confident statement about delivering every order within 7 months, would it not?

 

[avanti5010]

For some of the kiddies here Santy Claus is late. Boohoo. GROW UP :!:

 

[planet4ever]

For some of the kiddies here Santy Claus is late. Boohoo. GROW UP :!:

I'm no kiddie. At my age I haven't got all that many years of good driving left in me. Like a fool, I believed my dealer when he said I'd get the car in December, and I got rid of my econobox wheels. Now I'm driving a bare bones pickup which makes me fondly remember the econobox as if it were a Mercedes. I feel like the Grinch stole three months out of my limited remaining time. Ah, well, at least I am no longer Pending.

 

[SanDust]

The explanation that it's taking them longer to ramp up than projected works for me. The problems seem to be on the production side not the design side. Just different issues in producing a car that uses new technology to Nissan (yes the technology is not new but getting the technology into full scale production is). No one is going to divulge the details about that. Maybe in a book ten years from now but not now. This is about as candid as we can expect.

It's a big step up from "we've had this schedule all along." That was annoying because it simply wasn't true.

He also had a good point about a new distribution system. Personally I like it far better than the standard way of simply having the dealers hold inventory. I wouldn't mind if car companies adopted the customer allocation model for all sales. It would make the buying experience vastly more pleasant.