2016 Nissan Leaf - when available at dealers in CT?

Hello everyone,

I hope this thread is in the right forum here. There are already a few threads that touch the subject of the new 2016 model year Nissan Leaf.
For example, also being discussed here.

Being awake that nobody can predict the future and people who might know the answer don't want to leak it, I was still wondering if there is any indication from the past, when 2016 Nissan Leafs might arrive in Connecticut. So far, several dealers that I contacted here in the state, said that there is not even a date for when the 2016s will be on the lot.

In the past, for example with the 2013/2014/2015 model years, does anyone have an info, like "new model year Leafs only came to Connecticut 3 months after they came to California" or "Connecticut got deliveries right from the start, at the same time Oregon did" or something?

The reason I'm asking is, that I'm looking for a 2016 SV with the longer 107 mile EPA range, and while I have a few weeks that I could possibly wait still, I couldn't wait as long as December, and also, the funds of the current $3,000 EV incentive of the state of Connecticut will eventually run out. InsideEVs stated recently, that 2016 deliveries will actually start now in October, still the question is whether that information is accurate.

Any responses are highly appreciated.

LookingFor2016Leaf said:

So far, several dealers that I contacted here in the state, said that there is not even a date for when the 2016s will be on the lot.

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A well kept secret :lol:

The dealers do not know.

Most speculation says late October or by end of November.

JPWhite did spot a 2016 in Nashville a couple months back.
Probably early test production run vehicle.

Based on past timing they ususlly end up at dealers 4 to 6 months after the early production test run.

Soon. Real Soon. Especially if you are on the Left Coast.

If your willing to pay MSRP and pester your local dealer, they should be incentivized to get you the one you want ASAP.

OrientExpress said:

Soon. Real Soon. Especially if you are on the Left Coast.

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Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately, it seems to me like Connecticut does not quality as Left Coast.

DNAinaGoodWay said:

If your willing to pay MSRP and pester your local dealer, they should be incentivized to get you the one you want ASAP.

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My interest is in a lease, and then hopefully using the purchase option at the end of the lease to keep the vehicle. Of course I would like to pay the lowest price possible, at the end of September in Connecticut, Nissan offered more than $10,000 in "Lease Cash" for a 2015 SV, so I'm curious how the numbers will look like for a 2016 SV. After all, gas prices are about $2.20/gal in Connecticut, which makes it more difficult for electric cars to be attractive considering the range limitations, so I think currently demand is not very high and at least I hope for the lease cash offers to remain attractive to customers.

LookingFor2016Leaf said:

Nissan offered more than $10,000 in "Lease Cash" for a 2015 SV, so I'm curious how the numbers will look like for a 2016 SV.

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NMAC will always offer $7500 lease cash until they sell 200,000 units. Expect only $7500 for 2016.

Yeah, you're not going to get a lower price right as they get released. You can get a good deal on a '15, but sounds like you want more range. Have you considered a '15 Volt? Good deals on them right now too. Cargill Chevrolet in Putnam has a good rep.

kubel said:

LookingFor2016Leaf said:

Nissan offered more than $10,000 in "Lease Cash" for a 2015 SV, so I'm curious how the numbers will look like for a 2016 SV.

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NMAC will always offer $7,500 lease cash until they sell 200,000 units. Expect only $7500 for 2016.

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Thank you very much for your reply.

That will certainly turn out to be interesting for me, to see what the numbers will look like, that will be offered by dealers who will have the 2016 SV in stock. Not only the lease cash, also the residual.

With the 2015 SV, the residual was so low already (ca. $10,000), which of course theoretically could increase the necessary lease payments during the 3 years, at the same time, it makes for an interesting strategy when purchasing the vehicle after 3 years, as the purchase price will also be so cheap then (as far as I know, the residual for a Chevy Volt f.e. is much higher). And who knows, possibly with the 2015 SVs, at the end of the lease term in 2017 or 2018, possibly Nissan will offer another incentive towards the purchase price just like they do with 2011/2012/2013 leases now. After all, who will want a first generation electric car in 2017 or 2018, when Chevy Bolt and 200 mile 2nd generation Nissan Leaf are on the market as well? Me personally, I would expect the value of the 1st generation electric cars to drop even further then. So regarding the new 2016 SVs, I don't know if Nissan might actually increase the residual because of the range increase, or if it will remain as low.

If the residual increases, say, by $3,000, and they take away $3,000 of lease cash, then the rates during the 3 year lease should not be much different. And as said, who knows if they won't offer incentives towards purchase in 3 years, so they don't have to take back their old tech cars.
And I'm not even sure if the lease cash will go down all the way to $7,500. Maybe it will be $8,000 or $9,000. Gas prices are still cheap, there is not much demand for electrics, and Nissan probably wants to get some of those 2016s sold quickly as well. Now if gas was still close to $4/gal here, like it was here more or less the whole time from 2011 to 2014, or how it still is in California, that would change the math. Still right now, I think it is more of a tough sell.
To me personally, it seems like the bigger problem seems to be to get the dealer to still put some contribution into the lease as well, in addition to the Nissan lease cash and the Connecticut state EV incentive. That changes the lease rates significantly. I was surprised about the different monthly leasing rates I got for a 2015 SV when I contacted dealers recently. With all other things the same (no drive-off, all costs rolled into the monthly rates), there was a variation of up to $300(!) in monthly rates. So dealer contributions definitely make a difference. Seems like dealers are more willing to contribute larger sums towards the end of the month though.

DNAinaGoodWay said:

Yeah, you're not going to get a lower price right as they get released. You can get a good deal on a '15, but sounds like you want more range. Have you considered a '15 Volt? Good deals on them right now too. Cargill Chevrolet in Putnam has a good rep.

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Thank you very much for your reply. Wow - you go all the way from Massachusetts down to Putnam just to get a Volt? Is it no hassle, to buy in one state, but register in another? What is so good about Cargill?

Yes, we are indeed looking for something with longer range if possible. We indeed looked at the 2015 Chevrolet Volt. Still, the lease offers I saw were still $2,000 more to pay within the 3 years, and then the residual was also several thousands of dollars higher than with the Nissan Leaf SV, so in case one wanted to buy at the end of the lease term, the total cost in comparison would be even higher again. Also, the Volt has one mayor drawback (besides having only 4 seats): it uses gas. In my opinion, it would be a good thing to not have to deal with gas stations anymore, and not to contribute to all the pollution created by internal combustion engines. And then the added maintenance of two both the gas components and the EV components, if one wants to keep a vehicle long-term like we do... So personally, it would be kind of tough to go that way, still if the 2016 is too expensive or is delayed, the Volt would definitely be a better choice for me than any hybrid or regular ICE car. Like a fallback option.

And of course we considered the 2015 SV - still, the range increase is too significant to me, planning to keep a vehicle long-term. Say, after 3 or 4 or 5 years, the range decreases 25%, then the 85 mile range would end up being only a 63 mile range. And we all know how the range decreases even further in the cold, in the rain, in the snow, when going through hilly terrain like it is ubiquitous in Connecticut. At some point, the practicability really suffers. If the 107 mile range of the 2016 goes down 25% to 80 miles, it's still nearly as much range, including the degradation, than the 2015 had when it was new. So the vehicle just stays a practical vehicle for a much longer time. And then the longer battery capacity warranty of the 2016 to top it off... Even with the 2015 being a good deal right now, when wanting to keep it long term like I do, it's still not worth it IMO...

Never had a Volt, but know a couple of people who do. They like them. Get most of their miles on electric. Charge more often, but have the rX when needed. Maybe a used one would work for you. They're the fans of Cargill. Dealers do vary, so good reviews are useful. They've never balked when I've used their stations. I plan on considering them when my lease is up as it'll probably be a choice between a Bolt and LEAF2, unless the eNV200 comes by then. I think the model3 will come too late for me and may lose the tax credit by then. It's no problem buying out of state, MA DMV doesn't care. I start by emailing every dealer in LEAF range.

Sounds like you've got a good understanding of EVs and what you want. I think it's less likely you'd get a deal just as a new model comes out, but who knows, if you find a dealer who really wants to move one at month's end and will kick in to do that, more power to ya. Good luck.

DNAinaGoodWay said:

Never had a Volt, but know a couple of people who do. They like them. Get most of their miles on electric. Charge more often, but have the rX when needed. Maybe a used one would work for you. They're the fans of Cargill. Dealers do vary, so good reviews are useful. They've never balked when I've used their stations. I plan on considering them when my lease is up as it'll probably be a choice between a Bolt and LEAF2, unless the eNV200 comes by then. I think the model3 will come too late for me and may lose the tax credit by then. It's no problem buying out of state, MA DMV doesn't care. I start by emailing every dealer in LEAF range.

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Thank you for all the helpful information. Of course for you, if you would like a new EV in August 2017, one would hope that by then there are a lot more options around. So I understand it that way that you actually used the charging stations at Cargill with your Leaf. Well, that's great, if they were not like: "but you have to buy a car from us first".

DNAinaGoodWay said:

Sounds like you've got a good understanding of EVs and what you want. I think it's less likely you'd get a deal just as a new model comes out, but who knows, if you find a dealer who really wants to move one at month's end and will kick in to do that, more power to ya. Good luck.

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Yes, that might be the case, that it will be more difficult to get a good deal on a 2016 SV soon, as the problem is, that first they have to arrive on dealer lots, before dealers will make offers in the first place. And of course officially the word is "expected availability in fall", so I guess anytime between September 23 and December 20. So for everyone interested, there is a possibility to sign up for e-mail updates on the official 2016 Nissan Leaf page.

Still waiting for the 2016 Nissan Leaf (SV or SL versions) to arrive at Connecticut dealerships.

In other news about the new 30 kWh version, in Europe it seems like the new Leaf with the 30 kWh battery only will go on sale in January 2016. At least that's what can be read in a recent press report:

Production of the LEAF 30 kWh will continue at Nissan's Sunderland UK factory, with European sales starting in January 2016.

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Source

As Nissan USA only stated "The 2016 Nissan LEAF® is not yet available for purchase. Expected availability in fall 2015", and fall 2015 ends on December 21, my wish would be that the 2016 Leaf actually will be available at dealers in 2015 still, and as soon as possible. Sure, December 21 would be "in fall 2015", with the EV incentive money running out soon in CT it would be great though if the cars were on dealer lots much earlier than that...

Seems like this New Jersey dealership already put up the 2016 Leaf as for sale on their website.
Does this mean anything?
What is "STD is estimated" supposed to say?

Here is the link:
http://www.denvillenissan.com/vehicles.cfm/make/nissan/model/leaf/year/2016/level/USC60NIC161B0/

LookingFor2016Leaf said:

Seems like this New Jersey dealership already put up the 2016 Leaf as for sale on their website.
Does this mean anything?

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It turned out, it just meant the dealership put websites about the 2016 up, though they do not have any and also have no clue when exactly it will be available to be leased.

The good news is, a Green Car Reports news article from yesterday states that:

The 107-mile Nissan Leaf should arrive in U.S. showrooms later this month

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So "later this month" must mean October 31 in the latest, so the 2016 Nissan Leaf can only be 10 days away max...

New information today: On cars.com, the first two 2016 Nissan Leafs are listed now.
By a dealership in Naperville, IL. (here is the official dealership website showing the 2016 Nissan Leafs)


When asked on the phone, the dealership gave out the information that two 2016 Leafs are in transit to them, and are to be expected on their lot in about 4 to 5 weeks. Ugh - that's a long time still, 4 to 5 weeks. They said they do not know what trim line those 2016 will be, but that 2016 Leafs were pre-ordered by them, and now they are waiting on issuance/shipment.

While it still seems like such a long time for 2016 Leafs to be at dealerships (4 to 5 weeks means November 25 to December 2), it's like a good sign to me that at least they start popping up on cars.com and are in transit...

In the IDS car car show video posted in another thread, Gosn (SP?) announced that the 2016 Leaf will be available in "all of the big markets," including the US, in January. It will be interesting to see if they try to price them to move, or to make money.

Regarding the 2016 Nissan Leaf, it seems like yesterday Nissan USA added 80 videos to its Nissan Owner Channel YouTube account. There are videos regarding the new navigation system and the new Nissan Connect EV system, which does not seem to be a whole lot different than the old navigation or CarWings interface.

And the ones regarding charging also include the charge times for both the 24kW battery and the 30kW battery, like these ones about trickle charging (26 hours to charge a 30kW battery - ouch!), normal charging and quick charging.

Anyway, my hope is that the official Nissan videos being online now is a hint to the 2016 Nissan Leafs arriving at dealerships soon...

Interesting that the quick charge video points out that for the 30 kWh pack vehicle charge indication and DCQC station charge indication may not agree :?: :? :?
Kind of like 2011 / 2012 different indication :?:

TimLee said:

Interesting that the quick charge video points out that for the 30 kWh pack vehicle charge indication and DCQC station charge indication may not agree :?: :? :?
Kind of like 2011 / 2012 different indication :?:

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What do you mean by "2011 / 2012 different indication"?
I also noticed that sentence in the quick charge video:

"When charging 30kWh battery models, the lithium ion battery available charge and lithium ion battery capacity readings shown on the quick charger unit may differ from the ones shown on the vehicle's display."

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Could this indicate to that the ratio of usable battery capacity and total battery pack kWh is different with the 30kWh model, in order to prevent the battery capacity from going down too quickly, as the extended 8 year battery capacity warranty is offered with that model, so there might be more of a buffer, which might not show up on the vehicle's displays, but might be reflected on the charging station, thus differ? Possibly we will never find out... With the 24kWh model, some sources cite 21.3kWh of that as usable.