2013 Jan Plugin Sales Discussion : Volt 1,140 ; Leaf 650

[Jay]

Did the fall come quickly to Energi (unlike Leaf) or is there something else to this ?

I still can't find Energi near me. Nearest dealer says, mid-Feb.

There is definitely still an inventory play here, as each certified dealer from the month prior only had about a single C-Max Energi to end the month with. But you still have to look at the 450 they did have in contect to 338 units sold/

I think we certainly will see sales bumps/surges as more regions open up (west coast is still hardly serviced at all) and some depth is added-should be fully stocked by end of March, but you are seeing demand level out to a degree where the car has already been available (39 days turn).

Just as a WAG, the curve/demand on the C-Max Energi is looking very simlar to the PIP, but less about a third. I'd say a normalized 700-900 a month seems like a reasonable assumption going forward.

 

[GRA]

Did the fall come quickly to Energi (unlike Leaf) or is there something else to this ?

I still can't find Energi near me. Nearest dealer says, mid-Feb.

There is definitely still an inventory play here, as each certified dealer from the month prior only had about a single C-Max Energi to end the month with. But you still have to look at the 450 they did have in contect to 338 units sold/

I think we certainly will see sales bumps/surges as more regions open up (west coast is still hardly serviced at all) and some depth is added-should be fully stocked by end of March, but you are seeing demand level out to a degree where the car has already been available (39 days turn).

Just as a WAG, the curve/demand on the C-Max Energi is looking very simlar to the PIP, but less about a third. I'd say a normalized 700-900 a month seems like a reasonable assumption going forward.

Although I suspect the MPG stories are playing a part, I expect the major problem with C-Max Energi sales is that for a CUV/small wagon, the cargo space with the rear seats up sucks.

 

[Reddy]

Perhaps already posted, but Frost & Sullivan predict 329k EREVs by 2018:
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/02/fs-20130204.html

 

[Jay]

Whew, can finally put the monthly sales to bed (after like 5 days).

Although Ford shows some inventory of Fusion Energis registered at the dealerships today, I just talked to Erick Merkle, who is the king of the sales analyst at Ford, and he basically said: "Sorry, but I don’t have any Fusion Energi’s to report for January. I will put them in the report when we begin selling them. "

Fusion Energi: 0

To be fair, they did say that the Fusion Energi was coming in "early 2013", so no minus points for them for not selling in January.

 

[evnow]

Interesting thing is, even though there is a MOM decrease of 50%, YOY there is a 250% increase.

 

[SanDust]

Interesting thing is, even though there is a MOM decrease of 50%, YOY there is a 250% increase.

The numbers are so small percentages don't matter much. The big driver of the percentage is Volt sales, and I think last December was the "Fire Fire They All Catch Fire" month.

 

[evnow]

The numbers are so small percentages don't matter much. The big driver of the percentage is Volt sales, and I think last December was the "Fire Fire They All Catch Fire" month.

Actually, the big driver is the intro of new models like S, PIP & Energi.

 

[SanDust]

Actually, the big driver is the intro of new models like S, PIP & Energi.

You were talking about YOY numbers and there aren't any YOY numbers for those because they weren't sold last year.

 

[evnow]

Actually, the big driver is the intro of new models like S, PIP & Energi.

You were talking about YOY numbers and there aren't any YOY numbers for those because they weren't sold last year.

Yes - but when we talk about total plugin sales, they are included for this year. See the table above.

 

[SanDust]

Yes - but when we talk about total plugin sales, they are included for this year. See the table above.

I was talking about the 250% YOY increase. That number just reflects very low Volt sales for January 2012. Anyway, I agree that 2013 will see much higher numbers than 2012.

 

[edatoakrun]

Report on 2012 worldwide sales shows Nissan/Renault's dominance of the worldwide BEV market, and reports final LEAF global sales numbers to end of 2012.

...(Nissan/Renault's) range of battery electric vehicles-which includes the Nissan LEAF supermini, Renault Twizy quadricycle, Renault Fluence Z.E saloon and Renault Kangoo Z.E-also had a record year last year with impressive growth of 83.8 per cent compared to 201 (sic), as sales of the LEAF grew and Renault launched two new models. In total, these electric models accounted for 43,829 sales last year.

That secures the Alliance a 64 per cent share of the global electric vehicle market (and that’s excluding sales of the two seat Twizy).

Since sales of the Alliance’s battery-electric models began in December 2010 to the end of 2012, it sold 67,723 zero-emission vehicles globally.

As you might expect, it is the Nissan LEAF which has taken the lead in attracting customers, and is now recognised as the world’s best-selling battery electric car, with 26,976 units globally during 2012. That’s an increase of 11 per cent on 2011’s result. Cumulative sales of Nissan LEAF reached 49,117 units since its launch in December 2010.

In 2012, Renault sold 16,853 of its zero-emission vehicles, launching both the Fluence Z.E and Twizy in the year. Since the launch of its Z.E electric range began in October 2011, with the arrival of the Kangoo Z.E. small van, Renault has sold 18,606 zero-emission vehicles cumulatively...

http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/2013/02/12/renault-nissan-electric-car-sales-grow-83/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[RegGuheert]

Report on 2012 worldwide sales shows Nissan/Renault's dominance of the worldwide BEV market, and reports final LEAF global sales numbers to end of 2012.

...(Nissan/Renault's) range of battery electric vehicles-which includes the Nissan LEAF supermini, ...

http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/2013/02/12/renault-nissan-electric-car-sales-grow-83/

Thanks, Ed!

Since when did the LEAF become a "supermini" and what is a "supermini" anyway? It's quite a bit bigger than our Honda Civic Hybrid, so should we call that an "ultramini"?

 

[edatoakrun]

Report on 2012 worldwide sales shows Nissan/Renault's dominance of the worldwide BEV market, and reports final LEAF global sales numbers to end of 2012.

...(Nissan/Renault's) range of battery electric vehicles-which includes the Nissan LEAF supermini, ...

http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/2013/02/12/renault-nissan-electric-car-sales-grow-83/

Thanks, Ed!

Since when did the LEAF become a "supermini" and what is a "supermini" anyway? It's quite a bit bigger than our Honda Civic Hybrid, so should we call that an "ultramini"?

I don't try to correct all the errors in any story, but AFAIK, the numbers reported are right.

 

[evnow]

Since when did the LEAF become a "supermini" and what is a "supermini" anyway? It's quite a bit bigger than our Honda Civic Hybrid, so should we call that an "ultramini"?

That is a UK website.

No, Leaf is not a supermini (B segment), it is a compact (C segment). Supermini is what we call subcompact here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermini" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[RegGuheert]

That is a UK website.

No, Leaf is not a supermini (B segment), it is a compact (C segment). Supermini is what we call subcompact here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermini" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks! I'll be darned if those Brits don't have a different word for everything!

 

[edatoakrun]

That is a UK website.

No, Leaf is not a supermini (B segment), it is a compact (C segment). Supermini is what we call subcompact here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermini" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks! I'll be darned if those Brits don't have a different word for everything!

Just be glad you only have to deal with the British language.

Some where in my garage, I still have a set of Whitworth "standard" wrenches.

See how far you can get through the entire wikipedia story excerpted below before you break out laughing.

Unfortunately, future readers of the Wikipedia entry on the American BEV DC charging "standard" may find that story just as amusing...

The Whitworth thread was the world's first national screw thread standard,[1] devised and specified by Joseph Whitworth in 1841...it came to dominate British manufacturing.

...Two wrenches, both nominal size 5/8", with a diagram superimposed to show the logic that allows them both to be nominal size 5/8" when their actual sizes are clearly different (across-flats distance vs screw diameter). The across-flats definition is the common standard today, and has been for many decades. The larger wrench in this photo is from the 1920s or earlier. Its face was polished to allow the size stamp to show well in the photograph. This example is American, but it illustrates the way that wrenches for Whitworth fasteners were typically labeled.

The British Standard Fine (BSF) standard has the same thread angle as the BSW, but has a finer thread pitch and smaller thread depth. This is more like the modern "mechanical" screw and was used for fine machinery and for steel bolts.

The British Standard Cycle (BSC) standard which replaced the Cycle Engineers' Institute (CEI) standard was used on British bicycles and motorcycles. It uses a thread angle of 60° compared to the Whitworth 55° and very fine thread pitches.

(To simplify matters the term hexagon will be used in this paragraph to denote either bolt head or nut.) Whitworth spanner (wrench) markings refer to the bolt diameter rather than the distance across the flats of the hexagon (A/F) as in other standards. Confusion also arises because BSF hexagon sizes can be one size smaller than the corresponding Whitworth hexagon. This leads to instances where a spanner marked 7/16BSF is the same size as one marked 3/8W. In both cases the spanner jaw width of 0.710 in, the width across the hexagon flat, is the same. However, in World War II the size of the Whitworth hexagon was reduced to the same size as the equivalent BSF hexagon purely to save metal during the war, and they never went back to the old sizes afterwards. Thus it is today uncommon to encounter a Whitworth hexagon which takes the nominally correct spanner. Spanners in this case may be marked 7/16BS to indicate that they have a jaw size of 0.710 in and are designed to take either the (later) 7/16 BSW or 7/16 BSF hexagon.[3]

The British Association screw thread (BA) standard is sometimes classed with the Whitworth standard fasteners because it is often found in the same machinery as the Whitworth standard. However it is actually a metric based standard that uses a 47.5° thread angle and has its own set of head sizes...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Standard_Whitworth" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[redLEAF]

Back to the main thread and to throw another car category buster -- smart sold 1, yes one, electric drive car in January. Not sure why this showed up other than it's a car for Google, etc. but its hit the radar, most have said to expect it in April but a few more may show up like this in February or March, hopefully this would be truly a 'new' Gen III car and not simply a leftover Gen II (available only via a lease):

http://www.hybridcars.com/january-2013-dashboard/

The other thing is that a smart is considered a 'true' city car (smaller than a supermini)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_car