Marketing Suggestions for Nissan: Let's Get Serious

[Deleted member 1622]

I don't buy the claim of the $7,500 being taken twice. These dealers don't know what they are talking about. When I leased our Chevy Volt the dealer tried to tell me that we would get the tax credit ourselves at the end of the lease. I knew that was baloney and called them out on it. Eventually after checking with the leasing company they agreed with me. The thing is, they probably weren't "lying" as much as they just didn't know and didn't care. After all, it would be 3 years before I would find out that they were wrong and I'm sure the salesmen knew he wouldn't be around 3 years from now so why not just say what sounds good?

I agree that this is baloney... all of this confusing information was one of the reasons I just took the plunge and bought the Leaf outright last year (I am in California, and the dealership was Hilltop Ford in Richmond). I plan to call this dealer back and press him on his claim, and I will report back to this thread. I know none of the current Leaf lease holders have been offered this, so it would represent a huge sales advantage for Ford. The only way it could be true is if Ford holds off on claiming any credit from the government for three years while the lease runs. Then if the lease holder wants to buy, the credit is still "active," but it amounts to Ford taking a loss once the owner makes that decision. Given that they might be desperate to make inroads in the market, it's possible Ford is willing to go this far. Those of you interested in a Ford Focus EV, please see if you can get other dealers to make this offer.

JG

 

[nhalber]

I would like to buy a 2013 in the Boston area. By the time it is here, the Ford Focus EV(very similar) will be around. Seems like competition.

 

[Train]

Something's got to give, probably several things - a little savings from the Tennessee plant, a little less profit for Nissan, and yes, push for the 7500 to be an instant rebate. All this would be far more effective than the cleverest marketing, in my opinion.

I agree. In my opinion, one of the following must happen:

The price must go down if the range is to remain the same; or
The price can stay the same but the range must double.

If either of these two things do not occur in the near future, then EV sales will continue to be dismal and extended range vehicles like the Volt will dominate this market. You have the best of both worlds: electric for commuting, petrol engine so you don't have to wait hours to charge somewhere and extended range.

Quick chargers won't make a difference, marketing won't make a difference.

It is difficult for me to believe that Nissan actually thought that pricing a car close to $40K PLUS another $2000 or so for an EVSE with a 73 mile range would result in the projected sales they continue to believe will come to pass. I just don't understand Nissan's thinking on this.

 

[QueenBee]

There's an interesting thing that the dealer told me, though, that is very different from the Leaf: He said I could get a $7,500 instant rebate on the lease, and THEN take another $7,500 rebate when buying the car three years later. This is a total of $15K off the car! I am skeptical, but he said he checked it out and confirmed it. Is this just Ford taking a hit on it to boost sales? If anyone has info on this, please put it out there.

That doesn't make sense. If Ford has their own 7,500 instant rebate they should be offering that AND the federal rebate at the time of the lease. The dealer may have checked this out but are they willing to put it in a binding contract where they'll pay the $7,500 if it turns out not to be true?

 

[Stoaty]

It is difficult for me to believe that Nissan actually thought that pricing a car close to $40K PLUS another $2000 or so for an EVSE with a 73 mile range would result in the projected sales they continue to believe will come to pass. I just don't understand Nissan's thinking on this.

I must agree with you on this. When I bought my 2011 SV it was 32,700 and I got $5,000 CA rebate and $7,500 tax credit. Even after installing my EVSE and paying taxes I was at about $26,000. Higher price now and lower CA rebate means car is pricier. Probably a lot of people will go for the Volt, although personally I didn't want another ICE to maintain, so the Leaf was a good choice for me.

 

[DANandNAN]

It is difficult for me to believe that Nissan actually thought that pricing a car close to $40K PLUS another $2000 or so for an EVSE with a 73 mile range would result in the projected sales they continue to believe will come to pass. I just don't understand Nissan's thinking on this.

I must agree with you on this. When I bought my 2011 SV it was 32,700 and I got $5,000 CA rebate and $7,500 tax credit. Even after installing my EVSE and paying taxes I was at about $26,000. Higher price now and lower CA rebate means car is pricier. Probably a lot of people will go for the Volt, although personally I didn't want another ICE to maintain, so the Leaf was a good choice for me.

You don't have 30 minutes for an oil change every 2 years? That's the Volt's recommended oil life though you could always change it sooner. Maybe even once a year :lol:

Anyway, Guy (GRA) for example, right now Chevy is offering $2,500 off of invoice, not sticker, but invoice, to dealers that sell a set amount of Volts. That's ~$4,200K off of sticker. Japanese cars don't have the holdbacks and "secret" specials the domestics get so I think the FFE pricing could be pretty close to the Leaf's.

 

[Stoaty]

You don't have 30 minutes for an oil change every 2 years? That's the Volt's recommended oil life though you could always change it sooner. Maybe even once a year :lol:

I guess you are saying that nothing else could go wrong with an ICE? The ones I have owned have needed various maintenance along the way, perhaps after 80,000 to 100,000 miles, but needed maintenance nonetheless. I simply don't need two ICE, one is enough for me (and it is needed about 4-5 times per year). The Volt is too small for the times when I do need an ICE, so it can't replace my 2002 Toyota Camry. Besides, I don't have to worry about banging up the Camry if I drive on a dirt road, or leave it at a Sierra trailhead for a week--it's already 10 years old and has the scars to prove it. The Volt just wasn't a good fit for my needs.

 

[DANandNAN]

You don't have 30 minutes for an oil change every 2 years? That's the Volt's recommended oil life though you could always change it sooner. Maybe even once a year :lol:

I guess you are saying that nothing else could go wrong with an ICE? The ones I have owned have needed various maintenance along the way, perhaps after 80,000 to 100,000 miles, but needed maintenance nonetheless. I simply don't need two ICE, one is enough for me (and it is needed about 4-5 times per year). The Volt is too small for the times when I do need an ICE, so it can't replace my 2002 Toyota Camry. Besides, I don't have to worry about banging up the Camry if I drive on a dirt road, or leave it at a Sierra trailhead for a week--it's already 10 years old and has the scars to prove it. The Volt just wasn't a good fit for my needs.

Yes, that is exactly what I said. There is no worse case scenario - nothing can go wrong with an ICE.

 

[SanDust]

I guess you are saying that nothing else could go wrong with an ICE? The ones I have owned have needed various maintenance along the way, perhaps after 80,000 to 100,000 miles, but needed maintenance nonetheless.

The Leaf is still a car so many of the same things you need to replace/fix on an ICE -- electronics, sensors, and bearings -- will have to be replaced/fixed on the Leaf. Tires of course will be tires. The big one I guess would be that the transmission, which the Leaf doesn't have and which is always very expensive to fix.

 

[Nubo]

...There's an interesting thing that the dealer told me, though, that is very different from the Leaf: He said I could get a $7,500 instant rebate on the lease, and THEN take another $7,500 rebate when buying the car three years later. This is a total of $15K off the car! I am skeptical, but he said he checked it out and confirmed it. ...

I'd be really surprised if this were the case. The deduction is meant to spur production of EVs. Subsidizing sale of a used car doesn't seem to fit the purpose.

Although one might argue that it would help create a market, then you're faced with the issue of a deduction everytime the car changes hands. It would seem to invite abuse.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

...There's an interesting thing that the dealer told me, though, that is very different from the Leaf: He said I could get a $7,500 instant rebate on the lease, and THEN take another $7,500 rebate when buying the car three years later. This is a total of $15K off the car! I am skeptical, but he said he checked it out and confirmed it. ...

I'd be really surprised if this were the case. The deduction is meant to spur production of EVs. Subsidizing sale of a used car doesn't seem to fit the purpose.

Although one might argue that it would help create a market, then you're faced with the issue of a deduction everytime the car changes hands. It would seem to invite abuse.

oh come on guys!! are we still talking about that? mod delete all the posts referencing the gross misinformation!

 

[EdmondLeaf]

http://www.greencarreports.com/news...electric-car-sales-slump-whats-happening-here
I can't find anything that will assure me that Nissan is working on real Leaf problems.

 

[RegGuheert]

http://www.greencarreports.com/news...electric-car-sales-slump-whats-happening-here
I can't find anything that will assure me that Nissan is working on real Leaf problems.

Perhaps not, but I think this Nissan marketing VP is dead-on and refreshingly honest about some of the sales barriers that they are facing. It's true there may also be product issues, but the issues discussed in this article are also very real.

Thanks for the link!

 

[Nubo]

I've been hoping to see some kind of LEAF advertising on the Tour de France coverage. Seems like a natural to me, given their team sponsorship. But, I have to admit I've missed quite a bit of the coverage and do zap through uninteresting commercials. Has anyone seen LEAF ads during this years TDF coverage?

If the LEAF had just a bit more range they could use it as a team car. That would be sweet!

 

[kmp647]

Not that this will make much of a difference but nissan should perforate the leather and have it fan cooled in the summer.

Works well to reduce cooling needs

Lexus and toyota have perf leather with the fan

 

[DANandNAN]

:lol: Did anyone notice that they said Nissan will sell 20K Leafs in the U.S. by 2013? It use to be that they would sell 20K per year, now they're going to include 2010 + 2011 sales to get to 20K :lol: Well, at least they stopped the madness.

I guess I'm not surprised there's no firm info on the 2013 changes. If the changes are as great as we're expecting I think Nissan would shoot themselves (their dealers) in the foot by announcing too soon.

If the LEAF had just a bit more range they could use it as a team car. That would be sweet!

A bit? Some of those legs are well over 120 miles and through the mountains. I think it'd be embarrassing for Nissan's green car to be charging up from a portable diesel generator.

I haven't watched the tour much this year, but no, I haven't seen any commercials. The only commercial I see featuring the Leaf is the one selling beds that "recharge people while they sleep".

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

i believe Nissan said they would sell 20K units for FY 2012 that ends Mar 31, 2013 which means they expect to sell about 5,000 per month once TN is producing

 

[DANandNAN]

i believe Nissan said they would sell 20K units for FY 2012 that ends Mar 31, 2013 which means they expect to sell about 5,000 per month once TN is producing

Yes, they did. But, now, according to the article above (http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1077615_nissan-leaf-electric-car-sales-slump-whats-happening-here" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false they've said

He stuck with the prediction that Nissan will deliver a total of 20,000 Leafs in the U.S. by the end of March 2013, however.

It's open to interpretation, which I think is what they intended. When they fall short they can say they were misquoted (in all the previous reports) because there's no way they're going to sell 5,000 per month in the 3 months after the Tennessee plants open.

Unless there's some incredible cost cutting that makes the $29K i-MiEV look expensive. Just being made in the U.S., the 6.6, leather and a new heater aren't going to get Nissan from 500/month to 5,000.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

i think as soon as TN opens up there will be a flurry of sales initially especially if we see a $2000+ price cut that will probably die down in a few months around March.

Leafs are not selling for 2 reasons; they are in stock and people simply need something cheaper and still need to get over themselves and their "needs"

and

they are simply not in stock. there is still people ordering LEAFs today and being advised of deliveries in August or later.

 

[DANandNAN]

If anything, it falls into category 1, it's too expensive for the range and people think they need more on a daily basis and are afraid of being turtled.

Category 2 is corporate B.S. If there were droves of people waiting for Leafs don't you think they'd create more for the U.S. market? I know they only have one factory, but is the U.S. a prime market for Nissan or not? If it is, and they say it is, then get the cars here.

But, Nissan and the factory are not loading up U.S. dealers with a plethora of Leafs. And, that's because they can see how low the demand is from customers and dealers.