Sun Jun 02, 2013 10:52 pm
RonDawg wrote:evnow wrote:adric22 wrote:I'm not sure that Nissan can ever compete with these compliance cars. After all, Nissan is trying to sell the Leaf for a profit and compliance cars are most likely not profitable.
Nissan doesn't have to compete with compliance cars that sell in hundreds. Only when they seriously start eating into Leaf sales would they worry.
My point exactly. Who cares if Honda sells out all 1100 Fit EVs overnight with their new lease pricing? That's what, 2 weeks worth of Leaf sales?
IMHO Nissan has more to worry about from Elon Musk's recent announcement of his intent to outLeaf the Leaf in the next few years than from a manufacturer who only does just enough to stay CARB legal and nothing more. That's despite my doubts about Musk being able to pull that off in such a short time frame.
It's been said before, but I really think that Tesla is no threat to the LEAF for many, many years. Even if they manage to come out with a gen-III "3-series killer" within the next 3-4 years, we're still talking $30-35K after tax breaks, not $18K. I think Tesla is having the opposite effect -- a halo effect for the LEAF. Lending credibility to EVs and encouraging people to take a look at the EV market, because Tesla makes it "cool". Then they look at the prices, evaluate their true needs, and end up with a LEAF at a lease price that is practically paid for by the gas savings in their commuter car. I think it is a classic example of two competitors benefiting from each other by legitimizing a new market at both ends of the price spectrum, rather than fighting over a bounded market. They are so far apart on price that Nissan could go up a wrung or two, and Tesla down a rung or two, and still not clobber each other. Plenty of room for both for a long, long time. IMHO.
2011 SL-e, silver, VIN 8198, delivered 11 Sep 2011. 37k miles, ~200 GIDs, 9 bars (1st bar lost 3 April 2014 @20,700 mi, 3rd bar lost Aug 2017)
2015 e-Golf SEL
2013 Fit EV, VIN 151, delivered 17 Nov 2012, lease return Nov 2015 at 30k miles
7.7kW solar PV