Nissan Leaf Sales Disappointing: Exec Says
Among a market bearish toward buying pure EVs, Nissan’s Leaf isn’t getting any breaks and the brand’s executives know it.
“We’re a little disappointed,” Nissan executive Andy Palmer told reporters today. “The uptake isn’t as strong as we first hoped.”
It’s an admission that comes shortly after news that the Scion iQ EV will be restricted to a tiny 100-unit run in light of generally poor EV sales. Other companies hinging their entire business on electric powertrains don’t have the option to back away like Toyota seems to be, but Nissan isn’t ready to give up either.
Moving forward, the brand will appoint a new vice president to oversee global sales, but that might not be enough. A pair of Leaf customers unhappy with their cars successfully negotiated to have Nissan buy their cars back through a buyback formula modeled on an Arizona state repurchase law.
Still, September was actually the Leaf’s best sales month to date with 984 sold. That might even sound like good news until examining Chevrolet’s books where 2,851 Volts sold to trounce Nissan.
Both brands are finding demand slower than expected, but plug-in hybrids seem to be catching public favor much faster than pure EVs, signaling that electric cars might still be unrealistic.
[Source: the Detroit News]
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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