Pure EVs haven’t exactly been well-accepted by the market. In fact, Nissan executive Andy Palmer has admitted to reporters that the company is a “little disappointed” with the Leaf’s performance. He said that the uptake wasn’t as strong as they first expected. He admitted this shortly after the announcement that the Scion iQ EV will be limited to a small 100-unit run in response to poor EV sales. Other companies whose entire businesses rely on electric powertrains can’t back out just like that. Nissan also isn’t prepared to quit just yet. Nissan has named a new vice president to manage global sales. Nissan was forced to buy back the cars of a couple of unsatisfied Leaf customers who cited a buyback formula modeled on an Arizona state repurchase law. But then, Nissan sold 984 Leaf units in September, its best sales month yet. In comparison, 2,851 Chevrolet Volts were sold. The demand for these two brands has been slower than what they had estimated. However, it seems like the public has started to favour plug-in hybrids faster than pure EVs, indicating that electric cars remains impractical.
Nissan disappointed by Leaf sales
by Andrew Christian, Email, 04 Oct, 2012
