Can a Budget-Priced Nissan Leaf Stimulate EV Sales? Read mo
Enviado: 21 out 2012, 19:13
Can a Budget-Priced Nissan Leaf Stimulate EV Sales?
[IMG]http://www.popularmechanics.com/cm/popu ... ssions.jpg[/IMG]
"Expensive EVs are having a tough go at U.S. dealerships, and automakers are taking the next logical step to spur sales: slashing prices.
Nissan's Leaf is a prime example of would-be eco-conscious buyers voting with their pocketbooks: the $36,050 hatchback has only sold 5,212 units this year through September, a far cry from the manufacturer's year-end target of 20,000. The pricier Chevrolet Volt has already cut its MSRP by nearly $10,000, which has helped surge sales of the $39,995 sedan ahead of the Leaf.
Truecar.com says Nissan has increased discounts on the Leaf from $850 in January to $3,250 in August, but more drastic measures will be seen when Nissan moves Leaf production from Japan to Tennessee and opens its $1.4 billion Smyrna, TN-based plant for lithium-ion battery production. And while Nissan has been asking suppliers to cut costs by as much as 50 percent, a potentially more effective sales tactic involves the anticipated release of a cheaper version of the Leaf in 2013. The de-contented model will swap techy LED headlights for HIDs, among other cost cutting measures intended to make the EV more attractive to buyers."
Em: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/ne ... aper-model
[IMG]http://www.popularmechanics.com/cm/popu ... ssions.jpg[/IMG]
"Expensive EVs are having a tough go at U.S. dealerships, and automakers are taking the next logical step to spur sales: slashing prices.
Nissan's Leaf is a prime example of would-be eco-conscious buyers voting with their pocketbooks: the $36,050 hatchback has only sold 5,212 units this year through September, a far cry from the manufacturer's year-end target of 20,000. The pricier Chevrolet Volt has already cut its MSRP by nearly $10,000, which has helped surge sales of the $39,995 sedan ahead of the Leaf.
Truecar.com says Nissan has increased discounts on the Leaf from $850 in January to $3,250 in August, but more drastic measures will be seen when Nissan moves Leaf production from Japan to Tennessee and opens its $1.4 billion Smyrna, TN-based plant for lithium-ion battery production. And while Nissan has been asking suppliers to cut costs by as much as 50 percent, a potentially more effective sales tactic involves the anticipated release of a cheaper version of the Leaf in 2013. The de-contented model will swap techy LED headlights for HIDs, among other cost cutting measures intended to make the EV more attractive to buyers."
Em: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/ne ... aper-model