Nissan released its December and 2015 sales reports for the U.S. and LEAF sales are down 42.8% in 2015 versus 2014. Until December, the company had the excuse of the upcoming 2016 models, which were affecting sales negatively, but the new cars arrived at dealerships last month and December was still a very disappointing month for Nissan’s all-electric vehicle.
The company sold 1,347 LEAFs in the US in December versus 3,102 during the same period in 2014, which represent a 56.6% decrease in sales.
In 2015, Nissan delivered 17,269 LEAFs – 42.8% less than the 30,200 it sold in the US in 2014.
The new 30 kWh battery pack option for the 2016 models is standard on the LEAF SV and LEAF SL models which starts at $34,200 and $36,790 respectively. Nissan also still offers the 24 kWh pack option on the LEAF S, which starts at $29,010.
The 30 kWh pack gets 107 EPA-rated miles on a single charge, which is interesting at the price point. We will follow LEAF sales in the coming months and see if Nissan can leave behind the sales performance of 2015 as 2016 models ramp up.
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Hardly surprising given the way used Leaf pricing has tanked.
I’m not sure who these cars are targeted for, but for me – they are far to small, and overall – quite unattractive. I think not selling well may have a lot more to do with these factors than the fact that it is an all EV…
BEVs will never sell well through the dealership model that offers much cheaper ICE models alongside the BEV. The dealer makes a lot more money on an ICE car over the life of their involvement with it and want to diddle the prospective buyer on price. Factory direct, same price for everyone will be the successful selling model for BEVs.
i think people are holding out for the “next big thing”. since nissan is not (currently) allowing battery upgrades from the 24kwh to the new 30kwh, these cars are becoming outdated technology fairly quickly. if they were to allow battery upgrades as they become available i think more people would be willing to buy.
Leaf batteries developed a reputation for unreliability and early failure. And they *still* haven’t properly thermally managed them. Furthermore, 30 kWh is not looking impressive when the Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3 are on the horizon.
Nissan has to up its game to get back in the market. I bet they can do so, but right now they’re behind the curve.