The Nissan LEAF outsold the Chevy Volt by 73 units in January 2012.
January was not a strong month for plug-in vehicle sales in the US. Nissan reported sales of the all-electric LEAF at 676 units in January 2012. That's below the 954 LEAFs sold in December 2011, but a bit up from the 672 LEAFs Nissan sold in November.
Sales of the Chevy Volt dipped significantly with General Motors reporting that it sold only 603 units in January 2012. That's a drop from the 1,529 Volts that Chevy sold in December 2011, and well below November 2011 Volt sales of 1,139 units. The last time that Chevy sold less than 603 Volts in a single month was in August 2011, when it sold only 302 units. Perhaps misinformation that emerged during the federal government's now-closed safety investigation of the Volt had an impact on the market.
Critics are likely to point to the 600-plus sales of LEAF and Volt—and once again declare EVs as a flop. But 2012 is just getting started, and making any conclusions based on one month is risky. The greatest uncertainty at this stage is how the introduction of about 10 new plug-in models throughout 2012 will affect sales.
Regardless, LEAF and Volt sales are expected to rise compared to last year. Is 20,000 units each a realistic target? Will a newcomer burst onto the scene? Forecasts from analyst firms range from about 60,000 to 100,000 EV and PHEV sales in 2012. To reach those levels, the pace will need to quickly pick up in the coming months.
Eric Loveday is an automotive enthusiast who is passionate about everything auto. He purchased a 1970 Chevelle at age 16, quickly outgrew its dated engineering and outrageous consumption of gasoline, and sold it off. Eric developed a true passion for automotive writing after graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in print journalism. Eric spent most of his time since then ...
· EVNow · 15 weeks ago
@theflew
Not sure the 676 is for NA or just US.
"Deliveries of the all-electric Nissan LEAF totaled 676 in January, marking 10,369 U.S. sales for the world’s best-selling electric car since its December 2010 launch."
From previous sales numbers, looks like 676 = 103,69-9,693. So, 676 is only for US - even thought NNA released the results.
· Londo Bell (not verified) · 15 weeks ago
The sales is for US sales only, on Nissan LEAF. It's on a spreadsheet for all US Nissan sales #.
Nissan Canada has a separate report for Canadian sales.
GM will (should) have a separate report on how many of those 603 units had gone onto fleet. Nissan doesn't disclose such info publicly.
Anyone knows of Mitsubishi i and Focus EV sales #?
· tterbo · 15 weeks ago
I blame this on waiting for the tax refund check to come. I really doubt people went to Chevron last night and paid $3.75 (CA prices) and decided, "Hey this is cool, I think I'll do this again." :)
But there's also the price tag difference between Corolla,Civic and the Leaf. That will be less with the MiEv, but the crash test ratings for the MiEv aren't on par with Leaf/Civic/Corolla either.
Maybe we should make a chart on how long it takes to brake even between a Civic/Corolla and a Leaf/MiEv. I did that once. It looked like a 5-6 years to brake even on the Leaf. Maybe my numbers weren't right.
The other bad publicity for Leaf/Volt is the total cost of ownership over five years at Intellichoice. I'm not saying it's correct. I'm actually kind of confused on how their coming up with Maintenance costs for the Leaf. None the less, it's what they're showing people on their site. :)
txtparent1state
http://www.intellichoice.com/1-12-2012-48258-1/2012-mitsubishi-i-miev-es...
http://www.intellichoice.com/1-12-2012-47523-0/2012-chevrolet-volt-4dr-s...
http://www.intellichoice.com/1-12-2012-48268-0/2012-nissan-leaf-sv-4dr-h...
http://www.intellichoice.com/1-12-2012-46616-0/2012-honda-civic-lx-4dr-s...
Actually, maybe it's just that their depreciation figures are messed up. On the plus side though, you ought to be able to nab a 5 year old Leaf for a song with these nutty depreciation figures. :)
· nosoupforyou · 15 weeks ago
@tterbo "I blame this on waiting for the tax refund check to come."
Yep, that's exactly what I'm doing. When I get my refund, I'll be on my local Chevy dealer lot.
· alt-e · 15 weeks ago
@nosoupforyou - congratulations on soon being a Volt owner.
· alt-e · 15 weeks ago
Once again we have an article that implies that these sales figures are being driven by buyer demand. That might be the case right now with the Volt due to the reports about the fire issue, the fact that there are still Volts around that don't qualify for the HOV lane and the fact that there was a push at the end of 2011 to sell Volts which may have lead to the opposite in January.
But when it comes to the LEAF, any time an article like this is written someone should ask Nissan if their sales figures were driven by buyer demand or by available supply. Since they still have a waiting list, available supply seems to be the driving factor and that should appear in the article so that people do not get the wrong idea.
· theflew · 15 weeks ago
@tterbo,
The Leaf still has a radiator and coolant, power steering fluid, brake fluid, pads and rotors and some type of transaxle oil that needs to be replace at some interval. Electric doesn't mean maintenance free. You just don't have engine oil, spark plugs, muffler, as much brake wear and a traditional transmission. I personally think the lack of maintenance on electric cars is a bit over played. Modern ICE cars don't need that much maintenance either. The real issue with ICE cars is when something fails with the engine/transmission it's major.
· tterbo · 15 weeks ago
nosoupforyou: Lucky. hehe If I didn't have a student loan I'd be doing the same. :)
· Danpatgal (not verified) · 15 weeks ago
I've also thought sales of EVs should peak at year end because of the tax credit being paid back more quickly. I agree with @theflew about maintenance costs ... my old Mazda Protege didn't need much - a couple oil changes isn't that expensive.
The total cost of ownership tterbo cites are pretty scary - but they also reflect the uncertainty of EVs; most ICE vehicles aren't "needing" any fix $10k fix potentially that the EV needs if/when the pack dies. I think that's a huge economic risk for most (people with little disposable incomes) to even consider. Maybe if gasoline goes up to $5-6/gal and electricity remains at current prices we'll see some realy movement.
I hate to be so pessimistic ... I drive an older EV conversion now - and plan to buy an Mitsubishi i despite a higher cost of ownership; because I like how EVs drive, I like not creating local pollution, and I hope my "sacrifice" will help the adoption along. Savings compared to ICE vehicles just aren't here yet.
· Matt (not verified) · 15 weeks ago
Where are the numbers for the Focus EV?
· Londo Bell (not verified) · 15 weeks ago
Found it for the "i" - 36.
· tterbo · 15 weeks ago
Danpatgal: Some USA MiEV reviews would be nice to see. I know the US version is bigger. If it's as big as the old '92 Civic CX hatchbacks were, it's fine for me. I'm just concerned about the safety. It's certainly much more affordable.
· Yegor · 15 weeks ago
Yes, it is very disappointing that most of the people still do not get the importance of EVs :(
On the other hand it is great that tens of thousands of people do get it!
· tterbo · 15 weeks ago
theflew: Brake fluid who needs that. hehe. Yeah, the actual cost of synthetic oil changes + filters is not terrible. But it could buy 1-2 extra laptop PCs over ten years. Or I guess offset the EV battery cost.
· Anonymous (not verified) · 15 weeks ago
Eric - are the LEAF figures supply-constrained or demand-constrained?
· Londo Bell (not verified) · 15 weeks ago
I don't believe that FEV is actually available for retail...or even fleet delivery yet. In Ford's press release, not 1 word is being mentioned about the FEV. Ford could've stated something similar to what Mitsubishi has been doing, i.e., just say that it has started deliveries and not revealed any actual number.
· EVNow · 15 weeks ago
The low sales of Mitsu i proves an important point. There is little demand for a small and econobox like EV - people who keep demanding that OEMs should produce such vehicles take note.
· Jim1961 (not verified) · 15 weeks ago
Gas prices are headed up. The average price of gasoline is the highest it's ever been in the month of January. When gasoline is north of $4 per gallon demand for EVs will almost certainly increase. On a side topic I have a great idea for an affordable PHEV: A Prius c with an Enginer 2 kW~h PHEV conversion kit. This would result in a PHEV that costs about $21,000 without subsidies.
· dgpcolorado · 15 weeks ago
@theflew, "The Leaf still has a radiator and coolant, power steering fluid, brake fluid, pads and rotors and some type of transaxle oil that needs to be replace at some interval. Electric doesn't mean maintenance free. You just don't have engine oil, spark plugs, muffler, as much brake wear and a traditional transmission. I personally think the lack of maintenance on electric cars is a bit over played. Modern ICE cars don't need that much maintenance either. The real issue with ICE cars is when something fails with the engine/transmission it's major."
The power steering on the LEAF is electric not hydraulic. The charger coolant isn't under high temperatures or pressure so service problems should be fewer than with the cooling system of an ICE car. The car doesn't have a transaxle, just an 8:1 reduction gear that should require little or no maintenance. The brake pads ought to last much longer due to the use of regenerative braking (but Nissan has a very rapid brake fluid replacement schedule due to the complexity of the system).
Aside from the battery, my concern with the LEAF is that it is a rolling computer and if an electronic system fails it could be very expensive to fix. But that is true of a lot of modern ICE cars as well. Still, I've replaced everything from timing belts to mufflers repeatedly on my ICE cars, not to mention routine things such as sparkplugs and oil changes. And such things don't exist on an EV.
· alt-e · 15 weeks ago
I agree that the Mitsubishi i may be too small to be a great seller, outside of fleet use. But we cannot pin the current low sales of the i on a lack of demand if they sold every car that they brought over here. My guess would be that if they set up a waiting list for the i it would be a fairly long one, in absolute terms. Even if it has a much smaller demand than the LEAF, there are still plenty of people and especially fleets that would buy it due to it being an EV made by a major at a low price.
· EVNow · 15 weeks ago
@alt-e
They have setup a waiting list. It isn't too long - there are reports of people geeting the car within weeks of reserving/orderig.
BTW, the smallish size itself is not the problem. Mini-E had good demand. So would Fit-EV ... people who earlier might have bought "any" car - because it is an EV aren't there anymore. They have all bought a Leaf or are waiting for something like Model S.
· alt-e · 15 weeks ago
From what I understand there are already 1,000 spots ready for the i in Normal, IN, American HQ for Mitsu, and a very sizable number of fleet buyers waiting for it. But if I haven't heard of them putting together a waiting list then they must not be pushing it very hard. I see the generic ads that they run for the i, but nothing telling people to sign up for a waiting list like the LEAF program did. When the LEAF waiting list was started there were messages about it everywhere. They probably are not pushing it because they don't have the production capacity available to supply beyond their current committments.
I agree with you that it is not a very sexy car and that its appeal is limited. But I do not believe for a second that its demand is limited to 100 or so people in the US. I would put the number more in the thousands or low double digit thousands. They can probably sell 10,000 just to fleet buyers, given the lower price point than the LEAF.
· Londo Bell (not verified) · 15 weeks ago
I agree with EV Now. Here's how I see it - what are the target demographics of LEAF, vs i (ignoring those that aren't available yet like Focus EV, Coda, etc.)?
$5K may seem to be a lot of money, but that's to those who are almost 100% budget person. This is the crowd that is still remaining.
My beliefs is that, for those who can afford a more than $30K vehicle prior to any rebates, that $5K is not that much, and they will consider size, occupancy, ease of getting service / going to dealerships as decision factors. More importantly, these people will do this or that just to get an EV (a not so rich early adopters, compare to those that can afford PHEV like Volt, Karma, or EV like Tesla). Gone is this crowd.
BTW, I remember seeing something about Mitsubishi will only ship around 1000 i into US for the next 2 or 3 years due to limited manufacturing capacity...was I wrong? I'm not talking about Fit EV here.
· alt-e · 15 weeks ago
@ Londo - The program in Normal, IN, is supposed to be 1,000 i's just by itself. Just for that one town.
But I wouldn't be surprised if there are just not that many more i's available to sell than that.
I am not arguing that the i will sell better than the LEAF. The oposite is true, of course.
I am just saying that there is a market for it, even if a smaller one, given the $5k lower price tag. It will appeal to people who are cash strapped but can just afford a new car and don't mind the smaller size or range. And fleet buyers will especially scoop it up.
The main point I am trying to make is that we cannot fall into the trap of saying there is no demand based on the current "sales" numbers. Because these are production/supply driven and not demand driven.
But certainly if they want to sell greater numbers of really small EVs they should make them cute like the mini.
· Londo Bell (not verified) · 15 weeks ago
Sorry to give the impression that there is no demand based on current sales number. That's not what I meant. I'm hoping that i will sell like crazy, and so is LEAF. After all, these 2 committed to the EV market, unlike Ford or Honda.
Having said that though, I really don't know what Mitsubishi is doing / has done to bring awareness and to encourage sales. I've see online ads...and that's pretty much about it! Nissan has done heck lot more with those road trips, commercials, product placements in TV programs, etc.
· alt-e · 15 weeks ago
@ Londo - I think the difference might be that Mitsubishi has a lot less production capacity than Nissan. Mitsu is a much smaller entity with fewer resources, so we can't really blame them about this. They might be putting in as much proportionally as Nissan is, I don't know. They certainly are making an effort.
So they run ads that show the i but they don't try to sell cars they don't have.
· Londo Bell (not verified) · 15 weeks ago
"So they run ads that show the i but they don't try to sell cars they don't have."
Ha - kinda a chicken or egg problem there!
Yes, I know that Mitsubishi is now a much smaller company in auto manufacturing. But the last time Mitsu had promoted the i - from this site and various others - was in late Oct in Hawaii, on a freebie. Prior to that, a L3 charging station - not really on the i itself, per se.
That's not really promotion at all, IMHO.
· alt-e · 15 weeks ago
Well, they did do an ad campaign on TV. It showed the i driving around Normal, IN. It did not try to sell the car in any way, but it did promote EVs and it did cost them money to run these ads. In the ads people in the town of Normal talked about how they were going to make it normal to drive EVs and stuff like that. A lot of shots of the i going through a drive thru and doing other normal things. Again, Normal is the Mitsu NA HQ. So they make cars there, although, ironicly, not the i. At least not yet. I am sure they are hoping for that.
· Emphyrio (not verified) · 15 weeks ago
The Model T Ford only sold 10,000 in its first year.
As we know, the car was a flop.
· Yegor · 15 weeks ago
Ok, Ford delivered at least one Focus Electric - to Google :)
http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/03/first-ford-focus-electric-rolls-off-t...
· Londo Bell (not verified) · 15 weeks ago
@ Yegor,
I don't think that the news from the link you provided is correct. This was actually old news in a way. The real story was that Ford has opened a new research center on telematics right in the Google "campus" in Mountain View, CA, and that's where the picture was taken. The FEV shown was actually for Ford, not for Google.
Search here and various sites and they have the "updated" news. Sorry, it's Fri and I'm too tired :(
· Londo Bell (not verified) · 15 weeks ago
Oh, I forgot to say...I don't see any EPA figures or crash test cert on the FEV yet, which are must if FEV is eligible for retail or fleet delivery. Fueleconomy.gov usually have such info immediately or within a very short time once the vehicle has been certified.
For R&D purpose, I don't think that such requirements are unnecessary.
· Francois B. (not verified) · 11 weeks ago
And the numbers are....
Production at Hamtramck for february 2012 is of 2347 Volt units and 1529 Amperas (for exportation, of course!) totaling 3876 units produced!
Deliveries of Volts for february 2012 is of 1023 cars, up of 264% from the 281 deliveries of february 2011.
We remember that production of the Volt was stopped during january, and restarted only in february.
So, this is a positive trend! The Volt sells more than the Corvette (927)! the Lucerne (304), the Buick DTS (68), the Escalade (1011), Escalade ESV (690), Escalade EXT (150), Buick STS (33), and follows closely the Canyon (1064).
I think we will see a continuous trend in increased sales for the rest of the year, especially with fuel prices getting higher.
Francois
B-2653
· alt-e · 11 weeks ago
@ Francois B. - That is very good information. Thank you.
And it certainly does look impressive. 3876 X 12 = an annual rate of 46512, which is getting a lot closer to the 60k per year goal for production. If they sustain that then we can really see what the sales demand is.
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@Eric,
You might want to clarify the Nissan numbers are for North America (US and Canada) and the GM numbers are for US only.