Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Nissan, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Green Daily
When Nissan announced that it would be the first major auto manufacturer to sell (not lease, EV1 fans) a mass-market electric vehicle (EV) in the U.S., executives there knew that potential rewards were high – and so was the pressure to get it right. Speculation has been running high for years about who would be first to market: Mitsubishi with the i-MiEV, General Motors with the Chevrolet Volt (Okay, it’s a serial hybrid, but close enough), or perhaps a product from a dark horse like BYD or Coda.
As Leaf reservation holders began placing their final purchase orders with dealers last week, a number of big questions loom for Nissan and its chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, who has seemingly bet the farm on its success.
Let’s begin with the premise that, as a mass-market car, the Leaf has to offend no one even as it proceeds down the road less traveled. It must embrace future technology but feel as familiar as an old pair of blue jeans. It must capture the hearts and minds of early adopters who are either fanatically pro-EV and/or have the financial means to buy cars several classes above the Leaf, while having the staying power to be a viable mainstream car for years to come at a modest price point.
If the ordering process has shades of Tesla and Smart associated with it, the car itself is in many ways the anti-Tesla or the anti-Smart. To succeed as a mass market car, it can’t be all novelty and no follow through like Smart’s diminutive Fortwo, and it can’t comfortably languish in the rarified air of a halo car like Tesla’s Roadster, a placeholder for some mainstream offering still years away. In short, it has to be all things, to all people, right from the get-go. But is that even possible? (this post continues after the jump)
Continue reading David Vespremi: A lot is hanging on the Leaf
David Vespremi: A lot is hanging on the Leaf originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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