2017 Nissan X Trail Specs, Features, Review - You could without much of a stretch mix up this for another nissan x trail colours Qashqai at first look, however the third-era X-Trail has a great deal putting it all on the line other than the sharp yet well known styling. As a matter of first importance, it's a standout amongst the nissan x trail fuel consumption most down to earth SUVs available,
Showing posts with label Nissan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nissan. Show all posts
1973 Datsun 240Z from storage to amazing
the full gallery of the restoration is over at https://www.facebook.com/pg/JDM-Legends-142042485827055/photos/?tab=album&album_id=904871146210848
Review: 2017 Nissan Titan Platinum Reserve – Superiority Required, Not Delivered
After consuming 18.5 litres of fuel for every 100 kilometres of driving, it wasn't the most inefficient pickup truck we've ever tested, either.
It was the second least efficient pickup truck we've ever tested.
| THE GOOD + Big league power + Great seats + Your friends don't have one + Huge rear seat space + Hey hey, column shifter |
| THE BAD – Big league consumption – Constant engine noise – Small touchscreen – Flinty ride quality – Weighty steering |
This truck didn't consume that heavily.
"Fine," you say, "it's a truck. Trucks are guzzlers. That's just the way it is."
And that would have been a fair point in 2003, the last time Nissan introduced an all-new Titan.
Back then, prior to George W. Bush's second electoral victory (or his first, depending how you counted the votes in 2000), the Titan 4x4 5.6L V8 was rated at a combined 16.8 L/100km, not quite as efficient as the F-150 4.6L V8 4x4 of the same age (15.6 L/100km) but more efficient than the 5.4L V8, which was rated at 18.8 L/100km.
For the 2017 model year, however, hi-po Ford F-150s are rated at 12.1 L/100km, and we averaged 13.2 L/100km in an F-150 Platinum prior to the advent of a new F-150 10-speed automatic transmission.
The Titan's combined fuel economy rating has likewise risen. But the 13.4 L/100km Natural Resources Canada rating bears no resemblance to the 18.5 L/100km rating we achieved. Perhaps it was an anomaly, an aberration caused by a number of short drives in cold weather and some snow-covered roads?
Pehaps not. Before we spent a week with the 2017 Nissan Titan, CarDriven's Kevin Harrison suffered an 18.8 L/100km result.
Fuel economy matters, even when fuel isn't at its most expensive, even among pickup trucks that are presumed guilty before proven innocent. Over the course of a 20,000- kilometre year, that F-150 Platinum would require $3036 in fuel; the Titan $4255, or $23 more per week.
WHAT IS IT?
Nissan began building pickup trucks – little, itty-bitty pickup trucks – before time began. But Nissan's first foray into the traditionally Detroit domain of full-size pickup trucks didn't occur until 2003.
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| Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net |
2017 NISSAN TITAN PLATINUM RESERVE Base Price: $46,445 * As-Tested Price: $67,595 * Colour: Cayenne Red Assembly: Canton, Mississippi Drive Type: four-wheel drive Transmission: 7-speed automatic Engine: 5.6L DOHC 32-valve V8 Horsepower: 390 @ 5200 rpm Torque: 394 lb-ft @ 3400 rpm Curb Weight: 5935 pounds Length: 228.5 inches Width: 80.7 inches Height: 77.2 inches Wheelbase: 139.8 inches Tires: Hankook i-Pike RW11 Tire Size: 275/60R20 EPA City: 15 mpg EPA Hwy: 21 mpg NRCAN OEE City: 15.2 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 11.1 L/100km Observed: 12.7 mpg Observed: 18.5 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $1795 in fees. |
Launched in Canada as a crew cab with standard four-wheel drive, a 7-speed automatic, and a 390-horsepower 5.6L V8, the 2017 Titan is available in five trim levels: S, SV, Pro-4X, SL, and Platinum Reserve. Titan pricing jumps from the $46,545 Titan S by $3500, $12,450, $17,400, and $21,150, respectively, taking us to this truck, the $67,595 2017 Nissan Titan Platinum Reserve.
There are no options available on the Platinum Reserve, only accessories. To the SV, the SL adds automatic collision notification, 20-inch wheels, and leather seating, among other items.
The Platinum Reserve one-ups the SV with cooled front seats, unique 20-inch wheels, an around view monitor, and enough Platinum Reserve badging for five Platinum Reserves.
HOW BIG IS IT?
Well, it's a full-size crew cab pickup truck. So it's pretty freaking large, eh.
Compared with the crew cab, short bed variant of the segment leader, Ford's F-150, the 2017 Titan is 3.4 inches shorter, bumper to bumper, but nearly an inch wider. Though it depends on trim levels and wheels, this Titan Platinum Reserve stands ever so slightly taller than the F-150 4x4 Platinum we tested in late 2015. The wheelbase of this truck, however, is 5.2 inches shorter than the Ford's.
While Ford says that F-150 weighed 4890 pounds, Nissan claims a hefty 5935-pound curb weight for this Titan.
Relative to its own truck family, the Titan Crew Cab is 9.1 inches longer than Nissan's longest Frontier, 7.9 inches wider, and 7.1 inches taller.
Undeniably, the 2017 Nissan Titan is quick, capable, and comfortable. Yet there is a sense, a strong sense in some areas, that Nissan replaced its 13-year-old first-generation truck design, the 2004 Nissan Titan, with a 2017 model that would have been entirely current in 2013.
The Titan's otherwise quiet cabin is forever interrupted by the sound of the rumbling 5.6L V8. Sounds fun? At first, yeah. But eventually, you just want the Titan to be as quiet as the Ram, Silverado, Sierra, and F-150.
Meanwhile, when it comes to that V8, one must always be concerned that dipping into the power will cause fuel consumption to skyrocket even higher. Fortunately, the powertrain is smooth. The 7-speed never flubs a shift, selecting 4Hi goes off without a hitch, and power is accessible across the rev range.
Less smooth are the Titan's on-road mannerisms. With 20-inch wheels, the ride becomes busy on uneven pavement. With excessively weighty steering and a burdensome curb weight, handling is predictably ponderous with no hint of nimbleness. Pushing the Titan harder doesn't cause the truck to shrink around you, as so many modern large vehicles do. Instead, the up and down suspension movements simply become more exaggerated.
The 2017 Nissan Titan Platinum Reserve drives like a pickup truck in a world where, increasingly, other pickup trucks do not.
Maybe that's not so bad. Maybe you want a pickup truck to feel like a truck. You wouldn't be the first.
There's still no denying the commanding view of the road and the commanding atmosphere of a truck that steers and handles and rides and sounds like a truck.
Other complaints and compliments: the small touchscreen is a very long reach from the superb driver's seat, and Nissan's infotainment unit doesn't hold a candle to Ram's UConnect. With no sunroof, let alone panoramic glass, the Platinum Reserve doesn't quite feel sufficiently platinumy.
Nissan isn't embarrassed to install a traditional column shifter, thankfully freeing up space on the console for more storage. Nissan also wisely integrates a thoughtful bed management system and allows your previous drive's seat heating/cooling selection to remain as is.
Sales are picking up, but relatively speaking, the Titan is an oft-rejected, oft-ignored pickup truck. With the regular-duty, non-XD Titan more readily available at the end of the year, fourth-quarter Titan volume in Canada jumped 61% to 1023 units. But keep in mind, Ford was selling 2500 F-Series pickups every week in December.
South of the border, U.S. Titan volume nearly quadrupled to 13,390 units in the final third of 2016. December sales, at 4396 units, even surged 32% past November's total. But again, even in December, the Nissan Titan owned just 2% of America's full-size pickup truck market.
The best-ever year of Canadian Titan sales was in 2012, when 3499 were sold. In the U.S., the Titan's best year was its second full year, 2005, when 86,945 were sold. If 2016's Q4 pace held, Nissan Canada would sell nearly 5300 Titans in 2017; Nissan USA would sell roughly 44,000.
You almost certainly will.
42% of all Canadian full-size pickup truck buyers choose a Ford F-Series; another 54% choose a Ram, Sierra, or Silverado. In 2016, four times more buyers chose a Toyota Tundra than a Nissan Titan.
With the 3.5L EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 and a 10-speed automatic, the 2017 Ford F-150 SuperCrew 4x4 King Ranch is a $69,649 truck currently discounted to $65,899.
HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
Nissan doesn't offer the hugely broad pickup truck lineups witnessed at Ford, General Motors, and Ram, but that does not mean one size fits all. A Titan SV Crew Cab 4x4 with the massive $7650 Premium Package (proximity access, power rear window, power driver's seat, blind spot monitoring, and more) kicks the price up to $49,945.
But that's currently discounted by $9500 for cash customers, $6500 for lease customers, and $2500 for finance customers.
Nissan's in a bind. The first Titan caught the attention of truck buyers because it was a new idea. But by the end of its tenure, the Titan was not sufficiently capable or amenable, it was well off the fuel efficiency pace, and already dominant pickup trucks were leaping forward and grabbing even greater market share.
As a result, Nissan needs the second-generation Titan to be distinctly superior to the established nameplates just to get attention. Merely matching the F-150 and Silverado and Ram in terms of towing capacity, payload, acceleration, interior volume, features, and driveability won't be enough.
Monthly & Yearly Nissan Titan Sales Figures
2016 Ford F-150 XLT EcoBoost 2.7L Driven Review
2015 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT 6.2L Driven Review
2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Outdoorsman Driven Review
2014 Toyota Tundra 4x4 SR 5.7L Driven Review
Indeed, it isn't enough. Three years ago, maybe five? The Titan's V8 powerhouse, quiet and luxury-lined cabin, 1610-pound payload, and 9390-pound towing capacity would have impressed in a former day, but the top-tier competitors now do more. F-150s can tow up to 12,000 pounds, accept payloads twice as heavy as the Titan's, accelerate even more swiftly, and bathe occupants in even more luxury and refinement and technology, all while steering more accurately, handling more adroitly, and riding more comfortably.
The entire pickup truck segment is rapidly improving, and it's only that rapid rate of improvement that highlights the 2017 Nissan Titan's shortcomings. Outside of comparisons and back-to-back drives, the new Titan will definitely impress. It is, to be fair, entirely competitive, but not at a price point that lines the Nissan up directly against its Detroit competitors.
The Titan is by no means bad. Its rivals are just too good.
Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. The Titan was supplied by Nissan Canada's press office.
GCBC's The Bad 8 For 2017
But some cars suck.
It's not that sucky cars are, by definition, slow or inefficient or incapable or unreliable or unavailable. They may be none of those things.
But these eight new vehicles certainly aren't desirable.
You can do better. You must do better. Please, consider the alternatives.
Flip the equation around and we'll phrase it thus: do you want to get us something for Christmas? Please don't get us any of these vehicles. They may be best sellers, they may be worst sellers. But they won't sell to anybody that'll park a vehicle in front of GCBC Towers.
They're listed here for a number of reasons, some for just one reason. Whatever the reason, it's bad enough to cause your sales analyst of choice to reject the car so completely that I'd prefer to own anything else on the market; to reject the car so completely that you, too, should strongly consider avoiding it at all costs.
These eight vehicles have their pluses, but the minuses – however few or however many - far outweigh the positive side of the ledger.
Click any of the images to be taken to the model's Sales Stats page. Don't forget to check out GCBC's The Good 12, the list of vehicles you should definitely park in GCBC Towers' driveway on Christmas morning.
 | FIAT 500L This is the worst new vehicle you can buy. It's not just undesirable. It really is awful by every measurable standpoint. The transmission is horrid. It's chronically unreliable. It's painful to look at. Anything is preferable. Alternative: Kia Soul |
 | NISSAN VERSA SEDAN Nissan seemingly built a car – cheap to buy, small on the outside, big on the inside – without putting a single moment's worth of extra thought into it. They didn't style it. They didn't make it ride or handle or steer well. They just didn't bother.Alternative: Toyota Yaris iA |
 | ACURA RLX We get it. You don't want what everybody else wants. They want an E-Class or a 5-Series or an A6. You're different. But "wanting to be different" and "dull" shouldn't go together. They don't go together. Alternative: Genesis G80 |
 | MITSUBISHI MIRAGE As technology advances, as time marches on, as the world turns... the Mitsubishi Mirage doesn't. This car feels like something out of 1998, and not like something that would've been class-leading in 1998.Alternative: Chevrolet Spark |
 | BMW X4 It's not a proper SUV. It's certainly no coupe. It's not as good as the X3, and certainly not as good-looking. It's just a silly car in a silly class of silly German crossover coupes. You make way too much money to spend it on silliness. Alternative: Mercedes-Benz GLC |
 | AUDI A3 E-TRON The Audi A3 e-Tron is perfectly pleasant to drive and a handsome car to behold. But Audi is charging a premium price for a small hatchback in an arena where way more technology (and space) is readily available for less money. Alternative: Chevrolet Bolt |
 | BUICK ENCORE To be fair, it's a struggle to make the case for any subcompact crossover. Spend a little bit more money and you can get a whole lot more utility. And in the Buick's case, it's overstyled, overpriced, underpowered, and uncomfortable. Alternative: New Chevrolet Equinox |
 | NISSAN TITAN XD If you want a heavy-duty pickup, get a heavy-duty pickup. Nissan, already a niche pickup truck builder, is attempting to create their own, utterly unnecessary truck niche. The XD is a ghastly attempt to do so. Alternative: Ford F-250 |
RECOMMENDED READING
2016's The Bad 8
2015's The Bad 8
2014's The Bad 8
Every Vehicle Ranked By November 2016 YTD U.S. Sales
Every Vehicle Ranked By November 2016 Canadian Sales
2017's The Good 12
Upcoming BEV Arrivals (Updated)
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| 2017 Opel Ampera-e |
Discussing the upcoming Paris Auto Show with one of EVS readers, we have reached a timeline for a number of upcoming BEV models. Now updated with some more novelties for the next 18 months:
BAIC EH400 large sedan - H1 2017;
BYD Yuan & Song SUV's - Plug-in (BEV?) versions between Q4 2016 and Q1 2017;
Chevrolet Bolt / Opel Ampera-e - November symbolic arrival, deliveries ramp-up in December;
Opel version arrival in April in selected markets, dissemination across the continent in the 3/4 following months;
Faraday Future SUV - Somewhere in the second half of 2017, we will see the first production units being delivered;
2017 Ford Focus Electric - Arrival December 2016, full scale production
JAC iEV6E hatchback - Q4 2016;
Honda Clarity BEV - Second Half of 2017;
2018 Hyundai Ioniq BEV (40 kWh?) - Late 2017;
2017 Kia Soul EV (36 kWh) - January 2017;
2017 Nissan Leaf (40kWh battery) - LA Autoshow debut(?), December 2016 arrival, full scale deliveries in January;
Nissan Leaf II - 3Q 2017;
Renault Zoe 40 kWh - October symbolic arrival, ramp up in November, full scale deliveries in December;
Renault Twingo EV & Nissan B compact EV - Q1 2017?
2017 Smart ED - December 2016?
Tesla Model 3 - First symbolic deliveries in September 2017, rest of the year to fine tune production, with moderate production quantities and high level of QC. USA-destined units.
Beginning of 2018, significant ramp up, mainly targeted to North America.
Second half of 2018, full scale production for all markets.
2017 Volkswagen BEV's - Larger batteries to arrive in January 2017;
Is anyone missing?
Top EV Automotive Groups - May 2016
In the beginning of the year, i've published the 2015 EV sales divided by Automotive Groups, let's see how the ranking is after the first five months of 2016.
| Sales '16 | % | Total Sales | % | |||
| Renault-Nissan | 36.729 | 15 | 328.074 | 22 | ||
| BYD | 34.008 | 14 | 121.664 | 8 | ||
| VW (VAG) | 21.852 | 9 | 94.330 | 6 | ||
| Tesla | 21.677 | 9 | 130.924 | 9 | ||
| BMW | 17.117 | 7 | 69.146 | 5 | ||
| Mitsubishi | 15.614 | 7 | 150.580 | 10 | ||
| Geely | 12.881 | 5 | 79.050 | 5 | ||
| GM | 10.729 | 5 | 122.560 | 8 | ||
Comparing with the 2015 and all-time numbers:
- This year the Renault-Nissan Alliance is still in the leadership, but emerging BYD (14% share now vs 11% in 2015) is becoming increasingly menacing, it looks to be just a question of time until the Chinese Group becomes the Best Selling OEM when it comes to plug-ins;
- Another significant event to those less familiar with EV Sales, is that Tesla is selling as many plug-ins as the whole Volkswagen Group (Including, VW, Audi, Porsche...), although VAG is still new to the game, the fact is that it has lost 2% share regarding last year, while Tesla share has been stable throughout the years, surfing the EV wave at around 9 to 10% share;
- BMW is expanding its plug-in portfolio and it shows, with a steady climb, having surpassed Mitsubishi, which has suffered from a number of ailments (Emissions scandal, ageing BEV lineup, fiscal changes in key markets...), dropping 2% share regarding 2015, a poor performance for what it is still the historical Second largest EV Maker. Having a hard time to keep up with the times, Mitsu?
- Geely is stable in #7, with Kandi, Geely and Volvo performing ok in their respective price classes.
- General Motors has recovered some ground, rising to the #8 position, thanks to the Volt II, although it is still an embarrassing place to be for a OEM that once was among the pioneers in 2010/11 and inclusively won the Best Seller crown in 2012;
- A word of mention to the following positions, with BAIC in #9, Ford in #10 (4% share, below the historical average of 5%), SAIC in #11 and Daimler Group, of Mercedes and Smart, still languishing in #12, selling a third of the eternal rival BMW...Merc has a lot to recover.
- A word of mention to the following positions, with BAIC in #9, Ford in #10 (4% share, below the historical average of 5%), SAIC in #11 and Daimler Group, of Mercedes and Smart, still languishing in #12, selling a third of the eternal rival BMW...Merc has a lot to recover.
- Finally, looking at sales by OEM's country of origin, Chinese automakers are increasing their lead, having by now 36% of the market, up 5% over 2015 and 13%(!) over the historical record. Expect this lead to increase even further during the year, possibly reaching 50% share by year end.
Luke Aker’s 1996 Nissan Maxima
Film-maker Luke Aker decided to put up his beloved 1996 Nissan Maxima on Craiglist with a humorous video accompanying it - "Luxury Defined" as he put it.
It was so good, Nissan actually decided to buy it and later restored it to it's former glory and will be displayed at their North America’s headquarters.
Nissan came out with an equally funny video to mark the occasion:
Auto companies do have a sense of humour.
It was so good, Nissan actually decided to buy it and later restored it to it's former glory and will be displayed at their North America’s headquarters.
Nissan came out with an equally funny video to mark the occasion:
Auto companies do have a sense of humour.
Nissan X-Trail Ultimate Review
Nissan X-Trail Ultimate Review ~No compelling reason to speak all the more about the design of the Nissan X-Trail most recent. Physical body and advanced pieces. Her face moderate without numerous lines are not essential. We like the design of the back lights are clear and lavish.
Lavish impression proceeds into the calfskin upholstery applications went with electrical controller in both the
Nissan Datsun Go crash test results
The Nissan Datsun Go car which is aimed at the Indian market was recently tested for safety. The car failed spectacularly getting 0 out of possible 5 stars. The car comes without air bags and looking at the video of the test, it would not have done much good even if the car had been fitted with them. If the car can get this badly damaged at just 40mph speeds, I am just wondering what would happen at UK highway speeds of 70mph.
MNCs need to stop pushing lousy products into the emerging markets. And India definitely needs to have some minimum safety standards put in place.
MNCs need to stop pushing lousy products into the emerging markets. And India definitely needs to have some minimum safety standards put in place.
Nissan Grand Livina: Ultimate cars
This article talk about Nissan Grand Livina: Ultimate cars. This year could be a year of arduous rules for automotive makers to vie to supply the merchandise of its MPV. once the discharge of the Chevrolet Spin Activ, then Honda Mobilio along with his hospital, has currently introduced a version of Jewish calendar month Grand Livina Autech road its Star. Last Vocabulary - Autech - indicates
Nissan Elgrand VIP
Tokyo, June 19, 2018 - A visit to the Autech Centre in Chigasaki town, Kanagawa conjointly brought media saw one unit of the most recent premium MPV Nisan Elgrand high-up is regular to travel to state. Elgrand luxury variant of this was developed by Autech to accommodate the {wants} of customers World Health Organization want premium MPV has additional price.
The distinction is owned by high-up
The distinction is owned by high-up
Digital costumes Nismo RS Special Champion Nissan
As of could twenty, yesterday Nisan formally unconcealed the face of their newest retainer ready specifically to rival the Ford Focus, Wilhelm von Opel and VW Golf, the Nisan Pulsar 2015.
Although for the instant the charming corners of the slick style that carried the potential winner of Nisan remains too early to induce a political candidate NISMO swathe of the manufacturer, apparently unable
Although for the instant the charming corners of the slick style that carried the potential winner of Nisan remains too early to induce a political candidate NISMO swathe of the manufacturer, apparently unable
All New Nissan X - Trail Release At May 2014
All new Nissan X - Trail that may slide in might 2014 equipped with a additional enticing style than its precursor , so as to draw in the eye of customers and homeowners of the Nissan Qashqai +2 , that isn\'t any longer marketed .
Latest Nissan X -trail marketed one hundred millimetre longer , with a configuration of 5 and 7 seats . each have constant baggage area despite the fact that the model
Latest Nissan X -trail marketed one hundred millimetre longer , with a configuration of 5 and 7 seats . each have constant baggage area despite the fact that the model
EV Business Case Q4 - 2013
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| Batteries are critical for EV's |
Batteries Edition
Just like engines in Formula One cars, batteries are the most important component for plug-ins and the one thing that usually car manufacturers don't build in-house, preferring to buy them/cooperate from established battery makers.
Digging a little deeper and finding out the relationships between EV and battery makers allows us to see a somewhat concentrated market, where three manufacturers dominate 80% of the market: AESC, Panasonic and LG. Let's look at them more closely:
- AESC is a joint venture between NEC and Nissan and they provide batteries for the Nissan Leaf and most of Renault's EV's, thanks to the global success of the Nissan Leaf and with the help of Renault sales, this is the #1 battery manufacturer, grabbing some 33% of the EV market in 2013;
- LG has been cooperating with GM and Ford, providing batteries for their EV's, and on top of that, it also sells batteries to Renault, allowing the South Korean company to have some 24% of the EV batteries market;
- Panasonic is the third musketeer and the one with the most high profile customers: Toyota and Tesla use Panasonic batteries, if the first is leader in hybrid cars and an important player in EV's, the second is currently the main consumer of battery cells thanks to the cell-heavy batteries of the Model S. With talks of Tesla and Toyota cooperating in the future and with Tesla ambitious growth plan, Panasonic should do well in the next few years;
Where's Wally - Looking For EV's in Spain
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| Fast-Charging Station in Marbella with an I-Miev in the background |
Some weeks ago i had the chance to spend some days in the Spanish province of Andalucia and i took the opportunity to look for EV's there, here's what i saw:
Renault Twizy - Unlike what i thought, they're really not that easy to find in the sunny south of Spain, i only saw one, full of hotel decals and storming through traffic like it was running for its life.
Renault Zoe - I didn't saw them on the streets, but they are present in Renault POS, with a corner in showrooms dedicated to them. I also saw a Fluence ZE in the POS parking lot ready for a test-drive (I think it would be better if they also lined up a Zoe, don't you think?)
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| Citröen C-Zero in Seville |
Nissan Leaf - I saw a white one in a shopping center parking lot with the driver in it. No company decals, not a company car, just an anonymous guy in a t-shirt that bought an electric car with his own money. "Pioneer" - Was the word that came to mind.
EV Business Case Q2 - 2013
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| Now that Ford saw the price drop thing work for others, it now wants to see if it works on her (On the Focus EV?!?!) |
"Prices down, Sales up" Edition
That's pretty much what can be said about this Second Quarter of 2013, with most of the sales results in, it's time to measure the winners and losers of this Quarter:
The winner camp have one thing in common: Be it price drops (Nissan), generous discounts (GM) or a brand new model with an attractive price (Renault), all focused in the price factor and all profited from it.
Nissan - With sales of the Leaf at 70.000 units, they now can afford to drop prices without losing much money on it, because most of the ROI (Return-On-Investment) is done, add that to local production and the ever-lowering cost of batteries, and is surely to expect in the beginning of 2014 another nice price drop announcement from Nissan while it prepares the 2nd Gen Leaf. That's what's nice in being pioneer, while others are figuring out how to enter a new market, you're already thinking on the next level.
GM - Another pioneer of plug-ins, the Volt family is now nearing the 50.000 landmark and with it the ROI already allows some price drops in the form of discounts (Now) and lower MSRP (Later in the year). GM acted just when it was suffering competition from others (Read: Nissan Leaf) and Volt sales were dropping (1.483 sales in April). With the needed incentives in the US market, sales recovered and went back to late 2012 levels (3.056 units in June), although the European Operation is still lagging behind (Incentives, anyone?). When one doesn't want to change the establishment, the establishment forces you to change.
Renault - Profiting from its best EV sales month since May 2012 and climbing three positions in the brands ranking to #3 since the last Quarter, the french carmaker can thank greatly to its new addition, the Zoe, a dedicated B-Segment electric car that sold 1.387 units in June, already close from the 1.500 units/month that Renault's hopes to sell. While not enough to be profitable per se in the short term, it should help the french manufacturer global ROI in electric cars and batteries, as well as ensuring that EV's get a foothold in Europe. Renault hopes to secure with the Zoe the best-selling electric car title in the Old World and reach the break-even point.
The loser side has just one manufacturer, but an important one.
Mitsubishi - In the end of March, the japanese carmaker was running on all cylinders and was the second best selling brand, just 1% (19%) behind the leader Nissan (20%). Now, it's in fifth place in the manufacturers ranking, lost 8% share (It's now at 11%) and worst of all, none of its models entered the June Top 10...The now famous battery problems were the cause for this sales plunge and Mitsu hopes that consumer confidence on their products haven't got shaken from it when it resumes production of its new sales-champion: The Outlander PHEV, having sold in no time all production it made before the battery problems and with an extensive waiting list across the world, the japanese manufacturer hopes to sell some 4.000 units/month and profit with it from a favorable ROI on their batteries (Remember the car itself has ICE versions, so the cost there is much diluted). On the pure electric side, Mitsu sold 30.000 units of its MIEV battery pack on the "i" and Minicab models, so it would be a waste for them not to invest in a new generation of pure electric cars. CA-Miev, anyone? Mitsubishi career in Plug-ins is like a roller coaster, in 2009 and 2010 it was the sales leader, 2011 and 2012 it was relegated to a secondary role, in the beginning of 2013, when it was preparing itself to recover the #1 spot, all hell broke loose and it went down again. Will it rise again and fight for Number One? It sure has the potential for it...
EV Business Case - Q1 2013
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| Tesla Supercharging Stations: Another Out-of-the-Box feature from Elon Musk firm. |
Now that 95% of this year Q1 data is available and looking at the business case of plug in cars, one can say that the only manufacturer making a profit with electric vehicles is Tesla, not only they are selling more than expected, the start up company is also selling each unit with a higher price than predicted, so the Q1 profit only comes as a natural consequence of that.
The rest of the market is trying not to lose much money in each unit sold, research and development costs are high, prices have to be realistic and the number of units sold are below expectations, with some CEO's discontent with these obstacles.
The truth is that it's a long hard road to electric profitability, but some are closer to than others, Nissan is now nearing 60.000 Leaf's sales (and let's not forget the additional 23.000 batteries sold by teammate Renault), allowing them to recover a good part of the investment and along with other measures, reduce the Leaf's price. Now with the production distributed by three factories, if (and that's a big "IF") they can produce some 2.000 units per factory, we are talking 6.000 units a month and 72.000/year, numbers that can put Nissan on the verge of EV break even point by the end on 2014.
| Will the tiny Spark make a difference on GM's electric strategy? |
GM is also taking the same path thanks to the Volt project, but it's lagging behind Nissan, right now they are at 40.000 plus units of the Volt family and this year sales are below 2.000 units/month, as the increased competition dents on Volt sales.
GM has two ways to increase the investment recovery: A price reduction to increase sales (Still too early, maybe for the end of the year) or diversification with new models. With the Chevrolet Spark EV and the upcoming Cadillac ELR arriving this year, this looks to be the path followed by The General. If the ELR doesn't need to be a best seller, because of its premium price, for the Spark they will have to sell a lot of them for the model to be important to the GM EV strategy, and right now those large numbers seem rather questionable. For now the break even point for GM looks at least some three years away, maybe on the 2nd gen Volt...
As for Toyota, despite having sold more than 30.000 units of the Prius PHEV, they're not really that deep into plug-ins, regular hybrids are their (profitable) business and the PHEV version is just an extension of that program, so don't expect for Toyota to present new products in this segment, although putting a plug in a Prius Alpha/V/Plus shouldn't be much of an effort, right? (Wink, wink)
Where's Wally? - Looking for EV's in The Netherlands
| Nissan Leaf Charging |
Opel Ampera - A company favorite due to tax benefits and sweet deals made by Opel, they are now part of the auto landscape, being driven by young executives of both genders and wanting to show their green credentials.
Toyota Prius Plug in - Also fairly common here, the first posterchild of greeness is also favored by companies interested in tax rebates. It is said that many of these plug-ins are used purely as hybrids because their drivers have fuel payed by their companies, so they don't bother on plugging them...
Fisker Karma - I only saw one example of this handsome beast, a grey one parked in downtown Rotterdam, at the time i remembered Fisker's sales success in the Netherlands and the taste that dutch drivers have for stylish cars, realizing then: "Tesla will be sooo welcome here!..."
Mitsubishi I-Miev family and Nissan Leaf - Limited to urban areas, they are still a rare sight and fail to ignite interest from company and private buyers alike.
