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Post by richardh on Oct 28, 2012 20:45:37 GMT 11
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Post by Jim Hare on Oct 29, 2012 8:06:53 GMT 11
Fantastic!
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Post by Brian on Oct 30, 2012 1:07:34 GMT 11
Agreed - it's a great ad.
But the reason it is unlikely to be shown here is economics - the cost to show the ad vs the number of units ( cars ) likely to be sold. Without government incentives, Nissan recognise that they will not sell anywhere near the same percentage as in the U.S. and U.K., where government incentives price the car within reach of most people.
In fact, I consider that we are very lucky that Nissan decided to sell the car in Australia at all, considering the lack of government incentives, the added cost of compliance with Australian regs, the relatively low predicted sales numbers, and the predominant testosterone charged, macho, 4WD loving, petrol head attitude of much of the population.
But Youtube makes it available to all those who have their attention drawn to it.
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Post by Jim Hare on Oct 30, 2012 9:40:42 GMT 11
Yeah, after the LEAF had been on sale 3 full months I asked my dealer about sales, expecting them to be in the mid hundreds, but he suggested it was more like 20-30!
Guess until it costs less than a petrol car it's not going to have a big uptake. Kind of sad but I can understand the economics of it. Unless you can afford a Mercedes, it's just not a viable option for most families.
We need the price of petrol to jump to $3/litre and gov incentives for electrics. Then people would flock to the LEAF!
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Post by richardh on Oct 30, 2012 11:34:13 GMT 11
Although the LEAF has few sales in Australia the ad does help them promote the Nissan brand.
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Post by bobherbert on Oct 30, 2012 12:17:18 GMT 11
::)The AD is fine but when are Aus.govs,COMMONWEALTH and STATE going to get on board and actually do something practical about subsidys.They talk enviroment but talk is cheap.CAR WOULD BE AN EASY START.CUT SALES TAX ON ELECTRICS AND HYBRIDS.
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Post by Brian on Oct 31, 2012 1:16:20 GMT 11
Whilst Fed and State governments are ' in bed ' with Big Oil, and enjoy the tax revenue generated by fossil fuel sales, I cannot see the necessary subsidies happening. If the pollies were dinkum about the environment, then subsidies would be the equivalent of both the G.S.T. AND stamp duty.
Apart from GST and stamp duties, E.V.s do not generate significant revenue for the governments, so of course the latter don't like them.
Yes, relatively cheap fossil fuel does not help E.V.s. Hopefully, we, the ' Early Adapters ' will be able, after 12 months, to prove that the lower maintenance costs are off-setting the initial purchase price.
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Post by Jim Hare on Oct 31, 2012 8:57:34 GMT 11
I have tried to make the argument that the purchase price is arbitrary, but have since decided that even in the best case scenario it would be difficult to break even.
What would the LEAF cost as a petrol car? It is very well appointed, but still in the economy family car category so maybe $32k tops? $25k buys a lot of petrol and maintenance.
At the moment they are expensive because they are new and there is a massive R&D bill to repay.
In the end I think we're just doing our part to move things along to where it will be viable on a large scale, but I may give up trying to convince the masses that the LEAF is an alternative for everyone today.
I've moved my final point to "in a few years the driving range will be the same or more than petrol and the car will cost about the same as a petrol equivalent. At that point it will impossible to argue against."
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Post by Brian on Nov 1, 2012 1:40:41 GMT 11
Equivalent in Fossil Fuel Burners ?
I'm not sure.
But there are those who maintain that the quality and level of finish compare favourably with Beemers or Mercs.
But at the end of the day, what price the sheer pleasure of driving the Leaf ?
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Post by Jim Hare on Nov 1, 2012 11:53:17 GMT 11
For me it's priceless and I'd drive the LEAF over any car in the world.
Unfortunately we appear to be in the minority.
If the range were 450KMs and it cost $42,000 how do you think it would do?
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Post by Brian on Nov 1, 2012 22:01:11 GMT 11
I think Nissan would have a problem - they would be battling to make them fast enough.  450 kms may seem a big stretch today. But so was 170 kms in the days of lead-acid batteries. It has been claimed that ' selenium shuttle ' technology applied to Lithium Ion batteries could potentially increase their capacity tenfold.  One thing I have noticed is that women seem to be far more impressed with the LEAF than men. ( That macho thing again ? ) |
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Post by Jim Hare on Nov 3, 2012 7:10:13 GMT 11
That's interesting, for me 100% of men and women have been blown away and haven't been able to fault the appointments, speed, or technology. The men love the tech, innovation and torque and the women love everything from the style, to tech to eco-friendliness.
Agree someone in the market for a Viper isn't likely to be swayed to a LEAF, but perhaps a TESLA? ;-)
"One thing I have noticed is that women seem to be far more impressed with the LEAF than men. (That macho thing again ? )"
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Post by Brian on Nov 4, 2012 1:15:43 GMT 11
I have found one ( and only one ) problem with the LEAF - I now feel guilty if I ride in or drive a Fossil Fuel Burner  |
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Post by Jim Hare on Nov 5, 2012 9:46:59 GMT 11
Yes! It feels so weird to drive a petrol car now!
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