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Are Nissan Dealers Ready For the Leaf?

 
2,075 views Mar 5, 2010

2011 Nissan LEAF prototype

2011 Nissan LEAF prototype

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The Nissan Leaf is coming this fall and is perhaps one of the most highly anticipated vehicles in decades.  With it's release, Nissan dealers will be faced with a newfound challenge.  How do you sell an electric vehicle?

EVs are unchartered waters for the company and for dealers nationwide.  So how do you prepare to sell a vehicle that is entirely different than anything else in the automakers lineup?  A report coming in from Automotive News suggests that Nissan dealers may not be prepared for the sale of this vehicle.

The Automotive News quotes a source who attended the Auto Dealers Association annual conference in Orlando, Florida and is reporting that not one single dealer asked Nissan a question regarding the upcoming Leaf.  The company was not asked about how to market the vehicle, who is the expected consumer base, how to service it, when dealer training starts, how to sell chargers to consumers, what the vehicle will cost, and so on.

This can only point to one of two situations.  Either dealers believe that they understand everything that they need to know about the vehicle, or dealers were instructed in advance not to ask questions about the Leaf. Even if they were instructed not to ask about it, you could almost guarantee that someone would still sneak a question in here or there.

Nissan has planned a dealer session this summer to discuss the Leaf, but its release is only months away now and dealers must understand what this new technology brings to the table.  Marketing and knowledge will be a prime factor contributing to the success of electric vehicles.

Let's hope Nissan is prepared.

Source:  Automotive News ( login required)





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Comments (7)

  1. By Desertstraw Posted: 3/5/2010 3:38am PST

    Deja vu all over again. I signed up to buy a Prius on the first day that it was possible in 2000. Two out of three Toyota dealers that I called refused to take my order.
     
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  2. By cidle Posted: 3/5/2010 5:12am PST

    There is a third scenario as to why none of the dealers asked about the Leaf. They're not really going to NEED any special marketing plan. Most likely, there will be much more demand than supply, just like every other electric vehicle that's ever been offered or going to be offered in the near future.
     
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  3. By  Todd Horst Posted: 3/5/2010 6:39am PST

    AND for the first year all the buyers will be ppl that have done research and will probably know more than the dealer anyway. So whats the rush in learning more, they will have their training on how to maintenance them when they are released.
     
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  4. By Elise Posted: 3/5/2010 7:22am PST

    What the reporter for Automotive News said was that he witnessed no Nissan dealers asking any questions about some fundamentals so he assumed they were too ignorant to do so. This is reporting? How does he know what information they received prior to the meeting? Did he ask the dealers?
    The Leaf is definitely a vehicle that will shake up the way cars are maintained. Imagine never having to perform any other maintenance but tires and brakes? Never having to go to the gas station again? Of course there is going to be a learning curve but the payoff is worth the inconvenience to many drivers who want a clean vehicle that performs in the context of their commute. It clearly, at this point, is not for everyone since the range is only 100 miles. But let's support Nissan in trying to push the envelope and take the automobile both back to it's electric roots and forward.
     
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  5. By evnow Posted: 3/5/2010 8:09pm PST

    With Leaf getting sold only in 3 or 4 markets, it shouldn't be surprising. Moreover, what was this "reporting" doing - speculating why they didn't ask any question ? Did he just see the recording of the conference on youtube ? If he was there - shouldn't he ask a few dealers, why they didn't bring the up question.
     
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  6. By James E Posted: 3/7/2010 4:28pm PST

    *Todd Horst*
    I agree...I went to a Ford dealership to buy the new Hybrid Fusion with my father in law. I new more about the car then the sales guy did and I also new more about the Ford Focus BEV then the sales guy. He did not even know they had a full electric Focus coming out in 2011 and a plug in Hybrid Fusion in 2012.
    I would thing little or no maintenance on the Leaf other than breaks and battery service.
     
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  7. By curt Posted: 8/9/2010 2:49pm PDT

    Actually a dealership close to me is anxious to get as much info as possible from corporate headquarters. They are really trying to do it big (even beyond the Leaf's range) for customers by announcing it on many Leaf forums. In fact, this dealership willing to go $1k under MSRP. Suck that you greedy GM dealerships.
     
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