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2011 Nissan Leaf Misses June 30 Deadline

 
3,266 views Jun 30, 2010
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2011 Nissan Leaf delay email

2011 Nissan Leaf delay email

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We've been keeping you in the loop as High Gear Media--well, me in particular--angles to be among the first to drive and own the 2011 Nissan Leaf electric car.

Since Nissan opened up the ordering process to potential buyers earlier this year, the company's been aiming to release more specifics on the Leaf delivery process by June 30. In an email I received after I completed my Leaf order, Nissan wrote, "We will be in touch by June 30 with more details on your spot and how to begin preparing your home for your new car."


Today, the company missed that deadline, and said in an email that it still was hashing out delivery details:

"Thank you again for your continued commitment to driving a Nissan Leaf. You have reserved your place in history and will be one of the first in your area to own one.We are still finalizing some details of the order process, and we will be in touch later this summer with additional information on your order timing. Rest assured, this will not impact your reservation status. We will continue to keep you updated with all developments as they occur."

It's possible that I've received this email based on location. It's been part of the ongoing Leaf tour, but Nissan has not confirmed that my hometown of Atlanta will be among the eight locales where it will begin selling the electric car by the end of the year. As I push this blog post live, I haven't been able to confirm if pre-orderers across the country received the same email.

Why not tell us if you've heard differently? If you signed up for a Leaf, and received a firm delivery date and more complete instructions, contact us at desk [at] highgearmedia (dot) com and forward what you received.





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Comments (46)

  1. David Posted: 6/30/2010 6:59pm PDT

    I haven't ordered a Leaf but have been tracking its development. My guess is that the first 5,700 (or most of them) anyway will be going to the 13 cities in the EV Project. Those have been discussed on that site since long before the first interest surveys were held let alone the first deposits. My guess is that it will partially dependend on how many pre orders were from those 13 cities.
     
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  2. Steve Posted: 6/30/2010 7:22pm PDT

    I think Nissan is pulling off a scam. They are trying to get federal money to pay for California cars and they are going to screw the rest of the country.
     
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  3. Mike Posted: 6/30/2010 7:52pm PDT

    I'm in the Seattle area -- one of the initial rollout cities, I believe -- and I got the same email.
     
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  4. David Posted: 6/30/2010 7:54pm PDT

    If you will notice from the EV Project web site only two of the 13 cities are in California and one of them LA was just recently added. The EV project now involves both Leaf's and Volt's as well as thousands of level 2 and hundreds of level 3 charging stations.
     
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  5. AC Posted: 6/30/2010 8:30pm PDT

    I live in LA County, have a home assessment scheduled for July and I still received this message.
     
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  6. ScottW Posted: 6/30/2010 8:27pm PDT

    Companies like Nissan have a person like Markl Perry who does not have an engineering degree decidine how EVs will be used. He is a great salsenman but he is totally un-educated when it comes to EVs. The EV will be charged at home for 80% of the people so his claim that the infrastructure is needed is a bald faced lie. This must be some sort of scam on Nissans part. Mark said that charging will be done at home and then in his next statement that infrastructure is needed. For 80% of the people will only charge at home. So Mark is lieing. There is no way around it. So now you must wonder what else Nissan is lieing about. Maybe they are pulling the GM and will only sell the car in Cali. I think this is the most likely case. They are lieing about going nation wide to keep the federal money coming and will do the "early roll out" to certain places when they have no intention to sell the LEAF in all locations. For 80% of the buyers there is no need for the "infrastructure" when they will be charging at night in their own garage. It is either a scam or Mark Perry has no concept of the EV. Either case is scary.
     
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  7. Brian Posted: 6/30/2010 8:39pm PDT

    I'm in the Seattle area as well, already have a home assessment (for the charging system) scheduled, and also got the same email.
     
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  8. Elise Posted: 6/30/2010 8:48pm PDT

    We in in the Orange County, CA area and people have already gotten emails to arrange for their charging station appointment.
     
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  9. Nick Posted: 6/30/2010 8:59pm PDT

    In Boulder, CO and got the same "rest assured" email. Wonder if I should have ordered the Tesla S-model!?!
     
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  10. mark Posted: 6/30/2010 9:05pm PDT

    I too live in Seattle and received the same e-mail today. I am still waiting on my home assessment and am interested in hearing how other Seattle home assessments have gone.
     
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  11. Fred Posted: 6/30/2010 9:08pm PDT

    I had an online chat today (6-30-10) with a Leaf rep and inquired about the Leaf price. The rep said that Nissan sets the MSRP and the dealer can negotiate any price. He said Nissan will not control the price the dealer charges. With the reputation dealers have watch out for hugh overcharging for purchasing the Leaf.
     
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  12. Grant Posted: 6/30/2010 9:53pm PDT

    I received the same email. I'm in the DC area. They are being unnecessarily vague. We are still finalizing some details? Like what?
     
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  13. Sergio Posted: 6/30/2010 11:34pm PDT

    I live in Portland and have received this email as well. I do not find it surprising and in no way think of it as a negative, but rather an expected bump in the process. No party juice drinking here, but merely understanding that as much as we are new to the process as consumers, so is Nissan to the overwhelming demand that has been presented to them. However, if delays drag on beyond July, then it would be fair to say one's concern would be justified.
     
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  14. apple ec008-2 batter Posted: 7/1/2010 1:04am PDT

    sorry,i don't really understand what you means.
     
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  15. Frank Posted: 7/1/2010 2:52am PDT

    ScottW, if you knew how to spell "lying" your posts might be more credible. I agree with Sergio in the fact that it is a good possibility that the delay is to make sure they get it right the first time. If I'm on the list, I wouldn't mind waiting an extra month to insure that all of Nissan's "ducks were in a row".
     
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  16. David Posted: 7/1/2010 3:38am PDT

    Have to remember Nissian has an interesting problem. As I remember they wanted to have 20,000 pre orders my December. Counting the preorders in Japan by my count they are over 26,000 at present. They are not scheduled to be ready to produce cars in the US to 2012. The first years cars are comming from Japan. One question of a related topic. While 80% of the time a charging infrastructure may not be "necessary". Why do so many in the EV community seem oposed to its development for those who want it.
     
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  17. BobS Posted: 7/1/2010 6:31am PDT

    #17 " Why do so many in the EV community seem oposed to its development for those who want it."
    I don't think anyone is opposed to building a charging infrastructure. They are opposed to companies using the present lack as an excuse for not marketing EV's.
     
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  18. Tim Posted: 7/1/2010 6:33am PDT

    I received the same email and I live in Phoenix which is one of the initial launch cities. I also received an email that Ecototality is analyzing my application for a free charger and installation and should let me know in the next couple of weeks if we qualified based on the tax incentives received by the Feds. Then they will schedule my home installation assessment.
     
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  19. fb_100000117224051 avatar Thomas Economous Posted: 7/1/2010 6:40am PDT

    I live in San Diego and received the same email yesterday.
     
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  20. Desertstraw Posted: 7/1/2010 7:28am PDT

    I live in the Phoenix area and received this:"you have reserved your place in history and will be one of the first in your area to own one."
    There is a question that I wish someone would answer for me. Green Auto which says it will be the first company to actually sell electric vehicles at competitive prices lists a range of 250 miles with a 25.6KWH battery. The Nissan Leaf has a 100 mile range with a 24 KWH battery. If they are both honest, why the difference?
     
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  21. ev enthusiast Posted: 7/1/2010 7:34am PDT

    i think i might go with nissan over an auto salesman - LOL.
     
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  22. drlesley Posted: 7/1/2010 9:17am PDT

    I had an ichat with a live rep yesterday from the site listed on the email referred to above.
    I live in OC, CA. I have a home assessment for the electrical infrastructure scheduled for July 23.
    My question to the ichat person was: why should I I install an electrical system in my home before I have arrived at an acceptable price for the Leaf with a dealer? I certainly don't want to get "gauged."
    The ichat person said she couldn't answer but would have her supervisor email in a few days.
     
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  23. Brian Posted: 7/1/2010 12:41pm PDT

    I live in the Bay Area in CA, and received the same email. I also had my home assessment this morning (took 15 minutes). I did a chat with Nissan earlier and they stated that they are strongly encouraging their dealers to not to overcharge and to sell as close to MSRP as possible. Good party line, but I wonder what will actually happen. My local Honda took my Civic Hybrid order, I put down a deposit on an actual car that was being shipped to them, agreed to pay MSRP, and when I went to pick it up, they had sold it to someone else who were willing to pay $3 grand over and handed me my deposit check back.
     
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  24. drlesley Posted: 7/1/2010 5:10pm PDT

    Brian,
    That is exactly what I am afraid of. I don't want to pay for an electrical system at home and have the dealer try to pull a fast one on me because they know I already have the money sunk into infrastructure.
    Nissan hasn't been very reassuring about this point.
     
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  25. Michael Posted: 7/1/2010 7:32pm PDT

    Same e-mail... ...Indianapolis, IN area.
     
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  26. James Posted: 7/1/2010 10:41pm PDT

    I will admit that I was disappointed when I got the e-mails but after an IM convo with the LEAF Hotline I felt better. I got one email on the 29th in regards to the Project and another one on the 30th the same as in article. They originally told me that I would be getting purchasing info in August with delivery in December. So in reality they have not slipped the date. Overall I am please with the process it is just that December cannot come fast enough!
    As for the charger it is a standard charge port (unlike the cell phones) so you can use it on other EV’s. Buying the charger will also be an arguing point if the sales person tries to jack up the price. I spoke to my sales rep at Nissan and he verified my name is on the list that he got from Nissan and they will be receiving a LEAF built specifically for me. He said that Nissan is calling all the shots on this so I took it as the MSRP will be the MSRP. The sales guy seems alright but I will lose it on him if he tries to gouge me.
     
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  27. ev enthusiast Posted: 7/2/2010 10:20am PDT

    boy, the salesmen would have to be awfully dumb to start out on a wrong foot.
    these first orders should have been mandated to be at a firm price.
    but as the previous poster said, as long as the chargers are for all evs, that will not be a disadvantage to people who already have one when they go to buy the vehicle.
     
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  28. Brian Posted: 7/2/2010 10:35am PDT

    James,
    I gave it to the salesman and his manager when they said they sold the car to someone else, a signed contract and a deposit didn't seem to mean a thing to them. Fortunately I called another Honda dealer about 60 miles away and they actually were happy to sell the car to me at MSRP. I agree that they should be treating us early adaptors well. Nissan has stated that they will, I just hope they come through!! Can't wait for my new car....
     
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  29. ev enthusiast Posted: 7/2/2010 10:45am PDT

    gosh brian,
    you had a signed contract ? you probably could have successfully sued them. i probably would not have gone thru the hassle, either. but it sure would have sent a message to other salesmen.
     
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  30. drlesley Posted: 7/2/2010 1:51pm PDT

    This is the email I got when I asked for info about possible problems with pricing and the concern about something like what happened to Brian after I have already bought a home charger system.
    "Our Nissan dealers are independently owned and operated, and for that reason, we cannot advise what price the dealer will set for the vehicle. Once the delivery timing is available, we will have further information about participating dealerships, and from there you can begin to compare prices between dealers. We are expecting the dealers to stay very close to the original MSRP. We appreciate your patience with this matter, and you should be expecting an email within the next coming months containing ordering details. "
    The email goes on to say it is recommended but not necessary to get the home charger set up prior to getting the car.
    Well, of course, but that all depends on the dealers keeping their word.
    I think we should all be wary until we see the results. I really want an EV but not to be ripped off.
     
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  31. Chris Posted: 7/2/2010 1:54pm PDT

    I received the same e-mail... Boston, MA area
     
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  32. Brian Posted: 7/2/2010 2:36pm PDT

    Yes, I had a signed contract with the order number of the car. I can't remember if the vin was on there, but I know the internal Honda code was that stated which exact car I was getting. There argument was that since they had only held the check and not cashed it, they could still cancel the contract. I was even willing to purchase their overpriced extended warranty. At the time it was a huge disappointment because I had waited several weeks for the car to come in, had checked with them several times to make sure everything was okay without ever hearing "by the way if we get a better offer we will sell the car to them". I was able to get a car within another week from the other dealer, so I didn't think about going the legal route. I always try to buy "local" when I can, but needless to say, I've never been back to that dealership. Luckly I've never had a problem with the car so I've not had to have any dealer service done....but if I needed it, I would still make the drive to a different dealer.
     
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  33. ev enthusiast Posted: 7/2/2010 3:57pm PDT

    hi brian,
    although one would actually have to read the contract to be sure, i doubt if their argument holds any water.
    it is at least absolutely false advertising, since you, as well as the average person, would have thought it was a done deal.
    when one signs a contract, both parties have obligations. it is ridiculous for them to think they could have you sign a contract, and then sit and wait to see if they got a better offer.
    at the very least, you might want to report them to honda, and ask them if they approve of this sort of action, with a bit of sarcasm included.
     
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  34. Rich in Portland Posted: 7/2/2010 11:12pm PDT

    I have not heard yet about a home assessment. Has anyone in the Portland area scheduled their assessment (or had it take place already)?
     
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  35. Doug Murray Posted: 7/3/2010 8:05am PDT

    I live in the NE metro area of Atlanta and like others have received the same email from Nissan. I also have some worries about spending a $1,000 for a home charging station before I know what the local dealers are going to do as regards to dealer price vs MSRP!
     
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  36. ev enthusiast Posted: 7/3/2010 8:25am PDT

    it can be charged with 110 volts. if you have any concerns, why not just wait on the charging station ?
     
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  37. GTNator Posted: 7/3/2010 10:20am PDT

    Thank you so much for this blog and for following up. I've been searching for someone who cares as much about this revolution as I do.
    I live in the Washington DC metro area and got the same email!
     
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  38. GTNator Posted: 7/3/2010 10:22am PDT

    Thank you so much for this blog. I have been searching to find a place where people care a lot about this revolution and am happy to have found this site.
    I live in the Washington DC metro area and received the same email!
     
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  39. MarilynLCSW Posted: 7/3/2010 4:12pm PDT

    I had an assessment of my home electrical capbilities on Friday, July 2nd. It took about 45 min. and was performed by an authorized Nissan electrical company in my county-wide area. There is now a paper marking on my garage where I would like the charging apparatus installed when it is available in October 2010. Until I sit in a mockup I will not be paying out 30k for a car, but I think they are moving along quite well with us consumers...
     
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  40. James Posted: 7/3/2010 5:16pm PDT

    GTNator - here is another website that is dedicated to LEAF info:
    http://nissan-leaf.net/
     
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  41. Jimza Skeptic Posted: 7/6/2010 3:54am PDT

    Just a few comments. The independent dealer system in the U.S. was set up by law in the 1920's over the fear that an auto company would gouge certain areas of the country where there was no competition. It was designed to protect consumers. Like anything, over time society changed and the law did not. That said, the vast majority of us never complain when we negotiate a price below MSRP. Remember the "S" stands for SUGGESTED. It's the law of supply and demand.
    Regarding the contract, while I have not seen the one that BRIAN agreed to, most likely there are escape clauses in it, favored to the dealer. But in Wisconsin, there are also escape clauses for buyers as well. A little more difficult if car is special order, but still there.
     
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  42. GTNator Posted: 7/6/2010 8:26am PDT

    Thanks James!
     
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  43. Brian Posted: 7/6/2010 8:51am PDT

    I no longer have the contract since it was over 3 and a half years ago, but I did not see an escape clause, but it could have been in their deeply buried. I did call Honda's national sales number at the time, and basically they said they cannot control what their independent dealers do. It was a good learning experience and I'll just make sure that when it's time to go to the Nissan dealer that it does not happen again. My next problem I'm looking at is lease vs. buy. Nissan stated that they will "take care of the early adopters” when it comes to new battery technology when I did my last chat with them. I'm hoping that means we will be able to upgrade our battery packs in 3-4 years when the technology improves which will help the resale value. Just not sure how that would translate to the buyout part of the lease. I guess we will have to wait until they get their offers on the table.
     
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  44. Quixotix Posted: 7/6/2010 1:43pm PDT

    When a popular car model is introduced usually 1 car is given to this dealer 2 to that dealer, etc. But Nissan is instead assigning the cars to the buyers. That is, I have a reservation for a car, and I can take it to any dealer. I think this makes a huge difference.
    When the dealer has the car, they can wait for a person that wants it really bad to come in and pay a high price. If I offer them a low price, they can wait for another buyer that wants it more. They have what's in short supply - the car.
    When I have a reservation, I can see which dealer will bid the lowest to get my sale. If they bid high, they know I can go to another dealer and they will loose the sale. Here the dealer doesn't have anything that's in short supply.
     
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  45. jpv Posted: 7/7/2010 8:51am PDT

    An Aerovironment staffer came out last Friday (7/2/10) for our home charger assessment. And, I previously received the same message. I'm in Orange County, CA.
     
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  46. Dave Posted: 7/7/2010 3:29pm PDT

    I am in St. Louis and I received the same e-mail telling me to standby for more information. I have not heard anything about a home assessment. I think that Nissan should take this opportunity to go around the dealer network. I don't see dealers adding any value to the car selling, buying, and for the matter maintenance process. The one advantage that Tesla has over all others...No dealerships...
     
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