Dealership
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Remember how we found out a few weeks ago that some Nissan dealers in the U.K. were blissfully unaware of specifics of Nissan's first publicly sold production electric car? According to the dealers we spoke to, the 2011 Nissan Leaf would charge to full in ten minutes, would not be eligible for purchase assistance grants or credits and was only being sold because governments around the world were forcing Nissan to. But as we soon found out, the dealer we spoke to had yet to be trained on Nissan's eco-baby. Why? Nissan doesn't plan to train every dealer from the first day. It makes sense...
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AutoNation Promises 2011 Volt, Leaf To Sell For Sticker Price
Just as dealers have to discount unpopular cars, they often add "surcharges" to models where demand outstrips supply. It's auto dealership yin and yang, or something. Now mega-dealer chain AutoNation has drawn a line in the sand, flatly stating that its dealers will sell their limited allocation of...
John Voelcker -
So What Exactly DO You Have to Service On a 2011 Nissan Leaf?
Despite initial purchase prices higher than those for gasoline cars of equivalent performance (before incentives, anyway), electric cars undisputably cost less to run. Not only does the grid electricity to drive a mile cost just half to one-fifth the cost of the gasoline to go the same distance...
John Voelcker -
Over 600 Chevy Dealers In Launch Regions To Offer 2011 Volt
Three weeks ago, Chevrolet unveiled two new launch markets for its 2011 Volt electric car and described some of the things dealers would need to do in order to be granted the privilege of selling GM's most advanced and most eagerly awaited car in decades. Now it appears that pretty much every Chevy...
John Voelcker -
Electric-Car Dealerships Struggle, But Why Such Surprise?
A recent article in the Oakland Tribune highlights the high failure rate of independent car dealerships selling only electric vehicles. Frankly, we're not at all surprised. We worried readers might find a subtext that the slew of EV-only dealerships that have closed--in Berkeley, Concord, Davis...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Dealers to Give Away 2010 Prius at Chicago Auto Show
As widely reported yesterday, Toyota has suspended sales of 8 models due to a faulty accelerator pedal mechanism. The defective part apparently causes the pedal to stick, resulting in unintended acceleration and loss of control of the vehicle. So what does a Chicagoland Toyota dealership do when...
Robert Scardino -
For automakers, being green can extend well beyond the vehicles themselves. This week, hybrid pioneers Toyota and Honda each showed off new infrastructure projects that burnish their green credentials beyond well beyond the vehicles they sell. Honda started producing hydrogen to power its fuel-cell FCX Clarity vehicles from its latest Solar Hydrogen Station prototype, located at its Los Angeles R&D Center. The hydrogen fuel cell in the Honda FCX Clarity generates electricity for the electric motor that powers the car. Solar-powered commuting? The solar-powered system produces 0.5 kg (1.1...