Nissan LEAF sales to turn

Don’t expect the all-new Nissan LEAF to set any sales records. That’s the message from Nissan which says it is not expecting to see a significant increase in its Australian sales volume when the all-new LEAF electric car goes on sale in the second half of 2018.

Nissan is positioning the car as a brand play, rather than a key contributor to much-needed sales growth.

Indeed, Nissan head of Regional Sales and Marketing, Vincent Wijnen told motoring.com.au at this week’s Japanese launch of the new EV that the success of the LEAF in individual markets was being driven by a range of factors, many of which are not yet in place in Australia.

“Bringing the car to Australia, the volume is linked to the question of infrastructure and incentives, and that’s been the same in every market where we’ve launched this car in the last six or seven years,” Wijnen said.

“It’s been the same story. I’ve been in markets, it has started very small and then the change [in incentives, etc] happened and then it accelerates,” he commented.

Since the arrival of the original Nissan LEAF in 2012, the rate of take up of electric vehicles in Australia has remained very low.

Even the arrivals of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) including the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Audi A3 E-tron and various BMW, Porsche and Mercedes models has done little to accelerate growth. GM has departed the EV/PHEV market Down Under and brands like Ford and Toyota are yet to pull the trigger on EV or PHEVs. Hyundai at least has committed to offering at least two variants of its hybrid/PHEV/EV Ioniq some time in 2018.

Tesla is a high profile EV entrant in Australia and has championed its charging network but its products are very much aimed at the top-end of town.

Australia’s tardy uptake of electrified vehicles is in direct contrast to markets including Norway and Japan where Government commitments to clean vehicle technologies and the widespread availability of a charging network are encouraging the mainstream adoption of EVs.

Wijnen believes the answer is not as simple as cash incentives at the point of purchase, siting initiatives such as free parking or the use of commuter lanes for electric vehicles as an attractive proposition for drivers.

“It can start with big cities sometimes, it doesn’t have to start with the national Government,” he said.

“It can be cities that can be interested and incentivise the use of [electric] cars.

“Free use of fast lanes, free parking… In the markets and the cities where this has been successful, this has been very appealing to people as well as being able to purchase the car at a reasonable price.”

In countries where electric vehicle use has become more widely adopted, other stakeholders such as energy companies has chosen to invest in greener infrastructures, providing charging capabilities for and contributing to making electric vehicle ownership easier for their employees.

In terms of progress in Australia, Wijnen said regardless of what action is taken now, the fact that more manufacturers were investing in electric propulsion would make the transition easier.

“If it was only Nissan LEAF, I don’t think it would ever happen. We are not afraid, we are happy if other manufacturers also come with EVs because that will make the story much stronger.

“The underlying pressure of people liking this type technology will also put pressure on Governments or other stakeholders in terms of changing.

“Ultimately I don’t think anybody has a choice because the world will move this way. For us the best way to do it is to prove that it works and with the extended range (of the new LEAF), just about everybody can drive an EV in their daily life.”

The new Nissan Leaf goes on sale in the second half of 2018.