It's interesting that this model has been unsuccessful in the US, but fits the demand profile perfectly in other wealthy countries.
The American market, as always, is difficult to move.
The American market, as always, is difficult to move.
Nissan LEAF launched in the United States in December 2010. The United States accounts for nearly half of the sales worldwide. The pace of LEAF sales has continued to accelerate. In 2013, Nissan sold 22,610 of the electric vehicles in the United States, more than twice as many as in 2012 and more than 2012 and 2011 Leaf sales combined.
Nissan LEAF traditionally has performed well on the West Coast with notable markets such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle, but now interest has expanded across the country. New hot markets have emerged such as Atlanta, which has been the No. 1 LEAF market for the past five months.
Visiting my parents in Lakeland, FL for a week? I saw one parked in a guy's garage in their neighborhood, that's it. I'll see a half dozen Leaf's just on an eight mile drive to work on any given day. So it seems it could be geographically specific.
EDIT: Note that many Americans can only afford one car at a time.
Also, the federal isn't a credit, it's a discount off of msrp. The state is a deduction, so you typically have to carry it a few years to see the full benefit. Just in case anyone is curious.
To clarify, there _is_ a $7500 federal tax credit, but Nissan just takes it themselves and passes those savings directly to the customer, which is what makes it possible to indirectly use the credit when leasing instead of purchasing.
The Georgia $5000 tax credit is indeed a credit, not a deduction, but it's a _non-refundable_ credit, meaning if you owe less than $5000 in taxes, you can only take a credit for that lesser amount the first year (so you're taxes are $0 instead of negative), but you get up to five years to take the full amount of the credit (in the case of this particular credit).
The Georgia credit applies in full even if you lease instead of purchase. I doubt that's what the legislature intended, but it's the case nevertheless.
I had a Nissan Pathfinder once and it was okay when gas was $2-2.50/gal (16 gallon tank, $40/wk, $150/month). Once it got to $4.00/gal damn right I found alternatives to driving that Pathfinder. The 20 minute walk to the store in the hot, Florida sun didn't seem so bad anymore.
I have many friends who bought SUVs (for the "utility") and commuted way out from the exurbs. They had no choice but to eat the cost of $100 fillups while looking for cheaper alternatives.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/05/news/economy/gas_prices_inco...