Autoblog

Ford Focus EV's slow sales trigger massive incentives

Zach Bowman — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Technology, Hatchback, Ford, Electric

The Detroit News reports Ford is having real trouble moving its new Focus Electric. As a result, the automaker is offering substantial incentives in an attempt to lure in more buyers. How substantial? Try $10,750 off of a three-year lease. What's more, the EV can now be had for $37,995 ($2,000 less than its original base price) on top of an additional $2,000 cash discount to buy the EV outright - or you can opt for 1.9-percent financing if you work through Ford Motor Credit. None of which factors in various potential government incentives. Last year, Ford managed to sell a paltry 685 of the 1,627 Focus EV hatchbacks it built.

Ford isn't alone in trying to woo more buyers to its EV effort. Nissan cut the price of its Leaf by a whopping 18 percent for 2013, now down to $28,800 and built in the USA. The move followed the automaker's substantial incentives in 2012.

If you want a Focus Electric, you can now apparently get your hands on one for as little as $285 per month with $930 due at signing for a 36-month lease with 10,500 miles per year.

Ford Focus EV's slow sales trigger massive incentives originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are battery-powered cars losing their charge?

Paul Eisenstein — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 14:15:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrid, Technology, Electric

Sales of plug-in hybrids tumbled to nearly half their level from September and October.

The optimist would be likely to note that sales of the Chevrolet Volt were up 30 percent in November, at least when compared with year-ago numbers. But pessimists, of which there are many, would be more likely to point out that sales of the plug-in hybrid tumbled to nearly half their level from September and October.

The Volt was toppled from its throne as the nation's top-selling electric car by both the Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius Plug-In. But even those vehicles slipped a bit during what was otherwise the best month the US auto industry has had, overall, since March of 2008.

There's no question that demand for battery-based vehicles has increased this year, but here again it's a case of half-empty or half-full. Most products have fallen well short of expectations. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has already acknowledged Leaf will miss its 2012 target and Volt will be lucky to get halfway to its original US goal of 45,000. For its part, Mitsubishi had hoped to nail down 20,000 units of its tiny i electric car this year, but it has only sold in the hundreds, not thousands.

Paul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of TheDetroitBureau.com and a 30-year veteran of the automotive beat. His editorials bring his unique perspective and deep understanding of the auto world to Autoblog readers on a regular basis.

Continue reading Are battery-powered cars losing their charge?

Are battery-powered cars losing their charge? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Dec 2012 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best Buy considering EV sales?

Zach Bowman — Mon, 09 May 2011 15:31:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Electric

According to Automotive News, Best Buy has its eyes on jumping into EV sales and service. The consumer electronics giant has been peddling Brammo electric motorcycles for years now and has recently parleyed that experience into garnering contracts to be a distributor and installer of EV chargers for the likes of the Ford Focus Electric and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. Now the suits in charge apparently want to take the next step by offering full electric vehicles alongside Blu-Ray players and big-screen TVs.

The chain has over 1,000 stores that could effectively educate buyers on the products and service them should anything go awry. Right now, Best Buy is said to be in talks with a few EV startup companies, though the retailer hopes to expand those discussions to larger automakers, as well. The idea is that some dealers would rather outsource the hassle of instructing buyers on the intricacies of EV ownership rather than go through the trouble of educating their entire sales process on tasks such as pairing a smart phone.

Is this just another step in the inevitable march of the vehicle from transportation to appliance? Maybe, but it could also be a move toward a genuinely educated and capable sales staff that's invested in your comprehension of the product.

Best Buy considering EV sales? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 May 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First full month sales show Chevy Volt leads with 321, Nissan Leaf at 87

Sebastian Blanco — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Hatchback, Chevrolet, GM, Nissan, Electric

So, how are the first two mainstream plug-in vehicles in the U.S. selling? Both the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf had their first deliveries in December, which means January of 2011 was the first full month of sales for each. Without further ado, the numbers are:

Volt: 321 (plus 326 in December, for a total of 647)
Leaf: 87 (plus 19 in December, 106 total)

Thing is, these numbers are very supply related and shouldn't be seen as an accurate gauge of demand for either of these vehicles. We won't really be able to declare a "winner" in this fight until both General Motors and Nissan get their plug-in vehicle production lines up to full speed, but for now, looks like GM's doing it up a little bit better than Nissan.

[Source: Green Car Reports]

First full month sales show Chevy Volt leads with 321, Nissan Leaf at 87 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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