‘Is it True?’ proclaims a banner at Nissan’s exhibition to promote its new all-electric Leaf model at the appropriately-named Museum of Electricity in Lisbon.
The Japanese manufacturer is very much first out of the blocks with its five-door C-segment EV and has been engaged in a media blitz this week as the Leaf – now in production at its Oppama plant – has been been put through is paces on the Portuguese capital’s streets and outlying motorways.
Go deeper with GlobalData
And Nissan seems content to let its latest flagship brand do its own talking: “We will not use any mass marketing,” says Nissan sales and marketing Europe SVP Simon Thomas,” adding: “individual testimonials are important.”
That’s a nice understatement. The buzz that surrounds Leaf is already significant and will become a roar as the brand is rolled out from next month in Japan/US and in ‘the Wave 1’ markets of Portugal, Ireland, UK and Netherlands from early next year.
Nissan was demonstrating its recharging technology as well this week – and that process is surely destined to become as large a talking point as the car itself.
As soon as the Leaf – surely destined for suburban households initially rather than dense urban concentrations – is on those same suburban driveways – it’s going to attract extraordinary attention.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataNeighbours will undoubtedly want to come and look, word will get round and the recharging process itself – quick or overnight – will become a debating point.
And when – despite the rather fierce EUR30,000 (US$42,000) outlay after various government incentives – has been forked out – those very same neighbours will soon realise running costs slashed to just EUR2/100km and maintenance costs predicted to be 15% lower than conventional cars will make the brand start to talk for itself.
But despite the undoubted discussion that will follow the Leaf’s launch, Nissan has been at some pains this week to point out it wants the right adopters to launch its model.
Presumably the last thing it needs are customers complaining the car can’t deliver in mountainous terrain or runs out of juice on long motorway journeys. Education prior to purchase will therefore form a key plank of Nissan’s relationship with potential clients.
“It is a priority for us to select our customers well,” says Nissan marketing manager Europe Christian Costaganna. “What we want to avoid is after three or four weeks, the car does not meet the customer’s needs.”
Those successful buyers will receive a three-year warranty reinforced with a five-year guarantee covering all electric parts including the battery, while recovery will be provided for the first year after purchase.
Nissan clearly doesn’t want any negativity due to its Leaf ending up with the wrong customer. There will be instances of course where there may be problems, but anecdotal tales of the brand coupled with its increasing physical presence on the roads will probably generate enough publicity to counter any bad press.
There’s also the ever-present question of recharging infrastructure, which is rapidly being addressed in Nissan’s initial Leaf markets.
As soon as people start to see quick recharging taking 30min to put 80% of the juice required into the Leaf – and using what looks like a conventional petrol pump nozzle to boot – word will quickly start to spread.
‘Is it True?’ From December it definitely will be and Nissan will be holding its breath to see if the Leaf becomes an industry standard bearer.
Related Company Profiles
Leaf