Nissan has almost 20,000 orders already for its new Leaf EV, equivalent to the first year of production, CEO Carlos Ghosn told reporters in Detroit.

“We have 13,000 orders in the US and 6,000 orders in Japan,” he said, adding that all of the US orders had come from individuals and not from government while some orders in Japan were for municipal fleets.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Premium Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

“I don’t think we’re going to have a problem marketing and selling these cars for the first two or three years.”

The first deliveries are set for December in the US and Japan when it will also become available in Portugal and the Netherlands before going on sale in Britain and Ireland early next year.

Nissan is being particularly bullish about EV sales, saying that they will account for 10% of global car sales by 2020. Other car makers and observers predict EV sales will account for between 2-5% of total sales by then.

See Also:

Ghosn also predicted the auto industry would continue to consolidate, but with a bias in favor of alliances and joint ventures rather than acquisitions.

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.

Company Profile – free sample

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 GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

“Every car manufacturer has to develop very different technologies” for electric, hybrid, gasoline and diesel cars.

“These technologies are so expensive no manufacturer can afford to develop each of these technologies,” he said.

Carmakers must address multiple market segments to succeed in the current market conditions, he said.

“You can’t be a niche brand. You have to be present in the upper segment and the lower segment, and the crossover segment and the four-by-four segment,” he said.