Nissan Leaf

A lot of Leafs blowing around my LA neighborhood

The perfect plug-in for city folk?

Where a plug-in electric car makes a lot of sense

So, a new Chevy Volt ad finds the Volt telling its gas-guzzling parents that it’s electric. Even when the Volt is at the gas station converting gasoline into electricity, I wonder? Maybe.

Nevertheless, it’s this EV focus that makes it so interesting how many Nissan Leafs are blowing around my neighborhood compared to Chevy Volts. Read more…

Better residual value: Hybrid cars versus plug-in cars

c hybrid offers best residual value compared to all hybrids and plug-ins

How does plug-in depreciation compare to hybrids?

Obviously, no one wants to buy a new car and then drive off the lot and suddenly realize its worth drastically less than what was paid. Unfortunately, all new cars lose value as soon as the dealer hands you the keys, which is why savvy financial folks, such as Warren Buffett, only buy slightly used cars.

And residual value after 5 years is an even scarier number.

So do hybrid or electric cars hold their value better? Read more…

What’s wrong with the Nissan Leaf?

Time to turn a new Leaf on plug-in sales

Is the Leaf Carlos Ghosn’s biggest mistake?

Happy Fourth of July. Wasn’t going to post anything today, but then I saw the sale’s numbers for the Nissan Leaf. Just 535 Leaf electric cars were sold last month, down from 1,708 last June.

What is going on with Nissan’s plug-in plans? What’s wrong with the Nissan Leaf? Read more…

My wife just fell in love with the Chevy Volt

Un oh. My wife's new passion.

And she doesn’t give one crap about plug-in technologies

I can still remember the debut of the original Chevy Volt concept. The long front end, like the Camaro and the Corvette. I had mixed feelings about that design, but in terms of a concept that form worked well I think. It drove the right kind of buzz. Nevertheless, it was the powertrain that I was focused upon. The design was largely irrelevant.

That sporty Volt design; however, meant a lot to many early fans of the Volt, and when GM reshaped the Volt to its current self after wind tunnel testing proved a real drag, many howled. For me, it was still all about the powertrain.

In hindsight though, I think the current Volt is exactly right, because my wife just fell in love with the Chevy Volt. Read more…

Dealer markups are back for some hybrids and plug-ins

Will you have to pay more than sticker on a Toyota Prius c?

To the highest bidder wins?

If you’ve been following the battery-powered scene for the last several years, then I’m sure you remember the sad old days of 2007-2008 for hybrid car buyers. Thanks to the gas spike then dealer markups on hybrid cars were a common occurrence. In the worst case scenario Toyota Prius hybrids were being marked up $5,000 or more above MSRP with an additional $5,000 worth of dealer add-ons.

Unfortunately, dealer markups on hybrids and plug-ins appear to be back. Read more…

Toyota Prius plug-in tops April plug-in sales

Prius is hybrid and plug-in king in April

Chevy Volt recedes a bit from last month’s big numbers

Sales of both GM and Nissan plug-in cars declined last month compared to the month before. However, the Toyota Prius plug-in achieved its best month of plug-in sales yet at 1,654 units.

GM claimed limited California supplies. Nissan stood by its 20,000 sale’s target. And Ford, well Ford just decided not to sell any plug-ins in April. Read more…

Hybrids, plug-ins dominate best cars for An American Terrorist

The best car for An American Terrorist

Fighting foreign oil dependence one car at a time

As I’ve argued numerous times, the only thing that is really going to change American energy policy and consumer purchasing is a revolution in consumer psychology, outside of either force, or an almost miracle technological breakthrough. That’s the idea behind An American Terrorist. To shake up the energy independence conversation.

Anyway, the Nissan Leaf took top honors amongst the 5 best cars for An American Terrorist. Read more…

Leaf versus Volt: Why is GM’s plug-in the whipping car?

Volt versus Leaf? Or something bigger?

Volt is now incinerating Leaf sales

“I never hear anything about the Leaf” GM CEO Dan Akerson recently told the DetroitNews in response to a question regarding why the Volt always gets the short end of the stick when it comes to public ridicule over coming up short on plug-in sale’s projections.

Last month, for instance, GM sold more Volts than Nissan has sold Leafs all year. So, isn’t the Volt the plug-in prince, while the Leaf is the whipping car? Or, is this issue deeper than just sale’s misses? Read more…

Foreshadowing electrification with today’s hybrid car sales

10 percent of US, or just Nissan, sales by 2020?

Can Nissan still hit 10 percent electric cars by 2020?

Despite the fact that Toyota sold almost 40,000 hybrid cars last month, hybrid vehicle sales still can’t drive into the mainstream. Essentially, there are Toyota’s hybrid sales, and there are Toyota’s hybrid sales. The sales of all other hybrid cars, combined even, simply don’t add up to anything even meaningful.

However, despite limited hybrid penetration and declining electric car sales in March, Nissan’s Carlos Ghosn believes that plug-in electrics will still hit 10 percent by 2020. Read more…

KBB picks: Honda Insight, Ford Escape hybrid and Chevy Volt

Cheapest to own hybrid after 5 year according to KBB

Best hybrid and plug-in deals after 5 years of ownership

Kipplingers, Forbes, Intellichoice, Consumer Reports, US News & World Reports, etc. have all offered up best and most cost-effective vehicle lists in recent months, and it’s sometimes a little surprising the lack of consensus. Consequently, I’ve often wondered if there isn’t some sort of advertising-related objective.

Regardless, these lists are still interesting and usually useful for buyers, and the latest one comes from Kelly Blue Book. Read more…