Story updated on April 26, 2010
I was shattered to read the article penned by my colleague Marc Bouchard. Apparently, Nissan could re-evaluate the Leaf's sales potential in Canada if the federal government fails to offer any purchase credits. No subsidies would mean less Leafs at the dealerships.
In case you’ve been living under a rock these last 36 months, the Nissan Leaf will soon become the first front-wheel-drive, 100% electric vehicle of modern times to be marketed on a large scale by a major manufacturer. A "green" car, in essence. As green as a leaf – a maple leaf!
But to really comprehend the nature of the impasse ahead, let’s put things in their proper context. First, know that on March 30, Nissan announced that its Green Wonder would sell for 32,780 USD in the States. On this side of the border, that means a sale price of around 35,000-37,000 CAD. We’re not talking peanuts here.
Also, the Obama administration will be offering American buyers a $7,500 federal tax credit, on top of additional local State credits in some parts of the country. In California, for instance, consumers will benefit from a $5,000 tax credit, making the Leaf as affordable as a lowly Altima 2.5 S (the American version).
All this support given by various levels of government in the US brings Nissan’s executive vice-president, Americas Operations, Carlos Tavares, to tie government rebate programs to a succesfull introduction of the Leaf here. So that’s why last week, in front of Canadian automotive journalists gathered for the New York Auto Show, he said: “For the next 3 to 5 years, this type of financial support will indeed prove indispensable. If we’re unable to get it [in Canada], we might very well choose to turn to another market.” And this could mean a lesser availability of the Leaf on our market according to Didier Marsaud, Nissan Canada's spokesperson.
Mr Tavares is indirectly acknowledging that the Leaf is expensive. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be starting an arm-wrestling match with our government. The thing is, the US is able to play the political geography game with Nissan, as the manufacturer has assembly plants stateside, such as the one in Tennessee where the Leaf will be built. Same story in the U.K. It’s logical for the government there to offer employment subsidies when the Sunderland plant will also be assembling Leafs. But in exchange for which jobs could the Harper government offer subsidies?
To sugar the pill, Nissan might want to think about renaming its car “Maple Leaf.” Or better yet, replace the circular logo adorning the car’s front end by a beaver’s toothy grin. The metaphor fits. After all, doesn’t the front end hatch, under which hides the battery recharge plug, resemble the sharp teeth of our national mascot? And the cute, tireless little worker, who never takes a break from his busy dam-building schedule, would represent a Maple Leaf quite well. Here is a car that, one battery charge at a time, will faithfully convey his environmentally conscious owners wherever they wish to go. I can already picture the Canada Special Edition model, all decked-out in red and white leather.
In fact, that might be your bargaining chip right there, Mr Harper. Those hard-core, eco-friendly citizens driving around in their Maple Leafs would offset major sources of pollution, like, say, Alberta’s tar sands. What do you think?
Anyways, we’ll soon see who, between Harper and Tavares, gets the upper leaf.
Strange coincidence (or is it?), on April 22, 2010, the German daily Financial Times Deutschland quoted Nissan Europe EV Business Development représentative Florian Wunsch who said: "Because of the absence of government aid, the Leaf launch would be delayed to October 2011." The Originally it was planned for December 2010. Another arm-wrestling match in the making?
I was shattered to read the article penned by my colleague Marc Bouchard. Apparently, Nissan could re-evaluate the Leaf's sales potential in Canada if the federal government fails to offer any purchase credits. No subsidies would mean less Leafs at the dealerships.
In case you’ve been living under a rock these last 36 months, the Nissan Leaf will soon become the first front-wheel-drive, 100% electric vehicle of modern times to be marketed on a large scale by a major manufacturer. A "green" car, in essence. As green as a leaf – a maple leaf!
But to really comprehend the nature of the impasse ahead, let’s put things in their proper context. First, know that on March 30, Nissan announced that its Green Wonder would sell for 32,780 USD in the States. On this side of the border, that means a sale price of around 35,000-37,000 CAD. We’re not talking peanuts here.
Also, the Obama administration will be offering American buyers a $7,500 federal tax credit, on top of additional local State credits in some parts of the country. In California, for instance, consumers will benefit from a $5,000 tax credit, making the Leaf as affordable as a lowly Altima 2.5 S (the American version).
All this support given by various levels of government in the US brings Nissan’s executive vice-president, Americas Operations, Carlos Tavares, to tie government rebate programs to a succesfull introduction of the Leaf here. So that’s why last week, in front of Canadian automotive journalists gathered for the New York Auto Show, he said: “For the next 3 to 5 years, this type of financial support will indeed prove indispensable. If we’re unable to get it [in Canada], we might very well choose to turn to another market.” And this could mean a lesser availability of the Leaf on our market according to Didier Marsaud, Nissan Canada's spokesperson.
Mr Tavares is indirectly acknowledging that the Leaf is expensive. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be starting an arm-wrestling match with our government. The thing is, the US is able to play the political geography game with Nissan, as the manufacturer has assembly plants stateside, such as the one in Tennessee where the Leaf will be built. Same story in the U.K. It’s logical for the government there to offer employment subsidies when the Sunderland plant will also be assembling Leafs. But in exchange for which jobs could the Harper government offer subsidies?
To sugar the pill, Nissan might want to think about renaming its car “Maple Leaf.” Or better yet, replace the circular logo adorning the car’s front end by a beaver’s toothy grin. The metaphor fits. After all, doesn’t the front end hatch, under which hides the battery recharge plug, resemble the sharp teeth of our national mascot? And the cute, tireless little worker, who never takes a break from his busy dam-building schedule, would represent a Maple Leaf quite well. Here is a car that, one battery charge at a time, will faithfully convey his environmentally conscious owners wherever they wish to go. I can already picture the Canada Special Edition model, all decked-out in red and white leather.
In fact, that might be your bargaining chip right there, Mr Harper. Those hard-core, eco-friendly citizens driving around in their Maple Leafs would offset major sources of pollution, like, say, Alberta’s tar sands. What do you think?
Anyways, we’ll soon see who, between Harper and Tavares, gets the upper leaf.
Strange coincidence (or is it?), on April 22, 2010, the German daily Financial Times Deutschland quoted Nissan Europe EV Business Development représentative Florian Wunsch who said: "Because of the absence of government aid, the Leaf launch would be delayed to October 2011." The Originally it was planned for December 2010. Another arm-wrestling match in the making?