Nissan Leaf Sales Expected To Fall Steeply This Summer

Like the leaves in autumn, sales of the Nissan Leaf are falling amid a flurry of changes coming to the EV this summer.

Nissan expects to see sales of its EV to steeply drop off in July, when the Georgia's $5,000 tax credit rides off into the sunset, Automotive News reports. There's also an oncoming wave of Leafs whose leases are ending, bringing diminished resale values with it. The automaker is fighting back with a $5,000 credit toward buying the cars when said leases expire, though Nissan senior vice president for U.S. sales Fred Diaz says he doesn't expect the program "to completely turn things around."

Another issue affecting sales is the ongoing low fuel prices at the pump: at a national average of $2.750 per AAA — around a dollar below what it was at this time in 2014 — consumers are turning towards trucks and SUVs, leaving more efficient offerings like the Leaf and Toyota Prius on the table. While sales of the EV are down 26 percent during the first five months of this year, Nissan's truck sales rose 17 percent over the same period.

Though Diaz acknowledges fuel prices are hurting Leaf sales, he says they won't compare to the end of Georgia's tax credit, which has helped make the EV a huge hit for Nissan in the state. Diaz also admits he nor his company have an idea as to how severe said decline would be once it began.

Despite falling sales, however, Nissan plans to mine for sales gold elsewhere, such as with its "No Charge to Charge" program introduced in Denver in June. The program allows new Leaf owners to charge their cars for free at public fast-charge stations during the first two years of ownership, as is already in place in 16 markets thus far.

There's also word the automaker will increase the range of the Leaf from 84 miles to 105 miles with a new battery pack for the 2016 model. Said model is due in showrooms around the end of summer or the start of fall.

[Photo credit: Nissan]

The post Nissan Leaf Sales Expected To Fall Steeply This Summer appeared first on The Truth About Cars.

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