Nissan’s Leaf launch date blowing in the wind

[webfact]

Nissan’s Leaf launch date blowing in the wind

By Kingsley Wijayasinha 
The Nation 

 

NMT president Barthes: Nissan wants to achieve double-digit market share in Thailand.

 

SIX months have gone by since Nissan announced that it will sell the Leaf EV electric car in Thailand, but the company has yet to finalise the official launch period for the new model.
 

Stating only that the Leaf will be launched “within fiscal year 2018” (ending in March next year), Nissan has already exhibited its latest electric vehicle (EV) at two major motor shows – the Thailand International Motor Expo in December last year and the Bangkok International Motor Show last month.

 

Nissan Motor (Thailand) Co Ltd (NMT) president Antoine Barthes told Thai media at the company's mid-term press conference yesterday that Nissan is trying to educate not only its own customers but also the general public about the EV technology and lifestyle, before the official market launch of the Leaf.

 

Asked whether Nissan is waiting for the right timing and market environment, Barthes agreed, saying that Nissan has been working hard in educating the public about EVs at the two motor shows. The company has received a promising response from prospective customers, he said.

 

He said many Thai consumers are willing to purchase an EV, even at higher retail costs than comparative models running on traditional internal combustion engines (ICEs).

 

“According to a regional survey on EVs by Frost and Sullivan that includes Thailand, as much as 44 per cent of Thais interviewed said they are willing to consider purchasing an EV even if the retail price is 50 per cent higher than conventional ICE vehicles,” he said.

 

Nissan is working hard to grow its market share in Thailand, after being knocked from the No 3 position by Mazda - a much smaller automaker that has enjoyed tremendous growth in recent years thanks to highly attractive products - in the passenger car market.

 

But after being lambasted by Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi chairman Carlos Ghosn during a visit to Thailand in April last year as being “not good enough” in its performance, NMT lost little time in clawing back 1.3 percentage points of market share to finish 2017 with a 6.9 per cent share.

 

Barthes said that in the mid term, Nissan wants to raise its market share to figures in the double digits.

 

Significant growth is expected later this year with the planned introduction of the Terra, a PPV (pickup passenger vehicle) based on the Navara 1-ton pickup truck. Nissan and Mazda were the only major pickup producers in Thailand to not offer a PPV model, and over the years its executives had always denied any plans to build one.

 

But the Terra project has finally come to life, with the PPV launched in China this year. Thailand, already the global production centre of the Navara, automatically qualifies as a production and export site of the Terra.

 

Production of the Terra is expected to help drive up Nissan's total output in Thailand. Barthes said Nissan will increase its production in Thailand this year by 23 per cent, but did not specify from which model range.

 

Barthes said Nissan expects the Thai auto market to grow at an average of 5 per cent a year over the next five years, with 950,000 vehicles to be sold in fiscal 2018 (April 2018 to March 2019).

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/Auto_ADO/30345658

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-18

[Katipo]

The leaf is an ideal city car for Bangkok as well as other congested and polluted cities. More than enough juice for workers to get to and from work, and then just plug in overnight. 

[Henryford]

12 minutes ago, Katipo said:

The leaf is an ideal city car for Bangkok as well as other congested and polluted cities. More than enough juice for workers to get to and from work, and then just plug in overnight. 

But don't you need a garage or driveway to plug it in. How many have that in Bangkok? I live in a condo like many others, no way could i plug it in over night.

Edited May 18, 2018 by Henryford

[peterb17]

13 minutes ago, Katipo said:

The leaf is an ideal city car for Bangkok as well as other congested and polluted cities. More than enough juice for workers to get to and from work, and then just plug in overnight. 

 

If you got stuck in traffic for hours - accident on the expressway or just the horrendous rush hour queues.

Would the car still run air-con? Bangkok is one of the hottest cities in the world. 

I suspect not? 

[zzidenn]

There is literally 0 infrastructure to support electric vehicles and how can a tiny clean vehicle compete with big dirty pick up trucks?

[mwbrown]

On 18/05/2018 at 9:42 AM, zzidenn said:

There is literally 0 infrastructure to support electric vehicles and how can a tiny clean vehicle compete with big dirty pick up trucks?

You are literally wrong.  Most MEA and PEA offices have a DC fast charger, and look at all of the chargers using this web site and app.    https://www.eaanywhere.com/

[mwbrown]

On 18/05/2018 at 9:35 AM, peterb17 said:

 

If you got stuck in traffic for hours - accident on the expressway or just the horrendous rush hour queues.

Would the car still run air-con? Bangkok is one of the hottest cities in the world. 

I suspect not? 

Every production electric car runs the aircon with an electric pump and makes cool air whenever requested by the driver.  Just like a gas car.

[Fruit Trader]

48 minutes ago, mwbrown said:

Every production electric car runs the aircon with an electric pump and makes cool air whenever requested by the driver.  Just like a gas car.

Try joining the dots on the question.

Clue :- Stuck in traffic AC using energy remaining Km dropping.

[mwbrown]

9 hours ago, Fruit Trader said:

Try joining the dots on the question.

Clue :- Stuck in traffic AC using energy remaining Km dropping.

I answered your original question.  Now you're asking another question.  And the answer to that is also yes, AC will use a bit of the charge but unless you're a complete moron who leaves home with 2% left in the pack, you'll be fine. 

 

Why don't you do a bit of reading first before asking ignorant loaded questions.  I see these same dumb posts every time an electric vehicle topic pops up here.

[Fruit Trader]

1 hour ago, mwbrown said:

I answered your original question.  Now you're asking another question.  And the answer to that is also yes, AC will use a bit of the charge but unless you're a complete moron who leaves home with 2% left in the pack, you'll be fine. 

 

Why don't you do a bit of reading first before asking ignorant loaded questions.  I see these same dumb posts every time an electric vehicle topic pops up here.

Not my original question. I suggest you stop before your hole gets too deep. 

 

My reply refers to post #4 but I see you are a little slow off the mark so lets leave it at that. 

 

 

[HAKAPALITA]

Downside of a Tesla in a snowy country is inconvenience.Defrosting, plodding around with cables trying  to get plug thing into frozen charge socket.Lots of little things i didnt enjoy. Its a NO from me. Town/Urban Car for folks in no rush.

[zzidenn]

On 5/19/2018 at 10:36 AM, mwbrown said:

You are literally wrong.  Most MEA and PEA offices have a DC fast charger, and look at all of the chargers using this web site and app.    https://www.eaanywhere.com/

i dont know how i am literally wrong. most of the charging stations on eaanywhere are not build yet  but „coming soon“