Although the 2013 Nissan Leaf has continued to strike gold in the Golden State, and has, in fact, seen strong sales up and down the West Coast, its 335 percent year-to-date sales growth has been backed by sizzling demand across the country. That’s straight from new Nissan research showing that the top 15 Leaf markets now include cities like Atlanta.
There, a state incentive of up to $5,000 is available for zero-emissions vehicles like the 2013 Nissan Leaf—in addition to the federal tax incentive of up to $7,500—while the city’s congested traffic has commuters looking for new ways to save on fuel costs.
“Those combined factors result in a real lifestyle change that puts time back in your day and greatly facilitates personal mobility,” said Brendan Jones, director of EV Infrastructure Strategy for Nissan for nissaninthenews.com.
Then, speaking of infrastructure, that’s been a key advantage for 2013 Nissan Leaf market No. 6, in Honolulu. Providing a natural advantage for Hawaiian drivers is the island geography of the state, which has made it easier to strategically locate EV chargers in one of the densest charging grids in the country.
The 2013 Nissan Leaf also is enjoying a strong home-field advantage in Nashville, where Nissan has its U.S. headquarters and builds both the vehicle and its batteries. But it’s not just loyalty that helped the city enter the top-10 Leaf-market list (at No. 9). Also making a difference is what Nissan calls the “cul de sac phenomenon.”
“In mid-size cities like Nashville, people know and talk to their neighbors,” explained Erik Gottfried, director of EV Sales and Marketing for Nissan. “We don’t see that everywhere, but in certain communities we’ve seen peer-to-peer selling play a huge role and sales really are viral in nature.”
Of course, for the 2013 Nissan Leaf to be a sustainable success, it has to offer more tangible benefits—and it does.
Added Gottfried: “We’re seeing more value-conscious customers motivated by the practicality and frugality of EVs. People see an EV as a freedom from vehicle running costs.”
