REPORT: Nissan's Ghosn rules out hybrid-only models like Toyota Prius, Honda Insight
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn with Leaf EV - Click above for high-res image gallery
Quick, think of a hybrid automobile. Got it? Are you thinking of the Toyota Prius? Pretty much everyone instantly recognizes the well-known profile of the Prius, and it's by far the most popular fuel miser on the market. A good bit of Toyota's success with the Prius has been attributed to its unique look – some owners want everyone to know that they care about their environmental footprint, and the Prius currently accomplishes that better than any of its competitors.
Honda followed a similar path with the second-generation Insight hatchback, which some believe follows the form of the Prius a little too closely. According to Nissan head Carlos Ghosn, though, there's no chance that Japan's number three automaker will join that club. Speaking to Automotive News at the Tokyo Motor Show, Ghosn said:
Obviously, the company that leads in hybrids is Toyota, and Nissan's intention is to score a similar position in the world of pure electric automobiles. The opening salvo on that front will be the upcoming Nissan Leaf, which is slated to hit the market about a year from now, and the company has ambitious plans for its following act. We'll know if Ghosn's plan is successful or not, oh, about five years from now. Stay tuned.We are not intending to play a leadership role in hybrids. One company already assumed leadership in the technology. We want leadership on EVs.
Gallery: 2010 Nissan Leaf EV
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
DasBoese 9:30PM (10/22/2009)
Smart decision. Parallel hybrids like the Prius are an interim technology, it's better to get ahead in the long run and that means BEVs and PHEVs
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mike 9:33PM (10/22/2009)
I agree it is a reasonable business gamble to make.
Toyota made it about a decade ago with the hybrid and it has served them well.
Nissan's move to run an end game around that to the next idea is decent.
It will depend though on them making some technical breakthroughs with the batteries (read: range) and on what breakthroughs other players are able to make with competing technologies.
There is always a lot of chance in the market.
It's why hindsight is always so much better than foresight.
mike 9:30PM (10/22/2009)
I'm so sick of this idea that the prius is successful because it looks unique and so all the smug bastards that want people to know they are green buy it.
I'm very much leaning toward it for the next daily family mover and let me assure you I do not give a hot-lick what you, my mother, or the guy next to me thinks about my car.
I find it funny however, that similar reasoning is never applied to the people driving 500hp mustangs and the like down to the local store to pick up milk.
Yes... that is purely because they enjoy driving, as opposed to the mindless car-appliance users.
It has nothing what-so-ever to do with making up for any other shortcomings they might have.
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Andy 10:32PM (10/22/2009)
Nobody is gonna think I'm a smug bastard .... That's why I'm NOT buying a Lexus, Mercedes, BMW or any other of those fancy cars.
Doug 4:55AM (10/23/2009)
"I find it funny however, that similar reasoning is never applied to the people driving 500hp mustangs and the like down to the local store to pick up milk."
And by milk you meant beer, right? Would that be with or without mullet?
Don't worry people come up with assumptions about those guys too. ;-)
jpm 5:11AM (10/23/2009)
You think the prius is successful b/c it looks unique? Really? It's because the good mpg rating, hybrid drive, CVT, energy monitor in the dash, and the green marketing campaign.
For not giving a lick of whatever about your ride, you sure do care about prius drivers.
Are you republican by any chance?
Mark Kiernan 8:47AM (10/23/2009)
Where I live people seem to think that driving an SUV means that you are rich. However I can go to the bank and get myself into debt to my eyeballs and drive around in an SUV. Driving a Prius however creates a confusion to the public, they don't know if you are rich or not.
Another example of the above, I know a guy who has a Ferrari, but he lives in a very small apartment (not in an expensive area), and his kids sleep on a sofa because dad can't afford both a house and a Ferrari. His public expression was more important than his kids having a room for themselves.
paulwesterberg 11:54AM (10/23/2009)
I bought a prius for the good mileage and great utility of the hatchback. As a bonus the car has a lot of other small features that appeal to my inner nerd. I am liberal, but I didn't buy the car to increase my street cred.
btw I got my first ride in a prius from a republican friend of mine, he wasn't wrong about the car.
Andy 10:46PM (10/22/2009)
I read an article somewhere. The writer thought there is no first mover advantage in transitioning to BEV's. Because of the high levels of capitalisation required in the auto industry. He thought the majors would quickly tool up, develop their own BEV's and trample the poor early starters into the dust.
He might have a point, but I'm rooting for Ghosn. He's got guts and I hope he shows a clean pair of heels to the competition.
It's a bit of a game though, the others will try to not let him get too far ahead. They think they can haul him back and overtake him without commiting too much cost up front. Watch out for Toyada spin. It's in the interests of the hybrid leader to delay BEV market acceptance. To some extent the same applies to leaders in clean diesel.
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tomW 3:08AM (10/23/2009)
It's a gamble! Nissan is putting all its eggs in one basket, one with a serious hole of a limited range. If Nissan can sell EVs in large volume profitably they'll get lots of green street cred, but if not, they'll have lost both market share and money.
It seems a much safer gamble to go the Volt way--provide significant electrification but still give people a no-compromise solution. This is a site of early-adopters, but I'm thinking how many average people are willing to buy a car that can go, at most, 100 miles a day.
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jake 4:21AM (10/23/2009)
The Volt way also costs a lot more development money. I'd wager Nissan didn't spend nearly as much on the Leaf as GM did on the Volt.
They are managing demand by being cautious initially. It is obvious the first batch will go to early-adopters first. Then they will try selling to more "mainstream" consumers. I'm thinking there are plenty that travel way less than 100 miles a day (and also have multiple cars, so they have another car for longer trips) and this car would be a perfect daily driver.
Ultimately I think success will depend on cost.
paulwesterberg 12:19PM (10/23/2009)
I am willing to buy a 100 mile EV, but I already have a fuel efficient hybrid for long trips.
Stan Peterson 3:58AM (10/23/2009)
I give Ghosn credit. He has little choice for his beleagured company but to make a bet for long range survival. His companies are way behind the leaders in hybrid technologies, either parallel or serial.
But I'd accept the wager that the BEV with the current technology of batteries, is just not ready. This too will be an EV-1 replay. Fail. But Good Luck, none the less.
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Andras Soltesz 4:32AM (10/23/2009)
Batteries have come a long way since the EV1 (although I think they were good enough even there: see the still running RAV4EVs).
The LIFEPO chemistry has technically everything a successful city/commuter EV needs. With volume production its price will come down quickly.
And the next generation of batteries (flow or rechargeable Li-Air or Zink-Air) is already well under development. Even EESTOR may come to fruition (even though it looks like vaporware now). These would solve range issues.
So I think the new EV revolution will not fail like the EV1 did.
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Dave 9:12AM (10/23/2009)
"It's a gamble! Nissan is putting all its eggs in one basket, one with a serious hole of a limited range."
No gamble at all. Just spin.
Renault / Nissan will sell a bunch of EVs in France where gas/diesel is obscenely expensive and electricity is far more affordable. They will make fine commuter cars for two car families. (Of course, the only reason for their success will be govt subsidy in the form of huge petroleum taxes.)
Renault / Nissan is admitting defeat in the parallel hybrid wars and spinning it to look like they are leapfrogging, but they are actually pursuing a much smaller niche.
If and when batteries become compact and affordable, any car company with a parallel hybrid will already have the subsystems (heat pump HVAC, electric steering, etc) necessary to transition to full electric.
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Throwback 10:23AM (10/23/2009)
If he is right Ghosn and his company will profit. If he is wrong, well I'm sure the French government will be there to bail him out. While it is a gamble, it's not like he is stopping production on any gas/diesel fueled cars.
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chinb96629 2:26AM (10/24/2009)
Ghosn and the Leaf will both fail because Nissan plans to lease the battery pack. In the case of the Leaf, Vehicle owner don't want to pay car installment plus a monthy lease. Volt and Prius don't have range limitation as the Leaf but they both have higher initial ownership cost than the Leaf. Leaf is dead if its battery is on lease.
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Andy 1:38AM (10/25/2009)
If you are right then BEV's are dead already.
Most people say they are not willing to pay a high up front cost.
Give people a choice and sell to both types.
Laurens 11:51AM (10/23/2009)
People with an engineering background don't like hybrids, to expensive for not a lot of improvement. They usually have a nice and nimble classic car in the garage as well.
OT: EV's will start making sense, once battery costs drop dramatically. Ghosn must think it will. I'm just hoping better batteries will mean low weight, or loose interest in driving for ever...
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paulwesterberg 12:24PM (10/23/2009)
Yea, I bet all that battery weight in a tesla roadster make driving it a real drag.