Nissan’s electric SUV outsells the LEAF in the US for the second straight quarter
Nissan’s first electric SUV, the 2023 Ariya, is already outselling the decade-old LEAF EV after going on sale last fall.
Nissan Ariya electric SUV sales surpass the LEAF in 2023
Once seen as a pioneer in the EV space, releasing the LEAF in 2010 as the first mass-market EV, Nissan has fallen behind as the industry has significantly advanced in the past several years.
It took over a decade for Nissan to release its second pure EV mode. After introducing the Ariya electric SUV in 2020, the model was delayed several times, finally beginning US sales in late 2022.
After a long-anticipated arrival, Nissan’s electric SUV is already outselling the LEAF by a wide margin.
In the first three months of 2023, Nissan sold 2,860 Ariya models in the US compared to 2,354 LEAF EV sales during the period. The trend has continued, with Ariya electric SUV sales reaching 2,335, while LEAF sales fell to 1,880 in the second quarter of the year.
The 2023 Nissan Ariya features up to 304 miles EPA-est range from an 87 kWh battery, starting at $43,190.
Despite once being a top-selling EV model globally, Nissan has failed to update the LEAF with modern technology. The automaker released the 2024 Nissan LEAF last week, which still features the inferior CHAdeMO charging plug.
Nissan accelerated its “Ambition 2030” strategy earlier this year after recognizing the urgency in the industry. Its new plans call for 19 new EVs globally (up from 15) as it aims to reach 40% US electric vehicle sales share by 2030.
Electrek’s Take
Nissan’s electric SUV overtaking the LEAF in sales doesn’t come as a surprise, given the love for bigger vehicles in the US.
In 2022, SUVs accounted for roughly 46% of global car sales, with noticeable growth coming from the US, according to an IEA report.
Seeing the decade-old LEAF outperforming the electric SUV would be more concerning. At the same time, it’s too bad Nissan hasn’t updated the electric compact car. The IEA report shows a clear trend in the EV industry, shifting from 63% cars to 37% SUVs in 2020 to 49% cars to 51% SUVs in 2022.
Nissan is not the only one that seems to be upsizing its lineup. General Motors said it would be discontinuing its smallest EV, the Bolt EV and EUV, at the end of the year as it launches Ultium-based SUVs and trucks, including the Silverado EV, Blazer EV, and Equinox EV (although the automaker has hinted at an Ultium-based Bolt model).
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Tesla has started to offer discounted financing on Cybertruck as the electric pickup truck undoubtedly turns out to be a flop.
Tesla claimed over 1 million reservations for the Cybertruck, and CEO Elon Musk said he could see Tesla producing 500,000 units per year.
However, that was before Tesla announced that the production version would be much more expensive and have a shorter range than what was initially announced.
The Cybertruck has now been in production for a year and a half, and it looks like Tesla would be lucky to sell about 10% of Musk’s goal of 500,000 units.
The automaker doesn’t report Cybertruck sales, but it is estimated that Tesla delivered roughly 40,000 Cybertrucks in 2024, and it is expected to have even more issues selling the truck this year.
Tesla has taken several steps to help sales.
We reported that Tesla launched Cybertruck leases to help move vehicles. The company is even still tucked with “Foundations Series” Cybertrucks, and we found out that Tesla buffed “Foundations Series” badges out of some trucks to sell them as cheaper regular Cybertrucks.
For the remaining “Foundations Series,” which there still are despite Tesla switching to regular Cybertruck production in October, Tesla has even offered free Supercharging for life.
Now, Tesla is stepping up its game, and it is offering discounted financing on new Cybertruck orders:
Tesla announced 1.99% APR for a limited time:
1.99% APR available for a limited time for well-qualified buyers
WIthout the “promotion”, the rate for excellent credit is 5.84%.
While Tesla is discounting the rates, it is not discounting them as much as for new Model 3 orders.
We reported earlier this week that Tesla offers 0% and 0.99% with $0 down on new Model 3 orders in the US until the end of the quarter.
Electrek’s Take
It is very possible that Tesla can’t sell more than 10,000 Cybertrucks this quarter, which would extrapolate to 40,000 units per year or less than 10% of what Elon said he would see Tesla delivering.
Now, the cheaper single motor Cybertruck should help, but by how much? It could bring Tesla to 20-30% of the volume Elon saw possible?
I think it’s fairly clear that the Cybertruck is a flop.
Tesla launched a single new vehicle in the last 5 years and it is a flop.
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Environment
Toyota launched its cheapest EV in China and it crashed the server starting at just $15,000
Toyota looks to grab a bigger share of the world’s largest EV market as it takes aim at BYD and other low-cost leaders. On Thursday, Toyota launched its cheapest EV in China, the bZ3X, starting at roughly $15,000. The new electric SUV crashed the server with over 10,000 orders in an hour.
Meet Toyota’s cheapest EV in China, the bZ3X
The bz3X is Toyota’s “first 100,000 yuan-level pure electric SUV” in China and its cheapest EV to hit the market so far.
Toyota’s Chinese joint venture, GAC-Toyota officially launched the “Bozhi 3X,” or bZ3X for short, in China on March 6. Shortly after, the company said orders for its new electric SUV were “so popular that the server crashed” after revealing prices start at just over $15,000 (109,800 yuan).
After securing over 10,000 orders in just one hour, Toyota boasted again that “the server is overwhelmed.” The launch comes after blind pre-orders opened in December, starting at just under $14,000 (100,000 yuan).
The bZ3X is available in two versions, with or without its full-scenario smart driving tech. The non-smart tech model starts at 109,800 yuan ($15,000) with five trim options while the smart driving model starts at 149,800 yuan ($20,500).
For 159,800 yuan ($22,000), the range-topping “610 Max” trim provides up to 610 km (379 miles) CLTC range from a 67.92 kWh LFP battery. The base “430 Air” gets up to 430 km (267 miles) from a 50.03 kWh LFP battery pack.
Toyota said the interior provides “a mobile space that is comfortable as home,” with front and rear seats that can fold down to provide nearly 10 feet (3 meters) of space.
Inside, the electric SUV has a 14.6″ infotainment screen with voice recognition and an 8.8″ driver display. It also includes a two-spoke multi-function steering wheel.
Toyota’s new bZ3X is its first vehicle with the Momenta 5.0 Intelligent Driving System. Powered by NVIDIA Drive AGX Orin X, it comes with 25 ADAS features, such as parallel parking, remote control parking, high-speed pilot, light traffic assist, and blind spot monitoring.
GAC-Toyota claimed it will be “one of the first automakers in the world to realize a one-stage end-to-end intelligent driving model.” With human-like intelligence, the vehicle “gets smarter and better with use.”
At 4,600 mm long, 1,875 mm wide, and 1,645 mm tall, Toyota’s cheapest EV in China is about the size of BYD’s Yuan Plus (Atto 3) at 4,455 mm long, 1,875 mm wide, and 1,615 mm tall. Starting at 115,800 yuan ($16,000), Toyota’s new bZ3X slightly undercuts BYD’s electric SUV.
What do you think of Toyota’s new electric SUV? Would you buy one for around $15,000? We’ll keep dreaming.
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