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Nissan’s CEO needs to clean out his closet, according to his wife. The same goes for the 90-year-old automaker as it transitions to a new era. Nissan is gearing up to reveal a new EV plan as part of a midterm update to turn things around.

Amid falling sales, Nissan’s CEO, Makota Uchida, is taking advice from his wife. The Japanese business leader wants to reinvent the company to compete in the modern era.

Uchida’s wife said his old clothes were taking up space and long out of fashion, much like Nissan’s lineup. His wife added that the space could be better used.

Nissan’s CEO told his wife, “Yes, you’re right,” in an interview with Automotive News, “But I like them.” He added, “It’s the same thing for the company. The tendency is to hang on to all that old legacy.”

The Japanese automaker, once viewed as an EV pioneer with the release of the LEAF in 2010, has fallen behind as the industry moves toward electric.

Uchida added, referring to outdated clothes, “But is it going to fit you in the future or make you more handsome in the future? No way.”

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2024 Nissan LEAF (Source: Nissan)

“We cannot continue old ways of business from the past into the future,” Nissan’s leader explained. Uchida asked, “How do we make ourselves efficient enough to be competitive against those new, fast, agile companies?”

EV leaders like Tesla and BYD are launching new models in key segments as adoption continues climbing.

Nissan-affordable-EVs
(Source: Nissan)

Nissan to reveal new EV plan amid falling sales

Uchida aims to reveal a new midterm strategy by the end of March. The new plan will outline Nissan’s next three years, including a longer-term update.

According to AN, the update will address how Nissan plans to be more competitive with EVs, rivaling low-cost models from China and improving network efficiency.

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Nissan Ariya electric SUV (Source: Nissan)

Despite the launch of its first EV in over a decade, Nissan’s global EV sales slipped to 127,953 through November of last year, down from 128,194 in 2022.

In comparison, Tesla handed over a record 1.81 million EVs last year, up 38% from 2022. Production was also up 35%.

BYD, which topped Tesla as the global EV leader in Q4, can launch a new car from scratch to finish in 18 months. Most automakers take around four years. The automaker builds nearly every component in-house. For example, all the parts on the Dolphin electric hatch, other than the tires and windows, are built by BYD.

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2023 Nissan Ariya (Source: Nissan)

Uchida said, “Moving forward, how can we make this horizontal way of business competitive?” He believes it involves working with suppliers.

Nissan began delivering the Ariya electric SUV in Japan in May 2022, with it hitting the US later that fall.

The Japanese automaker sold 13,464 Ariya EVs in the US last year. Despite this, sales of the decade-old LEAF continue to fall. Nissan sold 7,152 LEAFs in the US last year, down from over 12K in 2022 and 14K in 2021.

Nissan’s leader said the automaker remains committed to the affordable segment but needs a better balance.

Electrek’s Take

Although Nissan’s total US sales were up 23% last year, they have yet to top the 1 million mark since 2019.

To keep up, Nissan plans to reveal a new LEAF model sometime this year. The new Nissan LEAF will look more like a crossover coupe SUV to better compete with rivals. According to one Nissan source, it will be closer to the Ariya in design, calling it a “mini-Ariya.”

Nissan aims to launch 19 new EVs by 2030, but that could change with the new EV plan. Although Ariya production is finally picking up, Nissan needs (at least) another model to complement the electric SUV.

If Nissan can launch the next-gen EV at the right price, it could help spark momentum. Nissan is known as a low-cost automaker. Transitioning from that could risk falling further behind rivals like Hyundai, Kia, Volvo, etc.

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Tesla keeps up the customer experience, Hyundai owners get presents

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Tesla keeps up the customer experience, Hyundai owners get presents

On today’s festive episode of Quick Charge, Tesla steps up for its owners by calling in mobile charging stations to cut down on wait time. Meanwhile Hyundai has some extra goodies for your stockings and Texas is cleaning up its act.

We’ve also got big savings for Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra shoppers, as well as some good environmental news in the form of new solar and wind projects coming online at a record clip, and a dirty Texas mine that’s cleaning up its act.

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news!

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.

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The 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV has a juicy (unadvertised) discount

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The 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV has a juicy (unadvertised) discount

Dodge is rolling out a hefty discount on the 2025 Charger Daytona EV even though it hasn’t officially hit the market yet. According to a dealer bulletin, the 2025 Daytona EV qualifies for a juicy $3,000 discount, but you won’t see it advertised anywhere. Here’s how you could snag this deal and save big.

On December 13, Stellantis introduced the BEV Dealer Cash Coupon Program, an incentive program designed to sweeten the deal on electric Dodge models. Under this program, dealers get a $1,000 cash coupon for the Charger Daytona – and here’s the kicker – they can stack up to three of these coupons for a total of $3,000 in savings. Unlike traditional rebates that go directly to the buyer, dealers have the option to keep the incentive as extra profit.

The program covers both the 2024 and 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EVs for purchases and leases. But there’s more: if you’re leasing, you can stack that $3,000 dealer cash with a $7,500 lease incentive tied to a commercial tax credit (unavailable when buying). Add it all up, and you could score a whopping $10,500 in savings. This deal is slated to end on April 30, 2025, so there’s time to plan your move.

For some context, the 2024 Dodge Charger EV starts at $61,590, including destination fees. With $10,500 in potential savings, that’s an impressive 17% discount off MSRP—and that’s before you factor in any additional dealer discounts. Interestingly, Dodge has a higher-than-usual difference between invoice and MSRP pricing on the Daytona, meaning there’s room for negotiation if you’re savvy.

Of course, there are a few things to watch out for. Dealer participation varies, so your results may depend on where you shop. Plus, Dodge hasn’t released pricing for the 2025 Charger Daytona yet, so there’s some guesswork involved. Still, if you’re hunting for a bargain, the 2024 Charger EV stands out as one of the best financing deals right now, offering 0% interest for up to 72 months.

Click here to find a local dealer that may have the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV in stock.–trusted affiliate link

Source: Stellantis via CarsDirect


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Is Toyota finally ditching the bZ4X name with new electric SUVs en route?

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Is Toyota finally ditching the bZ4X name with new electric SUVs en route?

Toyota’s electric SUV may soon get a fresh start. After a rocky debut, the Toyota bZ4X is reportedly due for a rebrand, with a new name coming as soon as 2026.

Is Toyota giving the bZ4X a new name?

After launching the bZ4X in 2022, Toyota’s first electric SUV had a bumpy market debut. In June 2022, all bZ4X models were recalled over concerns that the wheels could fall off.

Since then, Toyota has struggled to gain traction. Through the first nine months of 2024, Toyota sold 13,577 bZ4X models in the US. Although that’s double the roughly 6,500 sold through Q3 2023, it’s still less than 1% of its over 1.7 total vehicles sold through September.

As Toyota looks to turn things around, the bZ4X is due for a complete rebrand. Speaking at a recent auto press event in Quebec, a regional director for Toyota Canada said the company is preparing to change the bZ4X name.

According to Motor Illustrated, Patrick Ryan, Toyota’s regional director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada, said the name change will occur over the next year.

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2025 Toyota bZ4X Limited AWD (Source: Toyota)

Toyota just revealed the 2025 bZ4X last week, so it will likely be for the 2026 model year. Prices for the 2025 Toyota bZ4X start at $37,070 in the US, or $6,000 less than the outgoing model. The FWD model has an EPA-estimated range of up to 252 miles, while the AWD trim has a range of up to 222 miles.

Toyota promotes its bZ branding as “beyond Zero” in reference to EVs cutting emissions. Meanwhile, the “4” determines its format (think RAV4), and the X tells us it’s a crossover.

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2025 Toyota bZ4X Nightshade edition (Source: Toyota)

In the US, all Toyota vehicles are badged with an actual name other than the RAV4 and bZ4X. A new name may make sense since bZ4X is a bit of a tongue twister and had a less-than-favorable reception.

After unveiling its new Urban Cruiser electric SUV earlier this month, will Toyota follow a similar route with the bZ4X? Although its first three-row electric SUV is now delayed until 2026, we could see a completely different naming system rollout.

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