We are probably going to go through a few years of level setting where US makers are going to focus on lower cost EVs (or just EREVs/hybrids) and hope for some Fed changes whereas others will continue to push forward (H/K) since they aren’t totally reliant on the US market. Toyota is going more into EVs so that bodes well for the market.
I’m surprised Tesla hasn’t given up on the CT ($60k for 10 days!) like they did with the S/X but I do feel that they can add features to the 3/Y to make them more compelling…driver display, turn signal and gear stalks, softer ride (have they fixed that?), etc.
And I think we can agree that the EV truck market is not high-end. We will see once the Slate/Telio/Ford cheaper trucks come out.
My EV leases are up in 2028 (purposely) so I’m hoping for a wider variety of choices but may just have to go with an H/K model.
Leaf is and has been a niche product IMO. I’m in an area with a ton of EVs and I’ve seen one Leaf in the last few years. Same with the Chevy Bolt, don’t see too many on the road anymore in my area either.
Yes, many of its problems were software related. Still has the weird center console and too narrow tires but is much better. That said, its price point was wrong. It’s just too expensive. I think they were drawing dead regardless but giving up a few hundred HP for a lower price point would have been a good place to start.
I think a lot of it comes down to brand perception and demographics of EV buyers. The EV buying demo doesn’t view Nissan (or Chevy - per @JSmith comment above) positively. Brand perception is weird and often irrational but really important. Toyota is not that far ahead of many other brands in reliability yet most Americans continue to view Toyota has the personification of reliability due to their advantage in that area from, say, 1990 to 2020.
A very personal example of brand image is my wife, who is in the prime EV buyer demo. She liked our first ZDX so much that we got a second one. But she never would have let me get her a Lyric because she has a negative impression of the Cadillac brand.
Yeah and Ariya is great in plat trim. If no leasing options available when my current leases are up will definitely consider snagging one with like 15-20k miles and drive it till wheels fall off.
Some are saying gas prices could rise to as much as $4/gallon as a result of the issues in the middle east and impact on crude oil. Last time we saw a major spike in gas prices, there was also a spike in EV values. Could we see the same thing now with used EV values increasing?
<corrected statistic re: @renaughty93 but question still the same>
I believe there is a difference between the price of crude going up by $5-$7 per barrel and the price of gasoline going up by $5-$7 per gallon. Price of gas will likely go up, but nowhere near by $5-$7 per gallon.
Been watching a few budget EVs for a few weeks now on Manheim and auction sales generally trending up for sure. What was selling for $28K before now selling for $31K+ – A significant number of these auctions are being won by Carvana. They are sometimes the only bidder. Perhaps they are trying to load up on EV inventory? I forget, did that work the last time?
