DailyTech - Nissan COO to Take over Electric Car Unit in April Following Sluggish EV Sales

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Auto Nissan COO to Take over Electric Car Unit in April Following Sluggish EV Sales
Shane McGlaun (Blog) - March 12, 2013 8:36 AM

17 comment(s) - last by michael67.. on Mar 16 at 11:07 AM

Can the company COO overcome poor demand?

The electric vehicle industry is still struggling to capture the dollars of consumers around the world. Pure electric vehicles still sell in very low numbers making them nothing but a niche market for most automakers. The sales of hybrid vehicles are doing better, but most consumers still choose traditional gasoline-only vehicles (at least in the U.S.).

Nissan announced this week that COO Toshiyuki Shiga would begin to oversee the company’s zero emission vehicle strategy and battery-powered vehicle businesses starting on April 1. Hideaki Watanabe, who was corporate vice president at the electric car division, previously ran the division.

Watanabe has been moved to supplier Calsonic Kansei Corp where he will act as senior vice president.

"Chief Operating Officer Shiga is taking direct responsibility of zero emission efforts because the business is Nissan's top priority which requires global and cross-functional efforts," Chris Keeffe, told The Detroit News in a phone interview.

Nissan has been struggling with sales of its pure electric Leaf for quite some time. The company announced in late 2012 that it would fall short of its goal of selling 20,000 units during the year. By the time November of 2012 rolled around, Nissan had only sold 6,791 Leaf electric vehicles for the entire year making 10,000 look like an impossible number for all of 2012.

Nissan is looking at many possibilities to help improve the popularity of its electric vehicle. One key move Nissan has made is to cut the base price of the Leaf by a bit over $6,000 to $28,800. Most of that price reduction is due to the fact that Nissan moved production of the Leaf from Japan to Tennessee for U.S. customers.

Source: Detroit News

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RE: what a deal

By Reclaimer77 on 3/12/2013 4:29:45 PM , Rating: 0

quote:
Go ahead and hate the tax/toll benefits, but they exist, so you might as well use them.

You're scum.

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RE: what a deal

By 1prophet on 3/12/2013 4:50:07 PM , Rating: 2

You mean like GE and other similar corporations using every loophole in the book to reduce their taxes and costs?

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RE: what a deal

By SublimeSimplicity on 3/12/2013 5:32:55 PM , Rating: 2

I'm scum because I lowered my tax liability? So I should pay more taxes? Taxes are good? Paying taxes are patriotic? You're sounding like the liberals you claim to despise.

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RE: what a deal

By Reclaimer77 on 3/12/13, Rating: 0

RE: what a deal

By SublimeSimplicity on 3/12/2013 8:42:46 PM , Rating: 2

I hate lobbyists, but if I'm invested in a company, they sure as **** better have some. I think the economist Tracy Marrow said it best, "Don't hate the playa hate the game".

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RE: what a deal

By michael67 on 3/16/2013 11:07:37 AM , Rating: 2

So you blame him for taking the cheapest solution for his daily commute needs?

And there i was thinking that if people follow there own interest, its best for the marked.

ps. i drive a Think City, and do the same thing as he dose, charge it for free at work.

And as the car is almost maintenance free, it just cost me what i paid for it to drive, and that was secondhand $6000.

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