Nissan says it is not exiting EV market – despite no Leafs

This story first appeared in the March issue of EVTalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

Nissan New Zealand says it is not walking away from selling electric vehicles in the New Zealand market, despite a lack of any plug-in vehicles being in its current line-up.

The company quietly dropped the Leaf from sale in November. In spite of the company worldwide being the biggest seller of on-road electric vehicles, here the closest thing they have is the Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid.

Nissan NZ managing director, John Manley, referred EVtalk to a statement on the Nissan.co.nz website, regarding the dropping of the Leaf.

“The New Zealand market has (quite justifiably) a high level of expectation with regard to specifications, pricing and safety rating for new vehicles. Unfortunately, we are unable to source a model that complies with all of the criteria and as such no longer have Nissan Leaf available for sale in New Zealand.”

However, Nissan NZ is keen to note they are not walking away from EVs.

“This decision is made on the basis of existing circumstances and market conditions, and must not be interpreted as Nissan New Zealand, the authorised distributor of new Nissan vehicles in New Zealand, exiting the electric vehicle market in this country.”

Sales of new Leafs in New Zealand has been dwarfed by the import trade. In its history, the company sold 86 new vehicles, a figure likely to be topped by the import trade in the first two months of this year.
Manley says dealers will continue to provide service to all Leafs, be they NZ-new or imports, and acknowledges dealers are benefitting from the used car stocks arriving.

Would government assistance help?

“Nissan Leaf is the world’s largest selling EV (near to 200,000 sales) and it has performed very well in markets where there are a range of initiatives, providing tangible support for EV or low emission vehicles.”