"I'd never buy an electric car" said the Nissan salesman as I turned in my Leaf lease

[astrothad]

Right now I'm currently in the middle of a six month wait for a smart electric drive with a non-refundable deposit, for a car that was launched in the US less than a year after the Model S and has been nationwide for over a year. My dealer doesn't have a clue about the car and knew little on even how to order one, and even getting to the order spot with him was hard enough. "Yes, I know I'm currently leasing a gas smart with you. Yes, I want to order an electric smart today. Yes, I'm very willing to pay whatever you want on a deposit for that order". Rebuttals between every single sentence, so frustrating! Meanwhile, two dealers in California alone have more cars than the total number of US February sales for the model.

You find a wide variation in dealerships in CA. The closest one to me had one or two electric drive smart fortwos in their inventory. The dealer I went to had more than 10, and both the salesperson I dealt with and his manager (who is over 6'4" and 280+ lbs.) drive the electric smart. It's amazing how much better the experience is when your sales rep can give you pointers because of actually driving the car on a daily basis.

I'm eyeing getting a Model X in early 2017 right now. I want all my cars to be BEVs. When the lease is up on the smart, hopefully a Model III won't be too far in the future. Although the people at the dealership were well-informed about the electric smart, the company and vision I want to support is Tesla.

 

[Model C]

I agree, many of these other companies are just building EVs at a loss just so the can meet the CAFE standards set by the government. Tesla is building EVs as a brand and a way to change the world's culture and views of responsible living. What was if the CEO of FIAT said, 'please don't buy the 500e'. That's because FIAT loses $1,500 on each one.

 

[cwerdna]

What was if the CEO of FIAT said, 'please don't buy the 500e'. That's because FIAT loses $1,500 on each one.

Fiat CEO: Fiat Loses $14,000 On Every 500e Sold

Prior statement: Marchionne Claims $10,000 Loss On Each Fiat 500e - The Truth About Cars.