Nissan hits back at Volkswagen projected EV plans
Nissan is picking up the gauntlet that Volkswagen pretty much threw into the ring as far as becoming the electric vehicle market leader by 2018. They are also reaffirming the aim of increasing the range of the Nissan Leaf to 200km as well as to introduce four new electric vehicles to market in the next two years.
Speaking at the Frankfurt motor show, the executive vice president of Nissan – Andy Palmer – took a little trip into history and reminded the audience about what VW said related to the growth of electric cars, and how despite all of their talk they still have no cars on the road, while Nissan have a four-year start and 75.000 cars on the road.
This started pretty much from the fact that Volkswagen claims to become the number one electric vehicle manufacturer within five years.
According to the Palmer, despite what all the naysayers are saying about electric vehicle technology, the entire market has changed in the past two-and-a-half-years, both in terms of the number of electric vehicle options out there – and on their way – as well as the change in attitudes of clients.
It’s not really a question anymore whether or not electric vehicles are the future, the question now is how much of the portfolio is going to be EV, when’s the next model coming out, and why isn’t everyone making them.
When asked whether or not Nissan is threatened by the only-EV upstart Tesla, Palmer answered that he welcomes them because they’ve made EVs cool, while adding that Tesla are in the luxury bracket of EVs while Nissan is in the more affordable range, the two companies do not pose a danger to each other, instead they’re more complementary than anything else.
Palmer kept the brand’s commitment to introduce four new exclusively electric vehicles in the next two years.
