In this week’s post:
- The Next Nissan Leaf is coming!
- Some think poorly of TFL Studios for buying and selling new cars?
There are a surprising amount of people who have been asking about the next Nissan Leaf.
Q (AskNathan@TFL.com): Any news about the next Nissan Leaf TFL?
I asked you about the ID. Buzz a little while back. Now I want to know about the next Nissan Leaf! If Nissan can find a way to undercut the crowd with modern batteries that is built here in the United States. It could be a winner.
My best friend has owned a Leaf for like seven years and he drives the hell out of it. I’ve seen him commute for years from Foster City to Oakland (California) and he never seems to be in the shop. There was this one time when he brought it in for some sort of battery reprogramming. But that was it as far as I know. He says he’ll only get rid of it when a new one comes along. I know that they refreshed it but he’s dead set on waiting on something new.
I guess that’s why I’m curious.
Any news on the next generation Nissan Leaf?
– Kevin from San Rafael, CA
A: A few tidbits have surfaced about the next Nissan Leaf.
Recently, Nissan announced investing 3.8-billion to develop three new electric vehicles. Despite the cooling of consumer interest, Nissan seems to me staying the course. In addition, Nissan and Mitsubishi will be working on developing EVs, hybrids and PHEVs for several markets. Yep, that including ours. You can read about that (here).
We know that Nissan has a plan to replace the Leaf with an all-new vehicle. The automaker has yet to confirm if they will be keeping the name, but we know that their battery factories are beginning to re-tool for something new. Recently, Nissan showed off a variety of different concepts, including the (well received) Chill Out concept. Many insiders point to that concept as inspiring the replacement for the Nissan Leaf.
Right now, among EVs, the current Nissan Leaf is a bit of an anachronism. Much of that has to do with its old-tech, air-cooled battery. It’s a pretty good bet that they are going to move to liquid-cooled tech soon. In fact, the new Nissan Ariya has two (new-tech) batteries, and their 63 kWh battery used in the base Ariya could be a plausible replacement for the Leaf +’s 62 kWh battery.
None of that is confirmed, but Nissan is pretty good about parts-sharing to find ways of lowering expenses. Also – it simply makes sense. They spent a lot of time and money developing the Ariya’s battery, cooling and drive system. It makes sense that they would use some of that knowledge with their next EV.
This article from Electrek indicates that the updates/changes for the Leaf are coming as early as March 2025.
What about pricing and competition?
Right now, the new Kona EV seems to be one of the better choices in this class of EV. At the $33,000-ish base price, you get about 200 miles range. Pony up about $4K more, and you can get the bigger battery with an estimated 261 mile range. These cars come with good standard equipment, and a few incentives.
To me, this is the main competition for Nissan. Sure, there are others – but the next Chevrolet Bolt has yet to come out. Ah, but what about the brand new Chevrolet Equinox EV? Now THAT’S an issue Nissan will have to deal with IF Chevrolet can keep the price down. They say the EV will come in at “about thirty thousand,” but haven’t committed to a solid price.
Still, things look good on pape. It’s supposed to have a base 250 mile range, and up to 300 miles with the larger battery option. In addition, you can opt for an all-wheel drive version. Andre thinks its the cat’s meow – and he likes cats.
Yes, we are expecting an entry-level Tesla at some point… but I’m not holding my breath for 2025.
— N
The last question comes from a vexed viewer who feels we are “shills” and get “inside prices.”
Q: (Via: YouTube) These guys have become total industry shills.
What you guys should be getting in the face with your industry connections is to make them justify these prices hikes, ridiculous trims and generally how they see the industry going with them making their vehicles out of reach for the average truck buyer.
(2nd message)
Dudes, you get inside prices to buy your trucks, you get preferential service to keep you happy and keep you on board and peddling The Message, you act as a conduit for industry people to blow smoke up your a** and waft that smoke out to the general public. Having said that I generally like your content but the bottom line most people can’t afford any of the vehicles you’re covering now and as I said, you really should be pressing these manufacturers to justify these prices. The OTD price for a Tacoma TRD Pro is going to be in-excess of 75k dollars, when the dealers get done, that’s somewhere in the neighborhood of a 40pct increase over a 2020 that is far outside the increase in inflation. Madness.
@michaelmclovin5098
https://youtu.be/svD7Mx2xius?feature=shared
A: How have we “become total industry shills?”
We REPORT on the product, and we can’t compel automakers to lower prices. That’s NOT our job! We are transparent about what we spend on each-and-every vehicle we buy. Sure, we often bleed money when we sell, and rarely make a profit on these vehicles, but they serve their purpose when we film them.
We can’t change the automaker’s pricing constructs. We can’t alter their thinking about ROI. They know that they charge a lot of money for cars and trucks. They fully understand that the average American would have a hard time buying many of their products. Honestly, they don’t care. We ALWAYS mention painful pricing, and we know the automakers are watching – to a degree.
If they see sales drop based on their abhorrent pricing, they might drop prices. That’s about it.
Regardless, we rarely get special treatment when buying. We’re transparent with our purchasing each time, and we usually pay the MSRP, even if it means we have to go to another state to buy the vehicle.
Now, with that being said, we know that some automakers have been accommodating with us when technical and mechanical issues pop up. In some cases, they have bent over backwards to help. Sadly, that rarely translates to the regular consumer, and we have fully acknowledged it.
What do you expect? We have millions of viewers, and they want these issues to go away. I would never turn down quick service, if it means getting our vehicle back on the road, and back on video ASAP. Yes, we do get preferential treatment from time to time, but we’re always honest about it.
Not much I can say to being a “conduit” for peddling product. That’s our job, but you make it sound like we are producing misinformation – and that’s a load of bull. Sorry you’re displeased, but we’re not changing what we’re doing – ever.
– N
