• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Week Ahead: Numbers, Numbers and More Numbers
  • The Rearview Mirror: All That the Name Implies
  • Top Tips for Improving EV Range in Cold Weather
  • Mercedes is First Automaker to Offer True Level 3 Hands-Free Driving System in the U.S.
  • Audi Introduces Fourth “Sphere” Concept: Activesphere
  • Jaguar Land Rover Posts First Profitable Quarter in Two Years
  • Musk Confirms Cybertruck Production Tracking for End of 2023
  • Polestar Raises its Game with the 2024 Polestar 2
  • Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda Steps Down, Hands Reins to Lexus Chief Koji Sato
  • Environmental Groups Chide GM for ICE Investments
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R 4x4 Super Crew
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis Electrified G80 AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Land Rover Defender 110 V-8
    • First Drive: 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport
    • A Week With: 2023 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe
    • A Week With: 2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis GV60 Performance
    • A Week With: 2023 Chevrolet Suburban Z71
    • A Week With: 2023 Lexus UX 250h F Sport
    • A Week With: 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB 300 4Matic
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automobiles > Ghosn Concedes Nissan/Renault Won’t Make EV Goals

        Ghosn Concedes Nissan/Renault Won’t Make EV Goals

        Blames lack of infrastructure for missing 1.5-million vehicle target.

        Michael Strong
        Michael Strong , Managing Editor
        Nov. 11, 2013
        Renault-Nissan Alliance CEO Carlos Ghosn said he believes a lack of infrastructure is to blame for missing his target of selling 1.5-million electric vehicles.

        Nissan/Renault won’t meet Chief Carlos Ghosn’s ambitious goal of selling 1.5 million electric vehicles by 2016. In fact, it will not even be close.

        The Japanese/French automotive alliance will miss that target by more than 1 million vehicles as it has sold about 120,000 EVs, most of them Nissan Leafs. Ghosn now believes it will take much longer to reach the 1.5-million unit goal.

        Subscribe Now!

        “We will not be there. At the speed right now, I’m seeing it more four or five years later,” he said in an interview with Financial Times. During the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, Ghosn said he believed that EVs would account for 10% of all new vehicle sales at some point in the future with the right level of support from governments in China, the U.S. and Europe.

        Currently, sales hover near the 4% range in the U.S. and in most other markets.

        There have been some obstacles that make it tough to sell enough cars to make Ghosn’s larger-than-life prediction come true, including getting batteries for the Leaf. However, he believes the biggest factor is an issue beyond the control of Nissan/Renault and other automakers.

        “I don’t think the main issue today is the cost of the car,” he said in the interview. “The main issue is infrastructure. It is normal. I would not buy a gasoline car if there were no gasoline stations. We have to admit, it is slower than we thought. But it is slower for the reason that we thought infrastructure building would be faster. It is not.”

        Even when the infrastructure improves, the number of competitors Nissan/Renault faces will be larger than ever. The maker already deals with stiff competition from the Chevrolet Volt. However, the Tesla Model S is attracting attention with its high-end luxury sedan, plus it plans to introduce a lower-cost model, the Model X, in the next 18 to 24 months.

        Ford has a Focus EV and BMW recently introduced the i8 at to the world and plenty of automakers have announced their intentions to put a serious effort into getting a viable EV into the marketplace in the coming year. Ghosn brushes much of that aside.

        “Today there is nobody, but they are coming,” he said. “Some of our German competitors have announced that they are coming. They will be our main competitors. And that’s about it. Others have announced one car here, one car there.”

        (Renault-Nissan partnering with Mitsubishi. For more, Click Here.)

        It should be noted that Nissan/Renault isn’t just sitting idly by waiting for more charging stations to show up around the world. It’s actively involved in trying to develop that infrastructure through programs with other automakers in Japan and the United States.

        Additionally, it recently announced plans to enter into a partnership with Mitsubishi Motors to develop and produce a variety of small cars, including an EV.

        (Click Here to read about Nissan’s earnings and management changes.)

        Nissan already partners with Mitsubishi in a joint venture called NMKV. The new proposal would see them jointly developed a new small car that they could sell globally, including the EV version.

        The proposed partnership comes along at a critical time for all three companies. The makers have each staked out a major role in the nascent electric vehicle market but have been struggling as sales lag initial expectations.

        Renault and Nissan have invested billions into EV development in recent years. While many are familiar with the Leaf, Renault also has the ZE family of EVs, including the Twizy, Fluence ZE, Kangoo ZE and ZOE.

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published
        New cars

        Week Ahead: Numbers, Numbers and More Numbers

        Today

        The Rearview Mirror: All That the Name Implies

        Jan. 28, 2023
        GMC Hummer SUT winter testing

        Top Tips for Improving EV Range in Cold Weather

        Jan. 27, 2023

        One response to “Ghosn Concedes Nissan/Renault Won’t Make EV Goals”

        1. Jorge M. says:
          November 12, 2013 at 9:09 am

          I doubt this is a surprise to anyone with a clue. I suspect his overly optimistic previous projections were ignored by most. Nissan/Renault may never reach the stated goal with the issues EVs have.

          Reply

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: