During the third quarter of this year, Nissan delivered in the US 142,845 cars, which is 24% less than a year ago. The Japanese brand is really struggling this year, as its total volume after the first nine months is 31% lower than a year ago (505,292 vs. 735,053).
Unfortunately for Nissan, its electric car sales also decreased quite significantly in Q3. Nissan reports only 1,276 LEAF sales. That's almost 46% less than in Q3 2021 and the lowest third-quarter result ever. Nissan LEAF's share out of Nissan's total volume decreased to 0.9%.
We know that the Nissan LEAF is expected to be phased out, but the recent results are quite worrying, especially since the Nissan Ariya is still not here.
For reference, sales of the GM's Chevrolet Bolt EV/Chevrolet Bolt EUV duo are booming. We are not entirely sure whether the Nissan LEAF issue is a supply constraint or simply if its value proposition has been undercut by other BEVs.
Nissan LEAF sales in the US - Q3 2022
So far this year, Nissan LEAF sales amounted to 8,898 (down 12% compared to 2021).
Cumulatively, Nissan sold 174,608 LEAFs in the US (since December 2010) and is slowly moving towards 200,000.
The Nissan Ariya (see specs of the Ariya here) is expected to arrive in the US later this year. The company has updated the pricing of the model, which will start from $43,190 (MSRP, without DST) and go up to $60,190 for the top trim with a bigger battery and all-wheel drive configuration.
Nissan might be in a difficult position in 2023 if the model is not eligible for the modified federal tax credit ($7,500), compared to several other locally produced crossover/SUVs.
Sooner or later, Nissan will have to decide what to do next and whether to invest billions in the electric car business in the US. The early advantage has been completely lost, and the brand is now lagging behind other manufacturers in terms of sales volume.
