If the major automakers really want to begin selling their EVs in volume (and not everyone is convinced that they do), sooner or later they will have to start advertising them. BMW has been ahead of the curve in this regard – it has run several TV ads for the i3 featuring cool people discovering… Read more »
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Auto industry (except Tesla) spends an average $1,000 per vehicle in advertising
Elon Musk has said several times that he rarely thinks about marketing, and that if you build a truly revolutionary product, the marketing will take care of itself. Tesla has followed this philosophy since its founding. It participates in only the largest, most high-profile auto shows, gives access to only a few carefully selected journalists,… Read more »
Is Toyota warming up to plug-in vehicles?
Toyota has earned the disapproval of many in the EV community for setting up what many see as an artificial competition among different powertrain technologies. Its execs have made statements disparaging battery EVs, and its Lexus subsidiary has run ads mocking EVs. Lately however, there have been signs that the world’s largest automaker may be… Read more »
BMW’s X5 xDrive40e spearheads its plan to offer PHEVs in every market segment
BMW has taken a bold approach to electrification. It began test-marketing EVs in 2012 with the Active E and Mini E, and escalated to full-scale production in 2013 with the i3 EV and i8 plug-in super-sports car, which together passed the milestone of 50,000 worldwide sales in January. BMW deserves a lot of credit for… Read more »
Bob Lutz thinks Tesla’s in trouble
Since Tesla’s 2003 founding, there’s been a steady stream of articles explaining why it would soon go belly-up. The latest comes from a seemingly unlikely source: Bob Lutz, the “father of the Chevrolet Volt.” Back in the day, Lutz and Musk seemed like fellow travelers – the former GM exec said he would always be… Read more »
New ads for next-gen Chevrolet Volt attack Nissan LEAF, Toyota Prius
The 2016 Chevrolet Volt is a tour de force of engineering, a substantial step forward over its predecessor (see our cover story in the current issue of Charged). However, some EV industry observers fear that unless GM follows up on the technical improvements with some meaningful marketing, an area in which EV-makers have fallen short… Read more »
Toyota exec sneers at Tesla for having electric eggs in one basket
Despite the best efforts of EV journalists to keep the peace, the battery and hydrogen teams are squaring off for a smackdown. In one corner, Tesla’s Elon Musk, who continues to deride the efficiency and practicality drawbacks of what he calls “fool cells.” In the other corner, Toyota, whose Lexus subsidiary runs ads ridiculing battery-electric… Read more »
Some tough questions for automakers about fuel cells
Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs) are not the future – they’re here. The 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell has been available for lease since June. Toyota’s offering is scheduled to go on sale a year from now, followed by Honda’s in 2016 (all of these will initially be sold only in California). Many EV experts are… Read more »
September plug-in sales: Revenge of the pure EV
September plug-in sales showed a slight decrease compared to August, but 2014 is still on track to decisively beat 2013’s figure. Pure electricity ruled this month, as the leading EVs made strong showings, and all the major PHEV models showed steep declines. The Nissan LEAF still leads the pack. Sales shrank slightly to 2,881 in… Read more »
August plug-in sales: LEAF sets all-time record, BMW i3 goes wild
August plug-in sales showed a decent increase over July, and 2014 is still on track to handily beat 2013’s figure. Sales of the industry-leading LEAF grew to 3,186 in August, the 18th consecutive monthly record, a 32% increase over August 2013, and a new all-time monthly record for any pure EV. The 2015 LEAFs are… Read more »