Ariya is being dropped for the US. Shifting focus to the Leaf.
I think Nissan is cooked.
The new Leaf is OK, but it brings updates to the Leaf that should have been done years ago (liquid cooled battery, ditching the Chademo fast charge port). Being one of the first movers is nice, and the Leaf was acceptable when it was first introduced, but they waited far too long to iterate. I'm mad at GM because they threw away their investment in the brilliant Volt drivetrain and limited its appeal by only putting it in a small car instead of scaling it to SUVs and trucks... but at least they realized that EVs are the future, made the Bolt, learned from that and realized they needed one scalable platform, came up with Ultium, and now look how it's going for them. Great!
The bigger problem in my mind is Nissan not having a more premium larger EV for people to step up to when they outgrow the Leaf means buyers that can afford something bigger and better (and hopefully, in the future, more profitable) have to move to a different brand.
So, someone wants a cheap small EV, they buy a Leaf, which is probably not profitable. Let's assume they have a positive experience it. Then, 5 years later, they have some kids or a new job, and are ready to upgrade. They research online and go to the dealer and see that Nissan offers NOTHING. What do they do? Go buy something else... Chevy Equinox EV, Honda Prologue, Rivian R1S, Model Y, Model X, whatever... and now they aren't a Nissan customer anymore.
While I've already mentioned I don't like the Ariya in its current form, simply improving the hardware and software features of the user experience/interface would cost very little (compared to coming up with a whole new vehicle) and make it a viable, competitive product. SUVs are the most important product in the US!
GM has done this right. Someone can start with a Bolt, then go to an Equinox EV or Blazer EV as their family and income grows. Maybe the partner wants something with a few more creature comforts, so they get an Optiq or Lyriq instead. Oh, maybe they need a truck, too, because they bought a home and like to DIY? No problem, here's a Silverado EV. Ooh, you got a bonus and work and want something to show your success? Have a GMC Sierra EV Denali, Cadillac Escalade IQ or a Hummer EV. Oh, your kid needs their first car? Well, they can start over with a Bolt.
Tesla has this too, to some extent. Start off with an affordable model like the 3. Have a kid or need a little more space? Y. Oh, made some more money and want something nicer? S or X. Need a truck? Well, if you're OK with how it looks, Cybertruck.
This stuff is what makes or breaks brands in my opinion. If you're an Apple user, you understand this. Personally, I only like iPhones and hate Macs, so the only Apple product I have is an iPhone, but many if not most Apple users will tell you they love the simplicity of one consistent ecosystem... they have an iPhone, AirPods, iPad, MacBook, Mac desktop, Apple TV... and wouldn't even consider anything else. You can even take Samsung as an example although it's a little less well integrated. But if you get a Samsung phone and you like it, maybe you'll get a Samsung TV. Then it's time to buy a laptop, Samsung makes those too. Washing machine? Samsung makes that. Refrigerator? Samsung makes that.
In Q2 2025, Tesla sold 143K EVs, GM (including Prologue) sold 34K EVs, and Ford sold 20K EVs.
Nissan sold less than 4K vehicles LOL. Their EVs are not desirable, their ICE vehicles are not desirable, they do not have any HEVs or PHEVs. They're done. And again, they don't build brand loyalty or generations of Nissan buyers anymore. People buy them because they sorted by lowest price or didn't get approved credit anywhere else, and they upgrade to a better brand as soon as they can afford to. It's not aspirational anymore.
