Editor’s Note: Related Tickers: Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (ADR) (OTCMKTS:NSANY), Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:TM), General Motors Company (NYSE:GM)
Tesla financing Model S purchase offers higher resale value than BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Lexus or Jaguar (Rush Lane)
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) financing Model S purchase offers higher resale value than BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Lexus or Jaguar. Critics viewed the company financing plan adversely, while the company also received negative feedback for placing resale value of the Model S. Following receipt of severe criticism, Tesla Motors Inc owned by Elon Musk as revamped its financing strategies where their Model S electric vehicle is concerned. These changes include permitting buyers to take a total of 72 months as against 63 months to repay loans, while the company has also decreased monthly costs by over a quarter. Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has also assured buyers that resale value of the Model S will surpass that of others in its segment.
In the automotive industry, the word “green” typically evokes fuel efficiency and environmental friendliness, but not usually a whole lot of fun. To the contrary, the 2013 Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) C-MAX Energi and Focus Electric were each recently named to KBB.com’s 10 Best Green Cars of 2013 because they can actually be fun to drive while saving their owners money at the pump. In addition to praising its fun factor and its position as the most affordable plug-in hybrid on the market, Kelley Blue Book editors lauded the new C-MAX Energi for its all-electric range of 21 miles and its 100 MPGe rating during combined city and highway driving. Meanwhile, the Focus Electric landed on the 10 Best Green Cars list because of its versatile hatchback, useful features and an advanced gas-free drivetrain that is efficient yet responsive.
Nissan Leaf is America’s Leading Electric Vehicle for April, Beats Out Chevy Volt (USDailyVoice)
It was Japan over America once again as the Nissan Leaf defeated the Chevrolet Volt in terms of U.S. electric vehicle sales for the month of April 2013. This was the second month in a row that the Leaf sold more than the Volt in the United States. In April 2013, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (ADR) (OTCMKTS:NSANY) sold 1,937 Leaf units in the United States, a slight downtick from the 2,236 units sold the month before. Still, this was a huge 400 percent increase year-over-year, compared to April 2012’s numbers. As such, Nissan had a considerable lead over Chevy, whose Volt has been on top of the American electric vehicle market for the past 18 months before March.
Tesla adds $6,500 ‘Performance Plus’ option to Model S; adds range, improves handling (Autoblog)
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is adding a special performance package for its all-electric Model S that not only will add miles of single-charge range, but will make sure those miles aren’t driven sideways. The automaker is charging $6,500 for its new “Performance Plus” option, which includes wider rear tires, upgraded stabilizer bars and bushings, among other goodies. Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) says it took “hundreds of iterations affecting every detail of the suspension,” but “our vehicle dynamics team was able to achieve the rare outcome of simultaneously improving performance, comfort and efficiency.” The new rear Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires are 20 mm wider than previous tires and are “staggered for improved acceleration on low grip surfaces.”
GM Aiming To Cut Chevy Volt Cost By $10,000 (Gas 2.0)
By most measures, the Chevy Volt has proven to be a successful and clever plug-in hybrid vehicle in every regard save cost. At $40,000, it is still quite an expensive car even with the $7,500 Federal tax credit. CEO Dan Akerson knows this, and says that General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) is seeking to slash the Volt’s price by as much as $10,000. Akerson actually said that GM wants to lower the Volt price by between $7,000 and $10,000, and that the next car will be profitable. Akerson then admitted that General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) is actually…
…losing money on every car. That stings, though it was already known that GM was basically selling the Volt at-cost.
Aston Martin engineering VP moves to Tesla Motors (Digital Trends)
Rumors were traveling at light speed through the Internet’s series of tubes this week about the VP of Engineering for Aston Martin, Chris Porritt, jumping ship and moving to Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA). Now Tesla – by way of Green Car Reports – has confirmed the move. This is a big move for Tesla for it didn’t just acquire a great engineer; it got one of the most innovative in the luxury performance market. In 2009, Porritt lead the engineering charge on the Aston Martin One-77 supercar.
Redesigned Japanese auto brand, Nissan Leaf unveiled (Nigerian Tribune)
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (ADR) (OTCMKTS:NSANY) said it has given its electric brand, Nissan Leaf a major make-over, with more than 100 significant upgrades. As part of the face-lift, the Japanese car-maker said it has increased its range, improved on its interior and cut its price. The moves, the automaker said come as the second-generation of the zero-emissions car, which can be charged from home socket or from a public on-street charging point prepares for the first time to roll off the production line of Nissan’s Sunderland factory in June. It said the 100-plus changes have been made to make the new Leaf more user-friendly following feedback from pioneering early owners.
April 2013: Prius sales slow, competition grows edition (Autoblog)
Sales of the Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:TM) Prius, still the world’s best-selling hybrid, continued to plateau in popularity, as all four of its variants had declining year-over-year sales. Combined, the Prius models moved 19,889 units, down 21 percent from April 2012. The Prius Plug-in Hybrid was hit particularly hard, with sales plunging 64 percent from a year earlier to 599 vehicles. While Lexus hybrid sales climbed 27 percent from a year earlier and the newer Avalon Hybrid moved 1,423 units, Camry Hybrid sales fell 26 percent to 3,257 vehicles. As a whole, Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:TM) sold 28,279 vehicles in April 2013, down 13 percent from the same month in 2012.
Chevy Volt Outsold By Nissan Leaf, Most Likely Tesla Model S – Low Gas Prices to Blame? (Eagle’s Rant)
The Chevrolet Volt had something of a rocky road to traverse last month, having found itself chalking up less sales than not only the pocket-friendly Nissan Leaf, but perhaps also the Tesla Model S that costs at least twice as much. With its relatively limited all-electric range of just 38 miles, the Chevy Volt last month suffered a decline in sales year on year of 11%. And for the year to date, sales volumes of the Volt are up a pretty paltry 3%. In figures, the General Motors Company (NYSE:GM)-made Chevy Volt sold to the tune of 1,306 units for the month of April, while the Nissan Leaf took a decisive lead with an impressive 1,937 vehicle sales.
U.S. output of the Prius is on hold (Automotive News)
Once considered a sure bet for U.S. production, the Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:TM) Prius is now on indefinite hold for assembly here, said Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota’s North American region. Toyota currently builds enough Priuses in Asia to satisfy global demand, Lentz said in an interview. “If you look at global supply and demand for Prius, and the forecast for future demand, they are in equilibrium,” he said. “It wouldn’t make sense for Prius to be made here because there is not enough incremental demand.” Last year Toyota sold 236,659 units of the Prius family in the United States.
