(5/29/11). UPDATED: We have since learned that the folks at General Motors are none-too impressed with the Nissan LEAF ad that takes a subtle jab at the Volt, although some are reluctant to offer much commentary.
Our colleagues at AutoGuide reported that rather than say nothing, GM product and brand communications chief Jason Laird chose a 140-character-or-less medium with which to toss back a cleverly worded barb.
“A carmaker poking gentle fun at our product ignores towtrucks they need and rental cars they recommend as backup to their product,” tweeted Laird, hinting at the LEAF’s limited range and reports that owners would be given free rental car days to help eschew concerns over range anxiety. Ouch!
It has already been said this brief spot showing the Volt was not even noticed by one observer, and others have said this ad is no big deal. OK, well everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. Others, including GM do not think it is harmless or positive, but are otherwise not threatened by this copy of Plug In America’s idea.
In a brief online exchange Laird cited plausible deniability, commenting that he made no reference to anyone or anything, including the commercial, Nissan, or the LEAF. True, but we’ll agree with AutoGuide and say we think you’ll forgive us for thinking we can make the assumption and hold on to our journalistic integrity.
On the other hand, GM Spokesman Rob Peterson did have a couple things to say about Nissan’s latest ad.
“The commercial is cute, but it’s misleading and damaging to the EV movement,” Peterson said. His main issue with the ad, however, is in even comparing the two cars, which he sees as two very different vehicles based on their range capability.
“Many people are intrigued by electric cars but they don’t have the financial flexibility to own a second or even a third car. The Volt can be your only car.”
Ultimately, Peterson dismissed the spot, commenting that its, “long term effect will be relatively minimal.”
Source: AutoGuide
###
Original post:
Only a minor shot, but the fact that Nissan featured the Volt lumped in with a host of preposterous ICE devices implies plenty.
What do you think of this?
I think it’s a fairly clever ad, and they have me going until I see the Volt owner there looking like he’s back in the dark ages too.
The Volt can run on 100-percent electricity as much as the LEAF, so I hardly see it as having any disadvantage.
Pretty shallow and silly in my view.
Do you think the average person will be taken in by this ploy?
This entry was posted on Friday, May 27th, 2011 at 11:17 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
+7
May 27th, 2011 (11:33 pm)Nice Try Nissan
+12
May 28th, 2011 (12:37 am)‘RELIED’ on gas and they choose a Volt?? Not only is this purposefully deceptive, it shows just how little confidence they really have in their product. Nissan you should be making a statement to the thousand other models that DO indeed RELY on gas, not try to show just how petty you can be. I have tried to maintain an upbeat attitude for the success of the Leaf. This throws that right out the window.
Nissan, I suggest you edit or dump the commercial, before your pathetic US sales availability combines with this sour grapes approach to green motoring and motivates everyone to bypass you and wait for a Ford (or other) BEV.
+18
May 28th, 2011 (12:54 am)There’s an old advertising rule of thumb that leaders must never mention competitors in their advertising, whereas followers can benefit through linking themselves to leaders in their advertising.
It looks like this LEAF ad acknowledges the Volt as the leader.
Is it effective? No and here’s why….. it’s too heavy handed in that it negatively portrays way too many otherwise normal everyday activities and tasks. Instead of creating guilt among car buyers that would lead them to buying a LEAF, people are more likely going to tune out and consider the LEAF as they would a thorn in their pants.
+20
May 28th, 2011 (1:15 am)Gm has decided to be truthfull about the volt specs (25 to 50 miles on a charge), and nissan has dicided to exagerate the leaf specs (100 miles). from what i read the leaf never reaches 100 miles on a charge, maybe 85 on the best of days, but the point is not there, they are both different products that target different people with very different needs. The leaf is a city car and will fullfill your city driving needs and the volt is… the only car you need, a real car. Comparaison should stop there. period.
+9
May 28th, 2011 (1:32 am)I didn’t expect this ad.
Seems like it’s more for the current Leaf owners than automobile drivers. I guess that if all you need is a Leaf then good for you, but sooner or later you’re going to have to be in a vehicle that has to crank up that good ol’ petroleum based transportation device. The empathetic part is that even Volt owners feel that little bit of cringe when we pump that gas. So the commercial has some truth in it for Volt owners too!
I like the idea of poking fun at the ICE. I give the Nissan ad people a little credit for the chuckle there. But isn’t that what the Leaf AND the Volt are all about? Too bad Nissan took a poke at the Volt. Nissan is showing it’s vanity by knocking a fellow EV rather than embracing our desires to move forward and away from petroleum.
It wouldn’t be too hard to superimpose a GT-R at that pump instead of a Volt.
Shame on you, Nissan! You almost had a good one there.
+10
May 28th, 2011 (7:12 am)There certainly is a lot GM and FORD could put in there adds to counter this.
Like one of the Leafs that got stuck on the freeway…
Or a Leaf gong up a hill with 4 people in it being passed by a Volt….
But … what I would like to see instead is a add that shows two people purchasing a Volt.. one in the US and one in Japan…
If it was up to me the Leaf would have the same tariff put on it that they put on the Volt… see how many people buy a Leaf at over $60,000.
+2
May 28th, 2011 (7:19 am)I really liked the ad. I seemed like it was made by EV enthuiasists. Unlike the EV1 ads that clearly were made by ICE enthusiasts that couldn’t figure out “how does it go?”
As for including the Volt, I liked Stuart22′s take.
GSP
+10
May 28th, 2011 (7:21 am)OK, since I turned off the sound on my netbook, then ran the video, I was laughing really hard with this very creative spoof of our main energy sources from fossil fuels. Sound can be a really bad detractor to the visual message, so I usually leave it off, since 90 percent of the input into the brain is the visual cortex, and I prefer it to be a separately processed value from sound.
They had a really cute thing going there until the Volt at the gas pump with that dishonest rendition of a Volt owner not smiling at only one tank of gas every third month or so as a fleet average.
Leaf is itself its own inherent limitation. If they have to do that, it is a signal that they are in trouble both from the marketing standpoint from concerns regarding those limitations, to possibly now a parts supply problem from the Japan earthquake damaging the Japanese production infrastructures. (Though a good source tells me they ought to be back on line sometime late this year or early next year.)
It really is a cute ad with all those obnoxious two cycle ICE model airplane engines to carry the fossil fuel dependency message. Too bad they cheapened their position and ruined their credibility.
When I drove the Leaf last Fall, I was told to floor the accelerator by the representative.
That demo unit clearly had an ultra capacitor which discharged into the traction motor, and the vehicle made a loud “bang” and quickly accelerated up another 9 or so miles per hour within about 45 feet. The acceleration decay, however, was just as immediate, which left me feeling that this was a “flash in the pan stunt”, which petered out as quickly as it initiated, in three seconds, which left me feeling that the car was shutting down. Although it resumed the very hard accelerator feel of drive speed maintenance, which hard spring tension in the accelerator tended to give my ankle a tired cramp toward the end of the drive, the overall impression of the Leaf was that its harsh contrast to the magnificent drive of the Volt proved to me that the Leaf was still in the design “beta” stage of development, and still had a long way to go in terms of **VERY BADLY NEEDED**refinements. No sale there.
+3
May 28th, 2011 (7:24 am)The bad thing about this is that this add is that it was created by Americans… you know this is a American advertising company that the Japanese hired.. advertisers have no foreign competition and they could care less about Americans that lose their jobs to unfair trade… just as long as they get their money … they could care less who hires them.
May 28th, 2011 (8:49 am)It’s ridiculous to have the Volt in this commercial, but with all the fear-mongering that I see about “range anxiety” on here (which is equally ridiculous), it’s only fair that Nissan dish it out right back.
+3
May 28th, 2011 (8:53 am)Lots of stories of stranded LEAFS popping up on the net .GM could do some advertising damage with it if they cared top go that route.
+5
May 28th, 2011 (8:57 am)Actually the add made me question- is everything electric simply run by fossil fuels? The next thing i know, I’m hit with an electric car… more fossil fuels? I don’t think they should have been putting down devices we well and truly know run on electricity.
The stab at the Volt did little to the credibility of the Leaf; its electric too, just with a shorter range. What about competition who will have a longer range? for now, the electric car industry really needs mutual support – start hitting out at each other more directly when electric has a bigger market. As much as I want a pure electric car, Nissan is opening a can of worms that may just bit back.
+2
May 28th, 2011 (9:02 am)When a hurricane knocks out the electric power down here for a week or more we could film a whole new commercial, couldnt we !
Well, I think the concept of the ad is very clever and overall very well done, but putting the competition in there was not necessary to get the point across. The Leaf does have a major limitation, and, most of the appliances used in the commercial need to remain plugged-in to operate.
Steve in Boca Raton #313
+8
May 28th, 2011 (9:04 am)Did Nissan steal this ad from Renault?
http://www.fubiz.net/2011/05/27/renault-electric-life/
Seems like someone plagiarized a little!
\Just stopped by this am and found this to coincidental.
+2
May 28th, 2011 (9:13 am)I agree with many of the comments already made. I don’t know what the advertisers were thinking when they decided to put a Volt in with all the other ICE devices. It seems that in the current market with such an early adopter phase still underway in electric/alternate-fuel vehicles that the currently few companies should try and look at the many ICE vehicles on the road rather than try and make each other look bad and then potentially ruin it for all the manufacturers.
There is a place for a Volt and Leaf in the world and some owners have one of each, yes there is more on the way in the next few years but why not try and target ICE vehicles if you wish as the ‘enemy’ when putting together ideas for your advertising.
Thanks alot Nissan…..NOT!
+6
May 28th, 2011 (9:39 am)Cheep shot.
We are in this together. All this stupid bickering about which is best defeats the mission!!
+2
May 28th, 2011 (9:39 am)Having the Volt represent ICE vehicles is really stupid since if ICE vehicles really got the MPG you get in a Volt — I’m getting 500 MPG — then our dependency on oil would be so over. On the other hand, while GM hasn’t done anything this dumb in a commercial, the disparaging remarks by Reuss and Akerson have been widely reported.
What’s surprising is that the guys and gals at Nissan and GM don’t seem to get the obvious fact that the world’s best prospect for a Volt is a current Leaf owner and the world’s best prospect for a Leaf is a current Volt owner. The cars are complimentary. Most folks with garages have at least two drivers in the house, and at least one of those drivers will need to go more than the 50-80 miles you can go in a Leaf. Likewise, the same household can probably use a limited range cheaper EV. Given that having one EV means you understand how they work and what you need as infrastructure and that you want one, it’s highly likely that a household will be predisposed to wanting an EREV and an EV. It only makes sense.
Memo to GM and Nissan: Wake up people and stop insulting your potential customers.
+1
May 28th, 2011 (9:53 am)JEC,
Wow, you are correct. This “new” Nissan ad is a dead-nuts copy of the Renault ad. Here’s why:
http://www.renault.com/en/capeco2/vehicule-electrique/pages/vehicule-electrique.aspx
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/02/renault-nissan-rethinking-their-relationship
Thay are in cahoots together…
+3
May 28th, 2011 (9:56 am)Jeff and others,
I have been thinking about the blog.
In the old days there was lots of dog fighting, discussion, arguing, trolls, etc, etc.
Since the Volt has been released and we now know what the technical details are there is less to talk about. The blog is now primarily a central core of Volt enthusiasts (as it should be) discussing among themselves.
However, there is some of the old spark missing.
Trolls are good sometimes.
I have a suggestion for a small change in direction for the blog. Actually, it is not really a CHANGE. It is part of the big picture.
If the EV movement catches on, we will need more electrical power. China will need more electrical power, the whole world will require more electrical power.
Sooo, I suggest that the blog concentrate on what changes we need to make to our electric grid. Obviously we need to CLEAN IT UP at the same time we make it bigger.
Lets have articles about how to do it. Jeff, your article on combined cycle GE was a great and a good start.
HOW ABOUT NUCLEAR. There is a lot of controversy in Nuclear.
Perhaps it would provoke some good old fashioned bickering.
GSB
+1
May 28th, 2011 (10:01 am)The ad wasn’t bad in itself. It’s attempt to link the silliness of ICE use in everyday devices to using them in cars was clever. But the poke at the Volt unnecessarily opens up a can of worms for discussion of Leaf’s own limitations. If they had to spotlight a competitor perhaps the Prius would have been a better choice. But quite honestly I think the smart move would have been to leave the competition out of their ad all together.
A great Volt ad would show a guy and a girl heading out on a trip to a place 150 miles away (Noted somehow in the opening of the ad). Scenes of them driving along are followed by the Leaf guy plugging up near a sign that notes 50 miles until their destination. The Volt girl asks if everything is ok, to which the Leaf man replies, “Yeah, I’ll be there in about 10 hours”. The Volt girl replies, “Ok, I’m off to have some fun” as she drives off. The announcer then says, “Volt, more car than electric”.
Note to GM…Don’t run this ad until you send me my creativity fee
+4
May 28th, 2011 (11:17 am)GM can get back at Nissan.
Just edit the ending by replacing the Volt scene with a real ICE Nissan vehicle getting gasoline pumped in. Then add a new scene showing the Volt passing by the same gas station with the Nissan.
I bet someone here with good editing skills can find Nissan videos, cut in the new Nissan ICE scene at the pump, then add the Volt passing the gas station from GM’s videos. Finally, post it on YouTube and have GM executives see it.
Raymond
+1
May 28th, 2011 (11:48 am)In advertising, you promote the things you do better than your competition. While the Volt probably does many things better than the Leaf, this is one area that the Leaf shines. It will never use gas, while the Volt does. It is perfectly normal for Nissan to exploit this fact. The Volt, Leaf, Prius, and other EVs and hybrids all bring something different to the table, and each may work better for different people’s needs. I applaud all the manufacturers efforts and their different approaches to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. For some folks, the Leaf is a perfect solution for their transportation needs, while for others the answer is the Volt, or maybe even a Prius. The important thing is that as time goes on, we will have more and more choices.
+6
May 28th, 2011 (12:23 pm)The ad would’ve been just fine, without the unnecessary cheap-shot.
+7
May 28th, 2011 (12:25 pm)I love a good commercial. Was it a good commercial? Yes. (From Nissan’s point of view.) I give them 10 points for creativity and humor.
NOW… I would like to see a commercial for VOLT that goes like this:
From side-by-side driveways, we see two buddies and their families are loading up for a road trip. One family in the VOLT, One family in the Leaf. The two dads look at each other and shout, “LAS VEGAS!”… and they take off.
[Subtitled: "100 miles later...]
We see the Leaf family pulling over to charge 100 miles later. The VOLT family keeps going.
[Subtitled: "18 hours later..."]
We see the VOLT family having fun poolside at Mandalay Bay. The Leaf family are just finishing up with their first recharge. Kids are somewhat happy.
[Subtitled:"100 miles later...]
The Leaf family is pulling over again to recharge. The kids and the wife no longer happy.
[Subtitled: "18 hours later...]
We see the VOLT family enjoying a performance of ‘The Blue Man Group’…
[Subtitled: "100 miles later...]
The Leaf family are just arriving at the Las Vegas Strip. The VOLT family is packing up and ready to head for home. The VOLT dad says, “Now that was a great weekend!”.
The announcer [Tim Allen still...?] says, “It’s the Electric Car with Extended Range. The benefits are obvious. See the Chevrolet VOLT at your Southern California Chevy Dealer today.
+3
May 28th, 2011 (12:26 pm)#14
It’s the same company. Maybe they’re saving some money by sharing ads, LOL. +1
+1
May 28th, 2011 (12:27 pm)#16
Right! +1
+6
May 28th, 2011 (12:27 pm)I am surprised to see the “us vs them” theme the Nissan ad projects. Nissan is attempting to distort and undermine the 350 mile extended range advantage of the Volt.
95% of the days I drive my Volt I use no gasoline at all.
3% of the days I drive my Volt I use less than .3 gallon. This is to complete a 50 mile drive.
The most gasoline I have used in a single day with my Volt is .8 gallon.
Nissan would do well do compare their no gas 90 mile range Leaf to their gasoline powered Baja Race Truck-line. The advantage the Leaf has over the Volt is lower sticker price. The fact that the Nissan only goes 90 miles between stops is not an advantage. They know it and are obviously aiming low with the ad campaign. I can honestly say that I have lost some respect for Carlos Ghosn today. I admired him for his no fear full speed ahead production numbers on the Leaf. Something tells me he wasn’t involved in this ad and will deal appropriate action to the cubicle dwellers who initiated this theme.
I could post several photos of Nissan cars and trucks issuing exhaust smoke. Do we need to go there Nissan?
No Plug, No Sale
+12
May 28th, 2011 (12:31 pm)The ad was fun, but then turned sour grapes and dishonest. They made their point without needing the Volt. The Volt shot was gratuitous and crossed the line.
By lumping it with all the other gizmos, the Volt was visually misrepresented as a smoke belching ICE only car, rather than an electric with a gas engine safety net. All the gizmos in the ad died when the gas ran out. Unlike the Volt, they had no other power source, nor were they primarily battery with gas secondary like the Volt.
What was bizarrely laughable was showing a Volt owner wistfully looking like he would prefer a Leaf but was “stuck” with a Volt. You’d need to look far an wide to find that person, if they even exist.
+3
May 28th, 2011 (12:38 pm)“Stupid is as stupid does” Poor little Carlos should be a little bit embarrassed IMHO. Anyway, I’m not gonna a buy a Nissan in this life or the next, so what the ____ do I care? Next case.
+7
May 28th, 2011 (12:40 pm)#28
Damned right! +1
+3
May 28th, 2011 (1:45 pm)Sorry, but I found the ad hilarious and clever. And I love my Volt more than any other car I’ve ever owned. It’s not a commercial that will change anybody’s mind about anything, except that it will make more people aware that plug-in vehicles are becoming “for real.” If anything, it’ll probably get some folks wondering about the Volt (and intrigued to learn that it can run on gas too!).
+5
May 28th, 2011 (1:49 pm)Looks like Volt-envy. The opposing ad might show short clips of rechargeable power tools going dead, their users slapping in new batteries and happily continuing on. The last scene shows the Leaf’s turtle-mode speed dropping to 0 MPH. The hapless driver can only shrug.
-2
May 28th, 2011 (2:03 pm)It was a very neat commercial; it illustrates the problem with dependence on gasoline.
I’m glad most readers seem to agree that the world *needs* more electric cars – all kinds of electric cars – and that they should compete against the old ICE-only cars rather than against each other.
I would like to see the car companies focus on the advantages of clean electric power and include images of wind turbines and solar panels to reinforce the point that a slowly increasing percentage of electricity production is non-polluting.
+3
May 28th, 2011 (2:08 pm)Well, Nissan-Renault might get credit for being courageous, but they get zero points for creativity or cleverness. Plug-in-America came up with the original idea 9 months ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=767XHA5KQKY
May 28th, 2011 (2:17 pm)It was a good commercial until they showed the Volt. But if I worked for Nissan I too would cringe every time someone at GM said range anxiety. It goes to show that both companies are more concerned about winning and bottom line instead of the environment. For if the environment were of top concern they wouldn’t be bashing each others products.
+1
May 28th, 2011 (2:45 pm)There are a lot of ignorant people when it comes to the volt and still think it is only battery. Hopefully it confuses people and they educate themselves on the difference then they will know the volt is in fact a superior way to go.
+5
May 28th, 2011 (4:11 pm)Wow… So many ev enthusisasts got their hackles up when a GM executive might say something mildly critical in a mere conversation or speech.
When GM patented the term “range anxiety” it was seen as an attack on the Leaf.
If GM had produced a commercial showing the Leaf in a negative light like this, the howls would commence, I’m sure.
The production of this commercial is, imho, a sign of weakness and fear by Nissan/Renault.
May 28th, 2011 (4:56 pm)“Do you think the average person will be taken in by this ploy?”
As sad as it is, the average person will indeed be taken in by this commercial. While everyone here knows and understands the Volt, the average person does not. Volt commercials are almost non existent, at least in areas where the Volt is not even available speaking for my own area (Las Vegas) at least. The limited roll out, though I understand it, I think may ultimately hurt the Volt and GM. I don’t know if the Leaf is available in my area or not, but I’ve seen plenty of Leaf commercials. While we keep hearing about increased production, has GM expanded it’s US market? We heard a few days ago that they would be sending many many to China, Canada, etc. What about the rest of the US first?
+2
May 28th, 2011 (6:11 pm)A little competition between EVs and PHEVs won’t hurt anyone — and a person I showed it to missed the Volt reference entirely.
By the way, this funny and brilliant ad is at least partly inspired by Plug In America’s 30-second video, “Cellphone.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=767XHA5KQKY
– Felix Kramer, Founder, The California Cars Initiative
+4
May 28th, 2011 (6:20 pm)I don’t need some advertising Idiot to explain the differences to me. Let them compare both cars on a 150 mile road trip. That would show the differences too.
+3
May 28th, 2011 (6:33 pm)What I do like about this commercial however is the thought. Yea, all this other stuff is done with electricity, why can’t my car be electric too.
I think it’s funny too though that they even show the Volt. Once someone decides. Ok I’m done with gasoline they will examine the market. They’ll see the options and then realize what if I need to drive to grandmas. This commercial may actually sell A Volt or two. Tactical error on Nissans Part IMO.
May 28th, 2011 (8:55 pm)I think this is more of a knock-off of last year’s Plug In America PSA that Alexandra Paul, Fabio, and several other Hollywood folks put together. Apparently, P-I-A thinks the same. See their link:
http://www.pluginamerica.org/drivers-seat/imitation-so-flattering-nissans-new-ad
and see the Plug In America PSA:
http://www.pluginamerica.org/drive-electric/cellphone/
+4
May 28th, 2011 (9:07 pm)My son and I just got home from a drive in our Volt. We drove to Montecito for ice cream. Then drove to Santa Barbara to the city parking structure on Figueroa Street. Plugged into a free EV parking space right near the entrance. Walked up and down State Street. Then cruised the beach before heading back home. Arrived with 8 miles remaining on the battery. A great day to drive gasoline free.
=D-Volt
+5
May 29th, 2011 (3:57 am)OK I admit it – on the numerous LEAF surveys I took from my email box, I did mention I would be choosing a Volt instead, and why.
Perhaps Nissan got tired of so many like me reminding them of the limitations of their machine vs. Volt.
RECHARGE! ,
James
+13
May 29th, 2011 (3:59 am)A Volt runs on gas? That means I don’t HAVE to plug it in. No range anxiety anymore.
PS: I filled my Volt today on May 28th. First time since Feb 5th after almost 2000 miles.
+3
May 29th, 2011 (8:32 am)================================
Japanese companies do not take shots at each other!!!
+6
May 29th, 2011 (9:22 am)Here is an idea for an add:
You see a family getting ready to go on a family trip… They pack the car ( a Volt) and happily begin to pull out of the driveway.
Next you see the families Leaf as they leave it behind.
Statement at end of comercial, ” grandma’s house is 500 miles away”
end
+10
May 29th, 2011 (10:01 am)Personally, I thought the ad (in itself) was quite good. It had a Super Bowl-type vibe to it…as in, you really want to watch the commercial, and it has good retention value for the company putting it out.
That being said, as an EV advocate, I really don’t like the jab/fighting with the Volt. I don’t think it is necessary…at least not at this point. I put this in the same category as the Volt ad that ran back in December, with the whole “leaf blower” thing.
http://gm-volt.com/2010/12/04/new-socket-chevrolet-volt-television-commercial-unveiled/
Hopefully, this was just a response to that, and they can call it square and just leave each other alone going forward.
+1
May 29th, 2011 (11:28 am)I have noticed that the people on this site are way too serious in some cases. Then the same people are unrealistic.
The ad was very funny, it caught attention and went viral. Most people seeing it that are EV enthusiasts, will know the differences between the two cars and laugh. It will not make them change their minds. For the general public, 99% of them will not think of the ad as slamming the VOLT because they really don’t even know about the Volt. They will look at it as a guy filling up a car with gas. Some might think it is a Chevy, others won’t even notice the brand at all. So don’t be so serious…
Then the unrealistic side comes in…. Nissan and all the others are in the business to make money and take market share. Pure and simple. All is fair guys. You cannot seriously believe that one company will not take shots at the other guys weakness or PERCEIVED weakness. That is business.
So relax and don’t get your bees in a bonnet!
+1
May 29th, 2011 (11:47 am)I like the commercial and think that the shot at the Volt is a sign of what the Leaf sees as its most fearsome competitor. (Perhaps that’s no surprise).
-2
May 29th, 2011 (12:38 pm)The ad shines a light on the harsh reality we live in now. Pure electric propulsion is the best solution. The Volt has made a contribution, but lets not be so sensitive.
+5
May 29th, 2011 (12:56 pm)This commercial is nothing more than a car (Leaf) that is destined to fail. As a customer who ordered a Volt one week ago I did a lot of research and drove both cars. Looks wise you cannot compare a car that looks like a frog in the front and a big butt in the rear. When you get stuck with no juice in the battery where is the big tow truck belching out the diesel fumes. Battery range has some many variables that I cannot see why anyone will want to be put in that position. Also I drove both cars and I can tell the quality is much better with the Volt. The down side of the Volt in comparison to the Leaf is the back seat and headroom ( Leaf is the winner) but this is good while you are waiting for the tow truck. My complaint to GM is having to pay for 2 transport fees instead of one since I live in Florida and you still can’t get it here.
+4
May 29th, 2011 (5:53 pm)Saudi prince calls for lower oil prices
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/05/29/us.saudi.prince.oil/index.html?hpt=T2
(CNN) — Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal said Sunday that he wants oil prices to drop so that the United States and Europe don’t accelerate efforts to wean themselves off his country’s supply.
… the grandson of the founding king of modern Saudi Arabia said the oil price should be somewhere between $70 and $80 a barrel, rather than the current level of over $100 a barrel.
“We don’t want the West to go and find alternatives, because, clearly, the higher the price of oil goes, the more they have incentives to go and find alternatives,” said Talal, who is listed by Forbes as the 26th richest man in the world.
+1
May 29th, 2011 (6:35 pm)Nice ad. Historically there were gasoline powered washing machines, and there are still diesel-fired power plants.
Volt part is laughable though, although agree it would be disapponting putting gas in it on those rare occassions. Misleading too. Chances are if a guy (or gal) is charging a leaf at a fuel station and another plug is available, don’t you think the guy with the Volt would rather fill up on electrons? I don’t like putting gasoline in my Honda Civic Hybrid (03), but am happy when my fuel economy is +50 mpg.
Leaf blower ad was witty and funny, and didn’t even mention the competition directly. GM should enjoy the free advertising and be thankful Nissan was dumb enough to air it (rather than complain about it). A Hummer, Suburban, Silverado, old Chevette, etc. would have been a better choice.
GM’s ad could feature Volt’s EV competitors getting charged up while the Volt drives by, perhaps with a few boarded up old gas stations just for grins.
+3
May 29th, 2011 (7:15 pm)Our Master Plan Is Working
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/05/29/us.saudi.prince.oil/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn
Once VOLTEC is the drive system of choice, the OPEC Sheiks can just drink their stinking oil.
(and cry like little girls)
+10
May 29th, 2011 (7:16 pm)+1
May 29th, 2011 (7:16 pm)Dang it Dave. You beat me to the punch again!
May 29th, 2011 (7:16 pm)I guess there is humor in the ad. But it makes me want the Volt even more now. So, in some way, the ad may backfire and taint the average consumer as a “goon” just using rediculous mindless consumer devices fed to them by corporations. Humor yes, but implied insulting – sure, that too.
The Leaf is currently a pretty good city car. I can’t afford two cars for myself so I need an EV with on-board range extender. Many consumers are unable to buy two cars for themself and one for the wife, one for the older teenager child, etc.
I venture that the Leaf will sprout a stem in a few years. There will be an on-board generator of some time in the next few years in Nissan’s EV stable. It stands to reason that until the infrastructure is in place for quick-charging at 480V for longer drives, EVs will need to act more “prius-like” and have on-board range extension to be useful.
Leaf = good city car. Still kind of ugly in its design as well. Now, the GT-R – that’s an awesome car.
My son and I watched two episodes of Top Gear today where Jeremy ran the GT-R all around Japan and on the track. This is the 2nd car I would have to buy if I had to buy a Leaf and a backup “distance” car. Of course, I can’t afford that solution – but it would be a smart decision for those who can.
+1
May 29th, 2011 (7:25 pm)This ad reminds me of this…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdxaxJNs15s
+1
May 29th, 2011 (7:29 pm)You do a great job with your Volt images and comments. Hope to see more soon.
NPNS
+3
May 29th, 2011 (7:55 pm)I have no idea how to put gas in the Volt. Maybe in a few months I’ll have to figure it out. LOL
May 29th, 2011 (8:20 pm)#54
I agree. +1 Any ink is good ink. Thanks Carlos.
+1
May 30th, 2011 (12:07 am)” ignores towtrucks they need and rental cars they recommend as backup to their product ” absolutely hilarious. good one GM
+1
May 30th, 2011 (12:13 am)from another site “Sure, you could recharge your Nissan Leaf the earth-friendly way (feeding it electricity from a coal-burning power plant), but what fun is that? There’s a better way: holding down the brakes lightly while being towed. Because of the regenerative braking feature of the Leaf design, this will charge the car’s batteries. Just make sure that your tow truck gets no more than 15 miles per gallon
+1
May 30th, 2011 (12:24 am)Canadian socialists are doing their share to reduce world oil consumption by continually raising gas taxes every few months. While Canadian wholesale prices are the same as the US the pump price is $2 more per gallon.
May 30th, 2011 (3:05 am)Yes this ad is making fun of the Volt but we can learn from it and think about how we can get off of gasoline and foreign oil but yes Nissan needs to think twice before what they put on a commercial when it comes to competition. But again if pure electric cars in the future can have battery range like 250 to 300 miles of range without sacrificing the price of the battery as not making it too expensive or even not making it too big in size than we may have a winner in the future. Only time will tell? Plus I hope the Volt will have a battery like that in the next few years with a much higher range while not having to ever use gas in rare a cations wouldn’t that be great more electric range = less worry over fossil fuels as in gas and oil who agrees with me?
May 30th, 2011 (4:05 am)IMO this commercial is to the Volt’s benefit. The more publicity the better.
+1
May 30th, 2011 (9:11 am)Tim in SC,
We may comment on range anxiety, but this is a GM fan site…let Nissan “dish it back” on a fan site, not a national advertisement. We talk about it because it is real…we also agree that the Volt will use gas. If Nissan want to dish it back because of cemments on a blog (there is no GM reference to the leaf when speaking range anxiety) then they should also tag in “What if it ran on 0 gas…for about 85 miles per day…highway…in good weather…and hey, we offer free towing and rentals….”
That is fair…
May 31st, 2011 (9:17 am)Mybatcar,
What kind of ad would that be? The Volt can’t charge up without electricity either, and gas pumps are powered by electricity as well so would not be much better off during a power outage either unless you happened to have close to a full tank.
-1
May 31st, 2011 (9:23 am)Steve,
Why not compare them on a daily 70 mile round trip commute, which happens more often than a 150 mile road trip? Each vehicle has it’s drawbacks and you can set things up so one looks better than the other. Let’s not forget that GM took shots at the LEAF a while back. Nissan get’s to take a shot back, even a mild one such as this.
May 31st, 2011 (10:07 am)I liked the Chevy Volt dancers better than this ad.
Jun 13th, 2011 (10:20 pm)I thought this was a VERY clever ad. People need to realize the Volt isn’t the series hybrid GM claimed it was. It’s still directly tied to that damned gas engine. And I think Nissan did well with this one.
+1 for Nissan.