September 19, 2010

Sorry, I was just "too busy to blog" last week. I should do it every day, but it's not going to happen.

I've had a lot of things rattling through my brain, and am trying to play catch-up now. I hope that I can do them justice.

Nissan Leaf

I'll paste a link to my video below, where I essentially did a story on the vehicle, not a review.  You can't review a car in a quick drive around Farmington Hills.  But, you do get some first impressions.

EV's have nice, off the line acceleration.  The Leaf's acceleration was o.k., but I guess I was expecting a little more.  Eco mode was pretty bad.  What it does is make it tougher to accelerate quickly...but you can still mash the pedal, and it will go as fast as possible.

It felt like a typical compact car, which is what they were seeking, obviously a little quieter...and a lot more "techie."   Back seat room was ok, as was storage room.

I'm not really sure if the styling will get you noticed.  Many people may glance at it and think, hybrid, before they think EV

You will have lots of ways to tell how far you can go on your electric charge.  There's a map on the nav system that tells you...and there are warnigns when you get to a certain point, even directions to charging stations.

Bottom line:  The Leaf's a technological marvel, and while 25 thousand after rebate is a bargain for an electric vehicle, you can get similarly sized gasoline powered vehicles for ten thousand less.  That money buys a lot of gas, even if it jumps back to four dollars a gallon.   Early adopters will line up.  The more important sales figures will come a year or two down the road. 

I will need a chance to live with the Leaf a few days before I'm ready to do an actual review.  See whether I can get a days commute and shopping travel in, with charge left over, whether I'm driving home nervous, and whether I have to wait for a charge before I leave.

Stay tuned.

Dan Akerson

Observations from Thursday's breakfast meeting with the new GM CEO.  I was invited, along with about a dozen other journalists, to the first "on the record" session with Mr. Akerson.

He's very straightforward.  You can tell he has a direction he wants to take General Motors.  He will tell you what he wants to tell you, but won't say anything more than he wants to say.

He is an agent of change, and wants to make GM a faster, more nimble organization.  He also seems to recognize how much GM has changed in recent years.

Expect to see him put his foot firmly on the accelerator.