“China is the only place on Earth that we have excess inventory,” says Elon Musk, blaming “speculators” for ordering cars amid the early media hype and then not taking delivery.
(Relaxnews) – Tesla on Friday reported record quarterly sales of its premium electric car, the Model S. But it’s by no means the only company carving out a bigger share of the electric car market by targeting affluent drivers.
Tesla is on a roll. Its electric cars may well come with a premium price ticket and a restricted range, when compared to its gas-powered rivals in the executive sedan segment, but on Friday it reported it has delivered 10,030 cars during Q1 of the year, which is not only a record for the company, it is a 55% increase over 2014’s Q1 figures.
And unlike a lot of companies trying to break into the electric vehicle market and tempt car buyers away from fossil fuels, Tesla only has one model – the Model S in its range.
The Nissan Renault Alliance is currently the global leader in cumulative EV sales — 200,000 vehicles and counting. Those numbers, however, are down to having a range of models that includes small vans and single-seat vehicles as well as the Nissan Leaf and its cousin, the Renault Zoe – all of which are pitched at different people in different regions with differing levels of disposable income.
In January, Nissan reported that it had sold more than 30,000 Nissan Leaf models in the US over the course of 2014, meaning that America accounted for 50% of the car’s global sales over the year. That figure also meant that the Leaf held onto its position as the most popular electric car on sale in the US. Part of the car’s appeal is its affordability. Even though its range is roughly 85-126 miles, with tax credits they cost as little as $22,000 — less than half the price of a Tesla.
“From the beginning our vision was to bring electric vehicles to the mass market in a practical and fun-to-drive package, which is what makes Nissan LEAF the best-selling electric car in the world,” stated Brendan Jones, director, Nissan Electric Vehicle Sales and Infrastructure.
However, cars built to be exclusive are performing very well, as Tesla’s figures highlight, but it’s not just Elon Musk’s company that’s making headway in the market by targeting the affluent. Over the past 12 months, BMW has managed to sell 16,052 i3 premium electric cars. California is its biggest single market (3000 i3s) and the US overall is now home to 6000 examples of the car.
When asked about what was influencing the car’s popularity, BMW Group CEO, Norbert Reithofer, pointed to tax exemptions, financial incentives and other government-led promotions. “We can see a clear connection between sales figures and political initiatives,” Reithofer said at the company’s annual press conference in March. “Wherever governments offer tangible incentives for e-mobility, the registration figures for the BMW i3 soar.”