LEAF receives IHS Automotive Loyalty Award
There are currently well over 30 automobile brands sold in the United States, from Acura to Volvo. Each brand offers an array of models. I’m not even going to make an attempt to tally them all. 2015 saw almost 17.5 million vehicles sold in the US, the best year ever for vehicle sales. So why does any of this matter? Because all of those buyers had to choose which car to buy, from among all of those many choices.
IHS, which once upon a time stood for Information Handling Services, is a handler of information. In its early days it categorized catalogs on microfilm. Now IHS provides information, analytics, and subject matter experts to help you discern what you should do with all of this information, in almost any field. In this particular instance, we are looking at people that are repeat buyers of automobiles. And in the non-luxury traditional compact car market more individuals are repeat buyers of the Nissan LEAF than any other compact car. That the LEAF is not what many would consider to be traditional, in style as well as in powertrain, is perhaps best left for others to decide. You can find the results of the 2015 Model Year IHS Automotive Loyalty Award Winners here. This is the second year in a row that the LEAF accomplished this feat. Generally people that are unhappy with their vehicle do not buy another, so this bodes well for the future of electric vehicles (EVs) – at least this particular EV.
The Nissan LEAF was not the only EV acknowledged in this study. Tesla was recognized as the brand with the most improved loyalty to make, and perhaps more importantly for their long-term success, most improved conquest percentage. This last one is for getting owners out of their old brand and into a Tesla.
All of this to say that the EV market, while not growing as fast as many had originally predicted, is making inroads into the conventional automobile market that has been around for over a century. Look for more dramatic improvements once the second generation EVs start hitting the market next year.