Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn has welcomed the challenge to its electric cars sales leadership by Volkswagen, following the launch of the VW e-Up and VW e-Golf at the Frankfurt motor show.
Responding to VW’s claims that it will take electric car leadership by 2018 off the back of similar launches, Ghosn said “I hear we have competition, and I welcome it. Little by little every car maker will enter the electric car field. This industry cannot run without electric cars and hybrid cars."
Under Ghosn, Renault and Nissan took a pioneering approach to electrified cars, and have launched vehicles including the Nissan Leaf, Renault Twizy and Renault Zoe. However sales have been disappointing, and will fall short of Ghosn's original goal of 1.5m sales annually by 2016.
“I remain bullish,” said Ghosn. “By 2020 I believe 10 per cent of cars sold will be electric. We are waiting for governments to show more support, but it will happen. China especially will be key, and by 2020 I expect the momentum to be there.
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You dont have to question who
You dont have to question who would buy one. When cars are expensive people buy them because they want them, not because they are good value. You know like when all the celebrities started buying the Prius because of the image.
But separately consider the millions of people that buy diesel cars, thinking they are good value, where in fact they could have saved money running a petrol.
A type of car can be popular for many reasons.
Though I think electric is
Though I think electric is suited to small cars, smaller than city cars though, they are too big. The right idea was those concepts we saw awhile back the ones that look like a Caterham but the 2 seats in tandem. That is the car i'm waiting for. The smaller the car the smaller the battery, small batteries take far less time to charge.
The twizzy is closest yet, but it's too high. Need a long low down car.
More competitors = more infrastructure
All manufacturers will benefit from an industry push to increase electric car sales. There is a need for more recharging points, especially outside city centres. We'll all be better off if all motorway service stations added a few fast charging points.
The Tesla has shown that electric cars don't have to just be small city cars.