A look at select electric car makers' sales trends
A glance at select electric automakers' sales trends
FILE - In this Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010 file photo, an electric car is seen during a demonstration of the California-based company Better Place in Tel Aviv, Israel. Better Place announced Sunday, May 26, 2013, that it is shutting down, less than six years after unveiling an ambitious plan that promised to revolutionize the auto industry by reducing the world's dependency on oil. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)
Better Place is the latest casualty in an electric vehicle market that has struggled to lure consumers who are skeptical of the short battery life, high price, and a lack of infrastructure that can require recharging stops of several hours on long trips. Here's a look at sales trends for select electric car manufacturers:
— Tesla Motors Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif.
VEHICLE: Model S
PRICE: Starts at around $70,000.
SALES TRENDS: The Model S went on sale last summer. Tesla delivered 4,900 cars in the first quarter, beating its guidance of 4,500. This month it boosted its guidance for worldwide deliveries in 2013 to 21,000, about 1,000 more than its previous target. It expects to deliver just over 4,500 cars in North America in the second quarter.
— Fisker Automotive Inc. of Anaheim, Calif.
VEHICLE: Karma
PRICE: $100,000
SALES TRENDS: Fisker has sold fewer than 2,000 Karmas, despite early projections of 11,000 sales per year, and it hasn't produced any cars since its battery supplier filed for bankruptcy protection last year.
— CODA Holdings Inc. of Los Angeles
VEHICLE: The Coda.
PRICE: $37,250
SALES TRENDS: CODA began producing its five-passenger sedan last year, estimating it would sell 10,000 to 14,000 vehicles in its first 12 months. Instead, it sold around 100. The company filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this month and said it plans to quit the auto business altogether.
— BYD Co. of Shenzhen, China.
VEHICLE: BYD e6, among others, including electric buses.
PRICE: Estimated around $35,000
SALES TRENDS: BYD sold just 1,700 electric cars and 700 electric buses in 2012 and says it expects to triple that this year.
— Nissan Motor Co. of Yokohama, Japan.
VEHICLE: Leaf.
PRICE: Starts at $21,300 including federal tax rebate.
SALES TRENDS: More than 62,000 Nissan Leaf units have been sold worldwide since the launch of the hatchback in December 2010.
