Volt, Leaf both confident of winning battle for green-car drivers

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http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/07/08/2093539/volt-leaf-both-confident-of-winning.html

POSTED: Friday, Jul. 08, 2011

Volt, Leaf both confident of winning battle for green-car drivers

By CHRISSIE THOMPSON - Detroit Free Press

DETROIT Early buyers of both the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf often traded in a Toyota Prius. They're fans of solar power. Most of them are men.

When they're asked why they bought their car, the top answer is the same for both cars' customers: less dependence on foreign oil. But after that, the difference appears: Volt customers love being able to use gasoline for longer trips via their car's onboard generator, which takes over after about 35 miles. Leaf customers are thrilled that they won't ever put gas in their pure-electric cars - ever.

The two mind-sets are showing up in General Motors' and Nissan's marketing choices: GM has chosen to label the Volt as "more car than electric." Nissan says its car is "100 percent electric, zero-gas" in a commercial that shows a world burdened by its dependence on gas, complete with an office worker gloomily putting fuel into his Chevrolet Volt.

The Leaf passed the Volt last month in U.S. sales, as the Volt's Detroit-Hamtramck plant shut down for four weeks of updates ahead of increased Volt production later this year. But both Nissan and GM believe their approaches will result in mass-market sales.

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