April’s Chevy Volt sales show that an updated model sure does help

You would think that Nissan would get tired of – month after month – learning that just resting on its first-gen Leaf laurels means getting lower sales figures than its longtime rival the Chevy Volt. But, apparently, no. Sales of the second-gen Volt continue to rise, while the five-and-a-half-year-old Leaf (yes, it’s gotten incremental and hard-to-spot upgrades) can’t catch a break.

Compared to 2015, Leaf sales were down 34 percent through April.

Last month, Volt sales were up 119 percent over the 905 sold in April 2015, to 1,983 units. For the year thus far, Volt sales are up 115 percent, from 2,779 in the first four months of 2015 to 5,970 so far this year. That’s what an improved second-gen model will get you. What will a long-running model get you? Well, Leaf sales were down 49 percent last month, to just 787 units. Compared to 2015, Leaf sales were down 34 percent through April, with 5,638 Leafs sold last year and just 3,718 this year.

You likely know the drill by now. We’ll have a broader look at all of the green car sales in the US collected for you soon. Until that time, we open the comment floor to you. Is it time for Nissan to get its second-gen Leaf hype machine up and running or is the steady-as-she-goes plan the right one?

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