Nissan Leaf TV ad asks 'Why gas?'

One may argue that it takes some stones for a car company to more or less belittle 98 percent of the vehicles it makes, but Nissan is doing just that with its latest pitch for the Leaf all-electric vehicle. As discovered by Green Car Reports, Nissan is about to unveil a television advertising campaign that features company executive Brian Maragno essentially saying that, all things being equal, electric cars are superior to gas-powered vehicles, and not merely better for the environment or easier on the pocketbook. If the car were to be invented today, he says, "the question isn't 'Why electric?' It's 'Why gas?'" It's a compelling argument, but now try telling that to the guy who just bought a Titan.

Over the past few years, Nissan has gradually been tilting perceptions of plug-in vehicles. The company took a humorous angle in 2011 by notably unveiling a campaign showing a bunch of gas-powered appliances that are traditionally powered by electricity (alarm clocks, coffee makers, laptop computers) spewing exhaust around the house. It's also shown how polar bears love Leaf owners. While the messages have taken a while to get out there, Leaf sales gained momentum this year as prices were dropped and production was moved to Nissan's Tennessee factory. The company still sold more than 334,000 trucks in the US during the first eight months of the year. Just saying.

The "Why gas?" video isn't embeddable and it's not yet available on Nissan's YouTube page but you can watch it here.

News Source: Green Car Reports