MARK PERRY
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Director of product planning, Nissan North America
Chosen because: Introducing any new model is a challenge. But before bringing Nissan's electric Leaf into the U.S. market this year, Perry, 53, had to address skeptics who doubted the practicality of its electric battery technology, while educating consumers, retailers, fleet buyers and the media on how EVs work and how the Leaf would fit into the real-world car market. He has been the face of the U.S. project for two years, explaining it all in a jovial delivery to city and state officials, utility companies, industry groups, dealers, chambers of commerce and the ever-curious public.
Quote: "The real beauty about the Nissan Leaf - it's a real simple car to own and run," Perry recently said in one of his video messages to the electric car's Facebook followers. "I mean, think about it: No more oil changes. There's not a transmission to worry about. There are no gears. What we're talking about here is really rotating your tires. Every six months we're going to ask you come back in for a battery health check. But that's just more to make you comfortable that everything's working fine and you're having a great experience with your Leaf. So
maintenance costs are going to be a lot less. No spark plugs. All
right - wiper fluid. You've got to put in washer fluid for your wipers."
