Chevy Volt News

Should GM Cut the Price or De-Content the Chevy Volt?

Jim Motavalli — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:35:05 +0000

This is the Volt that came in second at Connecticut's EV Road Rally—beating a field of 12 Tesla Model S cars. (Jim Motavalli photo)

The Volt scored a victory last month, when one driven by Leo Karl III (and navigated by me) came in second, beating out an even dozen Tesla Model S cars in Connecticut’s EV Road Rally. But the month overall wasn’t very good for G.M.'s halo car, because the Volt got trounced by the Nissan LEAF in the marketplace.

In April, Volt sales fell 11 percent from the same month last year. The Volt has generally been leading the LEAF (that range anxiety thing), but last month the LEAF was decidedly in the lead, with 1,937 sales compared to the Volt’s 1,306. The Tesla Model S is also outselling the Volt now.

LEAF Continues Spring Sales Rejuvenation, Leaving Other Plug-ins in the Dust

Zach McDonald — Wed, 01 May 2013 22:57:57 +0000

Monthly sales of the Nissan LEAF have overtaken those of the Chevy Volt in the last two months, reversing a years-old trend of the Volt outperforming its battery-only "competitor."

April was another good month for the Nissan LEAF, which moved 1,936 units nationwide to post its second best month of sales since hitting the market in late 2010. The 2013 LEAF—which is both more efficient and more affordable than its predecessor—has done very well since dealer shipments began ramping up in March, when the car posted an all-time high sales total of 2,236 cars. Monthly sales of the vehicle have increased roughly fourfold since the debut of the American-made 2013 LEAF refresh.

GM: Next Generation Volt Will Be $10,000 Cheaper to Build

David Herron — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:41:41 +0000

Dan Akerson speaking at the Brainstorm Green conference. (Photo: General Motors)

Dan Akerson, chief executive of General Motors, said yesterday that next-generation Chevy Volt will cost $7,000 to 10,000 less to build than today's Volt. His remarks were made at Fortune's Brainstorm Green conference in Laguna Niguel, Calif.

Akerson also said that General Motors has sold about 26,500 Volts so far, but that by 2017 G.M. will have sold a half-million “electrified" cars, a category that includes conventional mild and full hybrids, as well as the plug-in electric vehicles.

Akerson's comments did not exclusively focus on electric-drive vehicles, but covered a range of topics about sustainability efforts at General Motors. He talked about vehicle light-weighting, a Corvette that gets 26 miles per gallon, a turbo-diesel Cruze that gets 46 m.p.g., and the need to embrace CNG-powered vehicles.

LEAF Sales Soar in March, Volt Remains Stable

Eric Loveday — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:34:07 +0000

In March 2013, Nissan rebounded with strong sales of the all-electric LEAF. Sales of the compact EV soared to an all-time high of 2,236 units. That's a big jump from February 2013, when sales of the LEAF languished at only 653 units. That's right where LEAF sales have held firm since the beginning of the year, when January 2013 checked in at 650 units. Nissan credits the all-time high sales in March to the debut of the U.S.-made, lower priced 2013 LEAF.

The Nissan LEAFs sold in the United State are now all (except a handful of leftover excess inventory) made in Tennessee, so Nissan dealerships are stocked up to regular inventory levels. It's taken a while for Nissan to build sufficient supply of domestically produced 2013 LEAFs to fill requests from dealership across the country.

Sales of the LEAF in March 2012 were only 579 units.

AAA Chooses Chevy Volt as a Top Commuter Car

Brad Berman — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:51:00 +0000

AAA today announced that the Chevrolet Volt is among the best commuter vehicles in the United States. Experts from the membership-based travel organization evaluate hundreds of vehicles each year based on comfort, performance and fuel efficiency.

The Chevy Volt, a four-passenger, plug-in electric vehicle, was praised by AAA for its handling, exceptional quietness, and great acceleration. AAA said the Volt “sidesteps range anxiety with a gasoline engine on board to run a generator.” The organization also pointed to a feature in the Volt that allows a driver to force operation of the gasoline engine, ideal for a commute that starts on a highway, where gasoline power is more efficient, and ends in a city, where battery power is more cost effective.

The one criticism offered by AAA about the the car as a commuter vehicles was a tight rear seat in the four-seat Volt, making it impractical for some carpools.

Top Two Plug-in Car Sales 46% Up From Last Year, Led by Volt

Eric Loveday — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 13:19:24 +0000

Sales of the Nissan LEAF are still hampered by supply, but Volt sales seem to have returned to a stabilized level.

February sales numbers for the top two plug-in vehicles are in. The figure once again reveal how the vagaries of the market—such as inventories, model year changes and seasonality—can create ups and downs not necessarily reflective of demand, or the long-term viability of a particular car. Expect advocates and detractors to read something deep into the fact that Volt is up and LEAF is down in February, but who knows what it really means? And the numbers are generally low enough that relatively small fluctuations are interpreted as big swings. For example, the combined year-to-date 2013 tally of Volt and LEAF sales are up 46 percent compared to this time a year ago.

Volt and LEAF Sales Drop Off in January 2013

Eric Loveday — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:58:49 +0000

Low inventories are to blame for the sales dip of both the Nissan LEAF and Chevy Volt in January 2013.

Chevy Volt Sales Sizzling Once More, Nissan LEAF Stays Steady

Eric Loveday — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:23:55 +0000

Sales of the Chevy Volt checked in at a healthy 2,633 units in December 2012. If you recall, sales dropped off dramatically in November 2012, with General Motors reporting it sold only 1,519 units. That's roughly half the 2,961 units GM sold in October 2012—and more than 1,300 units shy of the 2,851 Volts sold in September 2012.

Volt sales have been relatively strong throughout most of 2012 with GM selling 2,831 units in August; 1,849 units in July; and 1,760 units in June. The trend was not sustained in November, but December was definitely a rebound month. If we look back at December 2011, we discover that sales of the Volt were 1,529 units.

Nissan reported that sales of its electric LEAF were relatively strong in December, with 1,489 units driving off the lots. Recapping recent LEAF sales shows us that Nissan moved a solid 1,539 units in November, nearly identical to October's 1,579 sales.

Chevy Volt Owners Exceed 100 Million Electric Miles

Eric Loveday — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:03:47 +0000

After years of hype and build-up, General Motors finally started selling the Chevy Volt in December 2010, almost exactly two years ago. Now, with two years of real-world data on usage, General Motors has a relatively accurate gauge on how often Volt owners drive using electricity as its sole fuel: 62 to 65 percent. That means Chevy Volt owners have cumulatively driven in excess of 100 million miles without using gasoline.

As General Motors states: "The 5 million gallons of gas saved is equivalent to $21 million in gasoline costs averted overall based on $4 per gallon of premium, or more than two supertankers of gas." But the typical Volt owner probably doesn't calculate savings in terms of supertankers. Rather, as GM points out, the average Volt owner saves nearly $1,370 per year in fuel costs.

G.M.

Volt Sales Simmer in November 2012, LEAF Stays Steady

Eric Loveday — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:53:54 +0000

Sales of the Chevy Volt dropped off in November 2012, with General Motors reporting it sold 1,519 units. That's roughly half the 2,961 units GM sold in October 2012—and more than 1,300 units shy of the 2,851 Volts sold in September 2012.