Volt Sales Figures

It's failure of a product configuration, not a company.

Getting a big dose of reality will help GM finally figure out that the mainstream consumer isn't looking for what they offer.

Having a middle-market choice means a nice balance of price, performance, etc... not a vehicle that provides bragging rights. The battery & motor are overkill, not what people consider a purchase priority.
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Agreed. 'Fun to drive' and 8 sec 0 to 60 MPH are way overrated by out beloved journalists and editors who are handed all sorts of cars to play with on their favorite backroads whilst the average driver is stuck in traffic trying to get to work, store, etc...

 

Hold the phone!!

GM sales for Nov maybe "adjusted downwards"

GM willing to buy back Volts | Consumer News | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News

 

Sorry, no demand.

Source

 

Show of hands who saw this coming. And this is before the PiP comes in a few months. 45k units next year??? Party's over. Just bring the Cruze plug-in to try a recovery. Car that performs like a Prius (49 after depletion) but happens to get xx miles EV will own the territory. It will be what it will be. I can't change it.

And btw, about what was PiP demo MPGs after depletion?

 

Its fair to say demand is lower than expected, I don't think its fair to say there is none.

I also think it bodes poorly for the PiP, which will benefit from brand loyalty, but is targeting more or less the same market segment. Maybe thats why Toyota expects to sell more than half the global demand in Japan.

 

No official EPA figure but I think FAQ said MPG is about the same as no-plug Prius.

The Japanese PiP production spec has exactly the same consumption after depletion.

 

I hear ya. Plugging cars in is here to stay, but quite foreign to most. I'd see something like 20k PiPs per year US. I'm keeping an eye on the Prius v. That car strikes at the heart of the top selling US cars - Camry, Accord, Fusion, Sonata, Altima. v little more money, more practical, 30 something % improved FE, and has the 910 lb load capacity to really put 5 and cargo in it. But will more people get off their sedan fetish? We're not Europe or Japan.

back on topic.

 

Failed us company( GM) are you kidding me what have they done right in the last 10 years? Without a government bailout where would they be ? If the earthquake had not happened in Japan where would they be ? I checked several Chevrolet dealers in my area for Volts in stock and yes all have almost a dozen but the price.... Msrp for most $45,000 at 9 1/2 % sales tax and the other fees $ 50,000 even with the tax rebate that price is nuts. What is the resale value/ depreciation of a volt? What price is the insurance, my prius is low and what is the price when the tax rebate ends? Just stupid Gm really who is running the company. Sorry this just burns my you know what when it gets stated we want an american company or car to fail. Saturn was to be a savior and where are they now? How much money got dumped into that mess?

 

GM may have killed the electric cars the second time. This time by rushing into the market and showing how it can burn down after 30 mph accident. Good job, way to leapfrog.

What pisses me off is, Volt is not even an electric car. They are calling it an EV and ruined it for the rest. I really hope EVs and plugins continue to grow in sales.

 

Little scary that NHTSA looking at it, but the push for electrification is strong and will prevail. battery fires a bump in the road.

what's that site ....

Vehicle Electrification - SAE

PiP will top sales of all other plug-ins within year or so. I hope Tesla can hang, they employ a few thousand here in Bay Area but '10 report said they lost 450 million since starting in '03. Fingers crossed.

:focus:

 

Same as the 3Gen. I tested one for 350miles, many of those miles after depletion. It was even marginally better than my personal 17inch 3Gen.

 

Toyota says 49mpg in CS mode, just slightly less than the standard gen III with 15" wheels, so your results are in line with toyota.

Since the prius phv will not be sold for half a year in the united states, I doubt it has reduced volt sales.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/20...-miss-2011-sales-target-amid-slow-growth.html

Note no volt in the wild has started a fire because of a crash, but....
http://www.businessweek.com/news/20...t-battery-product-development-chief-says.html

 

Well it is now not premature to say that the volt is a sales failure. It's abysmal sales along with the bad press it's getting now force me to note that canceling the car withithe next year or two is indeed possible. Gm cannot keep a car alive like this that just is not selling and the volt isn't.

 

Attempts to say pretty much anything about Volt sales as a Prius owner on a GM forum automatically results in the assumption that you mean failure. So, something similar here is bound to happen.

Clearly, the current configuration of Volt isn't well suited for the mainstream. The setup appeals to a niche.... which there's obviously a market for. But to compel those who would otherwise purchase a Cruze or Malibu, forget it.

Something capable of sustaining high-volume sales is needed... and odds are what GM comes up with won't be called Volt.
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Even if they don't sell hardly any, just having it there as a presence is beneficial to GM. They can market/advertise screwy things that sound good.

"Company with the largest range RE-EV" or whatever they are calling it now since they made up the category.

"Some of our cars use no gas at all"

You can see where this is going... Put that on an advert, get customers into the dealership and the goal is met. Who cares if you sell them a Volt, the fact is they are there ready to buy something like a Cruze.

 

But will it be a success in Europe? It's only just been released here and will be rolled out to most major markets by early next year (RHD for UK & Ireland early 2012).

The press releases seem promising, the premium gas issue is a non issue here, and the high purchase price is still not too bad when other tax benefits and considerations are taken into account - the main being saving £10/$15.60 each day for entry into London. Oh, and Toyota have over cooked the price of the forthcoming PHEV in the UK which makes it prohibitive to many and actually makes the Volt/Ampera with its significantly longer EV range much better value.

Time will tell though.

 

According to stories like the below, the Opel Ampera is being delayed until either the issue is resolved or the investigation is complete.

Chevy Volt battery may be redesigned for improved safety
GM may redesign Chevy Volt battery
GM Offers Loaner Cars to Chevy Volt Owners

 

Which is alarming as there are no reports of the fires in the UK media (other than odd references). It's just considered as another alarmist American storm in a tea cup such as the runaway Toyotas a year ago.

The following official UK Ampera site makes no reference of the fires or delays - last update December 1st, 2011;

Opel Ampera Blog | Blog on revolutionary EV

 

It is a "tempest in a tea pot?" "storm in a tea cup?" There has not been a customer that has crashed their volt and have it burst into flames. Its different than the toyota story, as the sticky pedals/floor mat entrapment actually happened. The media went crazy and exaggerated on toyota, but it seems to be running faster and further on this one.