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New tech always costs more. Just like Plasma TVs and computers and smartphones. As it catches on and more sales are made, prices on following generations comes down. it's definitely good that sales are picking up, as it means that Volt 2.0 will definitely be built, bringing ability up and prices down (especially as the Voltec platform is spread out to more modles, like a small crossover)
As it is, you can lease a Volt in most places for $349 a month, which is barely more than my MINI Cooper, and about the same as a similarly equipped Accord or Camry. And in California, you can lease a Volt for $299 a month, which is a screaming deal on a high tech new car. Leasing one of them makes a lot of sense as you don't have to worry about any maintenance or battery replacement cost as the car ages, and you only pay for the amount of car you use.
A very biased source linked. Questions I have weren't answered in the linked article. How many of the increased sales were from fleet sales (corporations and municipalities)? Were they sold at below retail cost (not including government incentives)? If Hollywood elite environmentalist are so concerned with saving the environment then why aren't they also buying and promoting the Volt the way they pushed the Prius? The Volt uses far less gasoline than the Prius so why not? Is it brand snobbish (preferring an import brand over a domestic brand)?
Never understood the fleet sale stigma. For a manufacturer, selling a lot of product is selling a lot of product. If you can do it with a contract for multiple copies, that's just great. And it still means that more sold will bring about the next generation faster.
Never understood the fleet sale stigma. For a manufacturer, selling a lot of product is selling a lot of product. If you can do it with a contract for multiple copies, that's just great. And it still means that more sold will bring about the next generation faster.
I guess it depends on what kind of fleet. Rental Fleet from my understanding gets the manufacturer very little profits and it hurts resale value. Selling fleets to the government and to corporations is not so bad.
I highly doubt GM is Fleet dumping the Volt to Avis or Hertz.
A very biased source linked. Questions I have weren't answered in the linked article. How many of the increased sales were from fleet sales (corporations and municipalities)? Were they sold at below retail cost (not including government incentives)? If Hollywood elite environmentalist are so concerned with saving the environment then why aren't they also buying and promoting the Volt the way they pushed the Prius? The Volt uses far less gasoline than the Prius so why not? Is it brand snobbish (preferring an import brand over a domestic brand)?
Comparing apples to apples, the volt does not use less fuel than the prius.. the vokt is rated at 93e by the epa with an average of 37mpg when the charge is run out. The prius plug in is rated at 95e and gets 50mpg when the plug in charge is depleted. pruis costs less as well. Never heard of them catching on fire unexpectedly like volts either...
There are Volt's in rental fleets, but there are Leafs and other electric/hybrids as well. There are also Volt's and Leafs in some car sharing fleets like ZipCar and Enterprises WeCar and associated brands. They do it so people can get some exposure to the car, not to boost sales. The ones put in those fleets were some of the first on the road.
The Volt does have strong private and government fleet sales, mainly because the lease rate is extremely attractive compared to other options and the company getting them can "green" their image. I don't know specifics, but it wouldn't surprise me if half of the Volt's were ending up in a fleet.
The big issue for the Volt in terms of private sales is cost. Outside of the lease deal, which is very good, the car simply costs a lot more then its competitors, in particular the Prius. The one bright spot in terms of sales though is that they are starting to role out the Ampera for sale in Europe and apparently already have 7,000 confirmed orders with deposits.
Like Merc said here and he and I have echoed in many threads, this is next gen tech and it is expensive. As development continues and the number of vehicles that use the platform increase, the cost will come down. Sales have been disappointing so far, but this also is still a much smaller auto market then it was 3-4 years ago and people are holding onto cars much longer then they used to and buying cheaper when they do buy. None of that exactly makes for a great environment to launch a car like the Volt. If the Volt had been released in late 2007 / early 2008, it would have flown off the shelves.
Comparing apples to apples, the volt does not use less fuel than the prius.. the vokt is rated at 93e by the epa with an average of 37mpg when the charge is run out. The prius plug in is rated at 95e and gets 50mpg when the plug in charge is depleted. pruis costs less as well. Never heard of them catching on fire unexpectedly like volts either...
Comparing real world to real world, the Volt uses VASTLY less fuel than Priuses, with most peopel getting real world distances equivalnet to 300+ mpg. If I had one, I'd be getting closer to 800 mpg on my commute, while a Prius woudl still be getting only 40-45.
the Plug in Prius that is soon to be released will not quite match the Volt in electric range, and will cost very nearly as much as the Volt does,. Why? Because the tech cost that damn much, that's why.
Never heard of an actual Volt catching fire in the real world, either, ONE Volt that caught fire 3 WEEKS after the NHTSA crash test does not a fire hazard make. But yet you'll drive around on a rolling bomb every day with no problems. And there are at least one car fire EVERY DAY in the US. But you still drive a gas powered car, don't you?
If the Volt had been released in late 2007 / early 2008, it would have flown off the shelves.
And sales are increasing as gasoline heads over 4-5$/gallon in so many places around the country. People will still want a fully optioned car like an Accord or Camry (both of which can hit $38-40k uptioned up) that uses less fuel. If you're going to buy new anyhow, the fuel mileage does come into play, and as people learn that the cars CAN get used daily on nearly no fuel (a friend of mine has gone 1200 miles so far on his and is still on the original tank of gas...).
As i said, the new plug in Prius and Plug in Ford are coming to market to compete, and both carry a price tag nearly as high as the Volt. It's what it costs to get an EV that has a range extender in it. We just have to teach people that the cars go farther than just their electric range, so you CAN have it as an only car if you want (no, they don't just shut off when they reach the end of their range), and stop using the car as a political football.
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