The Volt is better than just 600 sales in January.
Or was the Volt simply over-hyped
Just hours after the debut of the Chevy Volt concept car at the Detroit Auto Show — almost a lifetime ago it seems already — Bob Lutz sat down with a small group of bloggers to discuss this revolutionary concept. I was one of those wide-eyed bloggers, and when Lutz suggested the Volt would probably cost only a few thousand dollars more than a Toyota Prius, I was instantly a Volt evangelist.
But over the months and years, as the Volt moved from concept to reality and the price nearly doubled, I lost much of my faith.
Today, I still like the Volt. It’s a fascinating concept, but it’s simply far too expensive to lead an automotive revolution, and the chances of that changing this decade, for instance, are slim to none. Nevertheless, the Volt should do far better than a paltry 600 sales last month.
Sure, fire worries regarding the Volt battery pack haven’t helped. Nor has the constant attack on the Volt by Republicans, whom see the Volt as the poster child for President Obama’s success or failure, despite the fact the Volt concept was heading for production long before most Americans even knew the name, Obama. Likewise, winter hasn’t helped either according to some stories, as Volt electric range drops into the 20’s in cold climates, ruining test drives.
Yet, some surveys have suggested that Americans were starting to lose interest in the Volt as they fully comprehended the costs of this vehicle, long before most of the bad PR started unplugging Volt sales. Suddenly, the significantly cheaper Chevy Cruze right next to the Volt at GM dealerships seemed so much more appealing.
But, that still doesn’t justify just 600 Volt sales in January. The Volt is better than that, even at today’s costs.
In a few months, the weather will be warmer and Volt range will increase, as consumers realize the Volt is safe, it’s just a little expensive. But for those seeking to change the world, to put an end to their personal foreign oil dependence — to take a stand — the siren song of the Volt will be too overwhelming, and buyers will sail back into GM dealerships.
No. They won’t arrive in the numbers GM once predicted, even over-hyped, but the Volt is definitely worth at least a few thousand sales per month.
It was the NHTSA investigation and the retrofit that had the biggest impact.
All new Volts that came off the production line without the new retrofit to protect the battery from coolant leaks are being retrofitted at the dealership, before being delivered to customers. That included all the VOlts made in Dec, and most of January.
GM held off on deliver of the Volt to many customers until the NTHSA investigation was completed. They now have a huge back-log of Volts that have to be retrofitted before being delivered to customers.
This is still a production/delivery issue, not a sales/interest issue.