Sunday, September 2, 2012

Volt Sales Will Set Record in August

Updates

September 3, 2012: Another article, same story. This one highlights that Nissan Leaf struggles. Looks like in the world of plug-ins, the increase Chevy Volt sales simply came from Nissan Leaf's losses; the pie is growing slowly; Chevy Volt just getting a larger piece.
In terms of 2012 year-to-date numbers, the tally for the Nissan LEAF now checks in at 4,228 units. Meanwhile, the 2012 YTD results for the Chevy Volt ring in at 13,497 units. Last year at this exact time, General Motors' year-to-date Volt sales stood at 3,172 units and Nissan's mark for the LEAF was 6,188 units.
With regard to the assembly line for Chevy Volts, this increase in Volt sales is unlikely to increase employment; current workforce should be able to handle it. In fact, the assembly line will close for a month or so this fall to allow supply to catch up with demand.

Original Post
Link here at CNNMoney.
Those deals have brought the price of a two-year lease down as low as $169 a month at some dealerships from the standard $279 lease price. Considering that the manufacturer's suggested retail price of $31,000 - after a $7,500 federal tax credit --- is relatively pricey for a compact car, Talati said he'd expected sales to have been boosted even higher by GM's incentives.  
"With the lease specials and discounts on the Volt currently, I'm surprised there is't a line out the door for Volt buyers," he said.
At $31,000 -- after a $7,500 federal tax credit -- for a compact. I'm not.

Unless I missed it, the article did not mention that GM was shutting down the Volt assembly line for four weeks (or more) this fall to let production catch up with demand.

4 comments:

  1. 3 MM views . . Well done sir!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you.

      There's an incredible amount of material archived here, but most folks are only interested in "stuff" happening right now, but there is a lot here for folks "new" to the Bakken.

      Thank you for taking time to write.

      Delete
  2. Well, if you can lease one for $169 a month and return it after that without expense, it may be worth a drive.

    $169 per month does not seem too bad, unless there is a large up front cost.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I could be wrong, but I've never thought compact cars were the kind of cars that folks leased.

      I've always thought luxury cars, larger cars were targeted for the better off/more well-to-do folks. Generally, the "down payment" is fairly steep, and folks who generally drive compacts can't afford that "down payment."

      I would also assume a lot of leased cars are leased by folks using the car as a business car with an expense account, and the monthly cost of gasoline is paid for with the company's credit card. If so, they would like something more than a compact car.

      But you are correct; those folks who are fairly well off, used to driving larger cars, but feeling pinched by economy, might start leasing these cars.

      But, wow, this is a huge money-loser for GM to lease a $40,000 compact for $169.

      Delete