So, they sold 3,895 Volts in 9 months, about 10-12 days worth of Prius sales? Unless these numbers improve significantly, the Prius Plug-in numbers alone will outsell it! GM: 90% of Chevy Volt customers are new to GM, most trading in a Prius
There are other interesting facts in the September sales report as well. The sales of trucks and SUV's was unusually strong for GM and Ford. One announcer said the drop in gasoline prices had returned strength to these vehicles.
I think if people were to trade their Prius for a Volt that would be a pretty dumb move. Granted I do not know much about the Gen II's, but our Gen III far outdoes the Volt head to head in gas operations... I think GM is just trying to use that as market PR to try to draw sales from Toyota. As nice as the Volt is I think the Toyota's (non plug in) are still a better value for the dollar. With the PiP running about the same price as the Volt though I would definately choose the Volt on any given day. 530 miles as of today and still only used 2 gallons of gas ever. I dread driving to Virginia at the end of the month, but will be interesting to compare the Volt to our 2011 Prius on a long distance trip.
Regular gas in Central Florida is now $3.28, Premium is $3.59. I guess people are moving back to Trucks and SUVs until the next $4.00 a gallon comes around again.
Sigh... Per Daily Fuel Gauge Report--national, state and local average prices for gasoline, diesel and E-85., avg price in CA is still $3.833. I'd been hearing of someone getting gas in MO for $2.89/gal not long ago. That's probably about right given what I see at AAA FuelGuage Metro Print Page, right now. You're right re: trucks and SUVs. See my post at http://priuschat.com/forums/other-cars/98585-us-auto-sales-up-in-september-2011-big-trucks.html.
Chevy has more than 3,000 dealerships and they continue to ship them demo cars. The goal is 2600 demos. Regardless, I don't think they'll hit their target. We're heading into the winter, the lease price went up, and the economy could hardly be called "robust". While my dealer has sold 2 of the 3 '12s they've received (all loaded $44-46k examples), I think they're a bit of an outlier for whatever reason. They've sold about 12 Volts to date. With all the hoopla, it will be interesting to compare PHV sales. Anyway, I predict a smoking deal on a leftover '13 when my lease is up.
FWIW I traded in a prius for my Volt. Mine was a Gen I, 8 years old with around 170,000 miles on it. The HV battery had failed and I really needed a new car. I wanted to continue my personal trend towards greater electrification, but was not ready to accept the range limitations of the Leaf. The Volt was a great fit and I am loving it. Hopefully in 2014 when my lease is up there will be other electric cars to compare and choose between, including a plug-in prius, maybe a Gen2 Volt, Tesla model S, Ford Focus electric, etc...Competition is a good thing and shopping in that environment will be fun. But in 2011 there was only one show in town, luckily I just love it.
back to real world, according to cars.com dealer inventory - Chevy dealers are selling 2600 Volts, which is 100 days of supply.... or disaster.
Too broad a brush there. The comparative fuel savings vary by your driving habits and if you are a two car family. For us, the Volt would be much better than the Prius or even PiP (when either is available). Commute is 30-35 miles per day, no ability to charge at work. Second car (an EV) is used for 99% of trips outside of commuting. Once a year we have a 300mile trip which we would use the Volt for. That ONE day a year the Prius would save us on gas. With my primary concern is not burning gas, the Volt/Model S combo seems to be the best option for our driving needs.
If Tesla doesn't fold by then the S really is an impressive car on paper. Assuming they fill it with luxurious items it will compete in a completely different market segment and sub-6 second 0-60 is very strong performance for a 7-seater EV that looks phenomenal and will turn more heads than a dozen volts or leafs could ever do. The rest (nissan, toyota, GM) are electrifying entry level vehicles and when the ICE-based vehicle is compared to the EV the cost premium makes the EV a dubious proposition. Tesla has basically gone straight into the luxury market where bang for buck is of less consideration anyway.
Cars.com is your definitive source in the "real world"? How many of those are actual cars on the lot for sale? The dealer by my office has a car listed that they sold in APRIL.
I see Gen I's all the time in Boston and in CT, still running just fine. They look small, look a lot like an Echo only with 4 doors rather then 2, so maybe you're just not seeing them??
Not sure. I never thought they were imported to the US. Have heard/read about them. Seen one blown up on Top Gear. Just never seen one in person. I see quite a number of Echo's where I live though with the 2 doors, and large rear side windows. I will probably see more when I go to Norfolk, VA. Jacksonville is not necessarily known for being a big hybrid town..
There's at least four in the area around our town. I've seen at least two used for pizza delivery. One house has two of them AND a Gen 2. EDIT: to be clear I mean Gen 1 Prius not Volts.
are they not being sold in every state yet? i tried to find one in the boston area and all i got were 3 r.i. dealers who each had one.
Come to think of it, I see far more Gen I's than Volts. Boston, which has plenty of hybrids running around, even has lots of Camry Hybrids used as taxis.
As noted above I mean Prius not Volts. Regular people. A green one at Domino's and a silver one at Papa John's. (Our Takeout Friday is a shuffled-random draw which is why I've seen them at different places. )
