GM is forecasting marked increases in Volt sales for the remaining months of this year, and no doubt this will be necessary if it is going to meet its projected targets.
Not addressing those betting against it, yesterday GM spokesman Rob Peterson said the company will achieve in the Volt’s inaugural year what it has consistently said it would.
“We’re still on track to deliver 10,000 units to dealers for retail delivery (producing 16,000 in total for 2011),” Peterson said of North American and worldwide deliveries respectively. “The pipeline is filling up and becoming much more fluid.”
Thousands more of these are coming your way soon, GM says.
Peterson said September Volt sales totaled 723 units.
“Best month so far, but we’re only getting started,” he said.
By contrast, Nissan reported 1,031 Leafs sold in September, indicating the Volt is closing a gap between the two vehicles that are entering via yet-limited markets.
As we have previously reported however, Chevrolet is following its own roll-out schedule and regardless of some headlines, GM says it is not in a race with Nissan for the most units sold.
“We are not competing with Leaf,” Peterson said. “We can’t sell what we don’t have and we haven’t had Volts to sell.”
But now Chevrolet dealers are getting new Volts to sell, and GM does have a sales goal to meet. To accomplish it, a comparative flood of Volts is arriving at a growing number of locations.
“As of today there are approximately 700 Volts in dealer inventory at the nearly 2,100 Chevrolet dealers in 27 states currently selling the Volt,” Peterson said. “The number of dealers will grow to 2,600 by the end of the year.”
Additionally many more Volts are on the way, he said.
“There are also 1,700 Volts in transit (on average it takes about 14 days for a Volt to travel by truck and train to our launch market dealers which are primarily on the coasts),” he said.
GM is “filling the pipeline as quickly as possible,” Peterson said, “with a more consistent flow of retail units on their way to dealers.”
Peterson noted an additional 600 Volts were shipped to dealers as demos this month, bringing the total number of demos to 2,000.
Having finished its best month so far, the Volt’s year-to-date sales total is around 3,896 units, Peterson said.
This means for the three months of October through December, Chevrolet must sell 6,104 units in North America. That’s around 60 percent of the year’s total goal inside of the last quarter.
Assuming this will be accomplished, we ought to be seeing a fair increase in the number of Volts on the road within the next 90 days.
Peterson reiterated the bottom line is this: By year’s end, GM projects 10,000 Volts for U.S. retail deliveries, 2,500 allocated for demo units, 3,500 for export.
“Some will be in-transit (especially exports),” Peterson said, “but we’ll definitely hit this target.”
This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 at 5:55 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
+4
Oct 4th, 2011 (6:50 am)Fox says sales increased 240%. Fun number but a spin nonetheless.
+7
Oct 4th, 2011 (7:17 am)“Best month so far, but we’re only getting started,” he said.
Peterson reiterated the bottom line is this: By year’s end, GM projects 10,000 Volts for U.S. retail deliveries, 2,500 allocated for demo units, 3,500 for export.
“Some will be in-transit (especially exports),” Peterson said, “but we’ll definitely hit this target.”
Throughout this whole process, GM has steadfastly met its targets. You can take these numbers to the bank.
+23
Oct 4th, 2011 (7:25 am)I order a Volt 25 Aug and I am so excited. I have also installed a dedicated 120v and a 240v
Ele line, Stillwater, Oklahoma
+3
Oct 4th, 2011 (7:40 am)Good move installing both. That’s what I did last spring.
+28
Oct 4th, 2011 (7:50 am)They started 2012 model year production at the end of July.
My car was produced on September 27th, and it is # C-5277.
So in about two months, they built over 5000 Volts.
I expect to see some vastly improved sales numbers at the end of October.
You can count mine as one of those in less than three hours!!!!!!
I will have to change my saying from:
NPNS (No Plug, No Sale)
to
HPBV (Has Plug, Bought Volt)
Thanks GM and the GM Volt Team! You Did Good!
+8
Oct 4th, 2011 (7:56 am)OT: Florida-Meet-and-Greet-on-October-16-national-plug-in-day, 10AM:
Here’s your chance to Ride & Drive —& and ask Volt Owners any questions! Located near Disney main entrance just off HWY 192. Two free charge ports 120 and 240V. Large TV’s for any games.
Please RSVP me at nasaman@earthlink.net (so Buffalo Wild Wings knows how many to expect)
+6
Oct 4th, 2011 (8:14 am)I’m happy to see they are increasing the production numbers…finally. The cars need to be there at the dealerships for people to see, drive, and experience. That is going to be the big thing that sells these cars. I’m hoping that Peterson’s projections are not only met, but far exceeded!
+1
Oct 4th, 2011 (9:19 am)Great.
Much better news than yesterday.
Oct 4th, 2011 (9:26 am)That’s some good hard data. Very interesting. I think we said a month or so ago that they were going to have to make 2500/mo to make their bogey.
+6
Oct 4th, 2011 (9:33 am)The Volts will go like hotcakes once all 50 states have them!
+7
Oct 4th, 2011 (9:58 am)Great post Jeff. Makes me wonder about Lyle’s original Volt waiting list. It would be nice to see how many people on that list actually have bought or leased a Volt. Is that list still on the site?
NPNS!
Volt#671
Oct 4th, 2011 (9:59 am)Ha – innumeration there, but on the good-side. Sales increase was 140% over prior month for both Sept. and Aug.
If you have 100 and then have 240, then that is an increase of 140%. 240 is 240% of original number of 100, though, and that is what they printed – but it’s not an “increase by” number.
The really interesting number is not the 10,000 this year for delivery – but the 60,000 worldwide number for calendar year 2012. That will mean 50-states, Canada, Europe and maybe even other destinations. If 60K is in the cars, I suspect we will see some of the GM incentive programs put into place at end of quarter times. Maybe even end of December, this year for a final push to 10K delivered in calendar year 2011.
+3
Oct 4th, 2011 (10:27 am)Visiting Oklahoma City last week, I asked a Chevy dealership about Volt orders. Best answer I heard was that there are 250 orders statewide. The sales persons had just finished their Volt training and were pleased to hear the details of my satisfaction with the Volt.
It’s exciting to read about the deliveries. Looking forward to reading about the 2012 improvements. Enjoy your Volts!
+2
Oct 4th, 2011 (10:30 am)Re: Meet and Greet in FL
Well, I won’t be here in FL then, and I don’t have my Volt yet anyway. Maybe next time.
But,
As I thought of the parking lot there in central FL filling up with Volts, I suddenly pictured what a FL Meet and Greet would be for Leafs (leaves?). Each Leaf would require two parking spaces, front to back, for the towed generator they had to bring with them to make it to central FL
-28
Oct 4th, 2011 (11:14 am)(click to show comment)
+9
Oct 4th, 2011 (11:31 am)You’re making it way too complicated. All you have to know is, as Rob Peterson has pointed out, “You can’t sell what you don’t have”. This should not be so hard. This is not a sales problem, it’s a supply limitation.
Volts aren’t sitting on lots, a fact which you can see by the very short time between when the car goes out the gate at the factory and when the customer sale occurs. When the pipeline fills the sales numbers will go up. It really is that simple.
With respect to your own shopping needs, I saw someone saying that the family income for a Volt buyer was $175K. If true, that’s higher than for Mercedes and BMW, at the very top of the GM customer base, and far above what you’d find with the Prius or other hybrid. This suggests the Volt will be more popular with shoppers looking at a BMW 5 or 3 series than someone looking at a hybrid. Different mind set and budget.
+5
Oct 4th, 2011 (11:32 am)unni,
These reasons may become more valid some day (well, a couple of them anyway), but right now there is only ONE reason: not enough supply to meet the demand. Period, amen.
+2
Oct 4th, 2011 (11:32 am)“As of today there are approximately 700 Volts in dealer inventory at the nearly 2,100 Chevrolet dealers in 27 states currently selling the Volt,” Peterson said. “The number of dealers will grow to 2,600 by the end of the year.”
Incentives? Look at it this way. To sell 10,000 from now to 31 December, GM needs to sell 2005 units a month. That monthly amount is from a total of 6104 must be sold from dealer floors, if we ignore fleet sales for now. With 2600 dealers that means each dealer must sell .77 units for the month of December. That seems IMO like a very conservative number.
+11
Oct 4th, 2011 (11:36 am)The other day we were comparing notes on the forum as to how many miles people have driven Volts on minimal gasoline. 9000 miles on 18 gallons in my case, and others have done way better than that.
Some one suggested imagining thousands of Volts on the roads and the consequent dramatic lowering of gas consumption, oil imports, and $$ hemorrhaging out of the US. Pretty dramatic when you think of it. I can’t remember who said it, but an inspiring thought for sure.
Man, I hope that they sell millions of them!
+6
Oct 4th, 2011 (11:40 am)#16
That ain’t me, baby, LOL.
+5
Oct 4th, 2011 (11:41 am)INVITE
I see some people are getting new Volts soon, or just did. If you want to help out others, you can contact me and we can post a story about your experience.
Thanks,
jcobb@verticalscope.com
+7
Oct 4th, 2011 (11:42 am)It’s important to note that GM is stressing DELIVERIES, not sales for the 10,000 U.S. units figure. How much do you want to bet that sales fall slightly short because of transit time, then all the haters jump all over GM/Volt as a failure because of this claimed missed projection which is really a misunderstanding.
He says, “We’re still on track to deliver 10,000 units to dealers for retail delivery (producing 16,000 in total for 2011),”
and,
“Some will be in-transit (especially exports),” Peterson said, “but we’ll definitely hit this target.”
+1
Oct 4th, 2011 (11:52 am)unni,
Those are all good points unni. Many can be debated. Many are similiar to what any new technology will face. The solution is time, and word of mouth from real owners. This time next year, it will be interesting to reflect on 2010 and 2011.
+7
Oct 4th, 2011 (12:12 pm)Good to see more and more nay sayers being proven wrong.
I remember many people saying GM would never build the Volt…
This is just getting fun to watch… sort of like when a BMW passed me last week (after tailgating me for no reason) as I slowed down when I saw a unmarked police car on the side of the road… it was really fun seeing the Police Dodge Charger jump off the side of the road in my rear view mirror then fly past me and close on the speeding BMW with no effort at all… just plain entertaining to see nit wits getting a dose of reality.
+3
Oct 4th, 2011 (12:46 pm)I am on that list, but I am still waiting for the Chevy Volt to be offered in Puerto Rico. Maybe you can suggest to bring out the list, check off those who have their Volts, and just do a countdown in number only for those who ordered and are waiting for deliveries, and for those who are still waiting to place an order. As the Volt sales increase, check off the list for delivered Volts, and see what happens in a year. The remainder would be those who bought something else.
Unni’s post has so many incorrect assumptions that it isn’t worth the trouble to reply. Just ignore them and watch how soon his post gets voted off.
Raymond
-24
Oct 4th, 2011 (12:50 pm)(click to show comment)
+2
Oct 4th, 2011 (12:50 pm)To sell over 6,000 units in the last three months of the year, GM has to really get things going. I hope they can do it. Still waiting on my dealer to call me for a test drive when their demo comes in.
+2
Oct 4th, 2011 (1:00 pm)Yes I think so too!
Thanks Nelson.
The list and signup are still there.
At the top of the page it says “Join Us” (to sign up) –
http://gm-volt.com/join-us/
This is the list data –
http://gm-volt.com/wait-list-data/
Total People Currently waiting for a Volt: 54,034
+14
Oct 4th, 2011 (1:03 pm)I already had a 120v in my garage, bought the 240v from SPX for <$500, spent <$200 on install cost. 30% tax rebate on that stuff. Here's the beauty…my neighbor has a volt and just uses 120v out of their existing 120v plug in their garage. Cost $0. That is the great thing about the Volt is that is an option … but not on the LEAF as you have to buy the 240v L2 charger.
+2
Oct 4th, 2011 (1:06 pm)check out http://www.voltstats.net/
Doing a quick check, this person(Serial # 2011-01711 YaVolt!) has 12K miles and only 700 of them were on gas. So figure only 20 gallons of gas. Similar to your situation.
Oct 4th, 2011 (1:13 pm)jeffhre,
Should be .78 units per dealer @ #18. typing error corrected…
+2
Oct 4th, 2011 (1:40 pm)I noticed that too. Great point. The more important piece is that they’re making 15K units.
If you have a 120V dedicated line you don’t need a 240V dedicated line. Even with a 240V, you can probably do it for $1000 if you’re willing to use a 240V charger that uses a dryer outlet (no permitting fees) and willing to live with a one year warranty. Plus there is the 30% tax credit.
+2
Oct 4th, 2011 (1:51 pm)I’m unclear about this. Here is why: If you have a product that is going to make consistent but small improvements then you want to bring out iterations more quickly. But if you have some big technology then you would prefer to wait.
Think about the ELR. I figured that this would come out in 2013 as a MY 2014. But what if the Volt in 2014 or 2015 is going to have far better technology? Would you still do that and risk having the ELR become obsolete in one or two years, or would you wait and release the ELR at the same time as the Gen II Volt with the higher tech? Ditto for any other variation.
So I’m not sure exactly how to react to what seems to be a delay in rolling out Voltec alternatives. Does it indicate that Gen II is really going to be good? Or does it indicate that GM is just moving slowly? Don’t know. In any case I’m not too bummed because the Volt is very very good. If it were rough around the edges or something then I would be waiting for an upgrade. But it’s darn good as it sits.
Oct 4th, 2011 (1:57 pm)What is the charging cord that comes with the Volt rated at? What happens if you plug it into a 240V outlet and also to your Volt? If this is no good, are there any aftermarket chargers that will plug into 240V outlets for sale in the US?
Oct 4th, 2011 (2:00 pm)Another OT: has anyone driven their Volt into Mexico yet, and were there any issues?
+2
Oct 4th, 2011 (2:32 pm)Funny. The article says :
“Sales of the $39,995 Chevrolet Volt increased 240 percent in September, from 302 units in August to 723.”
Last time I checked, 723 over 302 is 139,4% increase. How exactly do they make their calculations at Fox ?
At least, it’s positive spin this time around…
+2
Oct 4th, 2011 (2:48 pm)50% of all Fox stats are true!
+1
Oct 4th, 2011 (2:49 pm)Hi Jeff,
I think what Nelson meant was : how many that signed up on that list back then bought a Volt already ? Better yet, how many that didn’t buy yet are still expecting to buy a Volt when it becomes available ?
That would be an interesting data to have. But maybe some people who signed up are just not following this site anymore. It doesn’t even mean they are not going to buy a Volt.
Hum…
+2
Oct 4th, 2011 (3:04 pm)Maybe the dbase could have fields added that we could update saying what the VIN number is and the date purchased?
Also, sometimes I get emails from this site. Maybe Jeff could email the base if/when the above change is made.
-1
Oct 4th, 2011 (3:19 pm)#37
I wouldn’t bet on it, LOL!
+2
Oct 4th, 2011 (3:21 pm)#38
I did. So there’s one anyway, LOL. I was like number 875 or something.
+5
Oct 4th, 2011 (3:24 pm)That list was established as a means of expressing interest, created long before details about the production model were available.
Like other lists of its kind, expect only a small fraction of those interested to end up making a purchase.
It would be better to establish a new list for ordered & received info.
Oct 4th, 2011 (3:28 pm)#34
The charger that comes with the Volt is 120v. I think if you plug it into 240 it goes up in smoke, LOL. I believe that Voltec either has, or is just about to come out with, a 240v model that plugs into a dryer outlet. The only question is the plug configuration, because there are 3 prong and 4 prong plugs/receptacles out there. So it’s important to double check and see if the plug on the unit is compatible with your outlet.
Others are more up to speed on this and will probably chime in. I think that the chargers have 4 prong plugs. My dryer outlet was 40 years old and only had 3. There is some issue around the ground or some such if you have the older style like mine. I finally said to heck with it and got the hard wired model
Oct 4th, 2011 (3:35 pm)Hi DonC,
This was what I was thinking about doing since I have both summer and winter residences here in AZ.
Which unit is the best way to go??
Oct 4th, 2011 (3:56 pm)The charging cords for the Ampera will be rated for 240V (Europe). But, could I use one of those cords on a US Volt? If I wire up a dedicated outlet at my home for 240V, and get one of those cords (but with a US plug end), I’d be all set for 240V charging w/out paying $1600 (or whatever the cost is for a 240V charger + installation).
+4
Oct 4th, 2011 (4:04 pm)I may have someone in my area interested in a Volt who was about to turn away and do another deal on something European. Going to try to help him through the deal in the next month. Adding to the success – one at a time.
+3
Oct 4th, 2011 (4:06 pm)#42 I agree that a new list would be a worthwhile addition.
Suggest something along this line:
Rank on original list.
State/Country
Status: Purchased, Ordered, Still interested, no longer interested, no reply.
Reason why you haven’t bought one yet (if applicable). Cost, availability, decided to buy a competitors product, bought another GM product, no tax rebate (versus credit), waiting for Gen. II. etc.
Things you like about Volt, and things you’d like to see (or see changed).
I would think such a survey would be interesting data for GM. Perhaps even a few of the other automakers too.
+3
Oct 4th, 2011 (4:37 pm)I was somewhere in the 24,000′s on the original list, bought 2011 volt – #1883. Had to travel 200 miles to a launch state to get it. Loving every minute of it!
Oct 4th, 2011 (5:09 pm)==========================
SPX now has a unit that can be plugged into a 240 V outlet. The call it the SPX Power Express. But as I recall, they had it priced at about $750. The hard wired Voltec unit is priced at $490. So if you really need a portable unit, it is available.
+6
Oct 4th, 2011 (5:22 pm)I just looked. I was # 1196 on Lyle’s list. I have been here since March, 2007.
I am, as of today, the proud owner of a 2012 Volt – # C-5277.
It is truly a fantastic car!!!
I will contact Jeff after I get a few miles on the odometer.
Enough typing – I am going for a ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HPBV
PS: I highly recommend Sweeney Chevrolet in Youngstown, Ohio. The price was MSRP. They gave me a very good trade in allowance for my 2004 Chrysler Crossfire. The owner, sales manager, and service manager all came out to say hello and thank you. My sales rep, Beth, had all the paperwork ready to go. There was no pressure in the finance office. And they spent a lot of time going over all of the features available on the car and got the OnStar all set up for me. It was a very good experience! They had three Volts come in, and they are all sold. That says a lot.
+5
Oct 4th, 2011 (5:28 pm)OT – but still interesting…
We were invited to bring our Demo Volt to the “Plug-In Electric Vehicle Workshop Hosted by Western Riverside Council of Governments and Western Riverside County Clean Cities”… (what a mouthful)… Anyway, Mitsubishi brought an iMiev for Ride and Drive. It is MUCH SMALLER in person than I thought it would be. It is extremely light weight. The doors are so thin, I don’t see how they offer any protection. I did not get a chance to drive it, but the funny part was that the guy who brought it “absolutely has to have ’12 bars’ of charge or he will not make it home to Orange County”.
The Ford rep had a trailer with a 240-v charger on it. When I first arrived, I had used up the 40 miles of EV range on the Volt so I was plugged in just to pick up a few miles for the Ride and Drives. But the Mitsubishi guy was kinda desperate, and they asked if I would let him charge up first. “No problem”, I said. So I switched parking spots with the iMiev so he could top it off.
I can see many pure EV owners keeping an eye out for ANY opportunity to pick up a few miles of charge. Volt owners will never have to worry like that.
Oct 4th, 2011 (5:43 pm)Then maybe I should just put a plug on the 490$ SPX unit. I only need to move it every 6 months.
Oct 4th, 2011 (5:55 pm)I think the internals of the Ampera charger will be different. Still single phase but the 120V EVSE that comes with the Volt doesn’t seem like it’s ready for 240V prime time. So it will involve more than simply changing out the cord. You’d need the entire charger. You could buy the charger and replace the socket, that should work.
There isn’t any clear cut winner. The best deal for a hard wired unit is the Voltec. It costs under $500. But it may require a permit and of course it’s not really very portable. Jim mentioned the SPX Power Express. https://www.homecharging.spx.com/Volt/Display.aspx?id=25&menu=13 That’s portable and has variable voltage. Plus no permit or inspection and you could move it between locations easily. All good. But it’s more like $750 and I saw they were threatening a price increase. There is also an upgraded Leaf charger which has the same set of advantages and is probably as good. http://evseupgrade.com/styled/?x
If I were constantly moving between the locations, depending on the price of installation, I’d probably lean towards the Voltec hardwired. If it was a “sometimes” thing then I’d lean towards the portable chargers. You can find lots of discussion about the SPX and some other chargers in this thread over in the Nissan Forum. http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1442
Oct 4th, 2011 (6:17 pm)DonC,
thx for the links DonC.
One of the guys (Scottf) on the forum did an installation on the ceiling w/ a retractable cord.
Do you remember where that thread is ?? I can’t find it.
Oct 4th, 2011 (7:50 pm)I like the i-Miev. It’s definitely the second or third car but it’s cheap and cute and decently safe (as compared to a Smart). I think of it as the new VW Bug (talk about unsafe at any speed! LOL). Some people where I am have three cars for two drivers and one of them drives 15 miles a day. Perfect fit.
Nice of you to let him charge BTW. EV terror strikes.
Oct 4th, 2011 (8:08 pm)Sorry George I don’t. Why not send him a PM? I know he checks them.
Oct 4th, 2011 (8:24 pm)kdawg,
I wonder if the Volt slow charging port has some small print, such as 100-240v AC, like many switching mode power supplies. It seems that type of power supply would be the best for something sold the WORLD over.
Oct 4th, 2011 (8:25 pm)DonC,
“”I think of it as the new VW Bug”"
I was thinking that today when I was looking at the Prius and I am not being sarcastic. The original VW bug line was great (I had a 66 bug and a 58 bus). Goes back w/ your thinking about leaving the Volt alone till 2015. It’s a good thing.
Oct 5th, 2011 (2:19 pm)JimI congratulations on a very memorable day for you
Oct 7th, 2011 (8:06 am)So excited that Volts will be sold in my area next month. My dealer is less than a mile away.
+2
Oct 9th, 2011 (11:39 am)As an outsider looking at the volt with the buzz and promise it had on rollout I find this to be unacceptable. I have not seen one in my neck of the woods. Price aside I think GM is dropping the ball on this EV again. Sorry but I think these company execs shoud take a month off and study Steve Jobs art of product focus and delivery. Not in a sales competition with the leaf…laugh this is an excuse for failure. Selling a few volts here and there will not change the market or make inroads with reducing foreign oil.