978 Bolts, 2,132 Volts sold in March
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Pretty good given the limited number of states the Bolt is selling in.
2nd best March ever for the Volt (only March 2012 was better), and the Bolt continues to chug along while only available in a handful of states.
I bet the Bolt could have eclipsed 1k sales, but NY didn't activate their $2k EV rebate till 1 April, so potential Bolt purchasers in NY were likely holding off till they could claim the rebate.
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It is interesting to watch the Bolt go through its roll-out after seeing the Volt do it in 2011. It literally took almost 2 years for Volt sales to stabilize, and we can expect to see the same with the Bolt.
Bolt sales numbers in March are right where they should be...
Bolt sales numbers in March are right where they should be...
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Best first quarter for Bolt sales ever, too.
Current inventory:
2000 Bolt EVs on dealer lots, yet with 100s more in transit (Cars/Autotrader show 2500ish for sale but many in "in transit")...
4500 Volts on dealer lots...
http://insideevs.com/chevrolet-volt...bolt-ev-sales-struggle-with-inventory-issues/
2000 Bolt EVs on dealer lots, yet with 100s more in transit (Cars/Autotrader show 2500ish for sale but many in "in transit")...
4500 Volts on dealer lots...
http://insideevs.com/chevrolet-volt...bolt-ev-sales-struggle-with-inventory-issues/
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The plug-in scorecard is located on Inside EVs http://insideevs.com/monthly-plug-in-sales-scorecard/
If GM were to offer the same lease cash on Bolts that they are offering on Volts, I bet sales would approach closer to 2k. But GM is being a scrooge with incentives, so sales will likely remain in the 1k-1,500 range until the Bolt goes nationwide/incentives improve.
Bolt EV is generally selling for MSRP (accordong to truecar, maybe $700 off) where the Volt is selling about 10% or more off (close to $4k). Not bad. Also, Bolt EV is being produced for international markets where I suspect sales could equal or exceed US demand. Korea sold 400 in 2 hours and had orders for 2000 more.
Overall agree...Half of the problem isn't the actual incentive amount but rather the advertised deal/offer...Go on chevy's deal page/Truecar/Edmonds and click on lease and there's nothing...Click on the Volt and in my zip it says there's a $2XXX down, $299/mo lease special...Would love to hear with the Spark EV/Volt/Bolt EV what the lease/purchase ratio is...Many analysts believe 55%+ lease...
Most of those orders are investments...GM uses the allocation system even in Korea, so the 400 in 2 hours wasn't necessarily customer pre-orders, it was dealerships requesting as many as they can...If and when we hear a story that a Korean dealers is wanting the equivalent of $5000-$10000 OVER MSRP, we'll know why...Even just having a few on your lot will creates some hype/exposure...If you're a Korean Dealership employee in charge of inventory, and didn't at least try to get a piece or Bolt EV's limited allocation, you can bet the dealership owner would not be happy...
Despite Apple Air Pods being released in December, if you try to buy them today through retail channels, it's about a six week wait to receive them...Yet if we look at Amazon/eBay, many will happily offer you a set at about $100 over what retail is charging...
> 978 Bolts, 2,132 Volts sold in March
Seems like there's more demand for Volts and Bolts, even taking into account the Volt is available nationwide, and the Bolt is still ramping up availability. Some would be Volt/Bolt buyers figure 53 miles of EV range is good enough, especially given the Bolt's higher price, and the Bolt's limited ability to do long distance traveling. And would be buyers place a lot of emphasis on the super-charging network, which explains Tesla's sales.
Supercharging is only one of many factors...Many EV owners have another ICE vehicle in their stable which they use for distance trips for sole reason of skipping charging stations...
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On my way into Detroit today I passed a couple of car haulers carrying Ampera Es. They were wrapped in white plastic and I could only see the Opel logo on the non-wrapped wheels. So the Bolt numbers released today do not count Opels or Canadian sales. Also don't count ride sharing fleet sales which were supposed to be a large chunk of early Bolt production. The factory is busy even though there is only a meager 2000 inventory.
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