A current lease offer for the Chevrolet Volt (expiring on September 4) is $2,529 down, and $260 a month for 36 months — a lower monthly payment than what the Mercedes-Benz C250 was going for last month. That’s pretty good for a car that costs almost $40,000 without the tax incentives. But it’s not as good as what PluginCars.com is reporting the Volt is going for. Try a two-year lease for $249 a month, with $2,479 due at signing, or a three-year lease at $268 a month, with only $999 paid upfront from some unnamed dealerships. If true, that’s a steal.
While this may contribute to the sales jump for the Volt, it’s still well known that GM isn’t making money on the car. But with hints of much more affordable electric vehicles on the horizon, the company may be alright with the Volt carrying out the role of a loss leader.
Comments
Those are some screamin’ deals.
I’ve never leased before, but a lease makes sense with Volt when you think about it, in part because the $7500 tax rebate is only relevant to folks who make enough each year to owe Uncle Sam $7500 – which isn’t the majority of us, for sure. So the lease bakes in the tax rebate for all of us.
Surprising to many is the luxury ride and experience of driving a Volt. The sheer quiet and smoothness is fantastic, along with that 100% torque off the line from 0 rpm. It’s such a different experience – but owners adapt to it quickly, and then get into their traditional internal combusted-auto tranny car and realize just what a paradigm shift Volt is! How often in the past have you ever heard anyone compare a Chevy to a Mercedes, BMW, Infinity or Lexus?
No plug-no sale. Let’s see more Volts on the road. A very good thing indeed.
Hopefully this will create a buzz….
How is it that GM Canada can charge 848 per month with 2800 down on a 3yr lease without tax….seems like an epic fail to me.
I don’t see a problem with the Volt being a loss leader for now, think of those lost dollars as money that went to marketing – every Volt seen on the street gives GM or Chev some good PR – just as the Prius did for Toyota, it creates a good image. There were people who sold their H2’s to get Sequoia’s just because of Toyotas MPG image, they didn’t believe the EPA ratings which show the Sequoia is no better.
Someone who doesn’t pay $7500 a year in income taxes should probably be looking at something less expensive than the Volt in the first place, unless it’s some rich person who cheats on their taxes to avoid paying their share.
Angelo,
I agree, Canadians get shafted (or to be more Canadian) “hosed” by “somebody” the auto dealers and manufacturers claim it isn’t them and thus far no one that I’ve contacted in the Canadian Government (my MP, var other MP’s, several cabinet ministers and the PMO has even contacted me with an explanation. Seems anyone who wants their elected representatives to answer their questions is “a nut” !
I encourage all Canadian “car nuts” to query their MP’s and see if we can at least get some comment , other than the typical political platitudes promising a forthcoming explanation which is not going to happen. Why do we pay a third more than Americans, even for vehicles which are MADE IN CANADA !
Alex, I’d like your take on this. I began this quest for an answer nearly 15 years ago when we bought our 1st new Corvette, at that time I was just curious and assumed it was only on certain cars. the explanation then was “the difference between the two dollar values” but that’s been gone for some years and we are still paying an average of 30% more !!
Wouldn’t you be suspicious ? The lack of even some official explanation has made me so, In the USA, this would be a scandal but in Canada, the Governmemt’s attitude is “ignore it (the question ) and it will go away” …and so far it has worked !