Yupp, you read that right: the Chevrolet Volt has outsold every electric vehicle on the planet in 2012, tripling its deliveries to 30,900 units in 2012 (over 2011) and beating the Toyota Prius plug-in (27,181 sales) and Nissan Leaf (25,435 sales). Coincidentally, the Leaf was the leader in 2011.
While analysts predict EV sales to grow 89 percent to 225,000 units in 2013, demand has fallen short of original expectations by each of the three automakers set out years earlier.
“The lower sales compared to prior forecasts are a disappointment to auto manufacturers and more significantly to their battery suppliers,” wrote Ali Izadi-Najafabadi, an analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
The United States accounted for 46 percent of the 2012 EV sales (including plug-in hybrids); Japan and Europe tied for second place with 23 percent each, while EV sales in China decreased on an annual basis — the only market in the world to see a decline in EV sales.
Last week, General Motors CEO Dan Akerson announced that the automaker was taking a unique approach to EV development by working on two electric vehicle technologies, one of which will deliver a 200 mile range. The chief executive also confirmed the automaker’s commitment to have half a million vehicles on the road with some form of electrification by 2017. One of these will be the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV.
The GM Authority Take
Yupp, the oh-so-hated-by-the-ill-informed-and-ignorant Volt was the top-selling EV in the world last year, proving that range anxiety is still a concern among EV buyers while lending credence to GM’s strategy of making an extended-range electric vehicle in the Volt.
That said, it’s important to keep in mind that the metric that’s most pertinent to the developing EV segment is that of year-over-year growth. In that regard, the Volt is also winning, with a 300 percent year-over-year increase in sales. Booyah!
Comments
i think the volt is a great vehicle but its still costs too much, i understand new technology costs more. i have been debating whether to get the new impala ltz or the volt i still have not made a decision. the tax rebates are pretty awesome on the volt though. Im also waiting for the new cts and chevy ss to come out
@chevyman18 I would lease a Volt. You get all the rebates up-front, wrapped into the low monthly payment of $350:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2010/07/chevrolet-volt-starts-at-41000-350-monthly-lease/
A hat tip to you, Alex, on the leasing of an Amazing Chevy Volt Extended Range Electric Vehicle-
At Chevrolet’s National Lease Campaign of $329.00 a month, 12,000 a year…
Source-
Chevrolet.com/volt
I save over $200.00 a month after bout’ a buck a day electric. This then gives me a Net Cost to Drive of less then $129.00 a month Net/Net-
Here Is my blog on the topic. A little dated but all the references work-
http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?11367
-Also 2nd hit google search: Volt NCD
Best-
Thomas J. Thias
@AmazingChevVolt
Hell yea it was the best seller!
Hopefully we will get new battery tech in it and reduce the price by $2500. Then again GM will probably take most of the savings and turn it into profit. Gotta believe the Volt is not profitable today.
This was not a negative comment. GM needs to make a profit and if they can reduce the cost they need to take some of that savings for the bottom line.
Cannot return to the days when we made up losses by selling more volume. Did not work out very well.
The electric car market and Volt are like a tree. Sales will continue to grow with time. Unless they get some pesky beetle to kill it.
This is a game where GM needs to sell their system as the best as it will make all other have to go back and reinvest to match GM in their choice of system. Toyota has billions wrapped up in the Prius and has a lot to lose if GM continues to grow the Voltec system.
Unfortunately, it’s not good to be the leader selling a money loser. Much better to be the leader selling a popular sedan, like the Camry that has gobs of profit. The Volt was heaily subsidized by Obama, so we’ll never know what the profit really is, I’m sure it’s negative or low. Too bad they aren’t the hybrid leader, that would help boost their image- I think the Prius has that title.
It’s hard for the Volt be a hybrid sales leader when it isn’t a hybrid to begin with.
theres different categories in hybrids… volt is a plug in hybrid and sold more than anybody else including your beloved toyota prius plug in smart guy
Point taken about not wanting to be the best at selling something at a loss. But follow the history of the Prius and you’ll see that getting market share in a new segment will make a huge difference once the battery prices fall and the segment starts to get much bigger (better to be making money on them when the segment is large than to only get in the game at that point and be losing money on a larger numbers of units overall than what’s sold today…)
The Chevy Volt was conceived, designed, and put into production before the current administration. Yes there are subsidies, but they go to ALL electric vehicles, not just the Volt. Furthermore, those subsidies predate the Obama administration and were in fact first put in place under the Bush Administration when it signed Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008. So the Chevy Volt, including its first subsidies, predate the Obama Administration.
Now President Obama has said just over a year ago (in his 2012 budget proposal) he would like to increase the rebate to $10,000 and make it payable to the person selling the car, who would ostensibly pass those savings on to the customers (to ensure no one fails to take advantage of it by messing it up on their taxes).
What I so love about the Toyota Prius Plug In is that it reminds me of my old flip cell phone from many years ago. Had to plug the thing in every other hour to use it.
Now this is like the tiny battery in the New Toyota Prius Plug In- 6 to 11 mile All Electric Range, well, as long as I don’t accelerate to much at least avoiding gas engine assist.
http://www.toyota.com/prius-plug-in/#!/features
This compares vary poorly to the Amazing Chevy Volt Extended Range- Summer of 38-55+ A.E.R. ( All Electric Range ) and Winter of 25- 35 A.E.R. for bout a buck a charge!
So, wow, not surprised when I read this from Toyota Chairman Uchiyamada-
“What Toyota Chairman Uchiyamada said…Last Summer-
“The current capabilities of electric vehicles do not meet society’s needs, whether it may be the distance the cars can run, or the costs, or how it takes a long time to charge.”
What Toyota Chairman Uchiyamada really ment…
The current capabilities of OUR electric vehicles do not meet society’s needs, whether it may be the distance the cars can run, or the costs, or how it takes a long time to charge.
The Toyota Prius Plug In- Max all electric range- 11 miles? Closer to 6 mile all electric range in some uses? Gasoline engine running under load?
Non the less- Welcome aboard Toyota Plug In-
Best-
Thomas J. Thias
The Amazing Chevy Volt EREV- Facts Guy
@AmazingChevyVolt
Ray Wert’s mom loves her Volt and that’s good enough for me!
But really, if I’m buying a cars who primary propulsion source is a battery, it’s going to be a Volt. Anything within 100km is a short drive for me, and school/work are 25/20km each way, so I need the worry free flexibility.
The Volt has the looks inside and out, and the proper technology.
Gas inching towards $5.00 a gallon will boost all cars with plugs. Who
can beat refueling at leisure in your garage. Soon wireless charging
will be perfected – it’s already available, then just drive your car over
the charge unit and that’s it!
How could anyone buy an SS, LTZ, CTS or P.O.O.P. while making
car pmts, AND being chained to the gas pump where a fillup is gonna
set you back nearly a Benjamin???
Gas prices are volatile, and as more and more people get sick of it –
and sick of funding Hoodlums like the late Mr. Chavez and his
EVEN MORE CRAZY successor, they’ll buy hybrids and plug-ins.
– and how about all those nice bearded men overseas wearing
headscarves and funding terror attacks on America?!! Don’t you
want to buy a nice SS, an Escalade, Tahoe,
Suburban or Heavy Duty pickup and just help those poor poor men
buy more golden Rolls Royces, Bentleys and Bugattis?
Since last time when I pointed out how much of our gasoline comes
from IMPORTED OIL – and who sells it to us – I was hated quite a
bit – and even called “racist”!!!! LOL – I must print this disclaimer
saying I love humankind, I love all mankind, every creed, color and
socio-economic soul. I just think tossing our national security for
horsepower and gas pigs is insane. Go read the profit margins
for U.S. oil companies on the financial page – then get back to me.
Still want to buy a gas pig?
Volt’s looking a lot more attractive as gas prices surge higher and
higher!
Gas already is, and has been $5/gallon in Canada for a year. People aren’t rushing out to buy EVs like it’s the end of the world. Trucks are still in high demand, as are premium/luxury vehicles.
Also, the US gets the most part of it’s oil from Canada (25%) and South/Latin America (Mexico 12%, Venezuela 10%), not really a huge national security concern. Only 10% comes from the middle east. Countries import what they do not have.
And what do you mean chained to the pump? Chained to the millions of convenient pumps across the US? How many charging, better yet, fast charging stations are there? I personally don’t want to be chained in to the distance of a batteries range.
You sound like ‘doomsdayist’… or a religious fanatic, exactly the kind of person people don’t want to listen to and the message they are trying to project is received worse because of their nut job attitude.
Also, what is the US’ #1 source for energy? Oil. So go ahead, plug in your EV, burn some oil.
Also, when I say gas has already been $5 in Canada for a year, it didn’t just jump to that price a year ago, it’s been plateaued around there for a long while. In 2008 it was $5.50
Well put, Andrew, from a Big Oil angle, however, with north of 1.5 Billion 110V/120V electrical outlets in North America, they are almost everywhere, we have been Electric Vehicle Charging ready for decades!
All Electric vehicles, BEV, PHEV, EREV, PHV’s Charge on !10V/120V!
Yup, 99 out of 100 people asked, do not know this- TELL THEM!
Best-
Thomas J. Thias
The Amazing Chevy Volt Extended Range Electric Vehicle- Facts Guy
@AmazingChevVolt
James, you would have to throw the oil companies in as being culprits, and ruin what I otherwise thought was a very nice post.
The oil companies are not the problem. They are actually providing exactly what you want and need, whether you are driving a Suburban or a Volt. Fuel prices are tied to the price of crude in the global market. American oil companies are almost insignificant in that equation. And if you think the profit margin is too high I would bet you are looking at it in terms of absolute dollars and not as a percent of capital employed.
Refineries, chemical plants, and oil rigs are extremely capital intensive. As an investor, would you throw your money at something like that expecting only a small return? I own stock in one of the large oil companies, and it has increased very little over the last 10 years. In fact, it was stagnant over the 7-day record run-up of the market this past week. But go ahead. Be ignorant with the masses. Blame the oil companies.
But the Volt does not meet the needs of many buyers and not because it is an electric. I just picked up 27 bd ft of quartersawn oak from the mill for a project I am working on. Sure, I could of somehow lashed it to the roof of a Volt or sedan but that is a bit more dangerous or less convenient than opening up the back of the Enclave.
People always act as if THEIR lifestyle is the same as everyone else. Not everybody has no kids and live in an apartment. Some of us have kids and need a vehicle for what WE do.
And the last comment is why hybrids are hated so much. Many cars are out there people like or dislike but we drive what we like and people are happy in their choice. Hybrid drivers seem to want to see an end to cars they dislike for everyone to drive what they see fit, dictator style & trying to knock the rest of the range of cars on sale too.
“Hybrid drivers seem to want to see an end to cars they dislike for everyone to drive what they see fit, dictator style & trying to knock the rest of the range of cars on sale too.”
Speaking of hystical uninformed opinions…
Daddy, for many of the Volt and Hybrid drivers their opinion is that the Hummer was the devil incarnate. Do you disagree that a hybrid is the choice of the “tree hugger” and that “tree huggers” hated the Hummer?
Not being negative but from what I have seen on the net this is pretty factual. Just look at the comments from many here on this site.
“Do you disagree that a hybrid is the choice of the “tree hugger” and that “tree huggers” hated the Hummer?”
I disagree. “Tree Huggers” don’t own a car, full stop. They walk or bike.
The Volt is a really good looking vehicle. Especially in black. Very classy. Parked side by side with a Leaf it would look like a Caddy next to a clown car.
I really wish the automakers would add just a bit of flexibility to their high investments in plug-in and/or hybrid technology. The Volt could have easily made it into my garage. All it needed was a slight variation in body style (a raised hatch to make the roof serviceable) and rack attachment points or an optional rail. This would open the car to a much broader market with minimal investment. It would be like offering a hatch variant to something built mainly as a sedan. Sound like a familiar need (a la our Cruze discussions)?
We certainly won’t look for this to happen in a GM product. Ford will have it when they offer rails for the C-Max. I believe that is coming.
The sites must be different up there in the Detroit area where all are trucks, SUVs, or sedans. Where I live (between Houston and Galveston) the coupe and hatchback are quite common. There are scores of that little “niche” vehicle too — the Mini Cooper — probably more than the “mainstream” Cruze and Sonic combined. We won’t see GM producing anything like that either.
Yep, that is it.
GM just needs to add integrated roof rack attachment points like VW (whoops they do not have them) and the Volt would be a best seller.
I keep hearing about this “rail” and have been looking at VW’s to see what the heck you are talking about. What VW car has them? Jetta/Passat/Golf do not have them.
Here is a pic of a Golf with a roof rack:
http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5128
@62vetteefp what VeranoHatch is referring to is the built-in integration points for the base carrier bars. If a VW (or Audi) doesn’t have the rails, then it has the mounting points.
The points are located in an area behind each door opening. They either look like holes, or holes ready to be “punched”/drilled.
Having these holes there allows for an integrated mounting of the base carrier bars, without using clips that usually scratch the roof and surrounding door materials.
OK, I found a youtube video showing how the roof rack attaches. Cool idea.
What other marques use this system? I have never seen it before and have looked at a lot of vehicles over the years.
To be honest though I cannot see this as being a huge driver for purchase consideration.
@62vetteefp As far as I know, VW/Audi and Ford use the roof rack bolt system. I’m sure others are using it as well, but I haven’t been looking until about a year ago.
As for it not being a significant driver of purchase consideration, perhaps. But it can only be a deterrent for those who do care about such a feature.
As you mention below (regarding sales of the Mini), it’s likely a regional thing. In Colorado and Utah, for instance, roof racks are very popular (for snow boards, skis, camping gear, etc.). In Miami, anyone who cares about style won’t be caught dead with a rack.
What it all comes down to for me is that NOT having the attachments/bolt points for the rack can only be a deterrent for those who care about it. Heck, @VeranoHatch is a prime example. He didn’t buy a GM vehicle… primarily because a Cruze/Verano hatch wasn’t available, and secondarily because of the feature-based intricacies (roof rack setup, DSG, direct injection, etc.).
So, it seems like a small and inexpensive feature for GM to implement (across the board) only to get the consideration and subsequent sales of a few customers. Why give them any reason to shop/buy a competing product?
“There are scores of that little “niche” vehicle too — the Mini Cooper — probably more than the “mainstream” Cruze and Sonic combined. ”
Lets put some facts in.
2012 mini Cooper sales:…….45,000
2012 Cruze sales…………….240,000
2012 Sonic sales……………….81,000
So perhaps where you live is different, different than the rest of the country since the MIni is not selling that well. The little Sonic handily outsells it without combining its sales with the Cruze.
Mini is a cool looking car but pretty unfunctional for most of the buyers out there. Perhaps you live in a “cool” area and the Mini is selling as a fad? Perhaps they need to make it in a hatchback to get its sales up?;)
So yes, GM probably will not be selling a Mini since the sales are pretty poor for a small car.
My guess is that this data is pretty much in proportion to the number of dealerships. It does not necessarily say anything about the true market for the car. I would not be surprised if the Chevrolet/Mini dealership ratio is actually much larger.
A few years ago a new Mini dealership opened in my suburban town — just the third to serve the entire Houston metropolitan area. This came at a time when many other dealerships were closing with the recession. My last visit there convinced me it was time to sell. They were overwhelmed with cars in line for service.
What this tells me is that people do want “niche” cars. They just have to be different (fashionable), fun to drive, and/or offer some kind of utility that is unique. (The Honda Fit, for example, has been very popular even though it offers mediocre performance. Why?) I’m not saying GM shouldn’t make its Suburbans, Silverados, and Malibus. I am saying that GM is losing opportunities that foreign makers seem to exploit from the other side of the earth.
The answer to your hatch/ roof rack is easy. Aerodynamics. Turn it into a hatch and you increase turbulent flow off the back of the car, which increases drag. That 40mile electric range could drop to 38miles. The overall efficient, MPGe, drops too.
Same goes for a roof rack which 1% of owners will use. Why force every Volt owner to have roof mounting when only VeranoHatch will use it.
Andrew, there is a 1 MPG difference between the typical sedan and its hatch variant on the highway. Maybe even less for city driving depending on weight. That’s a small price to pay to be able to use a Volt for many hauling needs that would otherwise require a Cruze hatch (now where do we get that one?) or perhaps next up in GM’s line — the Equinox (which is what Reuss really wants you to buy). Now that is a difference in fuel economy (Volt hatch versus Equinox).
As for the roof rack mounting being “forced” on every Volt owner, most people would not notice that they even have it, and it costs the automaker almost nothing. It’s simply a bolt hole thread on a raised strip of metal hidden beneath the stripping that covers the roof seams. (See Alex’s comments above.) On my Mazda, to use it you simply flip off a small 2-3 inch strip of plastic, secure the bolt for the rack tower, and attach the rack system. The real cost is on the rack suppliers (Thule, Yakima, etc.), who are more than happy to make them. I leave mine attached and have not noticed any loss in fuel economy. Of course I purchased aerodynamic cross bars, but there are systems out there that perform poorly (particularly square Thule bars). Maybe that was your experience. My preference (for looks) would be low profile rails (which do not hurt fuel economy) with removable, aerodynamic cross bars. (The rails could be optional.) GM doesn’t want to touch this sort of thing in small cars though because it might hurt SUV sales. For profit, they would have you buy and commute daily in a gas guzzler instead of supplying you with a smaller car with more utility and flexibility for the occasional need. What they don’t understand is all this does is drive (some customers like me) away from GM products. For those that like wasting fuel though (or who believe I should have kids like them) well then the current product line is just fine.
@Andrew — I think you may be misunderstanding the way in which the roof rack accessibility is implemented.
All they are is bolt holes behind the weather stripping where the door’s top-most frame would close. Integrated into the full-scale production (design and engineering) of a model range, they cost nothing. On top of that, their use is optional: if the user wants to bolt on a roof rack, he/she can do so with the built-in hardware, without having to scratch up the roof with non-boltable racks. Don’t want it? Then it’s not even noticeable!
Having lived in the Miami area for about 10 years, I have never even thought about a roof rack. Then I visited Colorado… roof racks are as popular as Corvettes and Camaros here (obviously that’s a man-says example, but you get my drift). It depends on the location, and I imagine that in certain areas/states, roof racks are immensely more popular than in others.
The point is that GM is putting itself at a disadvantage (on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis, and on a progressive-thinking/mind-share basis) by not giving its customers the ability to easily install roof racks. On top of that, it’s missing the opportunity to integrate its business vertically by not offering high-quality roof racks as official accessories — missing out on sales revenue. Guess who isn’t missing out on either? VW and Audi — both of which are threatening to eat GM’s lunch globally. Of course, offering a roof rack here and there won’t make or break GM, but it’s just one more feather in the hat of GM’s competitors, and one less feather in that of The General.
Anyway, here’s to hoping that with the increased globalization of Chevrolet and Cadillac, the roof rack issue will cease.
@VeranoHatch
To quote:
“It would be like offering a hatch variant to something built mainly as a sedan. Sound like a familiar need (a la our Cruze discussions)?”
We’ve all established that the Cruze hatch needs to be offerred in North America… the sad reality is that we know it won’t happen for this generation.
Heck, GM was in a seriously-difficult time when the current Cruze came out, and look at how well it’s performing.
In any event, Just wait a year or two… we shall talk then 🙂
My opinion on the range of cars ether right or wrong is if petrol is cheap or expensive there will always be a demand for 1.4’s & V8’s because that is what people want. As for future ranges I can see more diverse cars appearing from all over the globe as people seek a car for their needs & personality & that’s a good thing for us the customers. I don’t want to see any model dropped or axed.
Hummer has gone now and although not my cup of tea it surly had its fans & is probably missed by someone.
If I had a dollar for every 2012 Volt sold, would I be able to buy a Volt? Just a thought.
Yup-
Volt Stats World Wide Sales-
As Of March 31, 2013, pushing 44,000 in sales World Wide-
Pushing 35,000 in sales North America-
Source- Wikipedia.org ( Search- Chevy Volt )
Volt Drivers and Lessee’s have driven north of a quarter billion miles, North America of which over 164,000,000 million miles have been all electric, saving over 8.7 million gallons of gas!
Source- Chevrolet.com/volt ( Scroll Down on Page- OnStar Data Dump )
Best-
Thomas J. Thias
517-622-6081
@AmazingChevVolt
2013 first quarter sales were down over 30% from Q1 2012, allowing Tesla S to become the best selling EV. After the mandated (but not really needed) $5,000 battery tool fiasco there are fewer Volt dealers in the US. Are fewer sales just a coincidence?