General Motors pulled the plug on the Cadillac ELR last year, and it seems the related Chevrolet Volt will face a similar fate. According to AutoForecast Solutions, the Volt will exit production in 2022 at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant to make room for all-electric cars and crossovers.
It’s not the first time we’ve heard of the Volt’s demise, and it could only be in vehicle form, not name. This past July, a bombshell report claimed GM was reviewing a number of passenger cars and their futures. The Volt was among the handful of cars, which also included the Chevrolet Impala and Buick LaCrosse. The earlier report said the Volt would expire in 2020 and a plug-in crossover would replace it.
The new report doesn’t mention a direct successor but points to GM’s all-electric strategy as the main decider in the Volt’s fate. GM will introduce 20 new electric cars by 2023. We still think it’s possible a crossover could replace the Volt, but another plug-in hybrid like the Volt seems less certain by the month.
Comments
I’ve got a feeling this might be associated with GM electrifying their entire product line. We know they announced 20 BEVs in the next couple of years. What about the rest of the lineup? Will they continue to build and market conventional vehicles, or will even mainstream vehicles get electrified? I think all their vehicles will be electrified and what better propulsion system for mainstream users than the Voltec system used in the Volt. GM has the Voltec 2 motor transmission simplified to the point where it costs about the same, or less, to produce than a conventional automatic transmission. The big cost driver for Voltec driven cars is the battery, and GM appears to have confidence that they can drive battery costs down to a point where electric powered vehicles can compete with conventionally powered vehicles. That said, what’s the point of having a Volt when GM is also offering hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants of everything it builds using Voltec propulsion? Yup, I think the Volt will die but it’s DNA will live on in just about everything GM manufactures.
A lot of what made the Volt a Volt already died in the Volt…
Volt = PHEV, slow 0-60 (especially 30-60), slow 3.6KW charging w/o DCFC, huge battery buffer, T-Shaped battery invading the rear center, engineered to have “regular” brakes vs one pedal driving and a paddle that won’t even come to a complete stop…
Bolt EV = All EV, quicker 0-60 (especially 30-60), fast 7.2KW charging w/DCFC optional, minimal battery buffer, skateboard battery with flat floor, one pedal driving and the ability to come to a complete stop…
While it’s too late for the Volt now, beyond them picking the wrong segment (A Cruze vs an Equinox) had the Gen2 come out ironically with MPGs that was equal to it’s EV range, 53MPG, it probably would have sold far better…Far easier for GM and even journalists to market…Folks to this day still don’t understand what happens to the Volt when you run out of EV range…
GM will build what is commercially successful. Tesla gets much talk but is a niche brand with niche customers most of whom would buy a BMW long before a Chevrolet.
It will take a decade before EVs amount for even half of GM US output baring government action. GM may be one of the first big brands to the EV party but until there is demand this means little.
These EVs will do well in China, though.
GM has NOT build EVs/PHEV that are commercially successful…For the Gen1 Volt GM had to give it a $5000 haircut, they also from time to time offer a dirt cheap $0 down and $199/mo 24 month lease, the leasing lender suffered tremendous loses often at a near $10K difference between the purchase at turn in price and resale value price…The ELR received a $15K price haircut while the Spark EV had a dirt-cheap lease…Even the Bolt EV isn’t immune to GM’s shortcomings, last month if you could qualify for the targeted incentives and qualified for all rebates, folks were receiving them for $0 down and $150/mo (effective payments)…
Now let’s look at Tesla, makes one EV around the same price as the Bolt, can’t even be leased quite yet but even if it could, Tesla’s have never leased well (aka lender isn’t subsidizing very much) yet they have 450K paid reservations…So if GM wants to build something commercially successful, they haven’t yet…The Bolt EV should have never been based on a subcompact platform that resembles a minivan inside and out, they should have put the Bolt’s powertrain into a RWD Caddy ATS…Not to worry though, GM has said they’re putting 20ish EVs on the road in the next five years…
This is unfortunate….But understandable in most respects. The Bolt is simply the more appealing electric vehicle to come out of GM at the moment, with its excellent range and better practicality; although there are still those who’d rather have the best of both a traditional ICE and electric car, which the Volt provides. Hopefully this technology will be further developed and utilized for a future vehicle.
Sales for the GEN 2 Chevrolet Volt have slipped given the popularity of the new all-electric Chevy Bolt as people still don’t really understand the Volt and how it functions; they don’t understand that if a person’s daily commute is under 53 miles they wouldn’t need a drop of gas (although one wonders whether the gasoline motor was replaced with a gasoline or Hydrogen fuel cell improve the image of the Volt).
The problem with hydrogen is it’s stupid expensive, Mirai and Clarity (hydrogen) have MSRPs of just under $60K, the fuel is also super expensive and charging stations are far and few between…A lot of the Gen1 Volt owners really value range so I believe many would give up their back seat for more batteries/range…
The biggest problem with it is the segment…
The issue here is generally people interested in this type of vehicle will go all electric and those who are not will go gas.
The Bolt is taking most of the sales.
The Volt will be replaced with a roomier CUV like model.
The Volt became available in Florida in October 2011. In central Florida I have not seen or heard ANY GM or dealer advertising for the Volt since 2012. The only promotional information I ever saw prior to 2012 was in Time magazine as well as the occasional local newspaper (Orlando Sentinel) article about the Volt. Until today most people I encounter believe the Volt has a limited 40 or 50 mile range and then you are stranded == they have no idea of its extended range. No wonder it’s a failure.
GM is really lost in the wilderness when it comes to advertising. They fail to promote product and the commercials they have are lame in the extreme. Too bad they severed their long term relationship of 90+ years with Campbell Ewald. They are a long way from See the USA in your Chevrolet, Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet and Like a Rock! Some of the best commercials out there right now in my opinion are RAM’s which are similar in many ways to the Chevy Truck commercials of the 90’s
GM squandered its investment in this powertrain by not building more models with it. Yeah, OK, the useless and dismal failure Cadillac ELR came off the same platform — that same investment would have paid for another body style for the Volt (wagon/sportback/crossover) that would have been a lot more appealing to the masses.
It’s a common misconception that the ELR was on a different platform than the Volt, it was different…Powertrain was relatively the same although they were slightly different/better batteries…GM ignored the performance which it tried to remedy in 2016 by allowing the ICE to kick on to provider quicker acceleration when at WOT…
After the Gen1 Volt, the Spark EV and ELR, GM should have realized the Gen2 Volt and the Bolt EV should be on different platforms…
Yes the Volt should be phased out and the next gen Cruze or even the actual should be offered with a PHEV.
For the Impala it must survive and go on the Alpha 2 RWD with many models from a base ls with the 2.0 to the Premier with a V6 or a V8, an AWD option is good too, an SS model with a 600+ hp can replace the outgoing Chevrolet SS and of course a PHEV.
To finnish with the LaCrosse it should go on the Omega but cheaper than the CT6 with another philosophy.
GM is notorious for making moves that make no sense and the worst in marketing acumen. The Volt concept is cutting edge awesome. Too bad so few people understand it or even know about it! VIVE LA VOLT!!!
I am driving my third Volt and they have been perfect for my needs and new model is superb! only time I use gas is when temp drops to below 32. in Michigan that’s about 4 months of the year. Drat…..probably will get a hybrid next as I go to one car in the family. not enuf charging stations out there to be comfy with a Bolt.
They just need to make another version with all electric range over 200 miles. No car with electric range under 100 has sold well – whether all electric or PHEV. So, to conclude the lack of appeal of the volt is due to its “hybrid” nature is unwarranted. The market has shown interest in electric vehicles with range over 200 and if there was a volt with that kind of all electric range and a range extender it might be more appealing to customers. I would want one.