Jump to content
Create New...
  • William Maley
    William Maley

    GM Allowing Their Dealers To Sell Volt Demos

    post-10485-0-64011400-1319498567.png

    Today, General Motors told it's dealers that they are free to sell their Chevrolet Volt demonstration models. The move will increase the number of Volts on sale from 1,800 to 4,100.

    GM launched the Volt back in December in seven markets and since July has been rolling out the Volt nationwide to, and is nearing its target of 2,600 dealers in all 50 states. The problem is dealers have been given a Volt to use a demo only.

    “Multiple dealers have requested to sell their demo to satisfy customer demand,” GM said in a memo to dealers.

    GM spokesman Tom Henderson told Automotive News that GM is “giving them the choice to satisfy their customers and the flexibility to meet pent-up demand.” To compensate for depreciation and for the cost of removing some decals from the demo models, GM will reimburse dealers $1,500. But to get the reimbursement, dealers will need to sell the demo by January 3rd. Then dealers will need to get a new Volt demo by the end of January.

    General Motors is hoping with this move they will be able to meet their lofty goal of selling 10,000 Volts by the end of year. Through October, GM only 5,003 Volts.

    Source: Automotive News

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    We just got out first ones here and they were only the Demo's.

    While this was never going to be a high volume car it would have sold much better if more were available. I know they would have sold a number of them here in Ohio if you could get one.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Anything that frees up inventory is a good thing. I've seen several and really like it, and the way Drew sings its praises I'm thinking it'll actually be a popular car once more people can check it out.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    The only downside to the Volt is cost. It is a perfectly normal every day car that can get 100s of miles to the gallon in every day use. There are people out there getting 3,000 miles to a tank!

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    The leaf while being plentiful in Seattle is a joke. Talk about a way over priced as they all are advertised starting at $34K, but on the lot, with the 2nd sticker they are all over $40K. I see a number of them for private sale with a few hundred miles and still priced at over $40K. If you have money to burn I guess you can have a toy, but not worth the time or money in a state where you have to travel due to a very poor mass transit system.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Interesting to see there were more demos than non-demos on the lots. I've only seen 3 Volts here--two in front of a Chevy dealer showroom a few months ago (replaced by Camaro convertibles and Cruzes there since then) and one wrecked one on a flatbed. I do see a few Leafs on the streets..

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I really think the car woluld sell better if there were more of them around the country. The truth is most markets outside those near an ocean hace not seent hese or have seen very few.

    You are looking at a car that will just be a small part of the auto market and it is in so few markets. I have seen more Ferrari 458's because there are more of them built than the Volt.

    The electric car thing is not a cheap start up for anymone. Those who condem the Volt for price need to condem any electric car. As more are sold and a segment is established the segment will get a little more cheaper as time goes on. MFG will invest their own money and not GM's to make parts that will be cheaper and more competitive. It will take time as this segment will see slow growth in witht he high prices and public acceptance.

    I have only seen 2 volts here and that was just a week or so ago and I have yet to see a Leaf. The only other electric car I see around here is a Tesla or two and they are more novelty toys for the rich than a real daily driver.

    As for the Leaf and any other full electric car. I really don't expect to see many here in the cold midwest as they are presented today. They just lack the cold weather range and our drives to work are not short.

    For the most part here with the lack of any Volts being sent here many people really have little clue of them. They have heard of them but could not really tell you much about them other than they are electric. Not everyone keep up on automotive news.

    One thing that may has made this car more a challange is the Cruze Eco. This car alone is selling in great numbers at a not so cheap price and is doing better MPG than the EPA numbers. I have several buddies with them and they love this car as it takes nothing specail to buy run or deal with. They only care about MPG and that is what they get.

    The Volt will remain and the price will shrink as well as the range will grow. It will always be a little more expensive but will still be acceptable. GM has long ago understood this car was a slow growth car and if you build it you need to build the market. If they did not build it there would never be a market.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    The leaf while being plentiful in Seattle is a joke. Talk about a way over priced as they all are advertised starting at $34K, but on the lot, with the 2nd sticker they are all over $40K. I see a number of them for private sale with a few hundred miles and still priced at over $40K. If you have money to burn I guess you can have a toy, but not worth the time or money in a state where you have to travel due to a very poor mass transit system.

    That's just the thing that worries me about the electric Sonic, we will see them for sale with less than 1000 mi on them. That will be epic fail!
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I guess the only model really equivalent to the Volt as far the configuration is the Prius Plug In, but it's only about $32k.

    I would still take the Volt over the Prius. It is a way over rated auto. Not to mention that while GM might not have hit it with their original electric car in the 90's, the Prius does show that if you have the right product at the right time it will sell.

    Edited by dfelt
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Why would anyone buy a Nissan Leaf ?? Here's one that run out of juice and couldn't make it in driveway. Look at long extention cord. At least the Volt has gas back up. Buy a Volt.....save a few gallons.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • google-news-icon.png



  • google-news-icon.png

  • Subscribe to Cheers & Gears

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001 we've brought you real content and honest opinions, not AI-generated stuff with no feeling or opinions influenced by the manufacturers.

    Please consider subscribing. Subscriptions can be as little as $1.75 a month, and a paid subscription drops most ads.*
     

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Posts

    • I remember when the Kia Soul hit the market, together with its jingle about a “little bit of soul.”  I still think the name is clever. Yet, it has taken me this long to actually drive one.  It was because of a situation where the rental agency had run out of compact sedans. The Kia Soul doesn’t look like anything else.  It’s quirky and even an ugly sort of cute.  When it was first released, its cartoon-like front grille “expressed” sadness.  It has been minimally changed during its run and, currently, the front grille looks a little “angry” … and with an underbite.  The side profile is largely unchanged.  Now, the rear door and surface are vertical and its rear taillamp assembly has morphed to wrapping around the edge of that entire surface. In being so vertical, getting into and out of the Soul is easy.  That feeling of verticality extends to the interior of the cabin.  The front of the cabin is spacious enough, the rear of the cabin is sufficiently spacious, and the rear storage space, without the rear seat folded down, is not exactly generous.  To get the full benefit, the rear seat needs to be folded down.  Clearly, a person who buys one has penciled out their needs and has figured that the Kia Soul might work for them.  Some reviewers have said that the dashboard is a throwback to another era.  I believe they were addressing how rounded the different volumes were.  I’d agree that roundedness was very popular in past automotive design, but this dash set-up is unique to the Soul.  The interesting thing is the illumination at night, which seems to change colors – without adjustments I was aware of, the colors were shades of purple and pink.  Having clusters of instruments grouped in these rounded clusters was easy to work with.  The steering wheel in this model was a urethane one, and, anymore, this always gives a vehicle an entry-level feel.   On the main pod, the speedometer is to the left and the tachometer (where one needs to multiply the digital number x 1,000) is on the right.  Fuel and temperature gauges are included and worked in around the edges of the above.  There is an information dialogue box between them where you can see tire pressure and other readouts as you toggle through them. The Soul’s center stack dash pods are very sensible.  This includes both infotainment screen and the climate control panel.  The console is also simply laid out. The Soul’s engine has a subdued rhythmic note, but it’s not hushed when pushed.  This is an economical Kia vehicle.  The engine is a 2.0-liter 4 cylinder unit and it is not turbocharged.  Thus, it makes 147 horses.  Power comes from a CVT, as Hyundai has left the geared automatics behind several years ago, when even Rios (and Accents) had 6 speed automatic transmissions. The Soul is conventional in its mechanics, seeming like a vehicle somewhere between a Kia Rio and a Kia Forte that has been raised up.  That explains its ride and handling, which is probably closer to that of the Forte than to that of the Rio.  This means that, while not premium grade, it is nimble and smooth enough.  Sometimes, it’s the go-kart effect as you slalom around city traffic that “imparts” more agility than would be experienced on two-lane highways or freeways. With its powertrain, it has what it needs for everyday driving and even sprinting away from a light or onto a freeway ramp.  In so doing, the CVT will begin to spool up the rpms, but it doesn’t give the sensation of “sticking” at those higher rpms the way some CVTs did in the mid-2010s.  As for passing up a steep grade or at high speed, this would be more challenging and would need to be “studied.” The seating is upholstered in tougher fabric, which is firm and reasonably comfortable. It is intended to do the job without trying to exhibit uptown workmanship.  If wanting to look over your shoulder to change lanes or pass, the unusual slanted window in the rear sail panel and the thick rear pillar might be slightly intrusive.  The Soul’s greenhouse is not a big glassy one. The Soul is very predictable and easy to live with, though not exactly awe inspiring.  For this sort of packaging, the pricing is in the respectable $22K to $27K MSRP range.  Also, many of the advanced safety electronics are included.  That said, it’s a little brainy, but, while it’s not the brainiest of vehicles, it has more brains than it does looks.  So, if you’re a little quirky, or want to be, choosing this vehicle could be a logical extension of that. The Kia Soul has been on the market for a long time, sales crested a few model years ago, sales have dwindled with each successive year after that, and, at this juncture, it is still available. - - - - - PHOTOS FORTHCOMING  
    • Toronto Transit is starting to use BYD electric buses in 2025.  There is a factory in Ontario building them. Thanx for the links.  I am intrigued by BYD.  I am not opposed to BYD EVs as much as I thought I would be and t has nothing to do with the political climate we are experiencing right now.  I didnt think Chinese automanufacturing would be as advanced as it is.  BYD is impressive. And I feel like I did a massive arrogant error in thinking that Chinese vehicles would be sooooo inferior to Western automobiles.  Part of the mis-information that our Western media and thought processes go, I guess.   My daughter is taking an Oriental history class in university this semester. The course is focused on Korea, China and Japan. I am helping her with several essays that she needs to write for the class.  Yeah, I am reading her material in detail as if I was taking the course. LOL.   I am fathoming a guess that this would be the primary reason as to why I have switched my focus to BYD automobiles lately.      
    • We'll see if Toyota is first, Mercedes already has solid state on the road in prototype form.  I would imagine they want that ready for the next generation S-class EV that replaces the EQS.  And usually the S-class gets the technology first.  E-class EV is due out in 2027, I don't know if they would be ready that fast, and even if so, is this expensive tech that starts on S-class and 10 years later ends up on a regular car. From their media release: Safer, lighter, more efficient and 25 percent longer range in the first vehicle: solid-state cell chemistry delivers higher energy density and weight reduction, with improved driving efficiency and cell safety  Mercedes-Benz, together with Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP) based in Brixworth UK, developed and patented new innovative solid-state battery pack  Mercedes-Benz integrated solid-state battery, with cells from U.S.-based solid-state battery leader Factorial Energy, into slightly modified EQS Sedan  Road tests with new solid-state battery in "621 mile" EQS development car started in February 2025
    • I suspect with Hyundai having their solid-state battery plant started for testing of the battery packs that Toyota is going to have to really spend money to catch up to the Koreans. Hyundai to launch all-solid-state EV battery pilot line next month Hyundai Set to Launch All-Solid-State Battery Production - Batteries Daily Hyundai Solid-State Battery Pilot Line Starts Production In March Hyundai starts solid-state battery production in March Lots of stories covering it, 
    • Hard to get the actual Chinese press release here, but this is their global site. News Center-BYD
  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search