Chevrolet Volt Losing Interest With Consumers

[William Maley]

Chevrolet Volt Losing Interest With Consumers

William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

August 16, 2011

Chevrolet's Volt, one of the most hyped vehicles in recent time is beginning to show signs of losing interest.

According to CNW Marketing Research, interest in the Volt by buyers has been dropping. In March, more than 21% of ‘early adopters,’ said they would consider a Volt. When asked the same question in July, the number dropped to 14.6%. It's a similar story with "EV enthusiasts". Back in March, 25% said they would consider a Volt. Now, only 17% would consider one.

Most alarming; CNW says "In fact, all categories of new-car intenders are reporting less likelihood of even considering the vehicle."

Why? CNW says the steep price tag of the Volt is causing people to lost interest in the Volt.

But there is also the question of whether people's interest is waning due to the lack of Volts at dealers and decreased amount of marketing while GM is readying the 2012 Volt.

Source: USA Today

[Drew Dowdell]

Volt ads have practically ceased. The economy is continuing to swirl down the drain.....

Volt interest is dropping? No kidding.....

[Robert Hall]

Other than a wrecked one on a flatbed, I have yet to see any Volts out in the real world. Yet I see Nissan Leafs (Leaves?) several times a week..

Edited August 16, 2011 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[walter36]

I have seen three Volts here in Florida, a silver one, dark red one and a white one. the price is just too high for them. you can get a Cruze Eco for half the price. and its about the same size car. no matter how long you would keep that Cruze Eco YOU WOULD NEVER SPEND OVER 20 GRAND ON GASOLINE.

[loki]

and.. gas in st louis has been as low as 3.13. checked today @ http://www.stlouisgasprices.com/

[Drew Dowdell]

buying a Volt isn't just about saving money on gasoline.

There are Volt owners out there that are running only 10% of the time on gasoline. It is performing much better than the EPA numbers would suggest.

A Volt owner that is in this situation of only using gas 10% of the time spends $122 a year on gas assuming 3.56 a gallon and 12,000 miles traveled and 35mpg during gas travel (it's actually higher mpg, but still)

A Cruze Eco owner would spend $1,294 using the same assumptions and a 33mpg combined city/highway rating.

edit: it is also a VERY nice driving car and utterly silent anytime the ICE is off. I would buy it for that reason alone.

[Justin Bimmer]

It is hard for there to be interest in a car which is not on the lots either because they are not being built.

[ocnblu]

No surprise.

People sure do like the simple, affordable Cruze though.

[Z-06]

I would wait and see how Volt sells nationwide before making the comment of interest dying.

Other than a wrecked one on a flatbed, I have yet to see any Volts out in the real world. Yet I see Nissan Leafs (Leaves?) several times a week..

2011 Volt was only released in 5 markets and AZ was not one of them. The 2012 rollout is supposed to happen in October all over the country. Contrary to that Leaf was released all over the country.

[smk4565]

Too expensive for a small, slow Chevy, that isn't overly luxurious. The amount of exposure hurts it, although the Volt was heavily advertised before it went on sale, and articles were written about it, so people should know what it is. The real killer is the cost, the car just isn't worth what they charge for it, even with the tax credit.

[Robert Hall]

I would wait and see how Volt sells nationwide before making the comment of interest dying.

Other than a wrecked one on a flatbed, I have yet to see any Volts out in the real world. Yet I see Nissan Leafs (Leaves?) several times a week..

2011 Volt was only released in 5 markets and AZ was not one of them. The 2012 rollout is supposed to happen in October all over the country. Contrary to that Leaf was released all over the country.

No, it's sold here...there are two on the lot at the local Chevy store now, priced at $45,288. I just haven't seen any on the road other than a wrecked one.

Edited August 17, 2011 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[balthazar]

^ It's quicker than both the leaf & the prius by almost a second. Immaterial- these are not drag raced, ever.

Price is offset quite a bit by the potential gas savings (see post #6 above); that's the kind of thrill more people are willing to pay for in this segment than 0-60.

IF the tax credit is still in place, the diff from the prius is only $2800; from what I've seen the Volt is every bit worth more than $2800 over the Prius... but I did the tax credit expire?

IMO, what would deter me if I was in the market is the lack of charging stations... of course a deterrent then for any electric car for me.

[Robert Hall]

Infrastructure would have to be in place for me to consider one..must be some here, given the Leafs. It would be a big change for me to consider one...the available electric cars are just too small and cramped and limited for me currently...

For $45k, I'd rather have something serious w/ RWD and a V8.

Edited August 17, 2011 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[smk4565]

I don't see price as being offset by gas savings when the $43k Volt offers no additional space, luxury, or performance than a $23k Cruze. Plus, the Volt costs $1.50 to charge and that gives it about the same range a Cruze has on $3.75 in gas. So the Volt costs half as much to power, but that isn't nearly enough to recoup a $20k price difference, or $13k with a tax credit, while that lasts.

Problem #2 is the battery warranty. It is 8 years/100,000 miles, which to me isn't nearly enough. Whether buying the Volt new or used, I'd be scared to death that the battery will need replaced when the car is 8-10 years old which could cost over $10,000. A gasoline engine can last 20 years, 200,000 miles without worry of having to replace it. The Volt's residual values could be terrible once the car is beyond 5 years old.

[Tailfin61]

I don't see price as being offset by gas savings when the $43k Volt offers no additional space, luxury, or performance than a $23k Cruze. Plus, the Volt costs $1.50 to charge and that gives it about the same range a Cruze has on $3.75 in gas. So the Volt costs half as much to power, but that isn't nearly enough to recoup a $20k price difference, or $13k with a tax credit, while that lasts.

Problem #2 is the battery warranty. It is 8 years/100,000 miles, which to me isn't nearly enough. Whether buying the Volt new or used, I'd be scared to death that the battery will need replaced when the car is 8-10 years old which could cost over $10,000. A gasoline engine can last 20 years, 200,000 miles without worry of having to replace it. The Volt's residual values could be terrible once the car is beyond 5 years old.

The Cruze vs. Volt fuel cost comparison depends on where you live. Here in CT, it costs me 9 cents per kilowatt hour to charge my Volt. That's roughly 90 cents per charge. Gas here is a bit over $4.00 per gallon. I am easily averaging 45-48 miles per charge. Using 45 miles, I can travel 180 miles for $4.00 vs. the Cruze's 38-40 miles. In my first 3000 miles I used roughly 5 gallons of gas. In July we took a trip to the Outer Banks of NC, approx 900 miles round trip. Including the 45 electric miles on either end of the trip, we averaged 44 MPG while in extended mode; that included a lot of stop-n-go traffic and 103 degree heat with the AC on. The same trip last year in a VW CC yielded 29 MPG.

Although I understand your concern regarding the battery replacement costs, there is NO WAY to know TODAY what the replacement costs will be 8 YEARS from now.

Like many Volt owners, I did not buy it to save money. I bought it to use less gas, try new technology, and because I actually enjoyed driving it. I'm just about to hit 5000 miles and so far I love the Volt.

[daves87rs]

Volt ads have practically ceased. The economy is continuing to swirl down the drain.....

Volt interest is dropping? No kidding.....

Price drop is on the way!

Couple of "testers" floating around D-Ham.....

[Drew Dowdell]

Infrastructure would have to be in place for me to consider one

Shortage of household plugs out your way?

[Robert Hall]

Infrastructure would have to be in place for me to consider one

Shortage of household plugs out your way?

No, I was thinking of more of the pure EVs...i.e. widespread charging stations, fast charging, etc. Who knows, in 20 years when I'm retired in a beach town or mountain town I might consider one..

[Drew Dowdell]

That is what makes the Volt perfect for right now. It is a blend of both.

The EPA really needs to fix it's rating on it though, it does far far better in the real world.

[SAmadei]

Yay! I'm ahead of the curve... I lost interest in the Volt 3-4 years ago when I found out it was just another FWD 4door appliance.

Time to make a "cool Volt", GM... Tesla roadster style. Makes you wish GM was still making Kappas... and could stuff a specially tuned Volt drivetrain in those.

[Drew Dowdell]

I don't see price as being offset by gas savings when the $43k Volt offers no additional space, luxury, or performance than a $23k Cruze. Plus, the Volt costs $1.50 to charge and that gives it about the same range a Cruze has on $3.75 in gas. So the Volt costs half as much to power, but that isn't nearly enough to recoup a $20k price difference, or $13k with a tax credit, while that lasts.

Problem #2 is the battery warranty. It is 8 years/100,000 miles, which to me isn't nearly enough. Whether buying the Volt new or used, I'd be scared to death that the battery will need replaced when the car is 8-10 years old which could cost over $10,000. A gasoline engine can last 20 years, 200,000 miles without worry of having to replace it. The Volt's residual values could be terrible once the car is beyond 5 years old.

Newsflash - The iPhone isn't the cheapest way to make calls and the battery is a bitch to get changed!

[pow]

CNW Marketing = no credibility

They were the ones that said a Prius caused more environmental harm than a HUMMER over its life cycle, under the BS assumption that the average lifespan of an H3 is 300K miles while the average Prius lifespan is just 100K miles. If you look at their reports, you'll see they are generally pro-Detroit and pro-oil.

[hyperv6]

The rumors of the Volts death are greatly exaggerated.

With most of the country outside of the few key areas have yet to see a Volt. People here really have not see one and with the marketing being scales down many are not even looking for one now. Here in Ohio I have yet to see one outside an auto show. My dealer one of the larger ones in the area have yet to even get one instock yet.

Before anyone tries to kill this car off they had better have them sitting on dealer lots with large rebates on them first.

To this point to be fair I have yet to see a Leaf dead or alive even at a Auto Show let alone on at a dealer or street.

We should be seeing a drop in the Volt price with a 2nd gen and 3rd gen that are just in the wings. We also should see improved range too. The Electric car is not going to be for everyone and it will not be perfected overnight but auto companies have to start somewhere. When cars first appeared many said they were too expensive and too limited back in 1902. As time went on and markets expanded they became cheaper and better. The company that created the Model T equal of an electric vehicle will move the entire segment forward.

We all will not be in electric cars in the future unless some goverment idiot forces us into it. But the market is there and will continue to improve and grow with time and technology.

[ocnblu]

I am not just picking on the Volt, the Leaf is even more ridiculous. The Nissan Leaf is useless. At least the Volt's powertrain has a backup plan... the tried and true ICE.