REPORT: Chevy Volt to be in extremely short supply at launch
2011 Chevy Volt - Click above for high-res image gallery
According to a report on Automotive News (sub. req'd), those wishing to get an early crack at the 2011 Chevy Volt had better get in line now as General Motors only plans to build between 200 and 400 total Volts in November and December of 2010 before slowly ramping up production in 2011.
After it's all said and done and we're ringing in the New Year in '12, GM hopes to have sold around 10,000 total Volts. While that's certainly not a small number of vehicles, we'd wager it will be far below actual demand for the car and it'll make it rather difficult to find a first-year model that's not already spoken for.
In somewhat related fuel-sipping news from Chevy, the diminutive Spark should be ready for the American market as a 2012 model returning as much as 50 miles per gallon on the highway. That car's impending arrival will push the 2011 Aveo up one size class and it will reportedly be offered solely as a five-door hatchback slotting between the Spark and the upcoming 40-mpg (highway, naturally) Cruze compact.
Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
ShaunneyCakes 8:13AM (8/13/2009)
This is actually kind of smart. Should their be any issues reported in November or December, GM could make corrections on the fly without having to recall thousands of cars. I was hoping to get one of these, but I may wait now since the short supply and high demand may push the price WELL beyond 40,000.
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Nick P. 8:27AM (8/13/2009)
GM wants to make sure that the Volt is "old out", no matter how successful it really become. Just protecting their back sides here...
Contrast this with Nissan who are betting the farm on EVs and plan to have 5,000 vehicles in 2010 alone. Yet, by all accounts, they will have no problems being "sold out".
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lne937s 11:43AM (8/13/2009)
Although I think it was probably a typo, "old out" may be a pretty good description. By the time the Volt starts selling more units per year than Ferrari, the competition may have eclipsed it. If GM had launced the car years ago, rather than just hyping it up, they could have positioned themselves as real technological leaders.
Nissan plans to have more than 5000 vehicles out in the US alone in 2010, with more in its international markets. In 2012, Nissan will come online with mass-marketed global production in Japan, the US and Europe, with a capacity of over 300K units.
Nick P. 12:17PM (8/13/2009)
Yeah, I made a typo. It should be "sold out".
I think GM didn't count on having to compete with Carlos Ghosn.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Ghosn
This guy doesn't f***k around and he is extremely aggressive and anti-bureaucracy. He is credited for rescuing Nissan from bankruptcy and producing the Nissan GT-R. So he knows what he wants and he can execute.
Good luck GM!
Epyx 2:00PM (8/13/2009)
"If GM had launced the car years ago, rather than just hyping it up, they could have positioned themselves as real technological leaders."
How? It was a concept two years ago when hype started. They could release it without an ICE last year Ill give you that but as a RE-EV it needed to be engineered before it could be developed and sold.
Kalle Andersson 8:38AM (8/13/2009)
I'm fairly sure that GM will have rough competition by nov 2010 so don't worry about the supply of PHEVs and similar... Just because they're making all the noise doesn't mean they're the only ones with this technology.
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Tim 9:41AM (8/13/2009)
Electric cars are today’s microchips. GM only needs to sell enough Volts to keep the battery companies busy and the technology evolving rapidly. The LAST thing GM wants to do is get stuck in the 5-year car cycle again.
Bob Lutz said that they expect to make 10K Gen 1 Volts-1st year, 25K-2nd, 50K-3rd. These are for the GLOBAL market and this Volt supply is still just a drop in the bucket when you look at the millions of cars GM makes each year.
Mr Lutz also said that they are ALREADY working on Gen II and Gen III Volts and that the car “next generation” cycle will be as short as 6-months, instead of the current 5-years.
GM will have NO problems selling all the $40K Volts. My guess is that there will be a bidding war at the dealership and the ultimate retail prices will be MUCH higher.
The move to EVs is going to be a VERY interesting and a (relatively) rapid one considering the millions of cars that need to be replaced. Yes, it could take 20+ years until EVs dominate the roads but that's STILL better than the best H2 estimates.
The EV dam is bursting, but it will take a while to empty the lake and fill the river!
By the way, Range-Extended EVs like the Volt are the ONLY EVs without "range-anxiety" and NO, plug-in "hybrids" such as the Plug-In Prius where both the ICE and the electric motor(s) directly power the wheels are NOT true EVs.
Vehicle categories:
(1) ICE Gasoline & Flex-Fuel
(2) ICE Diesel
(3) Hybrids (electric motor only recycle braking energy)
(4) Plug-In Hybrids, (electric motor helps ICE drive wheels)
(5) Range-Extended Electric (low battery state maintained by ICE after depletion)
(6) Electric without Range-Extender. (range anxiety)
No wonder the DOE is having a hard time deciding on a mileage standard! Tough Job!!
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Joe 10:49AM (8/13/2009)
Hiding behind the term ER-EV doesn't make the Volt not a hybrid. It's a series hybrid that you plug in. Just like a plug-in Prius! Same Category.
So the plug-in Prius is not a true EV. Neither is the Volt. The Leaf is a true EV.
Full disclosure, I want a Volt. It just annoys me that GM refuses to call it what it is. Such is marketing.
Joe 10:50AM (8/13/2009)
Actually I wrote that a bit quickly. The plug-in Prius is still a parallel hybrid, but you plug it in. So, they should both be considered hybrids.
alex 10:59AM (8/13/2009)
well joe the prius plug-in does have a big difference from the volt, which i'm sure you're already aware of... the volt is completely powered by the electric engine where the prius is not. it also can be driven at any speed without any gas in the car... not true for the prius plug in
XYZ 3:45AM (8/14/2009)
Hey kiddies, who gives a #$%^ anyway what it is?
Tim 11:15AM (8/13/2009)
Joe,
According to the Society of Automotive Engineers:
http://www.sae.org/technical/papers/2008-01-0458
“As derivatives of conventional full hybrids, PHEVs have the potential to deliver a significant reduction in petroleum usage. However, the fuel consumption benefits are limited by the underlying constraints of the base hybrid systems and vehicles. Even with incremental electric power and speed improvements, the PHEV's lack of full-performance, all-electric capability requires engine operation under everyday speed and/or load conditions, regardless of available battery energy. This creates emissions concerns and can severely limit the actual all-electric driving range in the real world.
The E-REV is principally an Electric Vehicle (EV) with full-vehicle performance available as an EV. Significantly, it overcomes the historical EV re-charge time limitations by adding a fuel-powered electric generator to extend driving range. Actual all-electric driving can regularly be experienced throughout the working energy range of the vehicle's battery without fear of being stranded. The E-REV offers the opportunity for petroleum independence, and a dramatic reduction in emissions for many drivers.”
Hybrids (plug-in or not) are a completely different category from Electric Vehicles (range-extended or not).
Who is right, YOU or the Society of Automotive Engineers?
The SAE, they WROTE the definition.
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Joe 12:02PM (8/13/2009)
Taken from GM-Volt.com:
"Q: How is the Chevy Volt different than today’s hybrids, like the Prius?
A: Today’s hybrids are called parallel hybrids. They use a small electric motor for low speed driving, but switch to a regular gas engine for acceleration and faster speed driving, hence both engines work side by side or in parallel. The Volt is a series vehicle meaning only the electric motor power the car at all times, the gas engine is just a generator, making electric to keep the batteries in a steady state of charge."
http://gm-volt.com/chevy-volt-faqs/
There are two types of hybrids: Parallel (Everything out right now) and Series (The Volt). SAE coming up with a definition of E-REV doesn't make the Volt not a Hybrid. It's a series hybrid.
Tim 12:11PM (8/13/2009)
A quote taken from GM-Volt.com is NOT the same thing as a quote from the Society of Automotive Engineers.
Joe 12:40PM (8/13/2009)
Well, go where ever you need to find a definition of Series hybrid that you like, but what you will find is that an EREV is a subset of the Series hybrid definition.
Joe 12:49PM (8/13/2009)
Also, it should be noted that your SAE source was written by General Motors. It's not an SAE standard.
Anybody can publish a paper through SAE.
Tim 12:57PM (8/13/2009)
Joe, you can believe that a donkey is a horse if you want to.
Chris M 5:38PM (8/13/2009)
Tim, a donkey and a horse are both equines. Similarly, a "range extended EV" and a "plug augmented Hybrid Synergy Drive" are both plug-in hybrids.
Tim 7:44PM (8/13/2009)
Chris M,
A pickup truck has 4 wheels and and so does a car, but they are NOT the same thing.
What's your point?
Joe 8:58PM (8/13/2009)
His point, and mine, is that you continue to fail to grasp the concept that the Title Hybrid encapsulates both the Volt and the Prius, because they both combine two different power sources. The Volt is a Series setup, and the Prius is a Parallel setup, both hybrids.
Just because GM invented a new name for their plug-in series hybrid, doesn't mean it's not a series hybrid.
So, either you really just don't get it, or your are trolling. Based on your past posts, I'm not sure. It could be the latter.