REPORT: GM sees more demand than supply with the Chevy Volt in the beginning
2011 Chevrolet Volt - Click above for high-res image gallery
General Motors has already warned us that the Chevrolet Volt will be in short supply at launch. But that isn't stopping Bob Lutz, GM's vice chairman in charge of marketing, from going out and talking about how popular the car – due next year – already is. Lutz told Automotive News that the promotional efforts GM has laid on thick are working. Once the car is further along the production process, Lutz said GM will "pull out the heavy artillery and get Volt buzz" going, hinting that a short-term test drive/lease like Project Driveway is being considered.
Over 50,000 people have signed up for a "want list" over at GM-Volt.com. About a year and a half ago, 20,000 people had signed up. To keep up with that projected demand, GM's Dave Barthmuss repeatedly told attendees at this weekend's Alt Car expo in Santa Monica that the automaker will build "tens of thousands" of Volt units in the first year. To compare, Nissan has collected names of about 22,000 people who are interested in the all-electric Leaf in the two months since it was unveiled.
Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt
[Source: Automotive News – subs. req'd.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Doug 5:21PM (10/05/2009)
If demand is so high, maybe they should sell the first batch via online auction.
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paulwesterberg 5:23PM (10/05/2009)
Sounds like GM is playing the whole "restrict supply and keep the price high game".
They should be trying the "build em like crazy lower per unit costs and break even way faster game".
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Dave 5:23PM (10/05/2009)
Forget the "want list"
How many people have given GM a deposit?
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Mark Kiernan 5:25PM (10/05/2009)
Good news, go GM!!
GM are so cool (ignoring the EV-1) ;)
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creativeintheory 6:16PM (10/05/2009)
I'd say a limited release is a smarter move to limit and easily improve upon the first year rough spots that most newly designed cars experience. If you just flood the market with the car you might be flooding the market with a problem too.
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John 6:34PM (10/05/2009)
"To compare, Nissan has collected names of about 22,000 people who are interested in the all-electric Leaf in the two months since it was unveiled."
In two months! That says it all.
Go Nissan!
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jaguar879 8:03PM (10/05/2009)
I really don't see this as a zero-sum game... at least this early. I'm happy for both Nissan and GM. Hopefully both vehicles are successful so we can get away from fossil fuels quicker.
jpm 7:57PM (10/05/2009)
Ohhhh, how convenient, NOW there's lots of demand.
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Gordio 8:50PM (10/05/2009)
I hope so. I want this car to succeed, but i've been disappointed. I rather get a nissan Leaf. this car also looks too slow and heavy.
CRZ ftw!
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Curt 10:54PM (10/05/2009)
A slow roll out is a better strategy than making tens of thousands in the first model year.
The probability of a huge recall is obviously fairly high with a totally brand new design.
Better to recall a couple of thousand rather than tens of thousands.
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Brandon 7:49AM (10/06/2009)
My prediction is you won't be able to go to your dealer and easily buy one of these off the lot until 2015 at the earliest. The same will be true for any BEV or PHEV. They sell hundreds of thousands of Impalas every year, it will take years to ramp up production of something like this to levels even near those. It's not just like flipping a switch, they have to get supply chain in order and get production number and yields of batteries and electronics that they have never made before up. It will be a long slow process. In addition even GM admits they will take a loss on every vehicle in the first generation. Why would a company that is struggling to stay alive build as many loss creating cars as possible? Additionally how many people would really sign up to buy a $40,000 car that is not much more than a dressed up Chevy Cruze? There will be greenies at first, but until the economics of it start working out in favor of the Volt, which it doesn't right now at $40,000 or even at $30,000, Joe sixpack will not be buying this.