Tuesday, August 06, 2013

The Electric Obama Lada Receives A Price Shock

Funny how people don't want to overspend on what is a short range electric vehicle, no matter how much the administration and GM, but I repeat myself, doubles down on it.

The Detroit Free Press: GM cuts Chevrolet Volt price by $5,000 as sales stall

General Motors is cutting the price of the Chevrolet Volt by $5,000 after rebates failed to revive the extended-range plug-in’s sales when competitors also cut prices.

GM said the 2014 Volt will start at $34,995, including a $810 destination fee. The 2013 model will continue to be priced at $39,995 with $5,000 cash back.

There is still a $7,500 federal tax credit for buyers and additional tax incentives in certain states and localities, especially in California.

Sales have stalled in 2013, rising a meager 0.1% to 11,643 vehicles through July. The Volt was the best-selling plug-in vehicle in the U.S. in 2012, but Nissan’s pure-electric Leaf and Tesla’s luxury electric Model S could surpass it this year.

Even with all these incentives piled on incentives and tax breaks its not enough. After all, $35k for a vehicle that could only be a secondary car for non-urban folks is quite the expense in return for false environmental consciousness othat comes from owning a coal-powered car. Note that even with all the push for electric cars and the high sticker price,

GM is not making a profit on the Volt, according to analysts.

But fear not, the 2014 version will have - ta da! - A leather-wrapped steering wheel! Oooh, now that should increase sales!

2 comments:

Scott said...

Driving a Volt must be like driving a WW2 submarine - you always had to be aware of your battery charge level and rate of discharge, so you didn't leave yourself dead in the water an an inopportune moment.

That's too much for me to think about when I'm driving.

Expatriate Owl said...



"The lower price and cost savings from driving on electricity provide Volt owners an unmatched balance of technology, capability and cost of ownership,” said Don Johnson, U.S. vice president of Chevrolet sales and service, in a statement.

Hey, Don, what kind of car do YOU drive? What about your wife and kids?

Just wondering!

And, by the way, Don, I'm just not into leather, so you're going to have to find some other come-on to get my business.