Thoughts on Volt Sales
Autoblog Green has what appears to be sobering numbers on early Volt sales, citing GM figures that say only 281 cars were sold in February, down from 321 in January. Critics eager for GM to fail are trying to make hay from this announcement, but there's much more to the story.
I ordered my Volt in August and took delivery the last week of February - waiting nearly six months to purchase the car site unseen without even a test drive. My Volt's VIN number, which is assigned sequentially, reveals that it was the 1,185th production vehicle manufactured. GM reports that it has sold 928 Volts since production units started rolling in November. Do the Math - they're selling just about every car that comes off the line.
Talking with my local dealer, they have every one of their allocated Volts already sold. They're just waiting for them to show up. It's also important to note that the car is still only available in five markets: California, the Washington DC Metropolitan Area, Michigan, Texas, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Only 10,000 2011 model year vehicles are even being produced, so supplies are limited to start.
New technology always lands first with the crazy early adopters who are willing to buy a vehicle powered by unproven technology without even a test drive. As production rates increase, dealers will actually have inventory and buyers will have the opportunity to take it out for a spin. Give it a year, I think this car is going to be a hit.
