Earlier this week, General Motors released its US sales results for September. And the numbers are looking good as deliveries are up 20% compared to September 2010 while the Cruze remains the best-selling compact car in the country.Yet, despite all the euphoria, GM is actually facing a small problem: even though it had initially set a target of delivering 10,000 units of its Volt hybrid by the end of the year, it is very unlikely that it will achieve this goal. Up until the end of August, a little more than 3,000 Volts were sold. If we add the 723 September deliveries then we have a total of 3,895 units. Considering that, time is running out,Chevrolet must sell an additional 6,105 cars by the end of the year – or an average of 2,035 units per month from now until the end of December.
In August alone, the Nissan Leaf outsold the Volt by more than four to one (300 vs 1,300 units). GM spokesman Rob Peterson, however, remains optimistic: “I don’t see any problem with reaching our goal”, he said.
Peterson says that GM is only now starting to gear up production and availability of its extended-range hybrid. The Volt was initially available in seven markets, but from now on it will be sold by 2,600 Chevy dealerships across all 50 states.
In order to achieve this, GM had to close down its Detroit factory for a period of four weeks to perform upgrades so it can churn out more vehicles. This was essential, as all variants of the Volt including the European Opel Ampera, will be manufactured at the Detroit plant.
Peterson, therefore, points out that it isn’t lack of interest from buyers but inventory shortage that has limited Volt sales so far – and that is about to change rapidly: “Despite being sold only in seven states, Volts have found homes in all 50 states including Alaska and Hawaii. They want the car so badly they’re buying them and shipping them across oceans and continents.”
There is another role the Volt plays in the grander scheme of things and which works to GM’s advantage: that of a “halo” car drawing people to Chevrolet showrooms.
“Of the initial batch of Volt owners, about half hadn’t stepped into a Chevy dealership in eight years. And a third of them never had," Peterson pointed out.
What’s more, customers initially drawn by the Volt may eventually end up buying other models, like the Cruze compact sedan that has been a hit so far.
These are the first official photos of the brand-new 2012 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck that made its global debut today in Thailand in final production trim. Over the past year, General Motors had presented concept versions of the Colorado in numerous motor shows around the world
The rapidly approaching 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show that takes place for the public from November 18 to 27, will play host to the world premiere of the next global Ford model, the all-new 2013 Escape.As is the case with the current Fiesta and Focus, the compact SUV will be offered in the same form worldwide, replacing the current North American Escape as well as the Kuga in Europe and other markets around the globe.
Toyota may have lost the first place in global sales to GM, one of the reasons being the lack of supply after the March earthquake, and it has seen the VW Group relegating to third place, but it still has a number one position to brag about.
Some 31 years after it officially opened shop in the British market, BMW UK Ltd has sold its two millionth vehicle, a 530d Gran Turismo. Coincidentally, the company's first car sold in the UK on January 1, 1980, was also a 5-Series, albeit an E12 M535i saloon.
Ferrari is the last brand one would associate with anything related to driving in the snow, yet Maranello is constantly touting how fun its cars are in sub-zero temperatures and frosty conditions.
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