GM CEO: Chevy Volt “has been a home run”
A home run for GM in 2011?
On track for 45,000 sales next year
GM CEO Dan Akerson told CNBC this morning that the Chevy Volt was on track for a production output of 60,000 units next year — 45,000 for the US and 15,000 for non-US markets.
“Everything we’ve seen is this thing has been a home run,” Akerson said.
I don’t know. If GM doesn’t hit its sale’s goals for 2011, I wouldn’t call the Volt rollout a home run. So far this year GM has sold just 5,000 cars. The goal for 2011 was 10,000 sales.
Thus, I’d call the Volt roll out about a double right now, although an infield homerun is still possible if GM can hit 10,000 units before the end of the year — something GM should be able to do if they’re supposed to be able to start producing 5,000 Volts per month in January.
Another interesting factoid released by Akerson is that more than 50 percent of Volt buyers previously drove luxury vehicles. Consequently, 45,000 US sales might be a tough hill to climb if such a number of sales is largely dependent upon luxury car buyers, although GM might have some fleet sales up their sleeve.
GM was on CNBC in part to commemorate 100 years of Chevy.
Source: Detroit News
Dahc,
That’s how expectations get inflated. Bob Lutz makes one comment in a casual conversation and we turn that into official pricing.
If you look at the press release when GM announced their decision to attempt to produce the Volt, the price was $29,995 after the tax credit. So they missed by $2500.
The same thing happened with the Leaf, the Prius plugin, and now the Focus EV. We heard (or started) a rumor as to what the price would be only to find the official price end up being much higher.
The other issue is our measurement of every vehicle using the “big picture”. If a vehicle can’t solve our nation’s oil dependence all by itself, within two years, it doesn’t have any value it seems. We have added a requirement that a vehicle has to priced for the masses on day one.
I think we just have to visit a place known as “reality”. The idea of a car that does more and costs the same is not realistic. Let there be no doubt. A car that runs on electricity definitely “does more”……
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Originally, Bob Lutz claimed that the Volt would cost only a few thousand more than a Prius — without tax credits.
It’s way above that number.
Don’t get me wrong. Take away the cost, and I like the Volt a lot, but I’m worried about when the mainstreaming potential comes in, and, inevitably, that’s what I most care about.
Of course, you make a good point, Smurf, about “our” expectations. Lutz said over and over that through the next decade, the Volt would only resonate with the 5 – 10 percent of the population willing to pay more to take a stand.
He was right. That’s all that are doing so with the Prius and that’s the same consumer pool the Volt is drawing upon.
But, looking at the big picture, it’s just frustrating.
Hmmmm. Its nearly 2012 and the best GM can do is make an electric car that sells for twice the price of what it looks like. They made an electric car in 1996. Should our expectations be less???
I think it is more that “we” set a bar that was much higher than the one GM set…
For the most part, the Volt is consistent with what GM said.
1. It goes 40 miles without gas, and 300 miles more with gas.
2. The price was about only $2500 more than first announced ($29,995K after tax credit).
3. This year’s sales numbers will be in the same zipcode as GM had planned.
4. GM has capacity to build 60,000 Volts next year and expects to sell at least 45,000.
None of this is out of line with anything GM has announced previously.
So where is the gap?
It is in “OUR” expectations…
Yeah, a home run?
Still, if their production is on track, then a big jump in sales to finish out 2011 is possible, and that would be moderately impressive.
Nevertheless, I’m already more interested in next year’s sales. 45,000 sales next year?
Barring fleet sales, 45,000 seems a big number without a price reduction, although the lease at $400/mos seems fairly competitive.
GM keeps lowering their own bar. Not much buzz about the Volt on the street. Most Americans haven’t even seen one or would really know what it is. Home Run? Perhaps they don’t understand baseball metaphors.