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The 2018 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle is still available new, despite having been canceled by GM early this year. These aging Volts are crowding the current model year 2019 Volts and also Chevrolet Bolt battery-electric vehicles in stock, and will soon overlap the updated 2020 Bolt arriving this fall.
Torque News was alerted to the in-stock Volts by the researchers at iSeeCars.com. They recently did a study looking at which 2018 models were still in stock in decent numbers. They did so because these new, but aging models offer buyers outstanding deal opportunities. Their research revealed that about 15% of Chevy's current Volt inventory are 2018 models. For those not up to speed on the Volt, it did have a 2019 model year and that is the year presently shown on the company's sales website.
Torque News looked for both 2018 and 2019 Volts near our location. We didn't have to look far. Most of the dealers near our Massachusetts location had new Volts in stock. One of the closest, Herb Conolly Chevrolet in Framingham, had both 2018 and 2019 Volts in stock (new). The dealer chain the author's family presently does business with, Liberty, has two 2018 Volts in stock just minutes from where we wrote this article. Finding leftover Volts in our EV-Target state is simple. Finding deals is also simple. The Mass Drive Green website shows listings for Volts and other EVs in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island and also details the federal, state, and local incentives offered.
Sales of electric vehicles fell in the U.S. in July and also in China. In the U.S., the sales drop was pretty much across the board and included declines in the number of premium/performance Tesla Model 3, Chevy Bolt, and of course, the Chevy Volt. Inside EVs estimates that Chevy sold 250 new Chevy Volts in July.
The Chevy Volt debuted in 2010. During its years for sale, it had multiple years where the vehicled averaged 2,000 units per month in sales. Its top month for sales was December of 2016, a month in which Chevy sold nearly 4,000 Volts in the U.S. The Volt is also marketed in other countries and our sales numbers do not include those vehicles. The Volt is the top-selling affordable electric vehicle ever offered in the U.S. When GM decided to kill it off last year, it was still a top-three seller in its segment.
In addition to covering green vehicle topics, John Goreham covers safety, technology, and new vehicle news at Torque News. You can follow John on Twitter at @johngoreham.
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Comments
This is pretty typical for
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This is pretty typical for discontinued cars. I remember reading a report that showed some discontinued cars still selling as new cars 7 years after the models were discontinued. With the discounting going on for the Bolt and new Leaf to spur on sales it will be harder to make new sales for the Volt's in inventory. GM had poor marketing and sales support for the Volt when it was a sales success (in it's market), so now when the only news about the Volt is that it is discontinued, it will be far harder to sell the last of them off at full price. Especially with the diminished subsidies. Plus in California they killed off the green and white sticker access to the HOV (commuter) lanes, which is why I sold my Volt. So older Volts will be heavily discounted on the used market, and selling new ones at twice the price cannot compete. I think that it would be even worse selling the remaining new models of the last generation (low mileage range) BEVs like the last gen Leaf, i3, EV Golf, EV Soul, etc..who simply cannot compete against newer long range EV models without heavy discounting.
The one remaining thing the
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The one remaining thing the Volt has going for it is it is a nice car. Whether an EV or not, it is a vehicle that looks nice, handles well, and has good, if not great, acceleration. As prices drop, it's worth considering as a car with EV thrown in as a bonus. With the fuel savings, which you would not be paying for up front because of the reduced or clearout pricing, this might be the best of both possible worlds.
The Volt was discontinued too
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The Volt was discontinued too early. I believe that it was because of GM's desire to reduce pension and overhead costs more than any problem with the Volt. The good news is that everything that made the Volt sell well against it's competition also make it a good car now. The trouble for dealers is that you have a lot of 2017 Volts coming off of lease, and you can get a low mileage used '17 Volt for around $15K, and that low price makes it hard for dealers to compete.
Spot on. The deals on used
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In reply to The Volt was discontinued too by DeanMcManis (not verified)
Spot on. The deals on used EVs are incredible. Heck, the deals on new ones are nutty. Bolts and Leafs have been at the $20K mark in my area (2 states of Mass and RI) for years now when incentives are factored in. The Chevy dealer nearest me (Quirk) has 80 (eighty) Bolts in inventory. Runs TV commercials. Has hired product specialists. Some are making an effort, but how do you compete with a used Leaf costing $11K?