The Chevrolet Volt, the plug-in hybrid highly touted by General Motors but not overwhelmingly accepted by the car-buying public, has fallen short of GM’s anticipated sales predictions and thus will not be made for five weeks beginning March 19.
According to the carmaker, production will stop through April 23 at its Hamtramck assembly plant in Detroit. The plant had increased its production to full speed in Feb. 6. from March 19 until April 23.
Sales of the Volt in February more than tripled from a year earlier to 1,023. But sales are below what’s needed to meet Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson’s goal of 45,000 deliveries in the U.S. this year.
In 2011, GM hoped to sell 10,000 Chevy Volts, but it had only 7,671 deliveries.
GM sold 1,626 Volts through the first two months of the year in the U.S. Detroit-based GM planned to make 60,000 Volts this year for worldwide distribution, with three-quarters of them earmarked for the U.S. market.
The Volt is rated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as getting the equivalent of 94 mpg. Prices starts at $39,195, excluding destination charges, and kit qualifies for a $7,500 U.S. tax credit.
Article Last Updated: October 11, 2024.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
California 2012 Volt owners can purchase the "low emissions package" that will get them into the HOV lanes with a special sticker and receive a $1500 rebate from the state.