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Originally Posted by Supermans
As for the Volt being sold in a few states, weren't they pre-ordered months in advance like the Camaro? If there was more of a demand, GM would have had many more sold and the number would be over 500 perhaps or more being shipped. Is it not true anyone can order a Volt from any dealer already?
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It is true...but the initial plan for production was only something like 10,000 cars...maybe 12,000. I've read they're trying to increase that, but battery supply is tight this first year. I'm sure allocation plans reflect that.
And besides...most buyers still think they HAVE to bring their vehicle into the dealer they bought it from to get repaired...how many do you think realize they can order from out of town? Let alone out of state.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Supermans
The price is too high for the Volt, and what the small numbers tell me is that not enough "upper class" American's are interested enough to place a pre-order for a Volt. This shows lack of interest and with all the advertising spent on the Volt so far, it hasn't been enough. In other words, even if each dealer gets a Volt in the showroom, people are not flocking over to test drive them. The price is going to have to drop before Research and development costs are made up due to people buying it at the current price premium.
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How do you know who's flocking to test drive them? Over 250,000 have expressed a serious interest in the vehicles, I wouldn't exactly call that a "lack of"...so I'd hope half of them at least want to actually go see/drive the car now that it's out. The buying part, as we're aware...is a little more difficult given the slow, methodical release schedule.
As for price...with the tax incentive...the cost is around $32,500, and a similarly equipped mid-sized sedan from any manufacturer is going to be darn close to that (the Volt is "loaded"!) Then factor in the fuel savings (or total elimination), and the cost becomes equivalent very shortly into its lifespan. Again, if we're comparing similarly-equipped cars. If that's not convincing enough, consider it has a lease rate of $350 a month. The same as a seriously inferior Leaf, and not very much higher than a typical rate nowadays....I understand though, that not everyone likes to lease.
The Volt suffers from a severe case of sticker shock, that's about it.
You can expect price to drop respectably in coming years. Like all consumer electronics. The cost of the battery itself could get you into a brand new Cruze...that will come down once as the technology matures.