Yes, I am really late in posting this info. None-the-less, here is the data.
Nissan Leaf had a big May selling 2,138 vehicles. Their second best month all time behind March’s 2,236 Leafs sold. Year to date sales are 7,614.
Volt May sales were 1,607 with year to date sales of 7,157 putting Volt in second place behind the Leaf.
It is reported that Chevy dealers have more than 9,000 Volts in inventory. With the 2014 soon to be in the show rooms, the dealers need to sell the 2013 model inventory.
Price-cutting going on across the board
Fewer sales than needed and California’s requirement that all major makers must offer a minimum number of “zero emission vehicles” are pushing the manufacturers to cut prices.
Nissan reduced the price of the Leaf by 18%, or $6,000, when it launched a new, stripped-down model at the beginning of the year.
A California buyer can now purchase a Chevrolet Volt for as little as $28,495. The base price for the plug-in is $39,995 but all buyers qualify for $4,000 off on a 2013 model and $5,000 off for a 2012 Volt. They also can get an extra $1,000 if they are currently leasing a non-GM vehicle. Meanwhile, the federal government provides a $7,500 tax credit while the state kicks in another $1,500.
Chevrolet also is now reducing lease pricing for the Volt to $269 a month for 36 months, with a $2,399 downpayment.
Recently, a posting maintained that GM had to sell the Volt for about $75,000 to break even. How long can they keep the Volt line going at this rate?
Detroit Bureau also reports that the Honda Fit EV’s will reduce the lease pricing from $389 to $259 a month, and customers will no longer face mileage limitations.
Clearly the price-cutting reflects the lack of enthusiasm by the US population for these vehicles. The manufacturers of the vehicles are likely to be operating at a loss on each car. The government (and thus the average tax payer) is spending a lot of money on an idea that is not showing signs of capturing the public’s imagination.
cbdakota
Climate Change Sanity 