Automotive News, Media & Press - Chevrolet Volt Electric Car Outsells Chevrolet Corvette in 2012

Volt Outsells Vette in 2012

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By Paul Lienert, Correspondent | Published Jun 15, 2012
www.insideline.com

•Chevrolet's Volt hybrid, a relative newcomer to the brand, is outselling the long-running Corvette sports car so far in 2012.
•The Volt, now in its first year of full production, has been delivered to 7,057 customers.
•The Corvette, in its sixth generation and 60th year, has been selected by 5,547 customers.

DETROIT — Chevrolet's Volt hybrid, a relative newcomer to the brand, is outselling the long-running Corvette sports car so far in 2012.

The Volt, now in its first year of full production, was delivered to 7,057 customers from January through May, while the Corvette, in its sixth generation and 60th year, was selected by 5,547 customers in the first five months.

Last year, the Corvette outsold the Volt, 13,164 to 7,671, although General Motors was just beginning to ramp up production of the new Chevy hybrid. So far in 2012, Volt is on pace to reach about 20,000 sales for the full year.

The Volt enjoys a clear price advantage over the Vette: Before federal and state incentives, the Volt is priced from $39,995, including shipping, while the Corvette coupe starts at $50,575.

The Volt is powered by a 149-horsepower electric motor combined with an 84-hp 1.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine. The 2012 model was rated by the EPA at 95 MPGe in city driving and 93 MPGe on the highway. For 2013, the Volt's city MPGe climbs to 101. After the battery is depleted and the gasoline engine kicks in, the Volt is rated at 35 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway; those ratings haven't changed for 2013.

The basic Corvette coupe, in comparison, is powered by a 6.2-liter V8 that makes 436 hp and is rated by the EPA at 16 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.

Inside Line says: Vette still handily wins the 0-60 comparison.

I'm sorry but this is stupidest comparison between 2 cars.
Only thing common is that they are both Chevy cars.
No one buys a volt instead of a vette last minute when they walk into a dealership.

:rolleyes:

Don't think it was to prove the volt as the better car just showing that it's a niche car that is selling well and for Chevy that's a great thing.

with vette sales so low maybe i can get a good deal on one.

^^^ Don't bet on it lol Dealers still want blood for em

^^^ Don't bet on it lol Dealers still want blood for em

well, if you have a GM card they're allowing 3000 points if you have that many. thats more than most of their vehicles. camaros are still only 1k. :mad:

that means the c7 MUST be electric then right?

:eyes:

I saw a volt on the highway (of all places) today.

I'm sure the looming C7 is having an impact on sales. Who wants to buy a new corvette only to find out that a C7 is going to be better in this or that way. Nothing dates a vehicle more than when a new model rolls off the assembly line. Hence why the Trans Ams still look badass. :)

I work in a Chevy dealership service dept and I would say at least 50% of the Volts that come in are Fleet or owned by companies like GE and ATT that are getting huge corporate tax breaks for being "GREEN" :wrist:

it's amazing that so many people buy a vehicle rated at 95mpg that only really gets 39.

I work in a Chevy dealership service dept and I would say at least 50% of the Volts that come in are Fleet or owned by companies like GE and ATT that are getting huge corporate tax breaks for being "GREEN" :wrist:

This. I remember GE buying the remaining 2011 cars that didn't sell.

It proves that more people are concerned about fuel economy even if they have to pay a premium for the vehicle rather than owning one of the best values for performance/$ that you can get. The Corvette does a good job but most people aren't looking for that.

Face it. Most of the people on LS1 Tech represent a miniscule, niche group of the drivers out on the road.

If they really were the answer and people really did want that technology they would be out selling the Vette 50-1.

Even with taxpayer subsidies on both sides of the border the sales are less than impressive. JMHO

BTW the first one I seen was at a gas station,my GF thought it was ugly.

Great ironic news but also makes me consider whether a corvette can be had for a good deal at this time.

I'm sure the looming C7 is having an impact on sales. Who wants to buy a new corvette only to find out that a C7 is going to be better in this or that way. Nothing dates a vehicle more than when a new model rolls off the assembly line. Hence why the Trans Ams still look badass. :)

Agreed. I think most potential buyers know GM is working on improving the interior on the C7, which is the main issue most Vette owners have with their cars.

Agreed. I think most potential buyers know GM is working on improving the interior on the C7, which is the main issue most Vette owners have with their cars.


Hasn't it always been the case that sales figures for corvettes decline in the last 1-2 years prior to a new generation coming out? That's when GM comes out with extra options and special packages to encourage people to buy. Like now, they have the 60th anniversary edition which is essentially a Z06 convertible. For the C5's they had the 50th anniversary edition as well as bumped up the power output of the C5 Z06 to 405hp in the last couple years of production of the c5's.

So the point of this thread is that the Volt finally wasn't the lowest selling vehicle in GM's lineup. It finally outsold something.

absolutely, when buyers know a next gen vette is coming out sales drop considerably.


if this is the case right now expect serious incentives on current models.

it's amazing that so many people buy a vehicle rated at 95mpg that only really gets 39.

Unless you don't drive enough at once to kick in the gas engine, then it gets near infinity mpg. That's the problem with the traditional mpg ratings, they just don't work well for hybrid cars like that.

Electricity isn't used in gallons, this is the common misconception. I don't know why they rate them that way, but its confusing. The ignorant buyers might be surprised by their first electric bill...How much does the electricity they use per month cost on average?

This might signal a passing. A different segment of cars now receiving the greatest improvements in technology.

Perhaps

But these number shows me that more intelligent consumers are looking at GM for their new technology vehicle with top tier efficiency; and that motor enthusiasts are becoming patient for the next generation vette before throwing down 50K on a new car.

Unless you don't drive enough at once to kick in the gas engine, then it gets near infinity mpg. That's the problem with the traditional mpg ratings, they just don't work well for hybrid cars like that.

yea i know. it would be perfect for someone that had well under a 30 mile round trip to/from work. maybe. will it truly go 30 miles on the batteries if say.....you have to run headlights, wipers, and defrosters? and of course the radio's gonna be on.

judging from what i see of most of my friends that live in the center city area of philly, they ditch their cars in favor of walking.

Who wants to buy the last model year of a Corvette? Completely new 2013 model around the corner.

it's amazing that so many people buy a vehicle rated at 95mpg that only really gets 39.

And HAS to have the engine on at normal highway speeds.

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/9223/coalpoweredevs0.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/812/coalpoweredevs0.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/9223/coalpoweredevs0.jpg
Still costs less than gasoline and even then it is 50% of less of total generation.
Electricity isn't used in gallons, this is the common misconception. I don't know why they rate them that way, but its confusing. The ignorant buyers might be surprised by their first electric bill...How much does the electricity they use per month cost on average?

This might signal a passing. A different segment of cars now receiving the greatest improvements in technology.

Perhaps

But these number shows me that more intelligent consumers are looking at GM for their new technology vehicle with top tier efficiency; and that motor enthusiasts are becoming patient for the next generation vette before throwing down 50K on a new car.
If you are concerned about what a Plug in electric hybrid would do to your electric bill than you better not turn on your AC or electric heat. Unless you are a hypocrite.

ok...imagine everyone coming home at their normal times, and plugging in their volts(or other electric car) what exactly do you think that's gonna do to the power grid? the one that's near capacity now, judging by some places having rolling brown outs.
then suppose that isn't affected as badly as one might imagine. but the bean counters at the power companies realize that they can raise prices now, because they've a captive audience? do you not think they're gonna do that? if you don't think they will, you need look no further than cable tv to see a prime example of this.

WE can bitch and cry all we want, the Volt however operates on Domestic ENERGY (e.g., coal, wind, hydro, natural gas). Our beloved gasoline alternatives operate on imported oil. The average "asshat" Volt driver does more for our energy based economy than we do.

That said, the EPA and other environmental governing bodies are far more strict on the power producers than anybody wants to beleive. They have to deal with very very strict guidelines that make it almost impossible to be profitable.

WE can bitch and cry all we want, the Volt however operates on Domestic ENERGY (e.g., coal, wind, hydro, natural gas). Our beloved gasoline alternatives operate on imported oil. The average "asshat" Volt driver does more for our energy based economy than we do.

That said, the EPA and other environmental governing bodies are far more strict on the power producers than anybody wants to beleive. They have to deal with very very strict guidelines that make it almost impossible to be profitable.

THE oil issue you mention, could very easily be fixed, as there's plenty here. we're just not allowed to get it.

ok...imagine everyone coming home at their normal times, and plugging in their volts(or other electric car) what exactly do you think that's gonna do to the power grid? the one that's near capacity now, judging by some places having rolling brown outs.
then suppose that isn't affected as badly as one might imagine. but the bean counters at the power companies realize that they can raise prices now, because they've a captive audience? do you not think they're gonna do that? if you don't think they will, you need look no further than cable tv to see a prime example of this.

I am guessing you are referring to the rolling blackouts in California due to the outage at the San Onofre Nuclear plant.

Most places in the USA don't have those issues. Rolling blackouts are practically unheard of in all of the Americas expect some select countries in South America and the State of California. Many places in the US don't bill at a higher rate during peak hours.

It is your choice to live on the west coast. No one is making you live there.

If you are concerned about loading then just plug the car in after seven or eight.

I am guessing you are referring to the rolling blackouts in California due to the outage at the San Onofre Nuclear plant.

Most places in the USA don't have those issues. Rolling blackouts are practically unheard of in all of the Americas expect some select countries in South America and the State of California. Many places in the US don't bill at a higher rate during peak hours.

It is your choice to live on the west coast. No one is making you live there.

If you are concerned about loading then just plug the car in after seven or eight.

you couldn'ty pay me to live out there. my point was those......and that in the near future they will be spreading.

as it is, where i live, we seem to lose electricity for awhile if the weather sneezes too hard. this never used to happen, in more extreme weather years ago.

and don't fool yourself. if these cars get big, the rates will go up. again, you need only look to cable tv to see a perfect example.

you couldn'ty pay me to live out there. my point was those......and that in the near future they will be spreading.

as it is, where i live, we seem to lose electricity for awhile if the weather sneezes too hard. this never used to happen, in more extreme weather years ago.

and don't fool yourself. if these cars get big, the rates will go up. again, you need only look to cable tv to see a perfect example.

Load is higher in the summer than the winter. The outages are probably weather related and not due to the MVA ratings of the equipment not being able to keep up with demand.

Load is higher in the summer than the winter. The outages are probably weather related and not due to the MVA ratings of the equipment not being able to keep up with demand.

you kind of nailed it. but here's the problem with that. the weather never used to affect it as badly as it does now.

two years ago, part of the town i live in lost electricity for 4 days. from a storm. last year, we were without electricity for a day and a half from irene. i'm 55 miles inland, irene was 20 miles off the coast.

there is no way in hell that with todays technology that anyplace not out in the boondocks should be more than an hour or so without electricity. none.

the grid does indeed get overloaded, as you mentioned. it does so, because there is no improvements being done on the infrastructure.
without these improvements on the infrastructure, high enough numbers of electric cars will have the same effect as everyone turning on their a/c when they get home. it will overload, and cause brownout/blackouts.

when this happens, they will want to raise the rates to improve the grid, in order to increase its capacity, and reliability. you know......the things they should've been doing all along?

i'm sorry if i sound bitter, but little things like that piss me off.

Well, I work for a big pharma company that is headquartered in New Brunswick, and at our site they already have the largest solar field on the east coast, and they are in the planning phase of putting solar panels above the parking lot like a carport. The theory is that they will then allow employees to 'plug-in' when they get to work.

I'm sure they are getting a crap load of government money to do that. I live 16 miles from here, and I'm sure I could be persuaded to buy a commuter car for that purpose.

Here's a google map of our site...

http://jnjbtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Photo-by-TJ-Klein-1024x680.jpg

Well, I work for a big pharma company that is headquartered in New Brunswick, and at our site they already have the largest solar field on the east coast, and they are in the planning phase of putting solar panels above the parking lot like a carport. The theory is that they will then allow employees to 'plug-in' when they get to work.

I'm sure they are getting a crap load of government money to do that. I live 16 miles from here, and I'm sure I could be persuaded to buy a commuter car for that purpose.

Here's a google map of our site...

http://jnjbtw.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Photo-by-TJ-Klein-1024x680.jpg
now THAT is a good idea.

For those thinking the comparison is silly I think it was done just to illustrate how bad the Corvette has tanked the past few years.

http://ls1tech.com/forums/automotive-news-media-press/1364009-muscle-cars-buck-downward-trend-coupe-sports-car-sales.html

See above.

There are several small issues as to why the Corvette isn't selling as well right now.

1. Economy sucks, so disposable income is down (smaller car payment in budget).
2. Gas prices floating around $3.50-$4/gallon.
3. The performance gap is closing with the "muscle car" market, a market that is learning to do more than drive in a straight line.
4. C7 coming soon.
5. Used models are VERY cheap and lightly used.
6. Etc.

When you're dealing with a niche market like this, it doesn't take a lot to affect sales.