August a Record Month for Chevy Volt Sales Thanks to Big Discounts; But is it Really Good News?

All-electric and hybrid car sales so far account for just 3.5 percent of total vehicle sales in the U.S. this year. Not exactly what their makers expected when they launched these models.

At a first glance, the situation is improving for General Motors, as its Volt extended-range hybrid sold a record 2,800 units last month. Year-to-date Volt sales have so far reached 13,000 units, which certainly compares very well to the 7,700 cars that were sold in 2011.

For example, before the discounts, Bunnin Chevrolet in Culver City, California was selling three to five Volts per month. Last month it shifted 36 cars, mostly leases, and sales manager Chad Kelman told The Detroit News that the dealership is having a hard time keeping enough units in stock.

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Chevrolet , Chevrolet Volt , Ecology , GM , Hybrids , Reports

Toyota Says Prius Plug-in Hybrid U.S. Sales Top 6,000 Units, Beats Volt and Leaf...or Did it?

A Toyota press release bragging about the achievements of the Prius Plug-in Hybrid variant since it went arrived in U.S. showrooms at the end of February states that the EPA-rated 95 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) Japanese hatchback has delivered 6,061 units in its first six months (March through August) on sale.

However, that's not what caught our attention; this is what did and we quote Toyota's press statement:

"This sales figure represents sales momentum that has propelled the Prius Plug-in to a stronger first full six-months sales pace (6,061 units) than Chevrolet Volt Plug-in (2,745 units) and the all-electric Nissan Leaf (3,875 units)."

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Chevrolet Volt , Electric Vehicles , GM , Hybrids , Nissan , Nissan Leaf , Reports , Toyota , Toyota Prius

GM Refutes Reuters’ Claim That Each Volt Costs $89,000 to Build, Though it’s Still Losing Money

Despite a rather high US$39,995 sticker price for the base edition of the Volt, Chevrolet’s range-extended hybrid has sold a record 2,831 units in August. So all is well for GM?

In the case of the Volt, the answer is a bit complicated since it’s not your run-of-the-mill gasoline- or diesel-powered car. It’s a problem shared by every hybrid and all-electric vehicle manufacturer: the development costs, the tooling, the battery packs and the powertrain, when added up, simply make for a very high price.

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Chevrolet , Chevrolet Volt , Electric Vehicles , GM , Hybrids , Reports

Software Glitch Causes Delays in Deliveries of Certain 2012-2013 GM Models Including Cadillac ATS

General Motors may have increased its US sales in August by 10 percent compared to the same month in 2011, but last Wednesday it notified its dealers to stop deliveries of some of its most popular models.

The reason is a software glitch on the OnStar communication system that affects the 2013 Chevrolet Cruze, Equinox and Volt, the Cadillac ATS, SRX and XTS, the Buick Verano plus the GMC Terrain.

GM spokesman Alan Adler said that the issue has been identified as the system failing to alert the OnStar call center in an accident that the vehicle’s airbags are not deployed, like a rear-end collision.

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Buick , Cadillac , Cadillac ATS , Cadillac SRX , Cadillac XTS , Chevrolet , Chevrolet Cruze , Chevrolet Equinox , Chevrolet Volt , GM , GMC , Recalls , Reports