The first Chevy Volts to roll off the assembly line went straight to waiting owners in a symbolic move by GM that this is the car for the people . Usually when a new car rolls out, dealerships get the first copies so that they can serve as demos to customers.
Since demand for the Volt has been so high for so long, GM made sure the most eager early adopters, many of us right here in fact, got our cars even before the dealers got their demos.
Starting within the next few weeks however, GM will begin supplying dealerships with vehicles to place on their lots for customer test drives.
Dealerships in the initial launch markets of California, Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C will be the first to receive cars.
With cars in lots, more and more interested consumers will get to experience the masterpiece vehicle firsthand, undoubtedly leading to further increases in sales.
“We know the best way to experience the Volt is to get behind the wheel and drive it. Now dealers will have the ability to allow consumers to form their own opinions of the Volt through test drives and demonstrations,” said Cristi Landy, Chevrolet marketing director.
At this point, according to GM officials, more than 300,000 consumers have registered on Chevrolet.com as being interested in the Volt. Furthermore, GM reports that 85% of customers who go there to research the Volt actually look at other models as well.
“We are seeing that the Volt is increasing traffic onto our dealer showroom floors and is exposing consumers to Chevys line of ‘gas-friendly’ vehicles, including the Cruze Malibu and Equinox,” Landy said.
By the end of the first quarter GM expects about 550 demo Volts to have been delivered. By the end of 2011 over 2500 demo models will have been delivered, and in every state consumer deliveries will have commenced.
Source (GM)
+5
Feb 1st, 2011 (12:48 am)This is an investment by GM that really will allow the Volt to sell itself. Another Volt milestone witnessed by the volt nation before the significance reaches the general public. Congratulations to all of you with low VINs, you have something truly special on your hands and the historical significance is just beginning to unfold.
+16
Feb 1st, 2011 (12:55 am)Demo cars will help a lot of people who aren’t comfortable spending $40K+ on a car without a decent test drive.
+7
Feb 1st, 2011 (1:06 am)Technology is catching up in this country. Started telecommuting 5 days a week with nary a glitch. When going into Denver, the train is now my choice over burning Foreign Middle-East oil.
-59
Feb 1st, 2011 (1:23 am)(click to show comment)
+9
Feb 1st, 2011 (1:28 am)I hate to be negative, ever, but are all the Demos going to have the giant Volt sticker on the side?
In my opinion any kind of over the top graphic on a car is hideous, and seeing a Volt drive by with that giant logo may lead some people to have a negative first impression whether driving down the road or even just sitting on the lot. I guess the good news is this car will sell like hotcakes regardless.
If anyone at GM is listening and the plan is to have the sticker on the demos, please lose it!
+3
Feb 1st, 2011 (1:34 am)Niiiiiiice, it’s economic self interest on a national scale, isn’t it.
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (1:39 am)Though I will say this I hope those Volt haters can take a test drive on one of these demo Volts then maybe people may change there minds after all what do you guys think about that agree with me?
+6
Feb 1st, 2011 (1:40 am)It’s just the picture my mistake sorry everybody because it reminded me of a previous article.
+3
Feb 1st, 2011 (1:45 am)I saw a huge VOLT and CRUZE billboard at a Chevy dealer on the north side of the Pomona Freeway in East LA today. Those demo models will cause major Volt envy during a test drive.
Finally returning to drive my own Volt after driving the Chevy HHR for a couple of weeks was a treat. So quiet the experience and luxurious the ride; I fell in love with the Volt all over again.
+2
Feb 1st, 2011 (2:05 am)Great! I’m in the East Bay, CA area and missed the Volt road show. Although I can’t afford the Volt anymore I want to see it up close and drive it. Maybe things will change again… Disability sucks…
Are there any West coast Volt meet ups planned? Would be nice to see one with out all the sales pressure.
Thanks to Lyle and all the other Volt contributers for the good information.
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (5:39 am)The Volt is a pleasure to drive. The smoothness at all speeds and ability to fuel at home really puts this car over the top. Volt demo drives will have many trading in key crank gasoline sedans.
=D-Volt
+5
Feb 1st, 2011 (7:07 am)AP ~ Monday January 31, 2011, 3:13 pm EST
NEW YORK (AP) — An important oil price benchmark topped $100 per barrel on Monday for the first time since 2008, as investors kept an anxious eye on Egypt and worried about unrest there disrupting the flow of oil from the Middle East.
The price of Brent crude rose $1.59 to settle at $101.01 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London. Brent is used to price oil in Asia, where demand is growing fast, and in Europe, where a cold winter is leading to high demand for heating oil. Also, European supplies of oil from the North Sea have been falling steadily.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Oil-prices-rise-on-Egypt-apf-44188675.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=8&asset=&ccode=
-9
Feb 1st, 2011 (7:23 am)Dealerships in the initial launch markets of California, Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C will be the first to receive cars.
Volt seems to have become a geographically narrow vehicle limited to a few scattered states. Volt has become old news here, maybe even old old old news (smile), even though it has no local reality as something for people to buy. Strange marketing plan.
Feb 1st, 2011 (7:26 am)Driving a demo is key for me and many other ‘normal’ customers. I wonder how many cars this represents though? Like 5000 Chevy dealers,right?
+2
Feb 1st, 2011 (8:01 am)Our local Chevy dealer here in Fort Lauderdale, FL called the other day and said they had a Volt for only a few hours and would we like to come see and drive it. They already knew we were interested in the car. We were told Michael A. Jackson was in town for a few days and GM trucked the Volt down here for him to use. He had just returned the car before we got there. It was the Crystal Red Tint with light leather and dark console. It was much, much nicer in person. I got to drive it around the lot. I didn’t dare tell them we already purchased one in NY and are waiting to pick it up. VIN#951
+5
Feb 1st, 2011 (8:06 am)Only 327 days left until Christmas. Will there be a Volt for me under the tree (OK, the garage) in Ohio???? That is the real question!!!
Sorry, but demo cars for dealers in 9 states just doesn’t get me all that thrilled…….
NPNS
Have Outlet – Ready For EREV In Ohio!!
+6
Feb 1st, 2011 (8:11 am)For me I love the large Volt sticker on the side of the car. If I am able to work out to afford one this fall, maybe I could get a great deal on one of the demo vehicle with the large sticker on the side. Only this may be some of my red neck blood coming out.
-1
Feb 1st, 2011 (8:38 am)This is curious… why should Volt demos take precedence over orders? Dealers were demanding up front money, weren’t they? Or are demos not taking precedence over orders?
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (8:41 am)How long do the dealer’s have to keep the demo’s before selling? Something like 6 months?
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (9:32 am)A couple months ago, GM said orders would take precedence, but demos would ship in February.
I don’t know about a time limit, but I think the agreement was that they needed to keep one demo on the lot. So, they could sell the demo if they took delivery of another one.
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (9:55 am)for oil and gas costs in the USA see.
http://money.cnn.com/data/commodities/
Tom
+3
Feb 1st, 2011 (10:09 am)…”masterpiece vehicle” – a great phrase to describe the Volt!
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (10:13 am)This past Saturday the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch ran an article about a local dealer who got a hold of a demo from a Washington DC dealer. Well done Chesrown Chevrolet! I’ll be seeing you real soon.
+4
Feb 1st, 2011 (11:06 am)By definition, hate has its source in ignorance and too often, an ignorant will not make the effort to learn and prefer prejudgment.
Let those who understand the importance of this car lead the way. Those open-minded who are in a wait-and-see situation will try the demos and eventually buy.
The haters will join the march last.
-1
Feb 1st, 2011 (11:09 am)Has GM disclosed how many orders they have ?
+4
Feb 1st, 2011 (11:10 am)If GM is seriously considering ramping up to 120K Volts in 2012, sending demos to sustain and confirm high demand is a good move.
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (11:16 am)Why would they ? If demand is way up high, you don’t want to alarm your competitors so they come up with a similar car ASAP. Let the competition wonder and ponder.
In the end, production levels will be the answer. If they are seriously considering a fast ramp up, as it seems they are, orders must be coming in faster than they thought.
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (11:26 am)I am not sure I like it that big, but the idea is necessary.
My Tahoe Hybrid came with all those ‘Hybrid’ notifications all over and the only one I removed was on the windshield. Without these stickers, I trust that no one would ask me about the vehicle, as I doubt few look for the small green placard that GM uses. This is an era of education where few really know anything about alternatives to run-of-the-mill ICE vehicles. I have had lots of positive questioning about my Tahoe Hybrid and I hope to get lots more with the Volt. The Volt’s styling is cool, but not distinctive enough to get the uninformed to ask questions. Especially while in the demo role, unique signage of some sort is a great idea.
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (11:31 am)Islander,
I would join a Volt rally if one were held in the SF Bay Area. #324
Feb 1st, 2011 (11:34 am)MichaelH,
Our dealer said that they had to keep the demo through June before they are allowed to sell it. If they sell it before that, the dealer said, they forfeit the next deliveries.
Feb 1st, 2011 (11:43 am)Probably keeping a tight lid on it, but I think they may have to release the #’s at the first quarterly report. Not sure though.. have to ask the bean counter people.
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (11:43 am)An example of a dealer who can’t order yet making an effort to keep customers interested and informed? A demo can be used for so many functions. Wonder how many miles on average before they are sold.
Feb 1st, 2011 (12:00 pm)#12
Arrrrggghhh!!! Still, information is power, and it does validate one’s decision to take the leap and order a Volt. And without a test drive, no less. +1
Feb 1st, 2011 (12:03 pm)#28
I agree. +1
+4
Feb 1st, 2011 (12:04 pm)The idea is to get more people driving the new technology…. creates more demand. These vehicles will do what they are built for… give more people the experience… this may mean I will get a test drive sooner than later.
Who cares about the graphics….I think they look good traveling to the dealerships on the car carrier… it’s the technology … get it out there… test drives are good.
These are demo cars… more hard test miles… sounds good to me.
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (12:11 pm)However this morning:
“NEW YORK — Crude-oil futures fell back Tuesday to start off February in the red. Light sweet crude for March delivery dropped 70 cents to $91.49 in electronic trades.”
+9
Feb 1st, 2011 (12:29 pm)Let’s think about this for a moment. The initial build for 2011 is already spoken for and the dealerships don’t have the car yet for people to test drive. This is not a $10,000 economy car, this is a $41,000 investment and 10,000 people have opted to buy one, sight unseen, during a recession. I am grateful to GM for allowing their engineers to build this car and show what they can do. I’ll be picking mine up in a few days.
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (1:06 pm)#37
You think? I thought so too, but I finally worked up the courage to order mine the first week in January, 2011, and it is supposed to be built the week of 2/14 and show up around 3/1. That doesn’t sound like they’re all spoken for to me. It actually makes me kind of nervous about what the real demand and status of orders is. Is it just because my dealer happened to have some unused allocations? Does anybody know what’s really going on?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m getting more excited about getting the Volt the more I get into it. The SPX Corp./Charge Point America program is absolutely fascinating. It’s just that I sort of wonder where the Volt program is actually going.
Feb 1st, 2011 (1:08 pm)#36
Excellent news. +1 But it can’t last forever, IMHO. Although I guess we can hep a bit if we all get our Volts, LOL.
Feb 1st, 2011 (1:29 pm)CorvetteGuy–how are Volt sales going for you guys?
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (1:39 pm)Volt sales are 321 for January. If memory serves, they sold closer to 400 (but not over) in December.
Feb 1st, 2011 (2:04 pm)Just as a comparison, I used to have a couple friends who were scion dealers, they were required to keep 1 of each model on the lot at all times, They got a new Demo model for each model year change, and they would sell the Demos when the next MY Demo Arrived. A friend of mine bought the Demo TC it has a little over 12,000 miles, I looked at the XB and it was at 10K.
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (2:21 pm)Just goes to show that crude pricing will continue to be very volatile. Meanwhile, my electric rate is locked in at 8.3c for another 6 months.
Feb 1st, 2011 (2:26 pm)BTW, the Volt graphics in the picture at the top — pretty sure that load is for the CAB members and no production cars will have it. Maybe if you grovel hard enough they will arrange to have some put on your own car. Don’t know if they are film overlays or pained on. Doubt they are painted though.
+2
Feb 1st, 2011 (2:31 pm)OT….
Hey, check this out, we all know that we get the Fed rebate of $7,500.00 right?
So the volt after the rebate is theoretically…
$41,000.00 – $7,500.00(fed) = $33,500.00
BUT, if you work for “Integrated Archive Systems (IAS)” in CA you’re subsidy calculation is this….
$41,000.00 – $7,500.00(fed) – $10,000.00(IAS) = $23,500.00
http://www.hybridcars.com/corporate-incentives.html
“For full time employees who have been with the company at least
one year, the company offers a $10,000 subsidy toward the purchase of a hybrid vehicle.”
/of course there are other companies like google that offers $5,000.00 but IAS offered a big a$$ incentive!
//my employer doesn’t offer jack sh|t.
Feb 1st, 2011 (2:42 pm)Don’t think that dealer orders “take precedence”, but most dealers have an order in ahead of customers. Once the order is in it is first come first served. In my case, my deposit was down about 6 months before the order was input to the GM system.
And really, it should not be long until other states get cars (Ohio, James, …)
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (2:48 pm)Topic Hijack:
DETROIT – Chevrolet will air five 30-second commercials during Super Bowl XLV Sunday on FOX, representing only part of a coordinated TV presence that continues into a special post-game episode of “Glee,” the FOX hit musical comedy.
The Camaro, Cruze Eco, Silverado HD and Volt will be featured in a combination of in-game and post-game ads, plus Chevy is presenting a Camaro Convertible to the Most Valuable Player from Super Bowl XLV between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers.
“Chevrolet has a lot of great news to share right now, and where else do you get to talk to 95 million Americans all at once?” said Joel Ewanick, global chief marketing officer of General Motors. “Chevrolet is using the biggest broadcast day of the year, all day, to talk about the Volt, the North American Car of the Year; the Silverado HD, Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year; the 42-mile-per-gallon Cruze Eco; and the best-selling Camaro.”
One of the Super Bowl ads will promote an elaborate, longer-form Chevrolet spot to air during the “Glee” episode following the Super Bowl, where the classic song “See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet” plays a key role in the plot of the commercial.
The following Chevrolet ads will air during the game: “Misunderstanding,” featuring the Cruze Eco; “Discovery,” highlighting the Volt; “Tommy,” highlighting the Silverado HD; and “Al’s Chevrolet,” starring the Camaro. The “Glee” commercial also will run during the game. “Ms. Evelyn,” featuring the Camaro, will air after the presentation of the MVP Award, also sponsored by Chevrolet.
“This combination of commercials highlights today’s diversity of Chevrolet products, but each spot also tells a part of the overall Chevy brand story and provides additional evidence of how ‘Chevy Runs Deep,’” said Ewanick. “You’re going to see the Chevy story continue to unfold for a long time to come after Super Bowl XLV is in the record books.”
All of this year’s Super Bowl ads were created by Chevrolet’s agency of record, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. Chevrolet advertising returns to the Super Bowl after a four-year absence.
Volt# 671
NPNS!
+4
Feb 1st, 2011 (2:55 pm)I was one of the 300,000 persons who signed up as interested in the Volt (number 5355). I am not an “early adopter” normally and buying a car sight unseen would have been crazy. But thanks to Lyle and gm-volt.com I probably know more about the Volt than any car I have ever considered owning. Saturday I was able to test drive the Leaf in Sunrise FL and after that experience I am glad that Volt “Jewel” Vin 177 has been mine since December 23 when I got it in Fairfax Va. Today I applied for my $99.00 deposit back from Nissan. I imagine there will be many $99.00 deposits being returned when the Volt demos get out there.
+3
Feb 1st, 2011 (3:03 pm)John M, Thanks for reminding me. I need to get my $99. back as well. I couldn’t make it to the Leaf event over the weekend (which I had an appointment) due to the electrician installing the Voltec charger. Oh, and by the way…1800 on the “want list”.
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (3:37 pm)Congrats to all you new Volt owners out there. Hopefully most of the rest of us will join you ASAP.
+2
Feb 1st, 2011 (3:44 pm)Wow! We have the continued brilliant campaign bringing the key rollout cities Chevy VOLT demos! Fantastic! So far the GM rollout has functioned flawlessly. Bringing these demos to the key market and eventually all 50 States is a magnificent way to let the public experience an electric vehicle.
And what a vehicle it is. Having driven one of the first test drives up in the NW – I can attest to the astonishing smooth, authoritative feel one gets from this incredibly well-engineered car. A complete winner. Congratulations to GM’s excellent execution of the rollout. And as always to the fantastic support Team at Chevy and here on GM-VOLT – the people’s voice for electrification.
Build Those Volts!
Feb 1st, 2011 (4:16 pm)Nelson,
I guess that answers my question from a week or two ago. Maybe I’ll watch this year.
Feb 1st, 2011 (4:27 pm)I took the 14th order last Thursday. Two early orders dropped out, so I have 2 open delivery positions. People stop in about every other day to check it out.
Feb 1st, 2011 (6:01 pm)GM to build a cheaper Volt…..
http://money.cnn.com/2011/01/26/autos/cheap_volt/index.htm?source=cnn_bin&hpt=Sbin
I apologize if someone had already posted this.
Feb 1st, 2011 (6:58 pm)Loboc,
“By the end of the first quarter GM expects about 550 demo Volts to have been delivered. By the end of 2011 over 2500 demo models will have been delivered, and in every state consumer deliveries will have commenced”…stay tuned
+1
Feb 1st, 2011 (8:37 pm)http://207.99.69.140/volt/llama-pickup.jpg
…and the Llama deliveries followed closely behind!
Feb 1st, 2011 (9:34 pm)I find it interesting that, while people here are convinced there is a long queue for Volts, there are Volts showing up on internet as being available on dealer lots. Is that just a GM dealer allocation issue ?
Feb 1st, 2011 (11:22 pm)Mine either! Bummer, eh?
.
.
.
Unfortunately, since I’m self-employed, I’m not sure where to put the blame for that
+1
Feb 3rd, 2011 (5:59 am)Score Board for month of January, 2011
VOLT: 321
Leaf: 87
The game in December ended with Volt Beating leaf 326 to 19. Production is ramping up for VOLT and expect it to destroy leaf every month this year.