2011-06-20
G. Chambers Williams III: Volt price dips as it goes national
Initially introduced in just seven states and the District of Columbia, including a limited rollout in Texas in January, the 2011 Volt has been hard to find even in the launch states because of General Motors' slow ramp-up of production at the Detroit-area plant where all of the cars are assembled. (Canon NB-4L battery)Fewer than 10,000 of the 2011 model were expected to come out of the plant.
For 2012, though, production is being boosted significantly, with a projection of about 45,000 units for the entire year. (Canon BP-511 battery)Still, even with potential customers having the ability to order the Volt from any participating Chevrolet dealer, the nationwide rollout will come in phases, GM says. Which areas will get the 2012 models first has not been announced.
The $39,995 starting price for the 2012 model includes $850 freight. That's before an available federal tax credit of $7,500 and any applicable state and local incentives. (Samsung BP70A Battery )The price is $32,495 after the federal credit.
That compares with a base price of $41,000 for the 2011 model - but the 2012 entry-level Volt will lack some of the standard amenities of this year's car, including the in-dash navigation system.
A variety of options will be available, however, and a fully loaded Volt with leather interior, back-up camera (Canon MV700 battery), navigation, and premium paint and wheels will top out at $46,265 ($38,765 after the federal credit).
Once an order is placed for the 2012 model, the customer will be assigned a "Volt adviser" who will keep the consumer informed about when the ordered vehicle will be ready for delivery, GM said.
"We are giving consumers greater choice of content as the Volt becomes available nationwide by the end of this year," said Cristi Landy, the Volt's marketing director. (Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W110 Charger)"This gives us the opportunity to be more flexible in our pricing and still provide additional high-tech content to customers who want to purchase it."
For 2012, standard features will include keyless entry with automatic locking, OnStar turn-by-turn navigation free for three years, the Chevrolet MyLink system with Bluetooth streaming audio, and an AM/FM/CD system with MP3 playback and 7-inch color touch-screen display.(Canon POWERSHOT G6 battery)
Optional will be 17-inch sport alloy wheels with black inserts. Two new exterior colors will be available for 2012, summit white and blue topaz metallic. New interiors will include white and spiced red.
The Volt, which can go about 35 miles between charges on electric power alone, has a small gasoline engine that runs a generator to provide backup power when the lithium-ion Sony NP-FM55H Charger runs down.
That extends the range by up to 344 miles, GM says. The gasoline backup is the key difference between the Volt and the all-electric 2011 Nissan Leaf, which runs on a Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP Charger battery pack only. The Leaf, which is made in Japan now but soon will be assembled in Tennessee, can go up to 100 miles between charges. But when the Canon LP-E10 battery runs down, it must be recharged from an external power source.
Volt is also the first electric car to receive a five-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, based on the results of the federal agency's crash testing.
It also has been named a Top Safety Pick for 2011 by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a privately funded crash-testing organization with standards that are higher than those of the federal government.
A lease still will be the least expensive way to get into one of the vehicles. (Sony NP-F550 Battery)For 2011, a three-year Volt lease costs $350 a month and requires only a $2,500 down payment.
GM decided on the shorter range for the Volt, compared with the Leaf, because studies have shown that the average driver goes less than 35 miles in a typical day. The shorter range allowed GM to use a smaller, lighter-weight Samsung BP-70A Battery pack than Nissan uses in the Leaf.
An onboard 110-volt charger allows the Volt to be recharged externally from standard household power in about 12 to 14 hours. With an available 240-volt home charger, the Canon Digital IXUS 40 Charger battery can be recharged in four hours.
The hatchback Volt is about the size of a Chevy Malibu and drives about the same. Controls are the same - an automatic transmission shifter in the center console, an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal. Top speed is 100 mph.
GM said the 2012 Volt will continue to have the same battery warranty as the 2011 model - eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first.(Sanyo DSC-R1 Battery)
One problem that consumers have found, though, is that some Chevrolet dealers have been marking up the price of the Volt significantly to take advantage of its scarcity and the fact that some early buyers apparently will pay whatever dealers ask just so they can be among the first to get the car.
Nissan has avoided that with the Leaf by selling the vehicles online for the published manufacturer's list price, then sending customers to their local Nissan dealers to take delivery. The Leaf begins at about $33,000, before the $7,500 federal tax credit and any state or local incentives.
Contact Express-News automotive columnist G. Chambers Williams III at 210-250-3236 or
more tags: Samsung DIGIMAX 360 Battery, Fujifilm FinePix J30 Charger, Canon LP-E6 battery, Canon MV750I Charger, Canon EOS-10D battery, Canon NB-5L battery, Samsung PL51 Charger, Sony GV-A500 Charger, Canon Digital IXUS 70 Charger, Sony CCD-TR918E Charger, Jvc GR-AX400 Battery, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P100/LJ Charger , Jvc BN-VF823 Battery, Sony NP-F550 Battery, Fujifilm FinePix J30 Charger, Canon EOS 550D battery, DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERA DV7000, Canon NP-E3 Battery, Sony a 300 Series Battery, Samsung VP-L700U Battery, Kodak Easyshare V1003 Charger
next blog: Cocaine in the truck’s battery… must give a real jolt … news from the ports of entry
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment