Moreover, sales are heavily regional-largely in states and areas with electric-car incentives, including California-and the Volt remains a rarity in other regions. By way of comparison, Chevy sells almost that many Cruze compact sedans each month. than any other plug-in car-though the Nissan Leaf is catching up fast-that amounts only to about 23,000 cars in each of the last two years. While more Volts have been sold in the U.S. But unlike plug-in hybrids from Ford, Honda, Hyundai, and Toyota, the Volt never switches on its engine to assist the electric motor while there's still energy remaining in the battery-which makes for a much nicer driving experience for that first 35 or so miles.
cars, meaning a Volt used for commuting may not switch on its gasoline engine for weeks at a time. That distance covers the daily travel for four-fifths of all U.S. It's a compact five-door hatchback with four seats that offers 35 to 40 miles of all-electric range. It hasn't changed much since then it remains the sole plug-in electric car from General Motors that's built in high volumes. And that potentially makes the outgoing 2015 Volt an attractive proposition, given the discounts likely to be used to sell down the remaining inventory.Īlong with the battery-electric Nissan Leaf, the Chevy Volt pioneered the market for modern plug-in volume cars back in December 2010. The 2015 Chevrolet Volt has now officially entered lame-duck territory, with specifications, trim levels, and even prices announced for its all-new 2016 successor-which will go on sale in the autumn of this year.