Next-gen Chevy Volt could be $10,000 cheaper

A sub-$30,000 Chevrolet Volt? General Motors CEO Dan Akerson says that could be in the making within a year, Car and Driver reports.

Akerson, speaking recently at a green-technology conference in California, said the company may be able to shave as much as $10,000 off the sticker price of the next-generation version of the extended-range plug-in. He also said the car, which loses GM money each time one is sold, could be profitable at that price.

At just shy of $30,000, the newer Volt would be in the price range of the Nissan Leaf and plug-in Toyota Prius and Ford C-Max models. Akerson said GM was getting better at pulling weight out of the Volt but didn't give much as far as additional specifics. This isn't the first time we've heard the next-generation PHEV will be a better deal. In January, GM North America President Mark Reuss said the company would cut "thousands of dollars" off the Volt's sticker price for the model's next generation, citing improvements in the model's electric motor and battery pack.

Through April, Volt sales were up 3.2 percent from a year earlier to 5,550 units after selling almost 23,500 vehicles in 2012. Sales of the Leaf, which underwent its own price cut for 2013, have more than doubled from a year earlier to 5,476 units.