September was a pretty solid sales month for the Chevrolet Bolt EV, though not such a great one for its plug-in hybrid cousin, the Volt. The Bolt EV rounded out the month with its best sales this year at 2,632 units. That's also an improvement of about 500 units over August. General Motors also reports that the majority of those Bolt EV sales are to private consumers instead of fleet customers, with 2,505 going to individuals.
The Volt barely improved over last month with 1,453 sales. Last month it sold 1,445. In comparison, the Bolt EV sold roughly 1,200 more vehicles than the Volt, which doesn't have range issues because of its gasoline engine.
With the Bolt EV developing such a large lead over the Volt, we were curious how the two have been doing over the course of the year. We dug through the sales data, mapped the numbers on a chart, and discovered that things are looking pretty good for the Bolt EV, and the Volt seems to have hit a downturn. In fact, they have swapped positions, as from July to September, the Bolt EV outsold the Volt by an increasing amount. Also of note is that the Bolt EV first took the lead in July, a month before it became available nationwide.
The Bolt EV has been steadily gaining sales as well. Its first sales increase came in March following a dip in February. The Volt started the year with gains in February and March, but the overall trend for Volt sales has been down every month after.
Undoubtedly, a portion of the credit for the Bolt EV's gaining sales can be attributed to its steadily increasing availability. But the fact that it is maintaining a lead with full availability seems to indicate that consumers are finding the Bolt EV a more compelling package. The Bolt is definitely more attractive to pure electric buyers, boasting 238 miles of range on electricity as opposed to the Volt's 53, and it has some packaging advantages that the somewhat cramped Volt lacks. Its vaguely crossover-like looks are also likely to count for a lot in this SUV-crazed market.
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The Volt barely improved over last month with 1,453 sales. Last month it sold 1,445. In comparison, the Bolt EV sold roughly 1,200 more vehicles than the Volt, which doesn't have range issues because of its gasoline engine.
With the Bolt EV developing such a large lead over the Volt, we were curious how the two have been doing over the course of the year. We dug through the sales data, mapped the numbers on a chart, and discovered that things are looking pretty good for the Bolt EV, and the Volt seems to have hit a downturn. In fact, they have swapped positions, as from July to September, the Bolt EV outsold the Volt by an increasing amount. Also of note is that the Bolt EV first took the lead in July, a month before it became available nationwide.
The Bolt EV has been steadily gaining sales as well. Its first sales increase came in March following a dip in February. The Volt started the year with gains in February and March, but the overall trend for Volt sales has been down every month after.
Undoubtedly, a portion of the credit for the Bolt EV's gaining sales can be attributed to its steadily increasing availability. But the fact that it is maintaining a lead with full availability seems to indicate that consumers are finding the Bolt EV a more compelling package. The Bolt is definitely more attractive to pure electric buyers, boasting 238 miles of range on electricity as opposed to the Volt's 53, and it has some packaging advantages that the somewhat cramped Volt lacks. Its vaguely crossover-like looks are also likely to count for a lot in this SUV-crazed market.
Related Video:
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