Chevrolet Volt Outselling Corvette in 2012

[n2doc]

Chevrolet’s plug-in hybrid sedan is in its first year of full production, and after six months of sales, the Volt has toppled the Chevy Corvette in the retail race.

So far in 2012, Chevy has offloaded 7,057 Volts, compared to the the Corvette’s 5,547 sales. It deserves noting that the figures General Motors — Chevrolet’s parent company — has released are for deliveries to dealers, and not vehicles parked in customer garages.

Still, the duality of the two vehicles sold under the same marque couldn’t be more clear. Both the Corvette and Volt could be considered niche products — one a sports car, one a plug-in hybrid with a 40-mile range and absolutely no sporting pretenses.

There’s also the price discrepancy — not that anyone is cross-shopping the two models. The Volt comes in at $39,995 before any state or federal incentives, while the Corvette starts at just over 50 large. And of course, the fuel economy of both models stands in stark contrast: The Volt gets a combined rating of 94 MPGe, while the ‘Vette and its 6.2-liter V8 manages to eek out 16 MPG in the city and 26 MPG on the highway.


more

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/06/volt-v-vette/

[DJ13]

1. Sadly, Chevy forgot what the original 'vette represented

It was meant as a low cost alternative to the European mass market sports cars of the day, which means that today it should sell for just slightly more than the current Camaro, not cost almost the same as a Porsche.

[Kolesar]

3. "Two seaters" have disappeared from the marketplace

Visit your dealer and look for a Fiero, Miata, Mr.2, Civic-CRX or an Insight. Sales were slight on those economy cars. Sales were so low that the manufacturers could not generate enough income from the product line to keep it in production.

Obviously, the way-overpriced Corvette survived.

[FLAprogressive]

2. Let's watch rightwingers spin this one.

[TexasProgresive]

4. I'll save my applause

For when Volt sales equal Silverrados. Corvette, not so much.