Chevrolet’s October sales surged 15 percent in October, but that rise was no thanks to the Volt plug-in, which saw its sales tank by 32 percent during the month.
Chevy sold 2,022 Volts during the month, down from 2,961 in October 2012. Through the first 10 months of the year Volt sales have dipped 2.7 percent to 18,782.
Don Johnson, U.S. vice president of Chevrolet sales and service, said that General Motors is “very pleased” with Volt sales despite the dramatic drop off. Johnson also noted that October 2012 was the Volt’s second best-ever month on record, making the comparison a difficult one.
Some analysts are blaming the Volt’s sagging sales on lower gas prices at the emergence of the 40mpg gas-powered car.
“We are seeing sluggish sales of some plug-in hybrids such as the Ford C-Max — down 21 percent — and Chevy Volt — down 32 percent,” Edmunds.com senior analyst Michelle Krebs told The Detroit News. “The most likely culprit responsible for the decline is gas prices and enticing traditional gas-powered vehicles that achieve 40 mpg plus. With fuel prices expected to fall further, the auto industry will be watching carefully to see if the pattern continues.”
However, not all plug-in vehicles are suffering as the result of those factors. Sales of Nissan’s Leaf electric shot up 27 percent to 2,002 deliveries in October. For the year, Leaf sales are up 167 percent to 18,078 units.
Toyota’s Prius Plug-In is also seeing improved sales. 2,095 Prius Plug-Ins found new homes last month, up 7 percent over the same period last year. Prius Plug-In sales have now inched up 4.6 percent to 10,069 units this year.
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