Only a decade ago, the Chevrolet Volt was born and this car was thought to be the one that would make the changes needed to carry the brand for several years and generations.
Now, only ten years later, the Volt is on the chopping block, along with several other GM sedans, and won’t be made after the 2019 calendar year. This car showed up with an EV range of 40 miles and a range extender that made it a practical choice when you wanted to head out on the roads for a great drive.
What has Caused the Volt to be Axed?
Even though the Chevy Volt won awards and was a bit of a futuristic offering, it never quite did what Chevrolet needed it to do. The sales never made it to the expected level and we haven’t embraced EV and hybrid models as much as experts would have thought. Once gas prices began to drop, it was easy to see that hybrid and EV models wouldn’t be the popular choice that we thought they would be. Because the Volt isn’t a pure electric car, it was one that was chosen for the axe from GM.
SUVs Cause the Decline
The past several years of the automotive market have seen more new subcompact SUVs than ever in the past. The market has surged, sales across the automotive industry have been at record highs, but sedans have been on the decline. SUVs outsold sedans for the first time in 2015 and have continued to do so for the past few years. It’s no wonder Chevrolet has focused on redesigns of popular SUV’s like the Traverse and the newly compact Chevy Equinox SUV. The writing was certainly on the wall and because the Chevrolet Volt is a sedan, it was one that received the death knell and won’t be around after the calendar turns from 2019 to 2020.
More Factors in the Change by Chevrolet
It was a question that surfaced when the Chevrolet Bolt was added to the lineup. The question was whether or not the Volt would continue for the future with the Bolt offering the range needed and the right power for the drive. Now, we know the answer, and it seems the Volt will no longer be offered at all. For those drivers who want a true EV model to drive, the Bolt is the only choice offered by Chevrolet, but with the number of sedans being deleted, there may be growth in the works in the EV models for GM.
The Volt will be Gone and Missed
As the one car on the market that offers a serious hybrid powertrain with 53 miles of EV driving and 420 total between the electric and gasoline engines, the Chevrolet Volt held a strong position for a few years. Unfortunately, the moonshot by Chevrolet never came to complete fruition. Slow sales, the wrong body style, and competition in the same brand lineup all contribute to the need to delete the Volt from the market in favor of more profitable models that will continue to be offered.
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