Late last week, our buds over at Plugin Cars posed a Volt versus cheaper fuel-efficient vehicles (i.e. the Chevrolet Cruze) demand question to Reuss at a press conference in Los Angeles, CA. Reuss responded, “I can’t tell you. I won’t disagree with your analysis.” That analysis was that buyers are opting for fuel-efficient internal combustion engine vehicles instead of the costly Volt. Reuss continued:
Right around [the second or third quarter] of next year, we will actually know what the demand for Volt is. We sell Chevy cars because of the Volt. I don’t know what freestanding [Volt] demand is right now. All I know is the car is very popular and there is a lot of good stuff written about it. It helps Chevrolet as a brand.
Ah, the old “halo car” argument. Volt availability should improve soon, which could result in a sales boost, says Reuss. But even if true demand for GM’s plug-in vehicle is low, Reuss says, “I’m not sure it matters. As an industry, we have to keep making cars that people feel good about driving from an emissions and fuel economy standpoint.”
