Was General Motors caught by surprise with the success of the Chevrolet Volt? According to two people “familiar with the matter” who spoke to Bloomberg, the number of Volts that GM wants to build in 2012 is now, wait for it… 120,000 units. Just six weeks ago, the number we heard for 2012 production was 45,000, up from a previous prediction of 30,000 units. Also, Bloomberg reports, GM might try to make 25,000 Volts this year instead of the 10,000 we previously heard would be produced in 2011.
In December, GM North America President Mark Reuss said there is a limited number of battery cells that vendor LG Chem can produce for GM. Not sure how (or if) this problem has been solved, but Bloomberg writes that GM is trying to get all the Volt’s suppliers to increase their output so the automaker can make enough Volts to meet demand. One analyst believes GM will be able to sell every Volt it makes as long, as the $7,500 federal tax credit is available. The first 200,000 Volts GM sells will qualify for the credit, so it could potentially run out in 2013 if these new production numbers pan out.
[Source: Bloomberg]
