Chart Of The Day: Volt "Competitors" 1995-2009

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

OK, so none of these cars are actually “competition” for the Chevrolet Volt, but think of them as a benchmark “basket” and they can help define the market the Volt will soon be thrown into.

Pre-recession, the Prius was headed into the sales stratosphere, goaded on by apocalyptic gas price fluctuations. BMW’s Dreier was on a path to utter domination before the CTS and G37 launches ate into its space, but the newcomers faded after a strong start and the 3-Series took off again before the credit crunch hit. The Cadillac’s performance compared to the G proves that American brands are at a disadvantage at luxury prices, while the Boxster/Cayman sales show how low volumes can be at higher price points, even for a top-notch luxury brand. MINI proved that an increasing number of buyers will pay premium prices for the right compact car, and that these buyers could help stave off sales declines in weak economic conditions. Taken together, these numbers still paint a complicated picture of the Volt’s future. That the Prius has overtaken the 3-Series is a good sign for the Volt, but the CTS/G-series results don’t bode well for the Volt/Leaf throwdown.

The Prius is clearly the Volt’s model, with its slow four-year ramp-up to relentless sales growth… but the Prius had a base price of $19,995 (about $24,500 in 2010 dollars) when it launched in the US in 2001. Before that it sold in Japan for closer to $17,000 despite reportedly costing $32,000 per car to build. Incidentally, that amount comes out to about $43k in today’s dollars, or some $2k more than the Volt’s base price. But then Toyota didn’t launch the Prius a mere year out of bankruptcy, and it was growing strongly enough to sustain the loss necessary to build the Prius name until energy prices started jumping. With the Volt starting at $40k, it’s not at all clear that the Prius model will apply to its sales… especially with numbers for the recently-launched Lexus HS250h “luxury hybrid” doing so badly (6,492 sold year-to-date).

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Dr Strangelove Dr Strangelove on Jul 28, 2010

    Just about every car company that doesn't currently have viable electric or hybrid cars for sale, has by now shown some me-too concept cars with such drive trains. However, is any company even trying to replicate the Volt?

  • AutoOfficionado AutoOfficionado on Jul 28, 2010

    I like the graph and I think the article poses an interesting theory. I'd love to see a graph (if you haven't already done it) comparing hatchback sales to those of comparable sedans. Maybe you could hypothesize on how the Lexus CT200h sales will compare to its "competition" (I'll leave it up to you to figure out exactly what models that would be). RE: NulloModo "If you expand ‘car’ to mean ‘vehicle’ some of the best selling vehicles in the country routinely sell for well over $30K (F-150, Silverado/Sierra, Tahoe, Edge, and many other midsize and large SUVs/CUVs)." I think one reason these larger vehicles sell so well is because they are frequently used for business or "grocery hauling" family use. I think many would agree that running households for most families is serious business and when you spend many weekends transporting trunk loads of goods from Home Depot and Target (which inevitably overflow into the backseats), having a pick-up or some type of utility vehicle seems pretty sensible. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't vehicles used primarily or solely for business purposes eligible for tax credits, or at least significant write-offs?

  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
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