Volt to sticker for US$41,000
General Motors announced its plans to market its electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt, for a base MSRP of US$41,000 with lease payments as low as $350 per month with $2,500 down.
The much ballyhooed model, credited with helping change the automaker’s image into a more environmentally-friendly company, will sticker for $8,000 less than its perceived competition, the Nissan LEAF.
GM sources say the Volt will emerge a low-volume niche car this fall and into next year, before the automaker will count on the EV to bring in higher volumes.
“The Chevrolet Volt will be the best vehicle in its class…because it’s in a class by itself,” said Joel Ewanick, vice president of U.S. marketing for General Motors, who made the announcement at the Plug-In 2010 conference.
“No other automaker offers an electrically driven vehicle that can be your everyday driver, to take you wherever, whenever. The Volt will be packed with premium content and innovation, standard.”
Included with the Volt will be five years of OnStar (directions and connections) service standard, an eight-year/100,000-mile battery pack warranty
Launch markets will in California, New York, Michigan, Connecticut, Texas, New Jersey and the Washington D.C. area.
No word on when the EV would make an appearance north of the border but potential customers were invited to visit http://www.getmyvolt.com to discover what dealers will be offering the car.
GM says the Chevrolet Volt is the only electric vehicle that can operate under a range of weather climates and driving conditions with little concern of being stranded by a depleted battery.
With a driving range of about 540 km, the Volt runs on lithium-ion batteries. When the battery power runs low, a gas powered range-extending engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range another 300 miles on a full tank.
Additional coverage includes
- 3-year / 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper coverage
- 5-year / 100,000-mile roadside assistance and courtesy transportation
- 5-year/100,000-mile limited gas engine coverage
- 6-year/100,000-mile corrosion protection coverage
