Chevy Volt and Chevy Bolt EV make up for lost time
Because General Motors now withholds monthly sales reports in favor of a Tesla-like quarterly reporting system, the following InsideEVs Chevy Bolt EV and Chevy Volt sales numbers are estimates.
We consider this information important to our readers and have decided to provide the best estimates we can. Our numbers are primarily based upon daily inventory tracking, as well as accounts from buyers, dealers and other sources. At the end of each quarter we revisit our estimates once we receive final quarterly numbers from General Motors. Any updates to sales numbers will be made at that time.
If you have been following this sales report for the past few months, you know that Bolt inventories in the U.S. were weak throughout the entire 2018 model year. GM had been prioritizing exports of the popular electric hatchback, particularly to South Korea. So much so that 2018 international GM plug-in sales eclipsed domestic for the first time ever.
Thankfully for buyers in the states, sales began recovering in Q3. Chevrolet reported deliveries of 3,949 the Chevy Bolt EVs and 5,429 for the Chevy Volts between July and September. For the month of October, InsideEVs estimated 2,075 Chevy Bolt EVs and 1,475 Chevy Volts were delivered to customers. With only 2 months remaining in the year, we were wondering just how the Chevy hatchbacks would perform at years end.
Turns out, quite well. For the month of November, we estimate 3,025 Chevy Bolt EVs and 3,930 Chevy Volts were delivered to customers.
Chevy Bolt EV and Volt deliveries are strong in November
These sales estimates are consistent with General Motors confirming to InsideEVs several months ago that they will be crossing the 200,000 threshold in Q4 of this year. They likely passed that milestone in November or very early December. Chevy buyers should have access to the full $7,500 tax credit until at least April 1st, 2019. Hopefully.
The good news: after months of low inventories, the Chevy Bolt settled above 4,700 units at or in transit to dealers in October. Not surprisingly, sales have been much stronger since then. Fittingly, Bolt EV production will be increased 20% in Q4. According to GM:
U.S. and global demand for the Chevrolet Bolt EV has been very strong in 2018, with global sales estimated to be up more than 35 percent year over year in the second quarter and up more than 40 percent in the first half. In response, GM is increasing fourth quarter production by more than 20 percent compared to the average of the first three quarters.
Now for the bad news: inventories of both models plummeted this month as a result of high sales. By November 30th, the Bolt had fallen to just over 3,200 available units. The Volt dropped even more heavily to a mere 2,296 examples.
But the most unfortunate news came near the end of last month. The much beloved Chevy Volt is nearing the end of production. Several writers at InsideEVs own and love their Chevy Volt. It is truly an excellent, no compromise plug-in hybrid.
The Volt will be missed but never forgotten. Even as the plug-in market moves more heavily towards BEVs, the Volt has earned its place on the plug-in pantheon.
RIP CHEVY VOLT
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