GM Prices Chevrolet Volt at $41,000; Above Nissan Leaf and Speculation
July 27, 2010
By Scott Doggett and John O'Dell
General Motors finally announced the exact price of its upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended range plug-in hybrid: prices start at $41,000 and climb to $44,600 before tax incentives.
The price is higher than many industry observers anticipated; many thought it would come in below $40,000 -- about $35,000 with tax incentives. It also is priced higher than the all-electric Nissan Leaf that starts at $32,780, with the upgraded model adding about $1,000.
GM's pricing strategy is bold but risky.
If it works, the Volt likely will be sold for something close to what it costs to build and won't 
be straining GM's red-ink supply.
If consumers reject the $41,000 pricetag, GM will have spent more than $750 million on a losing bet and risks damaging its reputation and endangering its financial future by putting it years behind the competition in coming up with a marketable fuel-efficiency play.
GM executives, meeting with select automotive writers Monday night, said the Volt will come in three trim levels, with prices ranging from $41,000 to $44,600, before tax incentives. They emphasized that the base model would be packed with amenities worth thousands of dollars and typically offered as extra-cost upgrades.
"There is no competitor," said Tony J. DiSalle, director of product marketing and communications for the Volt, insisting that the model is neither a conventional hybrid nor a battery-electric vehicle but a represents instead a new class of powertrain.
More details and a full analysis of the Chevrolet Volt's pricing can be found on Edmunds Green Car Advisor.
Photo by GM
The 2011 Chevrolet Volt goes on sale by year-end with a base price of $41,000.
Graphic by Edmunds.com's Mark Holthoff
John O'Dell is senior editor of Edmunds Green Car Advisor; Scott Doggett is Edmunds Green Car Advisor Contributing Editor.
Posted by Michelle Krebs at 8:34 AM under GM , News , Technology | Comments (4) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
uh, risk is minimal when you're hoping to sell 10k a year. This is not a volume product like Prius and its priced accordingly. An HS250 starts at $34k and doesnt' have nav at that price. Premium products dont typically have high volume projections.
Posted by: 1487 | July 27, 2010 at 12:02 PM
Maybe a premium price but the quality remains to be seen. Wait 6 months and the price will be $10K off when combined with the tax credit; should say tax payer provided subsidy.
Posted by: jmess | July 27, 2010 at 7:36 PM
there wont be any major incentives. Low volume means little danger of oversupply. taxpayer subsidies have been provided for electrics and hybrids for years. Nothing new there.
Posted by: 1487 | July 28, 2010 at 8:00 AM
GM priced the Volt so they could pocket the tax credit. You can bet some of the cars are being bought by different fed, state, and etc government agencies (more tax payer subsidies). Porsche sells low volume cars that are being discounted because they cost too much.
Posted by: jmess | July 28, 2010 at 7:02 PM