The Chevy Bolt is Starting to Cannibalize the Volt
Can the Volt survive the rising popularity of the Bolt?
Despite being a more expensive car in a similar segment, the Chevrolet Bolt EV has been outselling the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid over the past three months. While the Bolt has had a little bit of trouble getting started with a swelling inventory problem and weird battery failures, now that it’s available nationwide and fairly common at Chevy dealers, the market is responding.
The Bolt still isn’t selling in very big numbers compared to its internal-combustion counterparts on the market, but it’s doing pretty well for an EV and it’s taking a bite out of Volt sales. Bolt sales have been rising steadily since February of 2017 while the Volt has declined and flatlined in sales since March. Autoblog put together this handy graphic to demonstrate.
One of the obvious reasons the Bolt is outselling the Volt is the fact that it’s all-electric and requires no gas at all. The Bolt has an impressive all-electric range of 238 miles or more while the Volt can only manage 53 miles before the gas engine kicks in.
On the flip side, an advantage of the Volt is the elimination of range anxiety. In a Volt, you don’t have to worry about finding a charging station. Any gas station can quench the Volt’s thirst, although the drive won’t be quite as ecologically friendly as it would be in the Bolt.
This isn't the only cannibalization problem Chevy is having. We're seeing the Trax subcompact crossover outsell the Sonic hatchback it's based on about three to one. Will Chevy need to ax a few models or can it afford to keep offering one of the fullest lineups of any brand in the business?
