September Plug-in Sales Update: Tesla Pushes Deliveries, Volt Abides in Bolt’s Shadow
Photo: © General Motors
September has been a fantastic month for plug-in car sales in the US, reaching record levels of year-over-year gains, year-to-date sales, and market penetration.
So, let’s have a look at what made the month such a success.
At the top of the list in sales was, as usual, Tesla’s Model S. However, there was one element to note, which was Tesla was pushing deliveries hard to meet estimates for the end of the quarter. This made for new records for the company’s two vehicles, the Model X and Model S, for deliveries of 15,800 Model S and 8,700 Model X.
Just below the Teslas, as it has been for some time, was the Chevrolet Volt. I actually feel almost guilty about the Volt—it is a fantastic plug-in and had amazing year-over-year gains of 114% (although, to be fair, this is compared to the end of the first-gen Volt, which saw a decline leading up to the much-improved next generation’s release). The Volt has sold 16,326 units so far this year, thanks to GM finally being able to just get more and more Volts to dealers. Unfortunately, though, the spotlight that the Volt has been enjoying is now being stolen by its new baby brother, the Bolt, due to come in the next month or two.
So, I’m sorry, Volt. I still love you, just as much as I will love your brother.
The Nissan LEAF, though, has had a surprising month in September, since it has been in a long period of stagnation since more and more EVs and plug-ins have entered the market. The LEAF, which is still in its first generation in the US, sold 1,316 units, a 5.5% increase over last year, and up 250 from last month. This may be because Nissan admitted back in 2014 that the next-generation LEAF, set apparently to debut in 2018, will have a much-improved range of closer to 200 miles (the current LEAF hovers around 100 miles, with 84 miles in the base model and 107 in the higher trims).
Like previously, the Ford Fusion Energi has continued to fly high, almost meeting their record of June’s 1,700-unit sales with 1,652 sales in September. Like the Volt this past month, the Fusion Energi owes some of its success to being well-stocked in dealerships across the country.
For the year so far, the Model S leads the pack, followed by the Volt, then the Model X, Fusion Energi, LEAF, and BMW i3, in that order.
News Source: Inside EVs
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