Known as the Chevrolet Volt in the U.S. and the Vauxhall Ampera in the U.K. and Europe, the Volt/Ampera isn’t sold in South Africa, nor will it ever be, but let’s not forget that the range-extended plug-in hybrid won the most recent European Car of the Year title.
It is perhaps unsurprising then, as a gauge of customer satisfaction, that the Consumer Reports National Research Centre in the U.S. recently asked its subscribers in its annual ‘Owner-Satisfaction Survey’, “Would you get the same vehicle if you had to do it all over again?” Would you believe it, out of 240-models surveyed, 92% of Chevrolet Volt owners said that they would definitely buy the car again, earning the plug-in hybrid the prize for the top-scoring model. Not only that, but in the Consumer Reports Owner-Satisfaction Survey, this is actually the second year in a row that the Chevy Volt has come out on top.
“The Volt’s two-year reign at the top of our satisfaction survey points to the continuing trend of owners’ enthusiasm for cars that are fuel-efficient cars, especially as we see more and more hybrid and electric models hitting the market,” said Consumer Reports Auto’s editor Rik Paul.
“That’s brilliant,” you may be saying to yourself, but that doesn’t explain the rather unexpected 50% dip in sales that the Chevrolet Volt has experienced in the U.S. in November. GM managed to sell just 1 519 units of its range-extender hybrid in November, compared to the 2 961 Volts sold in September and 2 851 units in October. Does this mean electric vehicles, hybrid and plug-in hybrid owners are just that little bit nutty in defending their purchasing habits, or is the tide really turning for hybrids, EVs and plug-in hybrids?
Eco-fans never fear, because apparently the reasoning behind this was an ‘inventory issue’. California, which accounts for 34% of the Volt sales, only had an eight-day supply of new cars and thus, they could not keep up with demand.
