GM to Sell Chevy Volt for $41,000; Lease Terms Close to Leaf’s
By David Welch
General Motors Co., the largest U.S. automaker, will sell its Chevrolet Volt for a starting price of $41,000 and lease terms similar to those on Nissan Motor Co.’s Leaf electric car.
The Volt will be leased for $350 a month with a $2,500 down payment, Detroit-based GM said today in a statement. Lessees for the Leaf pay $1 less a month and are required to put down $1,999.
The Volt will sell for a premium over the all-electric Leaf, which is scheduled to go on sale in November for $32,780. The Volt’s lease price and longer driving range on a single charge and tank of gasoline will make it a better choice for most drivers, Joel Ewanick, GM’s vice president of U.S. marketing, said today.
“They’re looking for transportation that will give them no anxiety,” Ewanick said on a conference call. “We’re positioning this as a car first and electric second.”
The Volt’s price includes the $720 freight charge. Tony DiSalle, director of product marketing for the Volt, said GM can offer a lower lease rate than Nissan’s Leaf because the company will have a better resale value than its rival car.
The Volt can travel 340 miles on a tank of fuel, with the first 40 in electric drive before a gasoline engine starts to recharge the battery. The Leaf uses no fuel and can travel about 100 miles on a charge.
