The Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan LEAF – they were the most eagerly anticipated green cars of 2010 and now as we begin a new year, we can reveal which of the two vehicles has made the fastest start based on early sales reports.
General Motors has delivered 326 Chevrolet Volt range extended electric vehicles in the US in December, with Nissan reporting just 19 battery electric Nissan LEAF sales over the same period.
Early success for the Volt is right in line with an invigorated GM over the course of the year. It reported 223,932 total sales in December, an increase of 15.5 per cent compared to a year ago across the company’s four brands; and retail sales were 27 per cent higher than a year ago. Over the whole year, there was a 21.3 per cent increase in volume across the four brands to 2,202,927 with retail sales rising by 16 per cent. This increase means that the four brands sold 118,435 more vehicles in 2010 than they did across eight brands in 2009.
The slow start for the Nissan LEAF however, is in sharp contrast to an otherwise decent year for Nissan North America. It reported record December sales of 93,730 units – up from 73,404 last year. Over the full year, sales increased by 18 per cent to 908,570 units.
