January sales numbers: Volt, Leaf, Plug-In Prius and Corvette

Okay, I have the January 2013 sales figures for the Volt, Leaf, Plug-in Prius and Corvette. For those internal combustion engine fans, bad news: even with a big downturn, the Volt kicked the ‘Vette’s ass… AGAIN! (as well as the others)

Here’s the deal: Every single one of these cars’ sales numbers took a huge dive in January. Think everyone shot their budget over Christmas? I do! On top of that, those wanting to get a rebate check from the government went from a potential one month wait (yeah, right) to a 12 month wait because the tax year changed.

I woke up, thinking about adoption rates of new automotive ideas. The next chart shows cumulative total U.S. sales, by month, of the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt and the original Toyota Prius. The data I have been able to locate for the Prius starts with “Launch to July 01, 2000.” It may be that 839 Priuses were sold during the month of June, 2000 or that first 839 may have been spread over a few months. The difference is important, because if it took several months to sell the first 839 Priuses, the Volt may have already surpassed the Prius’ adoption rate. If you can locate monthly sales data for the Prius that predates July 1, 2000 please let me know where I can find it.

The X axis of the chart is the month number. Month #1 is June 2000 for the Prius and December 2010 for both the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf.I think everyone would agree that the Prius has been a huge success. After 26 months of being on the market, The Chevy Volt trails the adoption of the original Prius by only 819 units, which is less than one month’s sales at the current rate. It is possible that within a few months, the Volt’s adoption rate will exceed the original Prius’, if it hasn’t already.

Now for a little ranting:

Advice: Hey, U.S. Federal Government, want to support alternative fuels vehicles? DON’T MAKE CONSUMERS WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT TAX YEAR FOR THEIR TAX CREDIT!!! This isn’t nuclear science, guys (and gals)! Don’t tell me it can’t be done. Ever seen ‘The Pelican Brief’? “You’re the Director of the FBI. Set it up.” Guess what? You’re the Federal Government. MAKE IT HAPPEN!

As I expected, the tax credit became MUCH more distant in January, as any owner who purchased their Volt now has to wait until 2014 to file for the tax credit. Sales made a plunge. Even the Corvette was affected. This may mean the drop in sales was more related to the time of year than just the tax credit. By the way, Volt naysayers, the Volt outsold the Corvette by 26%. It’s here to stay and you should put a sock in it.

Here’s something we should all be up in arms about: I saw a Facebook posting today. A woman who shall remain unnamed (Judy) was told by the IRS that Form 8936, “Qualified Plug-In Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit” will not be accepted or processed until at least March 2013! At least! They actually could not give a date and said, “Keep checking the IRS website for updates!” These consumers did their civic duty and purchased a clean vehicle, which the Federal government is (supposedly) trying to encourage, but they can’t even file for their $7,500 credit until MARCH??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?

I probably should not write these posts after happy hour…