July 2016 Sales Numbers and “I informed you thusly!”

In July 2016, the plug-in sales results were mostly down, compared to the previous month, with a few notable exceptions. As I predicted (a pretty easy prediction, at that), The Chevy Volt became the first plug-in vehicle to exceed 100,000 units sold, in the U.S.! Being a member of a multi-Volt family, I’m happy to see the Volt be the first to reach this number. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, or in the Facebook Volt groups, you know I’ve been singing the Volt’s praises for years. Now, if we could just get General Motors to do the same…

Here are the July 2016 sales figures, compared to the previous month:

• Chevy Volt: UP 24% (2,406 vs. 1,937)
• Nissan Leaf: DOWN 3% (1,063 vs. 1,096)
• Plug-in Toyota Prius: DOWN 64% (4 vs. 11)
• Tesla Model S: DOWN 42% (2,150 vs. 3,700) **estimated
• BMW i3: UP 143% (1,479 vs. 608) *** stopped a 2 month downward trend
• BMW i8: DOWN 2% (166 vs. 169)
• Ford Fusion Energi: DOWN 21% (1,341 vs. 1,700)
• Ford C-Max Energi: UP 20% (755 vs. 630)

In July, the average price of gasoline took a pretty significant downturn, to $2.16 per gallon, in the U.S. I’ve seen my personal vehicle sales lean toward heavy duty pickups and SUVs, and I believe the price of gas is driving some of this. I did happen to sell (and test-drive) the 2016 Malibu Hybrid, for the first time and I have to say, it’s an exceptional car, especially suited for larger families and taller occupants, than the Volt. The battery technology, used in the Hybrid Malibu, came from the Volt, albeit on a much smaller scale and no plug-in capability. The Malibu is a more traditional hybrid and could be a great choice for those with no access to charging at home, such as apartment-dwellers or college students. It gets 46-47 MPG. Although the Malibu is compelling, the Volt is still my choice, as my family and I do not need the extra room.

July started terribly for me, with my sales the first four weeks of the month at only four vehicles. My sales for the last three days of the month were five vehicles. I ended up with nine sales, tying my best July so far.

When looking at my own sales, by vehicle, my Volt sales have turned around, compared to the Silverado 1500 pickup. I sold two Silverado 1500s but three Volts, in July (3-1/2 actually, as I helped another salesperson with a Volt sale, earning 1/2 of the deal). My total Volt sales are now at 41, while my Silverado 1500 sales are at 43. Third place in my sales is the Corvette Stingray and that continued in July, with one Z06 sale.

Plug-in sales, compared to the same month a year ago, were mixed. The Leaf, Prius  and BMW i8 were all down, with the Prius only selling 4 units. Tesla year-over-year numbers once again reflect a sizable increase in sales. However, the big jump up, both as a percentage and in units, was that of the Chevy Volt. The BMW i3 and the Ford Fusion Energi both showed increases well over 50%.

• Chevy Volt: UP 83% (2,406 vs. 1,313)
• Nissan Leaf: DOWN 9% (1,063 vs. 1,174)
• Plug-in Toyota Prius: DOWN 99% (4 vs. 584) *last month down 98%
• Tesla Model S: UP 34% (2,150 vs. 1,600)
• BMW i3: UP 58% (1,479 vs. 935)
• BMW i8: DOWN 24% (166 vs. 217)
• Ford Fusion Energi: UP 57% (1,341 vs. 852)
• Ford C-Max Energi: UP 9% (755 vs. 693)