Chevy Volt Saves Detroit Jobs, Leads Marketing Pack

With the undeniable success of the Toyota Prius, many car manufacturers have been scrambling to re-enact that perfect storm and get on the electric car bandwagon. Many have tried and almost none have succeeded.  That is, until Chevrolet released the Chevy Volt.  The Volt appears to be the electric car to beat and even from a marketing side and the bevy of new jobs that it has created for the Detroit-Hamtramck plant has many touting the Volt as this year’s Christmas miracle.

There has been a lot of talk about the Volt and especially from a marketing side. The Chevy Volt led the pack in brand awareness over its competitors which were the Nissan Leaf and the Ford Focus EV, which is an impressive feat in itself.  A study by the company Npryme asked users what electric vehicles they were aware of that were coming out and Chevy’s Volt edged out the Ford Focus EV 53.1% to 49.1%.  The Nissan Leaf only gathered up a mere 30.8% of notability.  But the hurdle for Chevy will be whether respondents would actually buy the vehicle. When users were asked where they would go to buy an electric vehicle if they planned to do so, Ford received 17.8% of the vote, followed by Toyota at 16.7%, Chevy at 16% and Honda at 12.6%. That’s yet another bruise for Nissan’s marketing department who didn’t even register in the teens.  Toyota enjoys it’s second place finish because of the jumpstart that their EV has enjoyed.  Whether Chevy can overcome the marketing shortcomings remains to be seen, but the current push of the Volt seems to have Chevrolet and GM in general on the right track.

And the Volt has apparently breathed new life into the Detroit-Hamtramck plant that makes the vehicles.  One doesn’t have to dig too deep to find details on the demise of the entire city of Detroit that has suffered miserably into economic collapse. While Detroit’s situation may look grim to most, there are a lot of positive changes happening and the Chevy Volt appears to be one of them adding more manufacturing jobs and an increased positive spirit of things to come. While the demand for the Chevy Volt seems to be a tad slow to adopt, there has been a huge insurgence of interest for the new electric car because of its ability to switch from gas from electric once the charge has been depleted.

The most notable interest was from Rick Hendrick of Hendrick Motorsports.  Those privy to the racing world know that Hendrick Motorsports represents some of the greatest names in racing including Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and others.  Mr. Hendrick purchased the 2nd Chevy Volt off of the line for $225,000 which was technically the first one that Chevrolet made available for purchase to the public.  The car was sold as part of a charity for Detroit’s public schools to help fund science, technology, engineering, and math programs. He purchased the car as a collector, so don’t expect to see it on a NASCAR track anytime soon.

And don’t fret that the pricing of the Volt is anywhere near that amount.  The car retails at $40,280, but right out of the gate the vehicle is eligible for a $7500 tax credit which brings the vehicle’s pricing down to $32,780. When you factor in the savings that the vehicle delivers on gas, the savings are astronomical.  The car can travel over 90 miles on a single charge without touching the gas, so for those with short commutes, it’s a force to be reckoned with.  The Volt is only available in limited markets, but as demand continues to grow, you’re sure to see it arrive at Chevy dealerships around the U.S. in a very short matter of time.