I guess $41,000 for a Chevy isn’t so expensive anymore. An earlier post covered the new price tag for the Chevy Volt, which GM has listed it’s SRP at $41,000.
A news item that hit the airwaves yesterday brought attention to Chevy dealer price gouging on pre-orders for the Volt. Dealers in Southern California are asking for a $20,000 premium over the $41,000 GM suggested retail. From what we understand, GM has no control over the prices its dealers charge for their vehicles. As much as GM claims that it does not support such activity, it’s fairly helpless to do anything about it. But, in reality they probably love the hype the vehicles “new price” is garnering in the media. On top of the price gouging that’s going on, GM has publicly stated that people will be able to lease the vehicle for $350 per month for 5 years. Dealers in So Cal still plan on charging a premium for people who want the lease as well. They plan on adding the fee up front, and are expecting consumers to pay the $20,000 premium just to get the lease price from GM. This type of predatory pricing behavior isn’t limited to just the Chevy Volt. Past pre-released vehicles that were considered must haves for auto buffs, that had premiums assigned to the cars, included the now defunct PT Cruiser. The funny thing about the Volt is that it qualifies for a federal tax rebate of $7500. So if you do find a Volt for $41,000, you’ll get $7500 back from all of us taxpayers, all in all not a bad deal. It just goes to show you how pent up demand is for vehicles that cut carbon emissions and use less unsustainable resources. GM has raised their production estimates due to pre-release consumer demand, and now plans on producing 45,000 Volts by 2012, up from their previous 30,000 run. It’s a hot looking car, and it’s the future of automobile driving. I just can’t wait to get one, but not for an extra 20K.
Photo: Chevy Volt Photo Credit: GM
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