Dealerships starting to get Chevrolet Volt demo units

Chevrolet Volt

Trying to test drive a 2011 Chevrolet Volt but your local Chevrolet dealer doesn’t have one on the lot? Well, the wait is almost over. Chevrolet dealerships in the initial launch markets of California, Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C. will be receiving dedicated Volt demonstration vehicles for customer test drives over the next few weeks.

The Volt is pretty important for GM to have on its dealership lots. Why? According to internal research, 85 percent of consumers searching for information about the Volt on Chevrolet.com looked at other Chevrolet vehicles.

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“We are seeing that the Volt is increasing traffic onto our dealer showroom floors and is exposing consumers to Chevys line of ‘gas-friendly’ vehicles, including the Cruze Malibu and Equinox,” Landy said.

GM said that it will deliver 550 demo Volts in the first quarter of 2011. More than 2,500 U.S. dealers will receive a Volt by the end of this year.

Refresher: The 2011 Chevrolet Volt is powered by 16-kWh, “T”-shaped lithium-ion battery that powers the electric drive unit, which allows it to drive 40 miles on battery power alone. The system puts out 149-hp and a maximum torque of 273 lb-ft, allowing the Volt to go from 0-60 mph in about 9 seconds, hitting a top speed of 100 mph. The battery can be re-charged by plugging into a household outlet and takes 4 hours to recharge on 240 volts, and about 10-12 hours on a standard 120-volt outlet. The Chevrolet Volt also carries an 84-hp 1.4 4-clyinder engine that allows the five-door, FWD sedan to travel additional miles while averaging a fuel-economy of 50 mpg. A fully charged battery and full tank of gas will allow the Volt to travel 379   miles. The 2011 Chevrolet Volt gets an EPA estimated 93 miles per ’gallon-equivalent’ when driving under electric power only, 37 mpg when in gasoline mode and over the long term it is estimated to get 60 miles per gallon in combined gasoline-powered and electric-powered driving. Prices for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt start at $41,000 but with a full federal income tax credit (which range from $0 to $7,500), the Volt can cost a total of $33,500.

2011 Chevrolet Volt:

– By: Omar Rana