Volt Production Stops Three Weeks in July

According to Khabarkhodro,In July 2012 GM will stop Chevrolet Volt production at its Detroit-Hamtramck plant for three weeks, instead of the traditional two-week shutdown.

“This is (a) normal part of business as managing to market demand,” GM spokeswoman Michelle Malcho said in an e-mail.

Chevrolet Volt, which can reach 35 miles on a single charge of electricity until a gasoline-powered generator takes over, managed to sell 603 units in January, 1,023 units in February, and over 2,000 in March. For 2011 sales were under the goal of 10,000 with 7,671 units.

“Even with sales up in February over January, we are still seeking to align our production with demand”, as the General Motors spokesman Chris Lee told the Free Press.

Most auto factories close for two weeks starting in early July to get updated for the new model year, but GM added a third week at the Volt factory. Volt production has been stopped for five weeks until April 23rd because dealers had a surplus of the plug-in extended-range electric vehicle.

Although NHTSA ended its investigation on Volt last year and GM recalled the Volt in January 2012 to place a piece of steel to the plate that protects the EV’s 400-pound battery, this didn’t save January Volt sales from plunging.