General Motors reported sales of 481 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrids in May, while Nissan sold 1,142 LEAF electric cars, its highest monthly total this year by far.
In all, GM has sold 2,184 Chevrolet Volts in 2011 or 2,510 units since launching late last year. Meanwhile, Nissan, its fiercest electric car competitor, has sold for 2,167 units in 2011, or total of 2,186 LEAFs in the United States since it began shipping them in December.
Last month, GM said it would build 16,000 of the Chevrolet Volts this year to meet the global demand and that it would expand sales of the Volt to all 50 states by the end of the year. Nissan has said 20,000 people have put down $99 deposits to be put on a waiting list for the car. Japan’s second-largest carmaker, aiming to be the world’s largest seller of electric cars, expects to deliver as many as 12,000 LEAF electric cars to U.S. customers this year.
The Nissan LEAF has a $32,780 base price while the Chevrolet Volt starts at $41,000. Both cars also are eligible for a federal tax credit that will cut their prices by $7,500.
