Chevrolet Volt sales may have reached a new high in February, but production continues to exceed public demand for the plug-in hybrid vehicle. As such, General Motors will idle its production line in Hamtramck, Michigan, for five weeks in order to adjust Volt inventories.
According to Automotive News, General Motors reported Chevrolet Volt inventory totaled 6300 units — nearly 6.3 times the amount sold in February, and equivalent to 154 days supply. The production line, which builds both the Chevrolet Volt and the European-spec Opel/Vauxhall Ampera, will be idled from March 19 through April 23.
This halt in production allows GM to bring inventories back in line with demand, but it also forces the automaker to temporarily lay off 1300 employees at the Hamtramck facility.
Although The Detroit Free Press reports Chevrolet hoped to sell 45,000 Volts in the U.S. this year — aided in part by the fact the Chevrolet Volt is finally HOV lane-friendly in California — officials at General Motors have shied away from sales targets after the Volt’s 2011 performance. GM had hoped it could sell 10,000 Chevrolet Volts by the end of 2011, but only managed to move about 7600 cars.
Source: The Detroit Free Press, Automotive News (Subscription required)
