Volt and Leaf are neck and neck in sales totals 06/14/2011
Sales totals for the first five months of the year show that the country's two electric vehicles, the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt, have sold almost exactly the same number of cars.
If two models are separated by a few hundred or even thousands of vehicles, they're generally thought to be "close" in sales totals. However, the gap between the Leaf and Volt is just 17 vehicles, according to USA Today.
That's undoubtedly due to the fact that there have only been a limited number of vehicles sold thus far - 2,184 for the Leaf compared to 2,167 for the Volt. Still, the closeness of the two cars at this point is pretty astonishing, especially given the fact that they're quite different.
The Leaf is an all-electric model that retails for just under $33,000, before the $7,500 federal tax credit. The Volt, meanwhile, utilizes a gas generator for extended range, and sells at a much higher price point - $41,000. Normally, two cars with those differing characteristics wouldn't be classified in the same class - but since they're the only two electric vehicles available right now, they are.
It's worth noting that Nissan has taken the sales lead away from Volt only recently. The Japanese automaker sold 1,142 Leafs in May - nearly half of their total for the year. Chevrolet could only manage 481 Volts, allowing Nissan to take the lead.