General Motors is set to sell the first batch of its upcoming Chevrolet Volt petrol-electric hybrids on eBay.
Last week, GM admitted it was in talks with the auction site about trialling a scheme in California to sell its cars online.
When asked about the likelihood of the Volt being used to trial this scheme, Chevrolet brand manager Ed Peper said, “Exactly. We actually have been thinking about that same application to be able to do that. It something that’s definitely crossed our mind.”
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Each Chevrolet Volt is likely to be built at a loss due to the amount of complex and expensive technology. But selling the car on eBay would allow GM to sell models for a higher price, as demand should exceed supply.
Progress is being made in talks between GM and eBay and an announcement on the official launch of the scheme is expected in the coming weeks.
“Fritz [Henderson, GM CEO] is really mandating we move as fast as we can on everything we’re doing,” said Peper. “It will be hopefully in the August to September timeframe. We’ve got more details to work out on, and we’ll let those go at an appropriate time.
“If it works in California it should work just about anywhere.”
Pre-production tests of the Volt have recently started in the US and it is scheduled to reach dealerships in 2010.
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