(DETROITNEWS) — General Motors Co. said it sold 1,760 plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt vehicles in June, double what it sold in June 2011.
In the first half of 2012, GM sold 8,817 Volts, more than triple the 2,745 it sold in the same period last year. It already has topped Volt sales for all of 2011, which were about 7,600.
Volt sales have been boosted by California granting solo drivers of the extended-range electric vehicle access to carpool lanes.
June sales were up over the 1,680 Volts sold in May.
GM has been sharply outselling its Japanese rival, the all-electric Nissan Leaf, by more than three-to-one.
GM came under criticism for saying it would sell 10,000 plug-in hybrid Volts in 2011; it ended up selling about 7,600. The company abandoned its 2012 U.S. sales forecast of 45,000, saying it would instead match supply to meet demand.