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Is the Chevrolet Volt running out of juice?

Even as the maker begins its long-promised production ramp-up, a new study suggests that potential buyers are rapidly losing interest in the plug-in hybrid vehicle.

Introduced last December, Volt is one of the first new vehicles to test the potential market for electric propulsion. It has been going head-to-head with Nissan’s pure battery-electric Leaf. Sales of the two vehicles have been marginal, at best, though the makers insist that has more to do with limited supply than buyer demand.

Through the end of July, Chevy has sold about 3,200 of the plug-in hybrids compared to 4,500 Nissan Leafs. But both carmakers have begun ramping up production, General Motors forecasting sales of around 16,000 for the year as a whole — including a small number of Volt clone Opel Amperas targeted at markets abroad.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44178222.../#.TlOs_F3dcYV