According to the manufacturer’s figures, more than half of those surveyed hadn’t been into a Chevrolet dealership in the last decade, while a third were visiting for the first time thanks to the Volt.

Over the next few months, more than 700 will be shipped to dealerships in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington for use as demonstration units.

Cristi Landy, the US marketing director for the Chevrolet Volt, commented: ‘The Volt is an intriguing proposition that’s drawing new faces to Chevrolet dealerships to learn more about the car and re-discover the brand.

‘To date, the Volt has been available for sale at dealerships in only seven states. In the next four months the number of Chevrolet dealers with Volts available for test drives and for sale will increase from 550 to more than 2,600.’

The manufacturer also said the Volt was serving as an effective halo for other products. Rising fuel prices have driven demand for economical vehicles, and nearly 200,000 customers who searched for information about the Volt also investigated the Cruze – the USA’s biggest selling compact car for the last two months.