General Motors Co. (GM) has expressed that it is planning to halt the production of Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid for a period of five weeks starting from 19 March.

The company will halt the production of the model at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant from 19 March till 23April, according to a spokesperson for the company. The move comes after the company failed to meet its sales target for the hybrid.

The company had started full capacity production from 6 February, following the slowdown. The company sold 1,023 units in February, which are about three times the sales in February of 2011. However, the sales is lower than target of 45,000 deliveries in the U. S. this year, which is set by company Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson.

The company had also missed its target of selling 10,000 Volt sales in 2011 as it was only able to sell 7,671 units in the country. The company said that the halt in production would allow the company to maintain adequate level of inventory.

The Chevy Volt has a traditional internal combustion engine and an engine powered by a batter jammed into the same vehicle. The car can run around 35 miles off battery power. The volt retails for around $40,000 and is among the cheapest cars in the market.

Both Nissan and General Motors are trying to produce electric cars that appeal to a larger market beyond high-income customers by offering smaller pricing.