Detroit News article as 1st Volts roll off the line today

Volt won't be competition until price is competitive and quantity is increased. And even then, the fact that it depends upon a plug keeps it in a different category.

Consumers will be hesitant to vote with their wallet until enough real-world data emerges to make the choice worthwhile. Since their requirements for a high-efficiency vehicle are far from certain, engineering achievement doesn't necessarily equate to high-volume sales. This market here doesn't represent the rest of the world either.

As much as Detroit yearns to declare victory, the production that starts today is really just a milestone along a long road to success.
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This is a big milestone. I hope they continue to improve it.

 

Volt isn't a serious effort to increase the hybrid market. The one thing that will do that is higher gas prices. $2.95 a gallon for regular right now in these parts. A guy at the store asked me the other day about my Prius. A sign people are beginning to think about hybrids with gas about $3.00.
At $4 gas, we know the hybrid inventory will dry up in a hurry.

 

Were you watching the event live as that is nearly a verbatim quote from one of the speakers? "The Electrification of the car has begun" was an often repeated phrase that also was used to stress this is just the first step.

As a photographer, I really appreciated the digital photography analogy used during the press conference afterwards as I have used that one too to help explain the Volt (and hybrid) concepts to others. Ten years ago, the first digital camera that I truly lusted for from a professional standpoint is now laughable compared to today's choices.

Let's hope that 10 years from now, the future Prius, Leaf, and Volt variants will have advanced just as far just as fast. :cheer2:

 

I love my VGA resolution HP digital camera that used 8 AA batteries for 20 images!

 

It's great to be honored and recognized as #1. Every team on the schedule dreams of knocking off the #1 team.

Perhaps, the Volt will take the title from Toyota, but I don't think they will. We must not assume that Toyota is finished, and will no longer develop and refine technology along the way.

Competition is good. Personally, however, I do not see the Volt as Toyota's "direct" competetor. If I were in the market, I would be seriously studying the Volt and the Leaf. Honestly, right now I think I would choose a Cruze over the Volt.

 

yup. Guess the brand that had the biggest sales increase yoy last month.

Ram. Big effing trucks.

 

Actually no. VIN 001 is going to GM's Dearborn museum. VIN 002 is being auctioned. VIN 008 is going to the owner of the largest Volt forum/blog, current volt test driver, and #1 Volt fan outside the company and considered to be #1 in line for the first public sale car.

So naturally that leads to speculation on who is getting #'s 003-007.

 

Any PHV Prius (with a kit, until 2012, when the OEM will be available) does better in any commute.
IMHO, there should be less celebration and more work to achieve a reasonable combinated mileage.
No offense, Volt is still a project (bad). Selling it as a green solution for all is ridiculous.

 

I think it was the Volt vehicle line director saying something like 'car should be able to do it all, commute to work, go on long trips ... '

Ok, so it's becoming a well known fact that the Volt will do about 37 or maybe 40 MPGs on that long trip.

Wouldn't you get about 37 MPGs in a Civic on highway?

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An example of Volt (plug-in) operating costs -

After 1 year of ownership, I have driven x miles in my Volt and have pumped in y gallons of gas and have spent z dollars on electricity (dedicated meter for the car).

So, I get x/y miles per gallon with my Volt and it costs me z / 12 dollars per month to charge up.

 

Yes, and it won't require premium gasoline, either.

 

Mon. Dec. 13 at 3:30pm, first Volts are loaded onto trucks at Detroit assembly plant for delivery to dealers.

Chevrolet Volt Customer Deliveries Have Begun

 

I actually saw the handing over of the keys to the first Volt driver on CNBC this morning. We'll have to wait for the plug-in Prius to compare apples to apples pricewise, but I'm glad that Prius has a valid competitor. It only helps Toyota to make better Priuses and keep prices competitive.

 

With a $40k Volt as competition, Toyota might be tempted to increase the price of the Prius PHEV more than they otherwise would.