Volt 2.0: Ruess "It will leap-frog... the competition"

Their business plan had a June release date for nationwide roll out on the Toyota website when the car was first released.
Toyota themselves may not have made excuses on why it got pushed back and then dropped, but they were made.

Here are the segments that GM is competing in:
Small car
Cruze 30mpg combined; Focus 30mpg; Civic 32; Corolla 33
Mid-size car
Malibu 29; Fusion 29; Accord 29; Camry 28
Full size car
Impala 25(21 with V6 option); Taurus 26; Avalon 24
Small SUV
Equinox 26; Trax 29; Highlander 22; Rav4 26
Standard SUV
Traverse 19; Tahoe 18; Sequoia 15
Pick up truck
Silverado, V6-20mpg, V8-19, big V8-16; Tundra, V8-16, big V8-15
Smaller pick up
Colorado 22, V6-21; Tacoma 21, V6-19

All are 2015 models with automatic transmission and FWD or 2WD. The cars are the 4 cylinder gas engines. I used the 1.5 Ecoboost with start/stop for the Fusion, because I believe the Mailbu has it standard. The Avalon is V6 only. Small SUV is the EPA designation. GM doesn't have an actual mini-van, so that segment was skipped.

No, I did not include the hybrids, because they make up about 10% of a model's sales. 40,000 a year would be a great year for the mid-size sedan hybrids. The Prius LB is the only one to have broken 100k a year in the US.

I didn't use the ECO, SPE, or diesel for basically the same reason. I figured they make up a small portion of sales, but if you have info that says otherwise, please share.

 

So some internet jerks left with you with a bad experience.
How does their actions equate to GM not going to diversify the technology and product?

 

Toyota's plan also included the flexibility to choose not to. They had the regular model to continue their hybrid market penetration with. When Toyota exercised the option, it upset those who didn't realize that was a choice available right from the start.

Being able to react to the market is good business.

 

GM was catering to them.

That's why the WHO? question was asked over and over and over again.

Know your audience.

 

If GM was catering to them, then explain the upcoming CT6 PHV and Malibu hybrid. Both are derivatives of the new Voltec system.

 

John, now you are just making stuff up and taking extreme statements by fanatics as general statements of GM. And somehow stating these extreme positions (which I have never heard except from you) dictate what GM is doing?

And are you equating dilution to diversification??

 

WAS.

That's the past, which has nothing to do with what's happening now.

 

You're oversimplifying and dismissing the past you didn't participate in. Neither serves any purpose now.

What is your perspective on 2016 plans?

 

Much has changed since those days back when Volt was still considered "vastly superior". All the way up to 2013's end, it was quite ugly.

2014 was a time for many to move on.

I'm glad many don't remember that and/or refuse to believe that happened. It's a good sign. A true confirmation of change.

 

Product development and advancement doesn't happen overnight.

Just because GM never stated they were developing plugins with lower EV range or hybrids without a plug off of the Voltec system doesn't mean they weren't. The company management was in no way required to counter any claims by enthusiasts, who are outsiders. It isn't their responsibility if anything stated by those fans is taken as company gospel either.

When Toyota is mum about upcoming plans, they are praised for 'playing their cards close to the chest'. When GM does it, they get blamed for any rumors this may lead too. They were accused of 'over promising and under delivering' with the first Volt. Yet they take actions not to do the same with the second one, and they still did wrong.

GM was hurt by the gas price spike because they simply didn't have any fuel efficient offerings at the time. They have taken steps to fix that. A post I have above shows that many of their ICEVs have fuel efficiency competitive with the competition. Their big sellers, the pick ups, are much better than what Toyota offers.

Many here wish GM had a decent hybrid car available for years, but the sad, sorry truth is not having one has not hurt them. Like Toyota having a real sports car, the downsides of GM not having hybrid are intangibles. Then Volt covered those. Focusing on another hybrid car would likely have drawn resources away for improving efficiency and other details for the rest of their line up. The Prius doesn't pay the bills at Toyota, and neither would a 'mainstream' hybrid for GM.

 

Government Motors has been in denial for years as the Prius made inroads with the buying masses. So now Government Motors is still trying to catch up.

DBCassidy

 

GM stated they would not.

GM later changed their plan.

2015 is very different as a result.

Why is it so hard to acknowledge that and move on?

 

btw, moving on is just a matter of stating new goals.

 

And Toyota stated they would roll the Prius PHV out nationwide.

I'd ask for a source of GM saying they wouldn't make Voltec derivatives, but it really doesn't matter, and I really don't care what some GM, possibly pre-bankruptcy, talking head said in past. It's the same group insisting the first Volt would be serial hybrid only after all.

Most people seem excited about the next Volt's incremental improvements, and being within $3000 of the starting PiP price. Most appear happy about a hybrid Malibu. I'm hoping it will be priced the same as the 2L ICE option, but am expecting pricing close to the offers. So it well end up selling about as well as them.

Which leaves the only one dwelling on GM's past with the Volt, you John. We've moved on, and I think I can say we did so as soon as the first Volt went on sale. You are the one that brings up the past in Volt threads, regardless on the thread's topic scope. Apparently, it was just to get people to admit you were right. Between that and your 'wise master' stick asking about the Volt's targeted market, the value of your posting contributions have dropped to zero. Which is a shame, because you once did share plenty of knowledge on the Prius and its workings.

Ans thus, good bye.

 

I've been hearing a lot of concern about what happens when the incentives run out.

Wanting a constructive discussion (moving on) means addressing production cost.

Again, what are the goals?

 

Volt 2.0 is still not the mainstream ready model. The hope is Gen3 will be when the incentives dry up. That's a lot of money from the bail out to the 10 years stretch of $1.5 billion plugin incentive.

The hope is Gen3 will be affordable and practical for the mass market.

By design, Volt will not be able to compete with other PHEVs or regular hybrids due to the nature of duplicity and wasteful resources. We'll see how far out GM can dig out from the niche market.

 

As inaccurate as the misrepresentation of me is (the timeline distortion is quite obvious), I'll still try to get the discussion to move on.

We don't know what the starting price of next-gen PiP will be, nor any of the specs yet. So, comparing Gen-2 is not appropriate. That's why attention is focused on necessity: PRODUCTION COST.

Being mainstream requires the ability to make a profit without subsides. That's a really big problem which continues to be evaded.