Featured Cadillac, the latest Tesla killer

No, I believe that is a joke that came about due to Toyota’s perfection in John’s posts.

 

Gotta stay on message when you have viewership and web channels to push shouty killmer like content

 

WE refers to the other groups I participate in, most notably the local plug-in owners group. They don't have the biases shown here. They don't fed narratives like thread contribute to. They avoid short-term and focus on the bigger picture.

No matter how many times I point out having no association with Toyota other than being a customer, someone always tries to stir rhetoric by claiming I work for them. This is why I get on you about specifics. It's far too easy to unintentionally feed a misconception.

There are stages, which change the nature of replies. Currently, we are at the "low hanging fruit" phase, where there's some fallout from the loss of tax-credits resulting in some people starting to notice the change.

Since I already recognized the pattern and was trying to prepare readers... you know, setting realistic expectations... I'd get attacked for being so far off what everyone else is saying. And of course, having that experience makes it appear as though I work for Toyota.

You clearly aren't reading everywhere I post and I'm not going to repeat all that in every thread & forum I participate. You want the bigger picture, you have to follow more. Also, read what I post, not what others post about me.

With 19 years of posts, things change over time anyway and I've learned a lot of patience. So, when stuff happens that will skew impressions depending upon what you refer to. It's the nature of our online existence.

 

To Bisco, the above is not true. While I wouldn't call them biases, John appears to identify anyone who doesn't agree with him as having a bias. In our FB group page we even recently had a Toyota sales rep who is striving to learn more about the local market. In part, she was also disappointed with the lack of upcoming Toyota plug-in products.

Group members and even the founder of the local plug-in owners group have been critical of Toyota's lack of presence in the US EV market. It isn't something that is harangued on, but comes up from time to time.
We have a number of Prime owners and are happy they join us. We just wish Toyota would make them more readily available in Minnesota.

 

That appearance is really just "want it now" verses carefully studying the market and patiently waiting.

Calling it "bias" is spin. I recognize different approaches, rather than cramming everything into a single category.

How many times have I complained about making generalizations?

 

one doesn't have to agree with one's post, and still be able to enjoy and respect the views (your views), no matter how much someone agrees or disagrees. at least once - there was a time that my rebuttal was reciprocated with a string of "ALL CAPS" font - although i immediately apologized for getting under the skin. Hopefully we can all agree to disagree - agreeably - generating light - rather than heat. Wish i had manifested that resolve for the 1st ½ decade upon discovering PC. Maybe it's (my) old age that tempers one's communication skills

.

 

At least for the North American market, it appears GM is stopping with PHEVs.
GM president dashes hopes of future Volt, says no more hybrids

 

Yep, I think it is too soon to discontinue the PHEV bridge.
We will see how that works. The Bolt sells very well here, so perhaps this will result in more Bolts sooner.
In any event, a fair number of manufacturers are continuing so I’m not too concerned.

 

I can see their stance though. A large percentage of US households have more than one car, and the households that allow at home charging strongly overlap with those with the more than one car. BEVs available today can substitute one household car, and have the range for all local use; is there any new BEVs that are <100 miles available to buy? So if one car in the household has an ICE, and they want a plug in, why pay in hauling around and maintaining another ICE?

I am a one car household, and would like to have a plug in. There isn't a PHEV out there that meet all my wants. If I wanted to stay one car, it would have to be a Model X, which isn't a PHEV. Then while one car household is nice in practice, the benefits may not work for me. My commute alone means 15k miles a year. Add in trips to friends and family, and my single Camry is going to see over 18k year. The replacement rate of one car could reduce the benefit.

I do think GM is getting out of PHEVs too soon if they aren't helping with the charging infrastructure.

 

Another link on this topic, including photos from the Detroit auto show.

 

It has to do with money
the California market is ratcheting up battery size requirements to get a “credit” and are not as accepting of anything other than pure BEV.

Without that credit and without the fed tax break GM is just skipping PHEVs even though there is plenty of demand there.

My hope is they come back with Voltec in some other way than the 45mpg Malibu Hybrid but I’m not holding my breath, the California credit system is gearing more toward BEVs and the East Coast credits are played out for GM as well.

Meaning GMs audience is California Carb regulations

 

Possibly, however there is another factor few have noted.
GM’s biggest problem selling the Volt was their dealerships.
They may well be focusing on Cadillac because they believe the Caddie dealers will be better sellers of electric vehicles.
Or, possibly because their are fewer Caddie dealers than GM dealers so GM can focus more on the dealer side of things?

 

How long until one of the big auto companies spin off an all electric brand that doesn't sell via or even have dealers and mimics Tesla's sales model?

 

It won't happen. The big autos are heavily invested in the dealer model. GM's other dealers helped to kill saturn.

What may happen is car companies sell direct on the internet and simply deliver through dealers.

 

Why would dealers ever get on board with that happening? (unless they are paying them a hefty fee to do it)

 

My local GM dealer sells everything GM makes including trucks. Yes, Chevy to Buick, to Caddy, to GM.

Don't assume the same selling model for everywhere urban, suburban, rural and small town.

Think of their willingness to learn enough to sell a specialized vehicle like an EV or hydrogen powered. Not.

 

None of the Caddy dealers around here ever had an ELR or CT6 plug-in.

 

Cadillac dealers may also be asking for something to compete with Tesla.

Don't think they can with the way the dealership protection laws work, or they will have an even tougher time of it.

Elsewhere, a comment pointed out the Chinese brands could skip the dealers for their BEVs, if/when they arrive.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I did not mean to say all Cadillac dealers were better than Chevy dealers.
I strongly suspect a higher percentage of Cadillac dealers are much better than the majority of Chevy dealers.

I don’t recall any stories of Cadillac dealers storing the ELRs in the back of the lot under a tarp, or actually suing GM.
I also understand that some dealers are both Chevy and Cadillac dealers, but that is a not typical.