Lutz throwing around 500K vehicles like the Volt a year (in a few years) # again

"GM’s best-selling Chevrolet brand is key to the plan. Chevrolet has at least four small cars or crossovers that will debut before the end of 2011: The Cruze compact car, a new version of the Aveo subcompact, the Traverse midsize crossover that goes on sale shortly and a new version of the Chevrolet Equinox compact crossover." --- Both Traverse and Equinox are SUVs - note to Lutz: I thought focusing on SUVs instead of cars is what got your company into this mess? Kick the habit!

CHEVY CRUZE PHOTO: GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site Blog Archive Say Hello to the Chevy Cruze

"Lutz said the Cruze has been developed to match or exceed the Honda Civic for looks, fuel economy — and more important, selling price." --- YEAH, I'D LIKE TO SEE CHEVY DO THAT !!!! Really, I would!

"GM employees got their first look at the Cruze when CEO Rick Wagoner addressed them Wednesday. The car — which will be sold around the world, though the U.S. version will come from Lordstown, Ohio — makes its public debut at the Paris auto show in September.
The eagerly anticipated Chevrolet Volt, an extended-range electric vehicle due to go on sale late in 2010, could also contribute far higher volumes than previously announced, Lutz suggested. GM has said it plans to build about 10,000 Volts in 2011, the car’s first full year of production."

The second article is absolutely depressing - all the other automakers are busy testing and unveiling new hybrids, but GM is just sitting there whining to the government regulators. Sad. Very sad.
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my only comment is this article:

gm hybrid sales - Google Search

 

Lutz is still with GM? Haven't they fired him yet?

 

Lutz is trying to keep his most important customers happy...stockholders.

 

That other statement was purely for political purposes - GM doesn't want the government to tell them to improve fuel economy, so they were purposefully saying that, yes we may have the technology to improve, but it's experimental, will take time for market penetration, yada, yada, yada.

So that other statement was for a totally different audience, which is why he said something totally different, even though it's about the same vehicle. What do you call that? Two-faced??? No, there must be a more politically-correct term....

 

Non-hybrd, non-electric Chevy Cruze reported to get 40mpg by Edmunds:
2011 Chevrolet Cruze Prepares To Become GM's Global Small Car
This should put GM in line with government requirements. It will be interesting to see if GM makes a hybrid version of the Cruze (since they already have the technology in the Malibu hybrid).

 

McCain said he's for a $5000 tax credit on the Chevy Volt:
deepikaglobal.com - World News Detail

This should be interesting.

 

Well, mighty Toyota hasn't "kicked the habit" either. They just launched a new Sequoia and are looking at a 7.0 liter Tundra.

In any case, there is nothing inherently wrong with a vehicle the size of the Traverse. Some people need to haul a family of 5 or more. Ever tried that with multiple car seats in the car? The Prius ain't gonna do it. The Traverse gets 17/24. Not great compared to a small car but best in class for cross-over / SUV that can haul 7-8 -- and no worse than any Minivan out there. And the rumor is they are working on hybridizing it.

 

GM is a niche company. A car company that makes cars predominantly for rental car companies.

 

Not true. Besides that, they are far more of an international company. Sales in China for instance are large and growing strongly.

 

I would be for a $5000 tax credit on the Volt. But I would also be for a similar tax credit on high mpg hybrids such as the Prius.

 

I'd rather have a tax on imported oil. That way consumers can choose the best vehicles that will save them the most $, not the government - which will always be influenced by who has the best lobbyist.

 

Lot of ignorant comments in here. Go visit GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site to learn something about the volt. I will be trading in my prius for a volt. I think GM is moving in the right direction right now with shutting down SUV, truck plants and switching to efficient cars.

The idea is to support the most fuel efficient car on the market not support a brand name like an uninformed zombie (esp a foreign one).

 

Right now we are supporting the most efficient car on the market.

The Volt isn't on the market.

When it is, it will be evaluated.

 

and I will evaluate it

Well then let's be happy about the fact that lutz wants to make 500K volts per year for the global market and let us support the volt. In fact I hope they throw their HCCI engine (gas engine that runs like a diesel engine with similar efficiency as diesel, search "HCCI GM") in it along with the hybrid technology and plug in with 40 miles gas free driving and show toyota who's boss, then toyota can turn around and come up with something to compete with it, thus starting a cycle that will eventually end up with oil based fuels in cars being obsolete.

Let me just say this, if GM is lying about the volt and switch to fuel efficient cars, GM will go under. My family is a GM only family, my parents were hard core about that, now my mother has a prius on order (thanks to me) my brother drives a new civic and we will only buy GM products again when they are 40mpg+. If the volt fails, GM fails, in fact the success of GM is tied to the volt so I can imagine they will fight to survive and if they do go under they deserve it and the union workers deserve to lose those jobs like the iron workers lost theirs.

 

Feel free to go right ahead then. Many (myself included) are going to wait until it is actually out before deciding to buy one. The specs, date, and price have changed multiple times over the last couple of years. Given GM's track record, I think it is wise to remain cautiously optimistic about the Volt.

I grow weary of GM's ad machine that throws out lots of numbers that they seem to have little desire to meet. It is a long ways from 500K when starting out with just 10K per year. I just want to see something good on the dealer floor before I make up my mind about the Volt.

 

WARNING!!!

My Firefox3 browser poped-up a warning about the above linked site. Clicking on the "more information" button brought up this warning from Google . . .

Google Safe Browsing diagnostic page for www.deepikaglobal.com/

If you clicked on that link, you should seriously consider giving your computer a good anti-virus/anti-spyware cleaning.

 

Thank you for the warning. I appreciate it, but my Firefox 2.0 browser quickly loaded up the [very simple] almost text-only page quickly and then said "done" within a second or two. The page may set off a red flag for your browser, but the actual page was harmless to my computer. Again, I appreciate the warning though. When in doubt, it's always better safe than sorry.

 

Hi All,

This looks to be a fluff piece, with comments from Lutz intended to improve the stock price of GM.

Of course any car with the developement effort of a Volt or Prius , the company responsible would hope the car would reach 500 K in a few years - like the Prius. The problem is, will GM price the car so that is possible? Did GM people pay attention in their buisness school classes ? Will they give unlimited road-side assitance on the first deliveries, like Toyota did? Will GM invest in the future ? Can GM invest in the future ?