Man, it's like the EV1 all over again. While I'm certain they're not going to make it a compact sedan/hatchback anymore, I hope the Voltec system survives and carries on into a bigger, more profitable vehicle. If not, I guess I'll be looking mighty closely at Tesla when it comes time to retire my Volt. GM to kill Chevy Volt production in 2019
This isn't like EV1, selectively killing off a single car line. It is just one small piece of a major corporate restructuring: GM is reinventing itself. Its cutting 15% of its salaried workers and shutting 5 plants in North America "New York (CNN Business)General Motors on Monday announced a major restructuring of its global business, saying it will shut production at five facilities in North America and slash its staff. GM will reduce its salaried workforce by 15%, including a quarter of the company's executives. The moves are the first big steps in the century-old GM's transformation. The company is reinvesting money away from cars that once dominated America's roadways and putting it into technology it believes will power its future. GM's new motto is "Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions, Zero Congestion," signaling a shift to self-driving, electric vehicles. But the restructuring is also about making cars people want now. Customers are increasingly shunning sedans in favor of SUVs and hatchbacks. ..."
I think people were expecting it to last until 2020 at least. There was also a rumor going around that the Voltec system will live on in bigger vehicles, so we might see something like a plug-in hybrid Equinox or Silverado, which might sell depending on pricing and features. Kind of sucks for all the people working in those places getting shut down though. It's a shame GM couldn't reallocate some of their more profitable vehicles to other plants to keep them churning out the moneymakers. On the plus side, all those start up EV's now have more factories they can buy to start up in. Or if Tesla wants a factory closer to the East/Right coast of the US.
It's not surprising, unfortunately, that the last day of Volt production (March 31, 2019) is the exact last day before the Volt's $7,500 tax credit gets cut in half to $3,750. Time running out for Chevy EV buyers to get tax credits | Toledo Blade
So this must be the result of finding "the magic wand" for manufacturing ... Never mind, completing that thought risks pushing this thread to FHoPol.
If the Cruze sedan production wasn't also coming to an end, 5 GM factories being closed, some lay offs weren't taking place, a financial quarter coming to an end, and Bolt production continuing, yes, it could all be about the end of their tax credits.
This is not like the EV1! There is no indication that GM will be going out to round up all the Volts to crush them.
There are > 180,000 Chevy volts running around the USA minus those that suffered from catastrophic collisions or end of life through excess miles. Safe to say there are still 6 figures worth of 'em running around - maybe 90% of the time traveling on electrons. Dino juice saved .... always a good thing! In addition - after the USA volt factory shut down in 2019 - China took over manufacturing under the Buick moniker - using the volt guts/platform. Buick's version of the Volt will live on in China, along with the LaCrosse .
Most likely the same reason they don't make some Toyota cars that we don't get here in the U.S. ..... competition with their other models that they want to be supporting more. Manufacturers need big sales on new models to amortize R&D - among several other rationales. . EDIT: yikes! Looking at the wiki page? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_Velite_6 the phev has over 150 miles ev range! Yea - that would definitely encroach on an all electric vehicle's sales imo. Wouldn't mind at ALL .... being able to use gas that infrequently. Is there another phev with ev range anywhere near that? ..... and DC fast charging ! besides utility - the looks definitely don't hurt the eyes. .
since the chinese aren't selling any ev's here yet, it looks like a nice entry. i would be very interested
Yeah, but if R&D is already spent. Not selling just because it is not a big sale makes no sense to me. Do they sell enough Hummer EV to make it profitable? But... I don't understand most of the marketing decisions the corporate CFO makes. I don't have MBA, and will never understand their rationale. It is a good-looking car though. I want it.