Chevy Volt and the cost of bravery.

i bet if the volt was 15000 and the prius was 48000 id still buy the prius

 

For 48k I want a pure EV.
Of course, it is looking like in 2010 (when the Volt comes out) I will have a selection of a number of them.

 

On June 22nd, Lutz was quoted saying "Volt will be prcied just under $40K". That is w/o considering the tax break. I don't know what has been changed since then, but, before the Volt is released, I won't be surprised to see the "rumored price" to keep changing. It is part of marketing to probe the best price point for Volt to be.

For the sake of the home team, I really hope that Volt eventually survives the GM culture.

 

Geez, did these guys lose the blueprints to the EV1? Lose the plans for the production line? Stupid is as stupid doesn't.

The dash speedometer readout on my Prius looks just like my mother-in-laws old Oldsmobile from... what was it... 1989 or 1990? Note to GM: It doesn't have to look like a concept car. It just has to work.

 

Doesn't sound like GM is very serious about electric cars. Maybe the price includes a Silverado as a throw-in.

 

When this all started, it was going to be in the mid to high $20k's. Then it was ~$30k. Then $35k...

and of course way back when cost was first discussed, anybod who was paying attention would quickly realize that the price point was impossible. Didn't stop GM from saying it though, did it?

 

Lol, that's just inflation because it's been in development so long! :dizzy:

 

so much for being a car that everyone could afford.

 

I don't remember the GM engineer at Hybridfest discussing the price. Of course, she was pretty busy telling us how "awesome" the support from GM was and fending off questions from the crowd.eep:

 

I dig the Volt and really hope that economies of scale will get the price where it needs to be. I don't see this car as a Us vs. Them. If the Volt acheives its goal of going 40 miles a day using zero gas, then we all win.

And competition is good for Prius owners. It will push Toyota, and others to keep innovating. My next car will be a plug in hybrid, and I will look at what the market has to offer at that time (2011 ish).

 

Longer than most will ever know . . . how does nearly 40 years sound? Here's a scan you can download & enlarge. Then read the date on the bottom.

http://usera.imagecave.com/w4abj/HybridStuff/Opel-Lec-1969.jpg

 

Hill

To be sure, electronics were Stone Age compared to now. As far as concepts, one has to wonder just how out of touch GM corporate management is.

 

I'll "worry" about the claim to leadership position if GM brings the Volt to market but sells 2,000.

I don't have much confidence in GM, though I sincerely hope to be proven wrong. How great would it be if this car really would work as advertised?

Cost, on the other hand, is a real issue. If they had this ready for market today, then I can see Congress giving a very sizable tax break. By the time it is on the sales floor, Toyota, Honda and others will have plug-ins available, and how does Congress justify the tax break for only the Chevy plug-in?

It's a good thing for GM they haven't been advertising this car as a Cadillac. There is no way they'll be able to use anything but the basest trim. (And people complain about the Integrities and the minimum seat adjustments in the Prius!!!)

 

Bingo!

The enthusiasts keep exclaiming the "game changer" label, yet refuse to acknowledge what that actually means.

To really make a difference, it must appeal to the masses. That means a car who's destiny is to become everyday common, a technology which isn't special because so many use it. In other words, a good old reliable appliance. We're talking numbers so large they become the business. Then it earns the label.

Realistically, that kind of volume is at least 25% of an automaker's annual production. No paradigm-shift is going to happen if quantity is tiny. They must seriously commit resources, accepting a no-look-back approach. Toyota is preparing for that, but even reaching the 10% mark is still a few years away. So this nonsense about GM becoming some type of overnight sensation is quite unrealistic.

Study history. It's filled with examples of painfully slow transitions.

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The way that the Volt will be a game-changer for GM is in changing the public perception. Remember the history of the Prius, toyota was gaining all kinds of accolades even though the sales numbers were small.

2001-15,556
2002-20,119

 

Accolades!!! What the heck are you talking about?

My blogs from back then document the very the opposite, fiercely negative attacks on Prius. The green image didn't emerge until several years later.

Of course, perception doesn't make a difference anyway. Cleaner air and less dependence on oil requires actual change.

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