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

Discussion in 'GM Hybrids and EVs' started by Jeff N, Oct 1, 2014.

  1. Jeff N

    Jeff N The answer is 0042

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    I recommended watching the video, not reading the article.... LOL.

    Yes, it was a pretty sad article -- mostly a long exploration of the several ways that they screwed up and ran out of time to do the EV mode testing they had intended to do.
     
  2. dbcassidy

    dbcassidy Toyota Hybrid Nation, 8 Million Strong

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    Yes, that article is a total waste of time.

    Hope others spare themselves of this agony.

    DBCassidy
     
  3. Sergiospl

    Sergiospl Senior Member

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    :D Ok, so, the 2016 Volt will not be available everywhere in order to clear 2014 & 2015.
    2016 Chevy Volt rollout includes attack ads on Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    okay, so 500 posts later, we're still trying to figure out what 'leap frog' means, and who the so called 'competition' is. is it the leaf? prius? both? other? which sales numbers should we be watching to see if the gm bluster works out, or falls flat?
     
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  5. Sergiospl

    Sergiospl Senior Member

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    Well, I doubt they will give up the term "Leap-frog" for Prius's E-Four or FCV tech.
     
  6. Jeff N

    Jeff N The answer is 0042

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    Simple answer.

    The competition is the LEAF and other sub-250 mile BEVs. The Volt is a road trip capable commuter BEV with training wheels for those who aren't quite ready to leave the ubiquitous and quick refueling station advantages of an ICE. So, some ads will show the joy of electric driving and the advantages of gasoline range extension.

    Meanwhile, the potential customer base now is largely made up of hybrid owners or hybrid-curious drivers who are open to new automotive experiences so some ads will compare and contrast against the Prius that they know and like.
     
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  7. Jeff N

    Jeff N The answer is 0042

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    Which, of course, the article doesn't say... I don't think there are any significant new 2014 cars at dealers and there are less than 2000 of the 2015 cars remaining.

    It's not unusual for completely redesigned cars to have ramp up period so workers and suppliers have a good handle on QA and can quickly spot and correct any issues. The 2016 Volt is being sold across Canada and the 11 US CARB states where the 2016 Volt is being sold probably make up close to 70% of its first generation sales volume.
     
  8. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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    #508 El Dobro, Sep 30, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2015
  9. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Production ended in May. How long do they need?

    Toyota is rolling out a new Prius worldwide at higher volume in less time.
     
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  10. Jeff N

    Jeff N The answer is 0042

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    As one might expect, they overproduced cars before ending production in order to have inventory until 2016 volts were ready for first distribution in October.
     
  11. Jeff N

    Jeff N The answer is 0042

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    I suspect that, as a large volume car, Toyota has a bigger engineering and production staff to prepare and oversee a fast ramp up of Prius production. Slower ramp ups are more typical of lower volume cars from my limited experience.

    As I said before, it wouldn't surprise me to find out that they are focusing the ramped-up production at the end of the calendar year on CARB states where they may gain some added regulatory credits but I don't know that for a fact.
     
    #511 Jeff N, Sep 30, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2015
  12. Sergiospl

    Sergiospl Senior Member

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    So, did GM give the reason for the limited rollout?

    I am guessing once Chevy's own 2017 Bolt and other 200-mile + ev become available, GM will stop producing the Volt.
     
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  13. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    GM basically just gave us an "it happens" statement and moved on. But then again, we already knew total production for the year was only intended to be 25,000. At that sales rate of just over 2,000 per month, it's not a major player in their line-up anyway.

    Focus on Bolt, from the pressure both Tesla & Nissan are delivering, it tends to make sense that Volt isn't getting "leaf frog" attention anymore.

    The big question still is how Malibu-hybrid fits into the mix, especially with consideration to timing. What will the production & distribution be for it?
     
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  14. Jeff N

    Jeff N The answer is 0042

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    GM hasn't said much about the reasoning for moving the official 2017 model year change to February from the usual summer.

    One new official feature is Android auto but that's going to be available to 2016 owners as a software update in addition to their original Apple Carplay integration. Someone on GM-volt just reported getting an email reply from a senior GM exec saying there would be no powertrain or battery changes.

    I think it's very unlikely that GM will suddenly stop selling the Volt or other Volt-like cars in 2017. PHEVs with a 40+ mile range will be a growing market for at least the next decade as more people switch to plugin cars. Many of them either can't switch to BEV right away for various reasons or will be afraid to completely transition in one shot. For one thing, charging infrastructure will remain underdeveloped in many parts of the country for that long or longer.
     
    #514 Jeff N, Sep 30, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2015
  15. Jeff N

    Jeff N The answer is 0042

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    The last thing I heard was that the Malibu hybrid will be rolled out sometime in spring.
     
  16. Zythryn

    Zythryn Senior Member

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    A Toyota fan being critical of a 6 month roll out is rather humorous considering the initially stated roll out plan of the PiP:rolleyes:
     
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  17. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Toyota includes flexibility (diversity, volume, timing) in their approach and adjusts to the market accordingly.

    GM puts everything down on a single product, betting for a big win and doesn't get it.

    Who's laughing?
     
  18. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    We already know that and it doesn't answer either question.

    Production?

    Distribution?
     
  19. dbcassidy

    dbcassidy Toyota Hybrid Nation, 8 Million Strong

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    GM could pull Volts' plug at any time (pun intended). If that product model has not gone main stream by now, expect the plug to be yanked in the near future.

    No rocket science here needed to figure out!

    DBCassidy
     
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  20. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    I wish they market the Malibu hybrid more instead.

    That's the high volume car.