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Will the Chevy Volt Succeed?

544 messages,  Last post on Oct 28, 2009 at 1:11 PM

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What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Volt, Automotive News, Hybrid Cars, Coupe, Hatchback, Truck, Sedan, SUV

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#427 of 544 plug-in mini cooper by tpe Oct 20, 2008 (9:03 am)
mini ev   What I find most interesting here is that there really hasn't been much news about BMW's EV program yet they seem like they'll be the first to have a sizeable test fleet here in the US. You listen to talk from GM and Toyota and they both seem to state that significant engineering hurdles are still left to be cleared before even 40 mile electric range can be offered.   The Volt isn't going to be a money maker for GM for quite some time, if ever. IMO they would have been far better off getting it on the road as soon as possible through a very limited number of leases like what BMW plans to do. Or what GM is doing with it's fuel cell Equinox. From a PR perspective it would have been valuable and you'd minimize your liability, After a couple years GM would have gathered a lot of real world data allowing them to work out the initial bugs and have a better sense of the battery pack's longevity before going into full production. Replies to this message: reddroverr (Oct 25, 2008 12:42 pm) reddroverr (Oct 27, 2008 11:08 am)
#428 of 544 Re: plug-in mini cooper [tpe] by reddroverr Oct 25, 2008 (12:42 pm)
Replying to: tpe (Oct 20, 2008 9:03 am) Tough one, tpe. GM lost 15.5 billion last quarter. They need a home run. They are banking that they can pull it off. Maybe it is swinging riverboat gambling. Senor Obama and the mighty ORP syndicate will probably subsidize the hell out of this car. I think a fuel cell at this point is pie in the sky several years to come and no small part of that being the fueling infrastructure. So, it is a different animal and standard production would be insanity. However, a partial batter car seems fully doable...if more complicated than many think. I don't know if they think the battery will realistically come down in price with improvements and larger production runs...I would hope so or it is quite possibly a foolish move. Despite what is happening now, unless it is the end of world, I still think we will see much higher oil prices in a couple years. Replies to this message: reddroverr (Oct 27, 2008 11:08 am)
#429 of 544 Re: plug-in mini cooper [reddroverr] by reddroverr Oct 27, 2008 (11:08 am)
Replying to: reddroverr (Oct 25, 2008 12:42 pm) I just read that GM is cutting the first year production waaaaaay back. Just bring the g*dd*mn high mileage diesels over here. PLEASE!
#430 of 544 Reality by pf_flyer HOST Nov 05, 2008 (6:10 am)
GM has to deal with the realities of the market. Can't base your production on thinking the market hasn't changed.   I think that's the kind of thing that got GM to this point in the first place Replies to this message: reddroverr (Nov 06, 2008 12:55 pm)
#431 of 544 Re: Reality [pf_flyer] by reddroverr Nov 06, 2008 (12:55 pm)
Replying to: pf_flyer (Nov 05, 2008 6:10 am) Lutz:   A: It’s clear the thing is going to cost many thousand dollars more than we had hoped for the first generation technology. So what do we do about that?   Initially there will be enough demand from rich people, so there won’t be a worry for the first year or two. But if we want to generalize the technology the price has to come down.   I agree   Q: Assuming the Volt delivers on expectations and is well-received by consumers, what else could derail GM’s efforts?   A: Let us say that over the next 18 months the world goes into a major recession, car sales and fuel use drop dramatically, the steel companies produce less steel and therefore use less energy, China finds its main export markets drying up, so they are into a contraction and use less steel and aluminum and plastic. And at the same time Canadian tars sands come on stream, and coal-to-liquids come on stream. All of a sudden there is a reduction in primary demand in petroleum plus all these additional new supply sources, which were started at the time of $140 a barrel, suddenly coming on stream. And oil drops to $25 a barrel and we’re looking at gas pump prices at $1.25 a gallon. I personally don’t think that’s going to happen, but that would be a dramatic event for the Volt because everybody would say, 'Ha! Why should I bother?’   I agree   If I recall they were talking about 6k cars in 2010. I guess that makes sense and the production continues into 2011 where they hopefully meet the 50k or whatever the initial targets were.   http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/501213
#433 of 544 Do they got TO the Volt intact? by pf_flyer HOST Nov 12, 2008 (5:22 pm)
When the Volt was announced, 2010 didn't look all that far away as far as getting things done in time to have the car ready. Now it's looking like a long time only because of what GM seems like it's going to have to get through just to make it to that 2010 date for release.
#434 of 544 Buzz? by pf_flyer HOST Nov 20, 2008 (12:05 pm)
HispanicBusiness.com had a chance to check out the production version of the Volt at the Los Angeles Auto Show. While we weren't allowed to actually take a seat in it, we can't deny the "wow" factor in the outward design of the car. http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/newsbyid.asp?idx=135644&cat1=auto&cat2=cutt- ingedge   Color me skeptical, but what the Volt looks like isn't nearly as important as how it performs. Replies to this message: reddroverr (Nov 22, 2008 6:14 pm)
#435 of 544 Re: Buzz? [pf_flyer] by reddroverr Nov 22, 2008 (6:14 pm)
Replying to: pf_flyer (Nov 20, 2008 12:05 pm) Sure, but what indeed was there to comment on just being given a look at the car?   The article was a bit more substantive as well. The engineering team is already looking to simplify and reduce costs of the battery pack. Kinda makes you want to wait for the next gen. Especially since I don't have 30-40k to throw around. I still think in the next several years we will have a good chance of a gas rationing situation. Those few with Volts may well have gotten their money's worth.
#436 of 544 Re: Not at $40K it won't [eaton53] by irismg Dec 02, 2008 (9:52 pm)
Replying to: eaton53 (Oct 18, 2008 8:28 am) Nothing personal, but since you want to argue/dispute, in my opinion that's insane thinking. Even if Congress gives back 7500 dollars as a credit, that's still $32,500 and still too damn much to pay for a commuter car, never mind a Chevrolet! I'd like to know who these "people" you know so well who don't have an aversion to spending that kind of money on such a car, and whether there are enough of them to even count. Chevrolet has NEVER been a luxury car since the 40+ years I've been alive, but rather good, sensible transportation. Furthermore, in my view, the five or six early adopters who buy this thing won't keep GM alive. They're going to have to cut the price in half--at least--before they generate enough sales with it to make it worth their while to continue production of it. In these hard times relatively few people have money for experimentation!   Of course, if you see things differently, I'll respect that! Replies to this message: pf_flyer (Dec 03, 2008 4:39 am)

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