Jeda13

I hope I'm wrong on this but I just looked a little more closely at the Volt and the Cruz and I predict an EPIC FAILURE for GM and the government that bought into this. (sic)
So gas prices are rising again and I'm you're typical middle class guy with a family, decent job and a stay at home wife. Need to start cutting corners and the perfect fit would be an electric car from GM that would make my daily commute (20 miles max) a breeze. Hmmm. The Chevy Volt is coming out, pick one up? $20K? Nooooooo
$40,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm sorry, but if I can afford a $40K car, I'm really not that affected by gas prices. Nope, not me. $20 K is my limit.
The Cruze maybe a decent car but it's kind of bland and if I'm going to buy it, I want to know that it will last like my Honda. Gonna take 10 years to figure that out so I'll keep driving my Honda. Will GM still be alive in 10 years? Not likely.
When Lee Iacocca took over Chrylser in the 80's, he got government loans and produced the "K car" which was a huge success and spawned many other Chrysler cars that were successful including the "invention" of the minivan. (VW did this with the bus to no credit)
He also took no salary until Chrysler paid off it's government debt and made a profit. Much more than I can say about the big-wigs at GM.
Obama and GM are going to sink like a rock in the next year or two and America is "effed" to say the least. The Republicans won't do much better.
The Cruze and the Volt will be EPIC FAILURES and GM will die a slow death. There will be discussion about a second bailout and hopefully Congress will say enough is enough. Done with this...

Don't get me wrong, I wish GM to survive, I love my HHR and my friends that helped build it, (even the Mexican ones) but why was the Prius soo successful? It cost $20K and was good looking. And nobody realized that the ingredients for the battery are harvested in Canada, shipped to Europe for processing, made into batteries in China, assembled into cars in Japan, then shipped to the US for sale. Hardly environmentally friendly! But it sold, none the less and used ones were going for more than new ones. And Chevy was busy producing crap that we still won't buy, all the while asking for a hand out. I am amazed that Toyota and Honda, who probably employ more Americans than Chevy does, didn't ask for a hand out as well?

We should have given them one and bought stock while we were at it.

JIm

Please comment and tell me I'm wrong!

843de

I don't think I'd go so far as to call them failures, neither has had any time in the field to amount to anything. I've driven the Cruze and the LS with the 1.8 is a bit anemic, the 1.4 Turbo is quite acceptable but not a real barn burner like an SS, it isn't meant to be. Like any other car these days, the price screams up with the options, you're looking at nearly $27,000 for the Cruze LTZ.

The Volt is maybe hampered with a high price point, but considering the car is so packed with technology I'm not surprised. You also have to remember the $7,500 Federal tax credit that comes off the $40,000 sticker. Some states like NC are on the verge of passing state tax credits on plug in hybrids, $2,000-$2,550 is the number being kicked around. My concern with the Volt like any other hybrid car is what the vehicle will be like to maintain in the long run. Many first gen Toyota hybrids are nearing the end of their battery life, the same can be said of the Honda's These aren't vehicles that Sam down at the gas station can fix adequately if at all when you start dealing with the electronics.

The main problem with any electric/hybrid/plug in hybrid is the inability to match the energy contained in a gallon of gasoline. Over a hundred years ago electric cars outsold their gas counterparts because they were simple to drive and clean. But the one thing that progress hasn't really changed is the range, a 1910 Pope would go about 30-40 miles on a charge, a 2011 Volt doesn't better that by much before turning to gas. For the near to middle future hybrids and electric cars will be niche vehicles, I just hope the Volt can pave the way for something better.

Jeda13

My parents have a Honda Insight circa 2001 with 130K on the clock They have replaced the battery ($800) on it but have also managed 60+ mpg ALL THE TIME. What a great car! When a deer totaled it, my dad fought with the insurance company to get it fixed, proving that there weren't enough available to purchase for him to replace it. He won. I fear the FUGLY Volt will be too expensive for mainstream America to purchase, the Cruze won't selll well enough to make up the difference and GM will be in serious trouble. Even @ 30K for the Volt is too high. Produce the Cruze with the Volt's battery for a loss around 22K and you have a winner! Sell enough of them to drive the price down and GM is in the Black. Pick-up Trucks can make up the difference in profits.
But if only they would stop making cars in Mexico...

Jim

Tominator

I saw one of these POS in eastern Illinois on I64 last Sunday.

It looks like crap! Technology? When I think of that term phrases like "Form follows function" come to mind....but this has so many misplaced plastic parts glued all over it....well....like the last GM electric car effort, this ain't got a chance in hell to ever make a dent in the auto market.

GM got their bailout based on the Volt.....GM will need another to bail them out of this POS!

...Making them MUCH LESS 'Green' than a similar sized car for 1/3 the price.

ChevyMgr

Do you know the Mega Million Lotto numbers for tonight too?


Every Volt that has been allocated to every dealer is SOLD. GE ordered 12,000 of them.

The car wasn't built for the entry level crowd. People that drive less than 40 miles per day, on their commute, are the targeted buyers. These people will never have the generator/engine come on because it will always run on the battery power.



One mans gold is another mans turd.

Len McRiddle

I had the opportunity to take a ride in one last month, when one showed up at PowerTrain in Tonawanda. I was very impressed with it. Very quiet and smooth running. Only time will tell if the car buying public is ready to embrace this technology. I find it amusing to say the least, at the picture you paint with your broad brush.

Tominator

Marketing ploy for ANY new model. Toyota did this when the Prius came to market but in any case they purposely limit the supply after taking perceived demand into account. Bet GE got tax payer dollars.....it will come out...mark my word!

No, it was built for the treehugger crowd. They need ego stoking 'save the planet' public statements to exist in their narrow self serving minds.

40 miles per day? Sure they go 40 miles.....just don't run the heater or AC...or god forbid a traffic jam!

And stay tuned for taxpayer subsidies for charging stations though there are no standards set for the type of charger for electric vehicles.

BILLIONS of tax payer dollars have already been spent on alternate fueled cars and trucks and they sit in lots unused for the most part. No supporting infrastructure because they are EXPENSIVE to maintain and ARE NOT EFFICIENT!

Electric vehicles are supposed to eliminate emissions and 'save the planet.' Global warming is a myth. Therefore the cure is a FARCE!





You can polish a turd but.....well you know...LOL!

AJochum

Wow! - This certainly is a unifying HHR Forum topic.

Toyota had the foresight to develop the Prius and it has taken the market by storm. GM had massive losses because of their concentration on the gas eating SUV market. Now GM introduces their futuristic Volt, and they're wrong for doing that. What direction would some of you like them to take?

GM has reinvented itself and made the company leaner through cost cutting, contract concessions, elimination of duplicate divisions, etc. Today they are stronger than before and working towards the future, rather than be strangled by old and outdated excessive union contracts, outdated body styles and platforms, etc.

Cars of the 60s and 70s got 8 to 15 miles per gallon. Today's legislation requiring 30 mpg is nothing but good for a cleaner planet and a cost conscious consumer. Tell me you don't look at the mpg's of a car before you buy it? Tell me you don't look at the cost of a gallon of gas when filling up? If GM had not gone down this path, they certainly would be out of business in 10 years.

Yes, I happen to be a tree-hugger if that's what you want to call me. I care about the environment. It is my country and our world that we will be leaving for our children and grandchildren. If you don't give a **** about the environment, go over to China and drink the water, or for that matter, take a job. Look at the polution in the rivers - it's so bad you can actually see it. My daugher spent six months in India and you had the ****s every day from eating poorly regulated food and drinks.

The Volt is just the beginning of the future of cars. These cars will improve and costs will be reduced as mass technology comes down. Remember the first computers? I see it as an exciting time and only wish I could be around 40 years from now to view it.

Len McRiddle

Very well put AJ.

AceMan

I took a look at the Cruz when they came out and liked them. Of course the LTZ at around $24K was the nicest of the bunch but the dealer was willing to take $1500 off the sticker price. The MPG is better than my HHR. I think you can get a nice LT in the $17K-$18K range - reasonable IMO.
Don't understand how so much politics get into this subject but I guess it's the times.