Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Chevrolet, GM
Lutz says Volt production by end of 2010
Speaking at the Reuters Auto Summit in Detroit today, Bob Lutz stated that the Chevrolet Volt series hybrid will be in production by the end of 2010. What's more interesting is that he told reporters employees working on the Volt "are becoming increasingly nervous" about meeting that deadline. According to Lutz, however, GM leaders are insisting it be done, so the families of those on the Volt team shouldn't expect to see their loved ones much until after Dick Clark drops the ball on 2010. As we mentioned yesterday, the first test of the Volt's viability will be working prototypes demonstrating the car's capabilities by Easter of 2008. Earlier guesstimates had the Volt entering production and going on sale sometime in 2010, so today's clarification appears to give the General a little breathing room by only promising production to start by the end of the decade.
More after the jump.
[Source: Just-Auto, sub. req'd]
It's astounding how much significance General Motors has placed on getting the Volt production ready by 2010 with the hope of toppling Toyota's dominance in the green car marketplace. GM clearly wants to beat Toyota both in sales of the Volt versus the Prius (that will take some time) as well as overtaking the Japanese automaker in the minds and hearts of environmentalists and green-conscious consumers. Having missed its opportunity to field a true hybrid early in the game when only the Prius and Honda Insight were proving the viability of hybrids, GM plans to make up lost ground and then some with the Volt.
Battery technology is still the main stumbling block, and GM has its two battery suppliers, A123 Systems and Compact Power, working overtime to improve the performance and durability of their lithium-ion batteries, but GM is also working on the problem internally and applying for patents along the way to protect its investment. If GM succeeds by getting the Volt to market in time with a 40-mile range on its Li-ion batteries alone, those patents will ensure that competitors like Toyota will have to invest their own money to develop batteries that can match those found in the Volt. Ah, so many ifs, though...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
rar 3:00PM (11/21/2007)
I will take one, as long as I don't have to lease the batteries like they were talking about.
Reply
tankd0g 3:04PM (11/21/2007)
Take till 2011 if it means keeping the car looking like that. If it comes out in 2010 looking like a Prius, they can jam it up their lack of tail pipe.
Reply
James 3:18PM (11/21/2007)
Look it is simple GM will not try to bs about this subject. please read an article i published today that claims GM is miles ahead of toyota in the new hybrid technology. GM's Volt is going to be more advanced than toyota prius next gen. read the article http://www.tengears.com
Reply
geo.stewart 3:33PM (11/21/2007)
quit advertising, please, unless you are paying autoblog.
either comment or leave.
thank you.
James 4:01PM (11/21/2007)
how is that advertising, i asked people to read a good article?
MoonRover 7:02PM (11/21/2007)
That is not advertising, that is offering to the conversation, thank you for the link, very interesting reading indeed. This could mean an evolution in the automobile industry, I would certainly buy one.
AlexP 7:19PM (11/21/2007)
It's HIS website, it's a shameless plug - I'd like to point out that his blog is also covered with adverts, implying that he's generating revenue from sheer hits. Of course he commented on the matter, but the point is he's referring us to his bullsh..., boring blog.
Justin 12:36PM (11/23/2007)
I agree...James never has quality statements, just plugs for his crappy site. Lose the link and say something meaningful...it's called contributing.
CEMan 3:46PM (11/21/2007)
Didn't Lutz insist the Viper would be under $30 grand. It was over a year late and $20+ thousand over his figures.
Isn't Lutz the one who there was no good reason for hybrids? Or something to that effect.
Lutz CAN BE a great product man but please do not give him anymore platforms for his totally BS statements like this.
Reply
elprogramer 10:36AM (11/22/2007)
There IS no reason for hybrids. He covered this in his book, about how Ford lost on the Diesel fad of the 70s.
People are stupid. They'll buy stupid things. He's just doing his best to make sure they buy from him. As for the Viper, that car wasn't built for anyone who'd care about the price.
Anti-believer 3:47PM (11/21/2007)
2010? Honda is offering it mid-2008.
I'm glad I'm not loyal to GM.
Reply
tbss_in_the_D 3:52PM (11/21/2007)
You are a complete moron. Honda will not have a plug in anything in 2008.
J.Crew 12:22AM (11/22/2007)
Do you mean the hydrogen car they are leasing in short supply around California? The ones they can only lease to people living near a hydrogen station because of the limited range? It is a cool looking car, but please... this is not a mass production car like the Volt will be.
sfast 3:50PM (11/21/2007)
or bust is more like it.
Reply
Jeff Gilleran 4:04PM (11/21/2007)
Im all for getting things done quickly but sometimes in my opinion, its better to slow down a bit with things that are new.
If even the employees are getting "nervous" then it very well could present challenges to GM mainly mistakes that could seriously undermine confidence of the consumer during initial sales.
Basically, reliability comes into question at that point which could drive away consumers (no pun intended).
My advice Mr Lutz:
Dont push a timetable you probably cant keep, at the expense of refinement and quality.
Reply
Auto IT 4:17PM (11/21/2007)
A couple of weeks ago I spoke to the chief designer of the Opel Flextreme - the European equivalent of the Volt - and also to the top European spokesman on the Volt's underlying E-Flex platform. I got the very strong impression from both that the 2010 timescale is less like an immovable deadline and more like the earliest moment of a feasibility window that stretches out to 2012.
Unfortunately for Lutz, he can't make the project speed up simply by pushing the engineers harder. As Fred Brooks observed in his book The Mythical Man-Month, throwing more resources at the project wouldn't necessarily make it progress any quicker - it might actually slow it down.
The 2010 date is a target, nothing more, and unfortunately in any business targets get missed - and moved - all too frequently.
Reply
gebisuza 4:22PM (11/21/2007)
2010, yea right! Not holding my breath on that promise by doltz. GM is full of bs, if they are going to make that time frame. Besides typical gm quality and it wouldn't look like the current doltz.
Reply
Fab 4:49PM (11/21/2007)
"with these current gas prices"???
You guys pay $3 a gallon. In Germany, we pay about 1.43 a liter. Which translates to about $8 a gallon.
Don't complain about your gas prices, okay?
Reply
DavidV 5:16PM (11/21/2007)
73% of what you pay for gasoline in Germany is taxes. In the U.S., it is about 29%.
toronado455 5:11PM (11/21/2007)
"On sale by 2010"
That means as a 2011 model. GM is very late to this game.
By then Toyota will have a SEVERAL Prius models for sale under their new "Prius" DIVISION. These will be 3rd gen (4th gen if you include original JDM Prius) and include both plug-in and non-plug in varieties, small, mid-sized and wagon models.
And Honda will no doubt have something better (than the Volt) of their own by then too.
On the flip side, the Japanese makes were VERY late to the minivan game in the 80s-90s and improved upon what came before (from Detroit), so maybe GM can do the equivalent in reverse. But I doubt it.
Reply