Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Chevrolet
Wagoner says Volt still on for 2010
This just in: Rick Wagoner has told reporters that the Chevy Volt is still on for a 2010 release, saying that so far, there have been no hang-ups that could potentially delay the arrival of General Motors' forthcoming Ultra Super Image Flagship -- currently in the last-gen Chevy Malibu phase of its gestation period. We'll chalk up Rick's comments as one of the "regular updates" he promised the media back in January when he tempered expectations somewhat by applying the "fluid" tag to the Volt's timeline. We assume his latest remarks mean things are proceeding nicely in Voltland, which is good, because the car that will battle the 'lectro-Chevy for the hearts, minds and greenbacks of the enviro-chic -- Prius v3.0 -- will throw down the gauntlet in the General's backyard come January. It'll be interesting to see whether GM responds to Toyota's reveal with some big new Volt-related showcase at the 2009 North American International Camaro Show. Time will tell, and we're sure many more updates are in store between now and then.
[Source: Reuters]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Pete 8:40AM (5/02/2008)
NAICS... Good One!!!
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DJ 8:49AM (5/02/2008)
If GM can really deliver this on schedule, they could beat Toyota to market in the plug-in wars.
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Ian 9:07AM (5/02/2008)
Didn't Wagoner just tell the media it takes time to devlop and manufacture a $20K car versus a $100K... Surely this means GM have rethought their interim pricing of $40K for the EVolt?
I am all over this car if it comes out in the $20-25K range.
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tankd0g 9:21AM (5/02/2008)
Ya right.... I guess they plan to finish the 2 year battery testing schedule sometime after they've sold 100,000 cars. Actually that sounds about right for GM.
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steved 2:02PM (5/02/2008)
I agree. nobody sweats the recalls like GM. Over 2 years of real-world testing (by our customers).
Mike K 9:56AM (5/02/2008)
Are the batteries the only "real" stumbling block on getting this car on the road? Have they worked out the rest of the systems (motors, electronics, body etc?) from a tech stand point?. Since electric forklifts, trains and carts have been around for years I'm assuming they have.
I wonder if it would be better or worse for GM to get this car on the road with the best battery they can (based on cost of course) to meet that deadline, with the idea that you could upgrade the battery in a year (or two) as needed when the find the next better battery. I assume that they could make them the same physical size and just upgrade the charging system if needed to make it fit.
Make them lease vehicles only (didn't they do that with the their last electic vehicle) to get the real-world testing, and also show themselves as a major player in the electric car market place. As long as the vehicle doesn't explode like a cheap Chinese-made laptop battery, and gets reasonable mileage I would think they would reap huge PR points.
Make sure that everyone KNOWS they "want to get these electric cars in the hands of the public as soon as possible, blaa, blaa, blaa..." and that if the battery dies they will just swap it out for you, no questions asked.
You'll get the high profile celebs. and sport starts in them, and the early adopters who want to pay the price to try them out.
Thoughts?
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V9 10:32AM (5/02/2008)
All of your arguments make sense. What doesnt make sense is the fact that GM had the vehicle to do just that. The whole "want to get these electric cars in the hands of the public as soon as possible" statement flies in the face of GM taking the proven electric vehicle off the road. It worked. For the electric car, the development and engineering was complete on the EV1. All they had to do was make more and sell them. But they destroyed them, claiming safety, batteries, you name it.
GM had real cars in the market that worked for the comsumers. They worked on lead-acid battery technology. They could have continued to iterate the design, incorporating new battery technology as it became profitable, and kept the consumer buying this whole time for 10 years. 10 years of a new profit stream, GM. The marketing would have been a slam dunk.
But this time is different, right GM?
henrykrinkle 10:32AM (5/02/2008)
Once the battery issue is sorted out, most current hybrids will become plug-ins. Their advantage will be a proven track record vs. the Volt's seemingly rushed, 'from scratch' approach. The competition will probably be able to sell their plug-ins at a lower price while still making money on them. The Volt will either be too expensive or be a money loser for GM.
My thoughs, anyway.
apu 10:05AM (5/02/2008)
It'll be (not) funny when places like California go down in darkness (again) in the future, this time due to too many image-conscious Volt owners.
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V9 10:40AM (5/02/2008)
If you really believe that California does not have enough electricity generation to support todays needs and then some, go read or watch "Enron: The smartest guys in the room". Greedy corporations and brokers brought darkness to California. And lets be honest, 10,000-100,000 trickle charging cars will not tip the scales of the grid capacity.
Frylock350 10:45AM (5/02/2008)
Lol. What will the Prius haters say if the Volt replaces it as the econut car of choice?
Guenther 12:36PM (5/02/2008)
Yes- those damn greedy corporations who wouldn't increase capacity so they could sell even more electricity w/o making money. Damn them all to HELL!
spw 11:19AM (5/02/2008)
GM - company that sold less than 1,000 hybrids accross 5 product lines so far in 2008?
:-)
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DKB_SATX 11:38AM (5/02/2008)
The only "real" hybrids GM is offering for sale now are the expensive Tahoe/Yukon 2-modes. No one is interested in their "mild" hybrids because there's not much bang for that buck. I don't even like SUVs (large or small) but I'd buy an Escape hybrid before an Aura or Malibu hybrid because the Escape gets much better city mileage, the reason one buys a hybrid in the first place. The mild hybrids aren't hot sellers because they're not hot products.
J.Crew 12:14PM (5/02/2008)
Gee, that American Axle strike would have nothing to do with not being able to build the hybrids you speak of would it? Having them to sell on the lots would make sense wouldn't it? Thank American Axle and the UAW for not getting a contract done for GM not selling any. I am referring to the full size SUV Hybrids, not the Aura, Malibu, or Vue.
Guenther 12:38PM (5/02/2008)
Right now it seems like you can't cross the street in SE MI w/o seeing a tahoe ot yukon hybrid... Also seeing Subaru Baja's everywhere, which is just weird.
Mi key 12:02PM (5/02/2008)
@ Frylock350 that's a great question.
I for one can't wait for the bashing of GM on it "Environmental" feel-good-tree-hugging-liberal-loving propaganda that all the Hybrid hater will start blasting. GM sell lots please!!
@V9 As I agree with you that California past Energy crisis was manipulated by ERON and other Bad energy companies. From my current understanding the current system does have problems that companies have not addressed or may not be able to correct. California growth has been mis-managed by the Governor and Legislators and has caused problems due to way too many involved reason that I cannot get into. You may be right the the system can handled as many tickle charges as you said but if the Grid is not upgrade or at least maintained better we could face problems like the ones experienced in NY and Mid-west in last couple of years..
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Matt 12:17PM (5/02/2008)
" 2009 North American International Camaro Show"
hahahahahahahahahahahaha
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D-GOD 12:55PM (5/02/2008)
And only about 30 years too late!
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Bryan 12:56PM (5/02/2008)
Every time I see this topic I shake my head. Its not to say that I don't like the Volt, it looks to be a great car. The problem is that it isn't targeted to the masses. The first people that want to save money on gas are the people that can hardly fill their tanks. If someone came up with a $10,000 - $15,000 car that was battery powered they would sell like hotcakes, regardless of how good the batteries were. Then you build the flagship and let the better tech trickle down with time. Just my thoughts...
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