GM vows to deliver Volt, bailout or no
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2011 Chevy Volt
Will they or won't they build the Chevy Volt? That question has been asked repeatedly and taken on new meaning since General Motors released details of its current financial situation. Another question has popped up as a result: should they? It's no secret that GM is quickly running out of cash, and the Volt program is extremely expensive to maintain. Regardless, GM will continue pressing forward with its extended-range electric car. If engines can't be built in the United States, they'll be imported from Europe. According to top brass at the ailing automaker, under no circumstances will the Volt program be put on hold or delayed.
Of course, questions remain. What if GM doesn't get the money from the Feds that it needs to stave off bankruptcy? That's the big one, but GM believes that it can keep development of the Volt on time regardless. It seems that General Motors will do nearly anything to keep another EV1-sized disaster off its hands.
Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt - Live Reveal
[Source: The Wall Street Journal]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mobius_1 6:36PM (12/18/2008)
Come on GM, if nothing else, I can at least show those Hollywood types you can save the planet and still drive a stylish car.
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Rev 8:03PM (12/18/2008)
Yes, cuz the approval of some rich thespians would really matter to a car company.
Sea Urchin 8:28PM (12/18/2008)
I think Prius is an excellent car, but Volt will give it healthy competition, which is ALWAYS a good thing.
Kumail 6:37PM (12/18/2008)
i like how GM is taking initiative here....
even though gas is cheap, we are still going to run out of it someday and people need to realize it.
now we someone needs to do something about the water crisis we are having....
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happy_penguin 6:47PM (12/18/2008)
We have plenty of water in Michigan but you can't have any of it. We'll need it for sustenance when our entire state is bankrupt. Oh and don't bother taking it by force. We have guns, lots of them.
ropeburn 7:29PM (12/18/2008)
taking initiative? ...in the face of low gas prices?
This is not a noble courageous move, it's a drowning corporation
that needs to develop some positive buzz in the market
because right now there is NO investor confidence.
believe the VOLT when you see it in dealers.
I think it's the right car for them to build
but I'm not so quick to pat them on the back.
remember the EV1? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1
My point is that they had an electric car ON THE DAMN ROAD.
then they crushed them all.... save for a few in museums.
wrap your brain around that one....
jv2k 9:59PM (12/18/2008)
Lol, more EV1 garbage.
jv2k 10:00PM (12/18/2008)
Lol, EV1 garbage.
Derek 11:17AM (12/19/2008)
Solution to the water "crisis"? Don't build your home in the d@mn desert!
Torrent 6:47PM (12/18/2008)
How great of them. And I sincerely mean that.
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KeatMP 6:51PM (12/18/2008)
Good for them.
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RLS 6:54PM (12/18/2008)
I read in today's paper that GM was halting construction on a new factory to make the 1.4 liter engines for the Volt. Question - why do they need to build a new factory? Don't they they have a some idle floorspace somewhere that they could convert to an engine plant. The old Delphi facility in Columbus Ohio is currently idle - they used to make door frames, lock assemblies, and other GM parts there years ago. What wrong with something like that?
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happy_penguin 6:58PM (12/18/2008)
Because the building isn't the major cost but rather everything that goes into it to make the product.
Sam 7:45PM (12/18/2008)
Bob Lutz is a waste of space. If you look at that car, it's all design (if you're into a re-tooled Malibu with a space-age interior) and no substance (i.e., technically incomplete). Hundreds of millions spent, and they have a $38k concept that people can't afford/won't buy.
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Colin 8:43AM (12/19/2008)
"Waste of space"?!?! Please log off immediately. All Lutz has done is revamp GM's ENTIRE car lineup into well designed, award winning vehicles. CTS, Malibu, Aura, Enclave, STS, SRX, Solstice, etc etc etc.
Get a clue
Derek 11:17AM (12/19/2008)
"Re-tooled Malibu"? Someone is very behind the times. The car above doesn't share one bit with any version of the Malibu. The Volt uses the same architecture as the Chevy Cruze uses.
As far as technical completeness, Wagoner drove a Cruze equipped with the Volt powertrain right up to Capitol Hill.
iQuack 8:27PM (12/18/2008)
By the time the Chevy Volt is introduced it'll be such old news that nobody will care.
Of course, it all depends on the price of gasoline at that time and how much of a premium over non-hybrid cars the Volt will cost.
At current gas prices, any hybrid cost premium is a loser, so the Volt is a gamble no matter what. Anybody thinking that the Volt will save GM--especially with the Prius and the upcoming Honda Insight as competition--is dreaming.
GM must cut labor and distribution costs (stiff the UAW and dealer contracts) dump redundant brands (Pontiac, Saturn, Saab, Hummer), and become innovative so they offer the kinds of cars people choose over their competitors.
GM hasn't had an innovation since Hydramatic and the overhead valve V8.
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GenoMalice 11:41PM (12/18/2008)
yeah thats the one thing I never understood... why offer basically the same car over 2 or more badges? makes no sense whats-so-ever and from a business point of view it just splits sales and increases expense (keeping the 2 or more brands running) For example, does chrysler really need the town & country and the caravan? I remember in early 90's there was the Plymouth Voyager, Chrysler Town & Country and the Dodge Caravan. Now there's the Malibu for Chevy and the Aura for Saturn, which nobody buys... so why not cut the Saturn and commit to the Chevy?
GMC needs to go (they're all tahoes & suburbans), Saturn needs to go, Hummer needs to be assasinated.
Pontiac needs to become ONLY performance.. aka get rid of all the nonsense and stick with the sky and G8 and bring back the GTO.
GM could attain More Marketing, more R&D, less expenses just by killing off those redundant brands. Why do you think Ford is in a better position than both of these companies, Ford has no redundant products and their nameplates are different in terms of who they cater to, they even got a semi-Japanese to offer to those that love them Japanese cars
happy_penguin 2:14AM (12/19/2008)
Oh DO shut up!
Derek 10:10AM (12/19/2008)
So let me get this straight...
GM ignores the signs of the times and is late to the party delivering a hybrid sedan (yes, it is a hybrid), the costs of the program are continuing to rise, sales of new vehicles are continuing to slow down, GM is getting *my* money to make these vehicles and who wants to bet that they'll get the government to offer large tax breaks (because they'll be too expensive otherwise) for buying them once they are finally for sale.
Truly, as an American I don't want to lose GM, but I can't take this crap any more.
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