GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told the Detroit News that he felt there was a 10% chance the Volt wouldn't succeed, and after reading the article "GM tries to unplug Volt Hype", blogger Bob decided further clarification was needed. From the very beginning, the guys and gals over at GM have tried to temper enthusiasm surrounding the Volt, since production is dependent on battery technology that as yet does not exist. Lutz points out in his blog that he and the company are trying to keep the public abreast of every development as it unfolds, good or bad, in order to keep everyone informed.
The Detroit News talked to industry analysts and competitors alike to gauge opinion on whether the Volt would happen or not. Writer Sarlon Terlep also brought GM's failure with the EV1 program into the fray as evidence that the General has unplugged electrics in the past. In the article, Ford's director of sustainable mobility technologies and hybrids, Nancy Gioia, states that if Ford says they're going to do something, "you're going to see it." We'll hold our breath in anticipation of Ford's 250,000 hybrids per year by 2010. Oh wait, Ford unsaid that less than a year after they said it.
In the end, we feel the article offered little in the way of evidence that GM is unplugging the hype. Quite the contrary, GM's "vote for Volt" website, which has received 440,000 votes, is only one component of the Volt hype. Blogger Bob is using every opportunity available to speak about the virtues of Volt. As he says in his blog, GM is 100% committed to the Volt, and we're 100% committed to hoping it happens.
[Source: FastLane Blog via thegmsource.com]
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