Volt Sleeps With the Fishes

[CooG]

Originally Posted by Russell James

Wifey needs a better news source. A reporter that fails at basic fact checking
is pretty much not really a reporter. We call those types blowbags.

She was just passing on an email she got and sent to a car nut (me). I read it thinking something a'int right about this....never took it too seriously.

Never meant to post the info as fact.... thanks for the Snopes link. I sent it to all the people on her email.

[PQ]

Originally Posted by Captain Awesome

No profit is too small, no perk is too costly, and no risk is too great... if you are too big to fail.

..............

That's something I would say.

Originally Posted by AZCamaroFan

since they're so sore over the bailout you'd think they'd want it to succeed and the stock to go up so the country would get the money back, but they're more concerned with trying to use it as a hammer against the President.

Sadly, for some people this is true. BUT, 'They' are a few people with voices.

I wanted the car to be a mass success. Not for GM. Not for us as taxpayers. But to send the message to the oil industry.

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/chevyvolt.asp

Want to try that again?

Just another example of what I'm talking about. People in this country WANT the car to fail.

Fen. You keep saying people in this country want this car to fail. You can't read into some of the FEW with big voices and generalize everyone like that.

I don't see the it's any different from someone who laughs about ANY company having problems.

It is what it is.

[GunnyG]

I'd love to have a Volt. I'd also like to see more plug in stations popping up. We need to advance to cleaner, more efficient transportation. Funny I'm saying as a Camaro driver. Getting out from under the grip of "Big Oil", I'm getting 18.5 miles per gallon. Along the same lines as the SUV I left. 1st gen Prius' were a gag. I can see the Volt improving. I hope so!

[Brokinarrow]

Honestly, I love the idea of electric cars as they represent a step forward in technology, and I am a technology junky! I would totally buy a Tesla Model S if I had the coin.

[ffrcobra_65]

I said in the very beginning, why would people buy and take a chance on another expensive GM "electric" vehicle when they can get a Prius, and other proven hybrids, for much less money and ease of use and proven reliability.

[el ess A]

The Volt is a nice car. So was the Edsel. But neither were right for their time.

The Volt, despite any efforts, will fail if demand continues to be less than supply. Simple economics.

You can have all the flashy advertising you want, but if you build a car that hardly anyone wants, it doesn't matter WHAT you do, you won't be able to sell it. Give the consumer what they want, and they will buy it. Tell the consumer that they have to buy this car you thought of, and they'll tell you to pack sand. Totally backwards.

Major issue? They NEED to make this thing cheaper. They have to, or they'll only sell a few thousand per year. If that. Period.

I'm not even implying here it's a political football (which it is, but that's not the issue here). It's a simple economic axiom. If you build it, you hope they'll come. If people demand it, and you build it, people WILL come.

And for those that think Snopes is the shiznit...you have your head in the sand. They're a political left tank so don't take everything they say as gospel (this is true). But their "argument" is pure BS in and of itself. They say the car is a "niche" vehicle? Really? When did GM market it as such? Pure crap. It's a smokescreen to make you NOT think about actual ownership costs. Even if it cost the same to operate, why spend 15-20K more than you need to? Do the math yourself. Why does it need government subsidies and STILL can't sell well? Perfect situation but yet sales are dismal. And have been. And unless something changes, it will continue to be.

And the Devil help you when you need to replace those short-range batteries for more than a few bucks. It's like having to replace the engine in your car every 7 or 8 years. If the General doesn't get its act together on this, the car WILL fail. And there's nothing anyone will be able to do about it. I don't wish it to fail, but current actions tend to be pushing it straight off a cliff.

[Brokinarrow]

Originally Posted by ffrcobra_65

I said in the very beginning, why would people buy and take a chance on another expensive GM "electric" vehicle when they can get a Prius, and other proven hybrids, for much less money and ease of use and proven reliability.

Because the Volt goes over 3 times as far on it's electric power than the Prius does?

[Mr_Draco]

Originally Posted by CooG

I pay approximately (it varies with amount used and the seasons) $1.16 per kwh.

I just want to say d@mn.

I really want to know who this guy is and how can he afford a $1,000 a month electric bill.

I just checked out electric bill for Feb and we used almost 1,000 kwh and our bill was just over $100.

[c_LoW29]

Originally Posted by motorhead

Either way, I see it as a great car that's worth the money. If I had to worry more about gas(I have a company vehicle.) I would be all over it. I don't believe the leaf is even half the car the volt is. I know it looks like crap compared to the volt. Heck, it looks like crap compared to just about anything. LOL

I hope GM finds a way to get sales moving on it. They have a lot of money invested in it ,and it would be nice to get those works back on the job.

You mean us taxpayers have a lot of money invested in it!

[Russell James]

Originally Posted by c_LoW29

You mean us taxpayers have a lot of money invested in it!

You also have a lot of money invested in Ford's alternative energy vehicles...
and a few other car companies that lined up for DOE money.

When the DOE created a 25B loan program for alternative energy vehicle development.... which was actually a wink wink... bailout program... Ford was one of the first in line asking for 11B, and they received 5.9B.

Then advertised proudly how they build their cars without any taxpayer
money. Last I checked, money from the DOE is 100% taxpayer money.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...rgy-loan_N.htm

Just in case there was any misconception that the Volt was the only alternate energy vehicle out there built with the support of taxpayer dollars. It's one of many. Just the most popular headline.

[Dr Jkel]

Originally Posted by GEEo

I personally think the volt is freacking overpriced!!

LOL, Personally I think all automobiles are over-priced...look at a Gm 2500 HD duramax 4x4.......56000.00for a 3/4 ton pickup truck.

5 years ago I purchased a 2500 HD crewcab 4x4 LOADED....paid 38000.00 out the door.....today you can not get the same equiped 1500 for that money....It is all relative...things go up and NEW techonology is HIGH not just cars.....

Look at the recent past few years.....Smart phones, Blue Ray, I-pads, DVD's CD's I-Pods etc.......go back even further....VCR, Disc Players...remember those all extremely high and after a few years the price came down.

People might as well go ahead and face it that alternative fuel vehicles are here to stay.........

Just imagine if you were TAXED 25 % on your car tags because your vehicle didn't meet MPG standards...then the cost would be more relative.

Inevitably this always comes up when fuel cost are rising...Today in my area Diesel is 4.10 a gallon...the cheapest fuel to make cost the most Diesel is a waste product from gasoline production so I am told. Rememebr 2.00 a gallon gas...people were outraged and SUV sales skyrocketed.........I remember .45 a gallon

The term pay to play is never truer than it is now...we all love our high horsepower cars and we are definitely paying to play in that realm....otherwise we would buy one of those 35-40 mpg cars......

Justin Beiber got an electric car for his 18th birthday....cost 100k...does he really need to save money...well of course not, he has plenty...same thing here.....the people who really need cost effective transportation ie electric assited vehicles.... really can't afford them but what are you going to do?

To ME it all goes back to decisions...and by that I mean the correct decision...We all purchased these cars knowing that they got roughly 24 mpg for the sake of argument....we all paid roughly 35000.00 for our cars give or take a few....This was our choice becuase we could afford it...the same reason younger peoples idea of car enthusiast start with HONDA....they can afford it but we call them ricer, tree huggers call us killers of the enviroment....seems everyone has an axe to grind.

In just 2 short years GM went from a 426 HP Camaro to a 585HP + Camaro.....supply and demand.........Soon it will be the same about MPG...people will want that.....

The BIG PROBLEM IS PEOPLE WANT THEIR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO.......and right now that simply is not possible.......JMHO By the way I love my Camaro cake with 470ish RWHP and electric cutouts....that is why I work fuel cost be damned. PEOPLE AFFORD WHAT THEY WANT TO AFFORD.

[Rangore]

Not enough hyper milers willing to buy it...they're mentality would keep them from a $40k vehicle I would think.

[ffrcobra_65]

Originally Posted by Brokinarrow

Because the Volt goes over 3 times as far on it's electric power than the Prius does?

and mileage is everything? There are other more important factors...like proven reputation and reliability.... in this econony, these are two major things the average american buyer will surely weigh before spending $40k+ on a commuter car. The American buyers decided, the result is death for the volt.

[Chrisrp454]

Ah but what about new batteries, half the cost of current and go twice as far.
Could change things at abit.
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012...nergy-density/