4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

Ive seen 120 volts here

mmarshall

When I told you guys, after a Volt review, that I thought it was overpriced and a rip-off, I didn't mean maybe. Apparantly, the public agrees.

bruce van

The media not supportive of the Volt? Don't people remember all of the publicity it received when it was launched? Car of the Year in quite a few publications. The initial support from the media was very positive if I remember correctly.

Public response is something else. Despite have a big tax credit as an incentive to buy the car, not many people found it that appealing. GM bet big on this car and it has not paid off.

There are a lot of armchair automotive CEO's on this forum. Do you think GM is doomed with the Volt or is there anything they can do to move more units?

What if GM sold the car for a loss so they can capture market share? Would that improve the brand image and get their cars in people's garages?

spwolf

well, Volt had some huge issues:
1. It was not PZEV vehicle. Meaning it was dirty vehicle when running engine, a lot dirtier than Prius.
2. Very poor mileage in hybrid mode. Prius PHEV gets 50 MPG. Chevy usually gets mid 30's.
3. Poor packaging overall - smaller trunk, 4 seater.

mmarshall

The problem is that, even with the Federal/state tax-credits, it still costs too much. Figure a base price of 40-41K, sales-tax, several thousands in options on most of the ones in stock, and an additional dealer mark-up of 3-4 K (which many Chevy-shops charge), and, with a $7500 credit, you are still talking 40-41K to take one home. For that kind of money, even a top-line Prius V, with options, will still give you several thousand dollars in change.

I dont speak as a CEO (armchair or otherwise), but, IMO, no, the Volt is not necessarily doomed, but it will need a major price-cut, significantly better ergonomics inside, and a redesigned dash/console/shift-lever if it is going to be competitive. And the electronics, of course, may need better long-term testing.....there have already been some problems with fires in the charging-systems.