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Originally Posted by All-Or-Nothing
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Radio host Rush Limbaugh’s recent harsh words against the Chevrolet Volt electric car poked at a lot of raw nerves. He attacked everything from the federal bailout of Chevy’s parent General Motors Corp. to the supposed superiority complex of people who would buy electric or hybrid cars.
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Can't argue with that so far...
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But one line in particular must have hit home acutely for longtime auto industry folks and anyone banking on the success of the coming wave of electric cars. That includes President Barack Obama, who is visiting the Volt factory during a trip to Michigan today.
Of the Volt Limbaugh said, “Nobody wants this.” He argued the $7,500 federal tax credit is Obama’s way of admitting that the cars aren’t appealing enough to sell in a free market.
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True. Applies to the leaf as well.
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Of course the auto market, like many others, has never been free of subsidies, incentives and other special breaks needed to grease the skids. Indeed last year car makers offered consumers $7,500 and more in cash back to get them to buy certain trucks and SUVs. Lately some of the same large, gas-guzzling vehicles have been making a sales comeback. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said denying GM a bailout, as Limbaugh advocated, wouldn’t have made economic sense.
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A press secretary certainly doesn't carry any more weight than a commentator.
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Still, Limbaugh’s words must give industry people chills. Nearly anyone who puts years into developing a new vehicle loses sleep over the thought that it might be a flop. And there’s a lot more riding on electrics like the Volt and the Nissan Leaf that go on sale late this year. How well they work will be the deciding factor in whether they eventually gain mass-market appeal.
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Pretty sneaky... say that people will decide based on how well the technology works but somehow everyone is scared of what a talking head says. I suppose if the technology sucks that the commentator would be correct, but the author can't have it both ways.
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How well they sell will determine in part how the market develops. Other car makers with electric projects in the wings are waiting to see how consumers respond to the Volt and Leaf. They are automotive canaries in a retail coal mine where the consumer response to electric cars could be as toxic as Limbaugh’s.
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So, he doesn't believe in these cars. I believe in them myself based on the reasoning that people that want them can buy them.
I DO NOT WANT to be FORCED to buy one, and I believe that holds true for many people here.