[el ess A]

I've yet to see any real convincing rhetoric here to say the Volt is all that and a bag of chips, other than typical fanboi talk. People talk about GM losing money on the Volt and Corvettes, etc....then why did they get bailed out if they want to continue losing money? Unless they've got the former Enron accounting firm employees adding up the books, how are they making a profit?

The government is subsidizing sales of electric/hybrids because the government thinks it knows best on where to put taxpayer money, and also they know that without it, not enough people are going to put more than a big toe in the water in buying the Volt.

But, as the tree huggers keep going, eventually they MAKE you own something you might not buy if given a choice. Like the very cheap incandescent light bulbs. Soon they'll be gone and you're forced to buy the way more expensive flourescent bulbs. Simply because of some political BS.

Being the government, they usually get it wrong. Catch 22 though, if the Volt flops, GM value goes down, and taxpayer investment loses even more than it does now.

However, some of the american buying public aren't at all about looking at the total cost of ownership, and THOSE are the folks that GM needs to buy the car. My big concern is after the batteries are depleted, what then? Crush the car? Would anyone feel like they're getting a deal right now on a used 2002 Camaro SS for $10k but have to replace the engine in it for $12K or so first before driving it home? That's the dilemma many used car buyers will face when the Volt needs new batteries as far as current technology goes.

This said, I hope the Volt proves me wrong, but I'm still not thinking the American public is ready to embrace it as many who have a vested interest hope it will.