Quote:
Originally Posted by fielderLS3
Those cars will never sell in large numbers as long as
1. You can get 2 conventionally powered cars of similar power and size for the same money, and 2, the Chinese continue to embargo the rare earth metals needed to manufacture them.
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Huh??? Not getting in the way of Volt production.
But again, define "large numbers". The big advantage to the Volt is you can choose to use ZERO gasoline. To some people that is hugely important.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stew
The Volt is a conundrum to me. Yes, the tech is great, and it is actually a halfway decent hybrid, but even with the government rebate it is just too expensive. Don't forget too, there are a plethora of cars coming out and already out (elantra, Cruze Eco, Focus and fietsa MPG models for almost as little as 1/3 of the Volts price. You are also going to have people who will be wary of the Volt's price and longevity. I am sorry, but I don't see it as ever selling in any kind of even remotely decent volume. Now I am not saying the Volt shouldn't have been built, it is an important stepping stone to make the tech more affordable and give GM he experience it needs to make the tech work.
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More like half price. The cars you mention are all around $15,000 or higher. Cruze ECO is 18,000.
But again, if you are thinking 500,000 units, not going to happen. If you are talking 100,000 units that's very feasible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GbrilliantQ
They aren't being sold here yet. I checked.
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I think you can buy one in Texas, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut along with California, Michigan, and Washington, D.C.
With Texas and Michigan being traditional big GM states. It will be the end of 2011 before there is really a national rollout.
And consider the Volt will be exported and Opel will get the Ampera, all increasing production as we get further out in the launch.
All cars tend to launch slowly and build. Cruze last 3 months, 10,000 in Dec., 12,000 in January and 18,000 in February. And that is a car expected to sell in "big numbers".
Give it time.
And still, I don't think the $350/month lease has been a big impact. The car is a great deal if you drive 40 miles per day on EV only. Even with a Cruze ECO, Elantra or Fiesta at 40 MPG, you are using $100 per month in gas. Combine that with the fact that the Volt is a highly equpped car and you are in the ball park.
Again, the Volt is not and wasn't intended to be for everybody. It makes great sense for a lot of people and perfect sense if you don't want to use gas.