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Originally Posted by DGthe3
Its a supply problem, not a demand problem
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Actually, it is a demand problem. Yes, they have limited production capacity right now, but despite that, they are not sold out. I think GM has greatly overestimated the number of buyers interested at their price level.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DGthe3
or perhaps they're covering their tail because every little hiccup with the Volt will be characterized as an epic failure by certain people and groups looking for faults with the Volt.
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I'm not one of those people looking for faults, but at the same time, I'm not going to ignore a fault when one occurs.
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Originally Posted by DGthe3
But considering that Consumer Reports generally dislikes GM, and apparently most subscribers don't like technology all that much, the Volt doing well in the survey is somewhat surprising, even if it is a small sample size.
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It is nice to see GM get a good review from CR, but there is nothing that that organization says that I believe anymore, ever since they gave the PT Cruiser their highest possible rating.
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Originally Posted by DGthe3
As an enthusiast, I see no problem what so ever with someone being happy with their car even if it isn't something I would buy. Heck, after reading some of the BS complaints about the Camaro that I see on the board here, I respect the loyalty that the Volt owners are showing. They love their cars and aren't trading them in for anything. Kudos to them.
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I guess I can drink to that. If people love these cars, then I guess good for them, I'm glad they are as satisfied with their cars as we enthusiasts are with our modern muscle cars.
I'd like to state that my intent is not to bash the Volt. I don't want it to fail, because GM has a lot invested in it, so if it does fail, the loss of cash will trickle down through the rest of the GM lineup.
However, for that very reason, I am also objectively skeptical of the Volt. I'm not suggesting it isn't an engineering marvel, but I am worried about the value of it, and the business case. Again, GM has poured a lot of resources into this thing, and since they don't have an infinite amount of money, that means money was diverted from other projects, and I'd be is partially responsible for why it took 2 years to get a convertible Camaro, 3 years for a ZL1, no Z28, and is perhaps one of the reasons why GM seemingly invests so little in weight reduction.
Bottom line is, even if the Volt isn't the type of car you or I would buy, it is still affecting the cars we are interested in, so it is appropriate to objectively criticize it. Again, I hope GM can succeed with it. But just wishing for it to succeed will not make it so. If it is not going to be worth the resources, if GM doesn't execute it properly, if it cannot turn a profit, then all of us should be upset for the reasons I just outlined.