Volt pricing announced. Starts at $41,000*

[All-Or-Nothing]

Originally Posted by Captain Awesome

I don't know what he said. I just figure whatever he said was either taken out of context or he was commenting on something that the news is reporting. I don't even know if he mentioned the leaf.

If I were to guess, I would say Limbaugh is annoyed that the secured creditors were screwed in the bankruptcy deal and all the bankruptcy laws were ignored so that special interests were favored and given a large portion of the ownership of the company. He may simply not trust what people say because so much suspicious activity took place back then.

My leaf fanboy argument was based on comments I've read from people posting to articles about the leaf. The masses are already saying "Volt is not a 'real' EV like the leaf." They act like the Volt is inferior because it's done this way when in reality it's a better design.

Here is a link for that IDIOT Rush and what he said...

http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/20...a-non-starter/

[305pride]

Originally Posted by All-Or-Nothing

Here is a link for that IDIOT Rush and what he said...

http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/20...a-non-starter/

i cant stomach the guy.

[dmiller66]

Makes you wonder.....if they can make the battery last 10 years.....why not make it to last say, 20 years?

[1bad65]

Originally Posted by Skyman 08

Guess I should have said tree huggers with Lots of Money to throw away... like hollywood stars, and DC politicians...

Obama's last car was a Hemi powered 300C.

[Angrybird 12]

Originally Posted by 1bad65

Obama's last car was a Hemi powered 300C.

he wasn't in DC then was he?

[Sax1031]

Researchers from Edmunds decided to drop their local Chevrolet dealer a line to inquire about staking a claim for one of the first available Volts, and the response was shocking at best and galling at worst. Here's the email, sans names:
Hello *****

Thank you for your online request, as you know the Volt is going to be a very limited production vehicle for the first 2-3 years. Demand is going to far exceed supply for this vehicle, initially our asking price for the Volt is going to be MSRP plus $20,000, we are expecting only receive 9 Volts all of next year.

I will keep you in my customer base for when the Volt comes out and I will contact you with any information as I receive it. We are taking orders right now for the Volt, if you would like more information, please let me know and I will be more than happy to help you. Thank you.

***** *****, Internet Specialist
******* Chevrolet
********, CA
You read that right. A $20k markup over MSRP for a 2011 Chevrolet Volt.

As Edmunds' AutoObserver points out, this email exchange took place before General Motors announced its plans to increase Volt production by 50% for 2011, churning out approximately 45,000 units in its first year. But even with that knowledge, would the unnamed dealer still avoid bilking early adopters? We doubt it.

While it's not clear if any other Chevy dealers plan to follow suit, history would suggest that big markups are likely - the Corvette ZR1 initiated this sort of fervor when it was announced, too. On the flip side of the coin, AO sites a report from GM-Volt.com this past June, in which a GM spokesperson is quoted as saying: "We also aren't expecting our dealers to overcharge anyone for this vehicle, either, and will monitor the situation closely when we launch," adding, "we'll be paying close attention when the vehicle launches and do our best to strongly discourage this kind of behavior, as we always do with any GM-branded vehicle."

GM is allowing Volt buyers to lease the plug-in hybrid for $350 a month (with a $2,500 down payment) when sales begin later this year, so it strikes us as odd that someone would choose to purchase a Volt outright if the dealer would tack on such an astronomical amount to the MSRP. Then again, there's the possibility that dealers might only allow purchases, negating the option to lease.

With so much riding on the Volt's success - from GM's long-term environmental program to the political pressures over the federal bailout - the General better get its dealers in line post-haste. If not, the fallout has the potential to stymie the Volt's success before the first owner takes delivery.

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/02/r...er-msrp-for-v/

Ouch. I wouldn't go to that dealer for a Z28.

[1bad65]

Originally Posted by Skyman 08

he wasn't in DC then was he?

I believe he was a US Senator at that time, but he was for sure an elected official.

My point is that often times those calling for (and often MANDATING) people to drive these green cars rarely CHOOSE to drive them themselves.

[Sax1031]

Originally Posted by Skyman 08

he wasn't in DC then was he?

the vehicles he rides in now are far worse on the environment than before he was in DC. But they are needed.

[HeHasReturned]

Originally Posted by Sax1031

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/02/r...er-msrp-for-v/

Ouch. I wouldn't go to that dealer for a Z28.

Haha. So much for ONLY 34k

Looks like time to buy that Tesla sedan

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by HeHasReturned

Haha. So much for ONLY 34k

Looks like time to buy that Tesla sedan

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by HeHasReturned

Haha. So much for ONLY 34k

Looks like time to buy that Tesla sedan

Because there will be 0 gouging on that, right?

[Supermans]

$20,000 markups.. That dealer is an idiot...Idiot with a capital I...

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by Supermans

$20,000 markups.. That dealer is an idiot...Idiot with a capital I...

They're only an idiot if they can't find someone to pay and they have it sitting on the lot collecting dust. If you pay an extra $20k for a car, well you know what they say about fools and their money ...

[Captain Awesome]

Originally Posted by All-Or-Nothing

Here is a link for that IDIOT Rush and what he said...

http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/20...a-non-starter/

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.

Can't argue with that so far...

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.

True. Applies to the leaf as well.

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.

A press secretary certainly doesn't carry any more weight than a commentator.

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.

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.

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.

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.