The Volt out of juice...?

[AZCamaroFan]

it just angers me so much to see so many people wanting GM to fail, wanting them not to build fuel efficient cars because they think they're making a point to the current President. these guys wouldn't care if there were no American car companies. geez japan and germany have more car companies than we do.
Toyota has sold 1,000,000 prius, but there's no market for the Volt?

im just glad the Volt is built on the Cruze platform so it's paying for itself alone. I'm not so sure they shouldn't have brought out the Cadillac version first. It probably would have been hot with the Hollywood types.

[Brokinarrow]

Originally Posted by AZCamaroFan

it just angers me so much to see so many people wanting GM to fail, wanting them not to build fuel efficient cars because they think they're making a point to the current President. these guys wouldn't care if there were no American car companies. geez japan and germany have more car companies than we do.
Toyota has sold 1,000,000 prius, but there's no market for the Volt?

im just glad the Volt is built on the Cruze platform so it's paying for itself alone. I'm not so sure they shouldn't have brought out the Cadillac version first. It probably would have been hot with the Hollywood types.

Yeah if those people had their way, they would be the same ones standing around after the country collapses and think "well jee, what happened? We got rid of all our domestic car manufacturers, i though that was supposed to fix everything? durrr"

[Black5thgen]

Originally Posted by Brokinarrow

Chevy Cruze gets 40 mpg without being a hybrid... just sayin. A lot cheaper too, and in my opinion a much better looking vehicle (inside and out). Oh and let's not forget that the making of a Prius does a lot more harm to the environment than it's reduced emissions will make up for in the vehicle's life time.

The only way to get a Cruze to get over 40 mpg's is with a 6 speed manual and the eco package. Plus you would have to do all highway driving. The Prius is actually cheaper, I looked in to it. I hate to admit but for economy you can't beat a Prius which is a shame because I have a 50 mile/day commute and would love to get an American car that could get 50 mpg's but I can't and refuse to buy foreign. I'm stuck with my 25 mpg 3800 and am fine with that and no car payment at the moment.

[Stew]

Originally Posted by AZCamaroFan

it just angers me so much to see so many people wanting GM to fail, wanting them not to build fuel efficient cars because they think they're making a point to the current President. these guys wouldn't care if there were no American car companies. geez japan and germany have more car companies than we do.
Toyota has sold 1,000,000 prius, but there's no market for the Volt?

im just glad the Volt is built on the Cruze platform so it's paying for itself alone. I'm not so sure they shouldn't have brought out the Cadillac version first. It probably would have been hot with the Hollywood types.

Big difference, Prius starts around 22k or nearly half of the volts price....

[Stew]

Originally Posted by Black5thgen

The only way to get a Cruze to get over 40 mpg's is with a 6 speed manual and the eco package. Plus you would have to do all highway driving. The Prius is actually cheaper, I looked in to it. I hate to admit but for economy you can't beat a Prius which is a shame because I have a 50 mile/day commute and would love to get an American car that could get 50 mpg's but I can't and refuse to buy foreign. I'm stuck with my 25 mpg 3800 and am fine with that and no car payment at the moment.

Cruze eco starts under 20k, a BASE pris with wheel covers, etc starts at 22k, you are looking at 5k more for the Prius to be even remoteley similar to the Cruze ecos standard featuers.

[Brokinarrow]

Originally Posted by Black5thgen

The only way to get a Cruze to get over 40 mpg's is with a 6 speed manual and the eco package. Plus you would have to do all highway driving. The Prius is actually cheaper, I looked in to it. I hate to admit but for economy you can't beat a Prius which is a shame because I have a 50 mile/day commute and would love to get an American car that could get 50 mpg's but I can't and refuse to buy foreign. I'm stuck with my 25 mpg 3800 and am fine with that and no car payment at the moment.

Ok, if you're going for a Prius for the better gas mileage I can understand that. It's the people that say they bought a Prius to help the environment that I have to laugh at

[Captain Awesome]

Originally Posted by BlackPlague

sounds like oil supporters are throwing out more propaganda....0o0o0o0o no one wants to buy the volt! yet gm has enough demand to make a luxury model.

Sounds like the oil haters are projecting again...

With a CEO hand picked by the flat earth no growth types, who says they need "demand" to build something.

Heck, even the president of the USA told the car companies that they have to stop making the vehicles the public has them most demand for (large cars and trucks) so they could concentrate on making cars that he thinks we should drive (50MPG+), which there is much less demand for.

[Captain Awesome]

Originally Posted by AZCamaroFan

it just angers me so much to see so many people wanting GM to fail, wanting them not to build fuel efficient cars because they think they're making a point to the current President.

I want them to build cars that I want to buy.

It's got nothing to do with some guy that wants to prevent me from spending my money as I see fit. I have no problem if someone likes efficient cars and encourages people to buy them. If someone tries to FORCE them onto me, then I will probably resist. Especially if the same person is not using very efficent modes of transport and/or having family members taking multiple vehicles to the same destination instead of carpooling.

Hypocrisy tends to make me resist more.

[AZCamaroFan]

Last i checked they're still building big SUV's and the Volt was 'created by Obama'. I've got the Motor Trend article on it from.....2007.
And like i said before, if Toyota can sell 1,000,000 Prius' then there must be a market.
Now the 50+ mpg CAFE standards are a different matter.

[Padre]

2012 Buicks = eAssist = 37 mpg

Simple technology. A starter attached with 100 ft/lbs torque used to get you moving. Brake regenerating a battery in the trunk.

Inexpensive, no reason it couldn't be adapted to other GM cars. Increase mpg on most of the fleet by 25%, then GM won't have to worry about a few gas guzzling hi-po cars, nor about making a $40k Prius competitor.

My 2-cents, Padre

[el ess A]

This technology is good in a way, but the Volt is one over-priced example of why this won't fly in its current form. Sure, a few tree huggers will buy one, but the vast majority of folks who actually do a cost analysis of the bang for the buck sure aren't going to be scared of paying the difference in what they save for the gas they would burn in the time they own whatever car they buy. Like most new technology, it's propped up with subsidies until it can be "cost competitive". But I'm thinking that's not going to happen any time soon. Sorry, sometimes the bean counters get it wrong.

The biggest drawback IMO is that the battery pack replacement after about 8 years or so would make these horrendous to be on the used car circuit. (currently estimated at around $8K for the cost, but could be cheaper by then) For that kind of money, I can buy a buttload of gas in that time frame. In fact, at 3.25 per gallon of fuel, one of those 40 mpg cars could get over 12K miles in a year on the average battery cost of ownership alone, assuming you spread that doubling of the price tag initially, and even the battery pack replacement cost of $8K across 8 years of ownership. If gas spikes up into the stratosphere things would be different. That's the Volt's only hope.

The big, looming question in my mind is: "Where's the buzz lately?" I don't hear anyone at work talking about the Volt anymore after the big debut. General interest in this car doesn't seem like it's all that and a bag of chips. With the 5th gen Camaro, even NON-car enthusiasts would comment on it, even now.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by Padre

2012 Buicks = eAssist = 37 mpg

Simple technology. A starter attached with 100 ft/lbs torque used to get you moving. Brake regenerating a battery in the trunk.

Inexpensive, no reason it couldn't be adapted to other GM cars. Increase mpg on most of the fleet by 25%, then GM won't have to worry about a few gas guzzling hi-po cars, nor about making a $40k Prius competitor.

My 2-cents, Padre

In some aspects, it's inexpensive, but it did end up adding $3k onto the base price of a 2011 LaCrosse. That being said, it's a relatively simple and efficient way of increasing FE numbers.

[Fishman]

Is electricity free? It looks to me like you would have to figure cost per mile instead of miles per gallon when comparing electric vehicles to gas only vehicles.

[ParisTNDude]

Originally Posted by AZCamaroFan

Last i checked they're still building big SUV's and the Volt was 'created by Obama'. I've got the Motor Trend article on it from.....2007.
And like i said before, if Toyota can sell 1,000,000 Prius' then there must be a market.
Now the 50+ mpg CAFE standards are a different matter.

That's kinda strange, since Obama had no significant influence on anything in 2007. He was a junior senator with a snowball's chance of becoming president at that point in time. What month of Motor Trend in 2007...would like to read that article.