Production Volt

[Honda Owner]

Will do!

When are you expecting to take delivery?

[rrocket]

OK, has CR changed its mind since the '2 year old' article? NO they have not, so what is your point?

I don't know if they've changed their mind....but the data doesn't lie.  Toyota and Honda still tops for quality.

"Of the 48 models with top reliability scores, 36 are Asian--Toyota accounts for 18; Honda, eight; Nissan, four; and Hyundai/Kia and Subaru, three each."

[safristi]

...LOOK UP..........VOLTE FACE...............yeah   VOLTE FACE............

[toolatecrew]

drederick, your link points to a mule. It is not a production model or even a preproduction model.

LOL it seems everyone on earth is calling those Volt's produced pre-production vehicles.

Everyone......... except you! LOL

I guess we need to start contacting all of the media outlets and let them in on the lie!

quote from ypour article:

These newly-built units will be transferred to Milford test ground of GM for helping Chevrolet decide if the hybrid plug-in can work also with high temperatures and with no risk for passengers.

So there pre production but they don't know if they are "safe for passengers"?

[Leviathan]

Ah yes, the fresh smell of feces as the brand whores crap all over another thread 

[Leviathan]

Trying to get more signal than noise....

Q&A: Will the Chevy Volt make money for GM?

and excerpts from that plus a Q&A with both Frank Weber and Doug Parks on the Volt leadership change
GM’s Expectations for the Chevy Volt

[rrocket]

Trying to get more signal than noise....

Q&A: Will the Chevy Volt make money for GM?

and excerpts from that plus a Q&A with both Frank Weber and Doug Parks on the Volt leadership change
GM’s Expectations for the Chevy Volt

Good articles, but I wouldn't expect the Vehicle Line Director for the Chevy Volt to say much negative or tip their cards too much.  Overall, your usual play it safe interview.  Definitely won't blame him for that approach though he was candid about the reality of cheap gas. 

Although things look pretty positive so far, we'll ultimately have to see what consumers think by the number of sales.

[Leviathan]

Lutz on the Chevy Volt

CG: Given that Volt represents a serious leap forward in technology, and that its appeal will, at least initially, be limited to early adopters and green intenders, is Chevy still the best channel to handle it?

BL: It was the division picked because Chevy is our most global brand. Chevrolet is distributed on every continent in the world, and Chevrolet is one of the fastest-growing brands in the countries of the former Soviet Union. The car is designed to meet all safety regulations in every country of the world. People frequently overlook this: Chevy Volt may become one of America’s number one export items. We’ll soon be exporting a lot of Volts all over the world.

[rrocket]

We’ll soon be exporting a lot of Volts all over the world.

[/quote]

Hmmm...not sure I agree with that.  It's $40K or so in the US.  Exporting it will make it cost even more.  I guess it depends how much people are prepared to shell out. 

[articsteve]

“I think the real question will be in the 2012 time frame,” said Posawatz. “Where will the economy be then and can we reach beyond the early adopters?”

He's anwered his own question.

The Chapter 11 filing is one of the biggest in U.S. corporate history, following Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual, WorldCom and General Motors.  CIT's bankruptcy filing shows $71 billion in finance and leasing assets against total debt of $64.9 billion.

CIT accounts for about 70 percent of all short-term U.S. financing known as factoring, worth about $40 billion a year.  CIT's move will wipe out current holders of its common and preferred stock. That means the U.S. government will likely lose the $2.3 billion it sunk into CIT last year in return for preferred shares to prop up the ailing company. The government could have lost billions more, however, had it not declined to hand over more aid to the company earlier this year.  

[articsteve]

It was the division picked because Chevy is our most global brand. Chevrolet is distributed on every continent in the world, and Chevrolet is one of the fastest-growing brands in the countries of the former Soviet Union. The car is designed to meet all safety regulations in every country of the world. People frequently overlook this: Chevy Volt may become one of America’s number one export items. We’ll soon be exporting a lot of Volts all over the world.

 and Chevrolet is one of the fastest-growing brands in the countries of the former Soviet Union.

Ford is one of the most successful automakers in Russia. Its decision to open a plant in St. Petersburg in 2002 has helped the Focus become a top seller and made Ford a market leader.

So why should Ford be nervous about its future in Russia?

Because it is not Russian enough.

Preferential treatment

The Russian government is tired of seeing foreign brands come into the country and outsell the locals.

AvtoVAZ and GAZ don't have the models to compete with Ford, Renault, Volkswagen and Toyota.

So as the old saying goes, “If you can't beat them, join them.”

The Russian government strongly supports the bid by Magna International and its Russian partner, state-controlled lender Sberbank, to get control of Opel.

If General Motors agrees to the deal, Opel will become very Russian, very fast. It is certain to get preferential treatment once its technologies start filtering into models made by either GAZ or AvtoVAZ.

Then Russia will have the automaking credibility that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin so desparately seeks.

Pressure to give more

Putin is doing everything he can to keep Russia's domestic automakers from collapsing. That is why he recently put so much pressure on AvtoVAZ shareholder Renault SA, which has a 25 percent stake in the company, to increase its commitment to Russia's largest automaker.

As long as Renault keeps providing AvtoVAZ with either cash (unlikely) or intellectual property (likely) it will remain on Putin's “friends” list.

Ford doesn't have a partnership with either of Russia's struggling local brands. In a normal market during normal times, Ford would be jumping for joy because of this good fortune. But in these upside-down times, being bad is worth billions in financial support and being good is worth a lot less than it should be.

[Leviathan]

articsteve - do you have anything constructive to add or are you just going to continue to bray like an ass?

[Leviathan]

We’ll soon be exporting a lot of Volts all over the world.

Hmmm...not sure I agree with that.  It's $40K or so in the US.  Exporting it will make it cost even more.  I guess it depends how much people are prepared to shell out. 

Dunno. The UK with its high gas prices and road fund tax may find the Volt quite attractive. According to http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_does_electricity_cost_per_kilowatt_hour_in_the_UK the cost per kWh is 7p which is, what, ~12c US? According http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/gas1.html the average price in USD for gas on 10/26/2009 was $2.91 for the US and $6.53 for the UK, $7.87 in Germany Running on electricity is going to be pretty cheap compared to gas.

[drederick]

Will do!

When are you expecting to take delivery?

Will I purchase a Volt? who knows? when my family goes to replace our vehicles, will the Volt fit all of our needs at that time and for the future?

It is a 4 seater after all.............. not sure if that fits with a growing families needs.

I'm thinking Orlando

[drederick]

Back to the Volt:

Chevy Volt Team's Power Shift Doesn't Portend Production Delay

http://www.insideline.com/chevrolet/volt/2011/chevy-volt-teams-power-shift-doesnt-portend-production-delay.html

Some more info about the switch at the top of the Volt team and this tid bit:

Parks said GM will begin cold-weather testing of the Volt this month in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada.

[Honda Owner]

. not sure if that fits with a growing families needs.

Or budget. Really, the real problem GM has is its slappies don't put the cash down on their cars.

A $50,000 Volt is way beyond the budget of most buyers. A $27,000 Prius isn't.

[Leviathan]

Really, the real problem GM has is its slappies don't put the cash down on their cars.

Nice. Neither clever nor cute 

[Honda Owner]

Nice. Neither clever nor cute

Alas, it is true. Most of the GM slappies I have met in my life drive ten year old ex-rental Grand Ams or Cavaliers.

[drederick]

. not sure if that fits with a growing families needs.

Or budget. Really, the real problem GM has is its slappies don't put the cash down on their cars.

A $50,000 Volt is way beyond the budget of most buyers. A $27,000 Prius isn't.

How do you know I am one of the 'most buyers' that can't afford it? lol Is there any chance you can write something that actually is true and factual for a change? Your making yourself look pretty sad, so why continue?

Lets look at it another way, 'most buyers' get the vehicle that serves their needs. A person who has 3 kids does not typically buy a Mini.

Do you think that GM really is targeting the Volt from day 1 at 'most buyers'?

[drederick]

Nice. Neither clever nor cute

Alas, it is true. Most of the GM slappies I have met in my life drive ten year old ex-rental Grand Ams or Cavaliers.

Wouldn't the stetment above imply that those GM vehicles actually are more reliable than what you so badly want to believe?