Topic: Preview: 2011 Chevrolet Volt and Cruze

[Autos_Editor]

A day before being revealed at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show,  General Motors invited the media to get up close with two new fuel efficient models that will go on sale next year as 2011 models - the Chevrolet Volt and Cruze.

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[my two cents]

The Volt is the typical GM hype two stories.  The car they promised and the actual final product they offer.

[safristi]

..selling it in California ONLY first in late 2010 !!!!! where they have been spending $$$$'s on re charging stations and hyping it to the max....................yeah wouldn't want to INTRODUCE it in the COLD places with no plug in spots eh.......................so the rest of the Country and Canada are chopped liver..while they can run articles of how great it is in 80F weather...............prolly hire Ahnold as he steps down from Govinator  after UPING the ANTE to $12,000 Tax rebate.........................

[Mitlov]

..selling it in California ONLY first in late 2010 !!!!! where they have been spending $$$$'s on re charging stations and hyping it to the max....................yeah wouldn't want to INTRODUCE it in the COLD places with no plug in spots eh.......................so the rest of the Country and Canada are chopped liver..while they can run articles of how great it is in 80F weather...............prolly hire Ahnold as he steps down from Govinator  after UPING the ANTE to $12,000 Tax rebate.........................

I don't understand.  You would rather that they were selling the Volt in places where the government and private business has NOT yet built the infrastructure to support an EV?

You're true that much of Canada (and the USA) doesn't yet have enough charging stations to support widespread EV sales, but that's not Chevy's fault.  Chevy isn't responsible for building charging stations any more than they're responsible for building gas stations.

[safristi]

..so...U made my point.......................twisting Kalifornia(Bankruptnia)[READ ARTICLE quote "where GM has been WORKING!! with local UTILITIES!!!] to build  mainlyGM user charging stations is BS.................IF the DAMN thing is ANY GOOD...............release it country wide...............it's not a fackin endangered species......Oh wait...........

[articsteve]

yeah wouldn't want to INTRODUCE it in the COLD places with no plug in spots eh


I don't understand.

[Leviathan]

..so...U made my point.......................twisting Kalifornia(Bankruptnia)[READ ARTICLE quote "where GM has been WORKING!! with local UTILITIES!!!] to build  mainlyGM user charging stations is BS.................

GM is working with local utilities because a licensed electrician has to be involved to hook up the 240V charger in homes. When that new Volt buyer contacts their local utility GM wants that utility to be able to give a proper response instead of "what's a Volt?".  Some utilities may also offer special rates for EV usage and that may require second meter etc.

The plug for charging is standardized so there is not "mainlyGM" public station as they will work, say, with the Leaf & Prius plugin when they come out.

IF the DAMN thing is ANY GOOD...............release it country wide...............it's not a fackin endangered species......Oh wait...........

It will be. GM is doing a slow rollout in 2010 with more units available in 2011. What do you care, you're not buying one anyway

[tpl]

Not being a licenced electrician I suppose I should feel guilty for wiring my own 240V outlet in my garage ( not for an EV) 
Woe is me!

[rrocket]

GM is working with local utilities because a licensed electrician has to be involved to hook up the 240V charger in homes. When that new Volt buyer contacts their local utility GM wants that utility to be able to give a proper response instead of "what's a Volt?".  Some utilities may also offer special rates for EV usage and that may require second meter etc.

Really?  Windsor is supposed to be the pilot city for a Volt infrastructure.  That was announced in 2006-2007.  It's 2009, and still ZERO has been done.  So if they aren't working to get the project rolling in a "project city", I have my doubt they're doing anything with local utilities..

[safristi]

yeah wouldn't want to INTRODUCE it in the COLD places with no plug in spots eh


I don't understand.

....damn how ya keep yer BALLSSOFT in OWEN SOUND (of brass monkeys)....don't answerver that...it is a RHEOSTATICAL question........... .....

[Mitlov]

So how about that Cruze, hm?  Nice to see Chevy getting a compact car with nice interior materials...especially one that platform-shares with the Opel Astra.  It doesn't excite me (neither does a Civic or a Corolla, though), but it seems like a pleasant, competent compact car for the mass-market.

[EV Dan]

So how about that Cruze, hm?  Nice to see Chevy getting a compact car with nice interior materials...especially one that platform-shares with the Opel Astra.  It doesn't excite me (neither does a Civic or a Corolla, though), but it seems like a pleasant, competent compact car for the mass-market.

Cruze may actually be the formula for a well selling compact. Fairly light - "kerb" weight around 1300kg in UK spec, a choice of engines (somewhat in NA), great sporty looks, rims as big as you want, and finally it can be loaded well beyond the competition in this class, so if someone wants a small, very safe, fuel efficient and with a touch of luxury car, all at the same time, it can now be found. Let's hope the pricing will be reasonable. 

[HeliDriver]

So how about that Cruze, hm?  Nice to see Chevy getting a compact car with nice interior materials...especially one that platform-shares with the Opel Astra.  It doesn't excite me (neither does a Civic or a Corolla, though), but it seems like a pleasant, competent compact car for the mass-market.

By all accounts, the last Cobalt SS was one hell of a little performance car.

If a Cruze SS is in the works, that might be a car an enthusiast could really get excited about.

[vdk]

So how about that Cruze, hm?  Nice to see Chevy getting a compact car with nice interior materials...especially one that platform-shares with the Opel Astra.  It doesn't excite me (neither does a Civic or a Corolla, though), but it seems like a pleasant, competent compact car for the mass-market.

By all accounts, the last Cobalt SS was one hell of a little performance car.

If a Cruze SS is in the works, that might be a car an enthusiast could really get excited about.

As long as it's running...

[Erik]

Really?  Windsor is supposed to be the pilot city for a Volt infrastructure.  That was announced in 2006-2007.  It's 2009, and still ZERO has been done.  So if they aren't working to get the project rolling in a "project city", I have my doubt they're doing anything with local utilities..

Two years is small lead time for utilities. What were you expecting that they do by now?

[toolatecrew]

Really?  Windsor is supposed to be the pilot city for a Volt infrastructure.  That was announced in 2006-2007.  It's 2009, and still ZERO has been done.  So if they aren't working to get the project rolling in a "project city", I have my doubt they're doing anything with local utilities..

Two years is small lead time for utilities. What were you expecting that they do by now?

SOmething..anything..not nothing?

[rrocket]

Two years is small lead time for utilities. What were you expecting that they do by now?

How about anything?    According to a friend who works in the utility and another in the City of Windsor...ZERO is going on.

Trust me...if you knew Windsor, you wouldn't be entirely surprised...

I'll check with them in the New Year and see if there's been any progress...

[Erik]

Two years is small lead time for utilities. What were you expecting that they do by now?

How about anything?    According to a friend who works in the utility and another in the City of Windsor...ZERO is going on.

Trust me...if you knew Windsor, you wouldn't be entirely surprised...

I'll check with them in the New Year and see if there's been any progress...

Let me know what you hear. Be curious to see what their thinking is.

If I can figure out who to ask in Toronto Hydro, I check out this way too.

[rrocket]

Let me know what you hear. Be curious to see what there thinking is.

If I can figure out who to ask in Toronto Hydro, I check out this way too.

10-4.  There was much fanfare when it was announced...and there are even giant billboard with this splashed on it (still).  Bear in mid though, Windsor is a union city, so I'm not sure if this was done just for a appeal to GM, or??  ALOT of lip service happens in Windsor.  I think I've posted the article/announcement here before, let me know if you want to see it again.

[Erik]

Let me know what you hear. Be curious to see what there thinking is.

If I can figure out who to ask in Toronto Hydro, I check out this way too.

10-4.  There was much fanfare when it was announced...and there are even giant billboard with this splashed on it (still).  Bear in mid though, Windsor is a union city, so I'm not sure if this was done just for a appeal to GM, or??  ALOT of lip service happens in Windsor.  I think I've posted the article/announcement here before, let me know if you want to see it again.

Would love to have a look at it.

In the utilities defense, in that time frame, they have taken on their biggest project ever (smart meters) so I don't know how much extra resources were available for much of anything else. That project wraps up this year, so we should see them moving into different directions also.