Comments on: Bob Lutz Admits Battery Advantage over Toyota

By: greg E

greg E — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:31:42 +0000

I think independence of oil is the KEY to the volt

The whole word HYBIRD seems like a Combo technology.

Electric Car seems superior in the way that it uses no transmission and no engine. This equates to a longer life and a car that could last forever as long as the electric motors last.

My feeling is they SHOULD offer the Volt as an option without the range extender. No gass engine at all.

This option would be for real ECO people who want no gas at all,
would directly compete with the teslea.

Last but not least with no engine the weight would be less and you could have an option for an upgraded battery.

2 vehicle systems would define the volt as a special car.

The Prius could never do this and never will.

The volt is pure electric and by having a No gas at all option would really define the car even more.

The owners in large city’s might never use the gas engine at all and would ad to the weight and more service.

Were if you lived in the country the gas range extender engine would be a must.

By: John

John — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:30:39 +0000

[quote comment="7257"]Personally, I don’t see how you can judge a company or its products today based on a product they made 15-20 years ago.

My 1989 Chevy car was very unreliable.
My 1994 Chevy car was nearly perfect.
My 2000 Subaru SUW was good.
My 2003 GM SUV was/is good.[/quote]One would think that time moves on…

By: John

John — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:28:16 +0000

[quote comment="7167"]Perhaps it is time to start living in the present instead of the past. GM builds quality products and have for quite a few years. My car is an example; 181,000 miles and purring like a kitten![/quote]
Well said. The mullet is long-gone, and a few posters would do well to shave theirs off.
GM for one has had less recalls than Toyota for the past 3 years (or more?).
FAR less.

Toyota is a great company, but ignorance is tragic.

By: John

John — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:26:19 +0000

[quote comment="7161"]Dale, I understand what you are saying. I have owned two GM cars in my life. The first was a 1974 Chevy Nova. The Nova was a great car. In 1986, fresh out of college, I bought my first brand new car. A 1986 Pontiac Sunbird. That car was such a piece of junk, I never bought another American car again. But I will buy the Volt. No doubt about it.[/quote]
1986 was 20 years ago.

By: John

John — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:23:57 +0000

[quote comment="7155"]I will have a hard time buying a GM product. Have owned many of them and they just fell apart.[/quote]

That is almost certainly a gross exaggeration.
How many have you owned for real?
What do you mean by “just fell apart”?
90% of longevity in cars is maintenance; and with a statement like the following, I question whether you knew enough about cars to maintain them properly in the first place:

[quote comment="7155"]The Japanese engineers are just better than GM’s, plus the vehicle builders seem to have more pride in their product.[/quote]

What basis do you have for both of these statements?
Interviews with Japanese car builders?
Statistical analysis of the qualifications of American and Japanese engineers?
What does “better than” mean?
Better looking?

This statement is unquantifiable and thus as good as untrue.
American, Japanese and German engineers are about as good as one another (so much so, that BMW and Mercedes-Benz bought into GM’s hybrid system and NOT Toyota’s.

You will see it in the upcoming BMW X6, Mercedes-Benz ML Hybrid and the Dodge Durango.

And that is just the start of it.

[quote comment="7155"]I am willing to pay thousands more for a Toyota than a GM product[/quote]

Toyota for one would be overjoyed at your duplicity, though your knowledge of cars doesn’t seem to be serving your pocket well.
Remember:
“…and his money are soon parted.”

[quote comment="7155"]…and it will take a lot to prove that GM is producing quality product rather than a through away machine.[/quote]
GM is already producing quality machines and has been for quite some time now–as attested to by the automotive press.
Nothing needs to be “proven”–except, perhaps, that “feelings” are not “reality”.

One would hope that you’ll be more prudent in the future–but it is better to “feel” comfortable if that is what it takes. After all, life is short.
Life would certainly be shorter if you got in the way of the customer stampede when the Volt comes out in 2009/10.

By: John

John — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:12:11 +0000

[quote comment="7102"]I for one would rather see an American company gain an edge in PHEV technology. I’m not saying you’re a traitor if you don’t care, but is there any reason to not support an American company over a Japanese company if you are an American citizen?[/quote]
Some people drive foreign cars, because it is more prestigious in their circle of friends.

By: John

John — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:10:57 +0000

[quote comment="7096"]Steven- You must have posted right before I started on my post so I didn’t see your comment. I predict that Ford and GM will merge within the next 15 years or so. There will only be one major American car company. Ford is so far behind that they can no catch up. They lease their hybrid (not even PHEV) technology from other companies and do not seem to care about new technology. It is more of a marketing thing for Ford than a desire to embrace the future. They will not last.

Concerning GM being beaten by Toyota- I really don’t care who ends up on top. My only care is for the technology. This generational leap that will change the world as we know it. If Toyota can make a better PHEV then sobeit. I will buy it. My first PHEV will be the Volt because GM is on track to beat Toyota, but my second PHEV may be a Prius- who knows. Again, I don’t really care. Whoever makes the better mouse trap will win my dollars.[/quote]

–Ford and GM will NOT merge in 15 years.

–Ford DOES care about new technology, as almost anyone who has a proper knowledge of the car industry will tell you.

By: John

John — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:08:45 +0000

[quote comment="7093"]I have to admit that I was very angry with GM after they killed the EV1 and went on their infamous SUV-building binge. Having said this, however, if it were not for GM, PHEV technology would be, in my opinion, more than a decade from the showrooms. Even though GM strayed, I feel they are now back in track and are leading the world in the next-generation of vehicular technology. Good for them. I hope they keep their eye on the goal.

Ziv- read up on the Volt man- it’s going to happen. It’s a reality, not just a concept. GM is gone into overdrive to regain the #1 spot from Toyota. They have been beaten and bloodied and are now awakened from their slumber. We are about to see some amazing things over the next decade. I can’t wait.[/quote]
YOU killed the EV1–not GM.
I’d be willing to bet you didn’t even own one–so you have no right to be mad at GM for it.

I am yet to meet a leftist who understands the market economy properly (had to say it).

By: Tim S

Tim S — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:02:51 +0000

It is not a matter of living in the past.
I think it is more of a “Once Bitten, Twice Shy ” kind of thing. Toyota consistently gets better reliable ratings than GM. But I want the Americans to win. No question the Volt is my next car. Besides, I really think that parallel hybrid was a bad idea from the start. The Volt really is the right way to go, in my opinion.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 05:14:47 +0000

Personally, I don’t see how you can judge a company or its products today based on a product they made 15-20 years ago.

My 1989 Chevy car was very unreliable.
My 1994 Chevy car was nearly perfect.
My 2000 Subaru SUW was good.
My 2003 GM SUV was/is good.