Comments on: Chevy Volt to Cost About $35,000?

By: artie

artie — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:15:56 +0000

why would u spend 35K for this car?? isnt the whole point in buying one is to help the consumers save money on gas? u could buy any other (20K est.) car, used or new, with gas for a couple years and still not have spent 35k. people usually change vehicles every couple years, so by the time you are actually “saving” money on gas, you’ll prob be ready to trade up. mayb even looking to buy the new electric toyota that will be advertised. because u know by then, toyota wont sit and watch the volt steal the show. so stop being so darn greedy, and sell the car for 25k msrp and make the d*mn thing worth it, people are getting screwd by all derections these days. so it would be nice to see something that could actually make an impact on people’s wallets. Thanks!

By: Don

Don — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:48:27 +0000

I want superior luxury with the performance comparable with an A-4 and the ability to not have my paycheck go towards the Middle East. I would pay up to 35k if I could really have my cake and eat it too.

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:30:57 +0000

I would not care if the car was 35 grand I would buy one, just remember that there a small gas engine to charge the bats. This makes the car the best mpg, but not off oil. also if you dont use that gas engine and plug it in at home every night. Wait until the ele companies are deregulated in 09 to 2010. lets see what happen to you bill. Dont get me wrong I love this car and I would buy on at 35 grand, if GM gets is right, but it will not make driving free or cheap again..

By: srschrier

srschrier — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:10:31 +0000

#197.

I believe in 2000 when the U.S. Prius came out they cost about $22,000. as I purchased one. The Prius has a high resale value. My 2000 gets 48-54 MPG and a top all-electric speed of 43 MPH. But it has a minimal (maybe 4-6 mile) range on the NiMH battery alone and that happens only if the ICE completely malfunctions. Let’s hope by 2010 GM introduces the Volt at an inflation adjusted competitive price.

Rumors are floating of a 2010 (PHEV) Prius with anything from an 8-50 mile AER range. The 2009 Detroit Auto Show should be interesting.

By: Marv

Marv — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:30:13 +0000

I fully agree with James: The early Adopter buyers will gladly pay $35,000 for such a unique car. Consider the demographic of the $35,000 car buyer. He’d otherwise buy a Lexus ES350, and surely there are 100,000 Lexus buyers out there, as a comparison. And, consider the Mercedes and BMW buyers: they are accustomed to paying much more than $35K. So, initially, I see that price not a problem.
Economies of scale and competition will drive the price down.

Regarding the initial Prius price: I recall that Toyota was “shipping $12,000 with each Prius” when first introduced, meaning Toyota subsidized each car to gain acceptance, and look at the positive result!

By: James

James — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:52:36 +0000

For all those who claim “I won’t buy one @ $35,000 when I can get a Hyundai for $13,000: Remember this. The Toyota Prius costed upwards of $35,000 when it first came out, and now look at where it is, demand and price wise. An intial sticker price of $35,000 didn’t de-rail the Prius, and I am sure it won’t de-rail the volt.

The initial people will pay $35,000 for it, and as the price drops, it will become much more mainstream, just as the Prius has.

By: Tagamet

Tagamet — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:59:51 +0000

dtaylor,
That’d be nice, but the Volt isn’t being built on the skateboard (really cool design, but no what the Volt will be using). The Volt will be built on the Delta platform.
HTH,
Tag

By: dtaylor

dtaylor — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:56:43 +0000

One aspect of the Volt that needs to be taken into consideration is that its an electrical motor. Electrical motors have fewer moving parts and last longer.

In addition the skateboard base of the Volt was designed to have the body replaced. If that survives to production the volt may be the next TWO cars you own with the first one being purchase and the next one ~10 years later being a new body and interior.

In other words this car may last 20-30 years instead of 10-15 like other cars. As such it may be reasonable for electric cars to cost more because they will generally last longer.

By: Marv

Marv — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:14:51 +0000

Dave, where did you get the replacement time of 4 to 6 years? Do you have a contact inside GM’s battery testing facility? Consider this: GM has stated 100,000 miles or 10 years. They are extremely intent on this number to keep warranty costs down. And the battery MUST be as good as the Prius. You can speculate on price but they are very experienced building, marketing and selling cars. They will first build a reliable product, then price it so they can make a profit and later, spread the technology to other GM vehicles and cost-reduce (and price reduce) this technology. If you can’t afford $35K, wait and buy a used one, or until they get their costs down by larger volume. This is a 100,000 cars/year vehicle, and I’d pay $35K for it in a heartbeat, considering my $35K might buy a much lower technology Lexus ES350. Extremely important: The Volt runs on 100% domestic power, not a drop of imported oil. Is that worth anything to you?

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:28:44 +0000

Its not just the upfront cost of the volt or any hybrid vehicle. The vehicle will need the batteries replace some time in a 4 to 6 year window, at todays cost of a few to 5 grand. Add this to the cost of the car and what you are saving in fuel if you any drive 40 miles a day. So, the long term cost of the volt could be closer to 45 to 50 grand, depending on the tech. of the time. Also it takes more power to build a Hummer than a Hybrid, if you take in account the construction of the batteries. Yes would would not have to buy fuel and that sounds great, an I am all for that. If GM wants to made a diff. in the world sell the thing for a good fair price and build a ton of them!!!!…will they…NO just like the EV-1 and CNG cars. All are out there but in very low numbers in few areas of the US. Or they will over price it and then when they dont sell GM will tell the world that we are not ready foer it.