Thanks for the note on Corvette history.  I didn’t know it.  Another good reason per #69 to limit sales to Michigan and Ohio — real people there, and nice people too 

I live in LA, and my response is – whatever works.  I can see the merit in what you are suggesting.  If GM deems that to be their best strategy, we will just have to deal with it.

I think that many of us are making the calculation every day as to whether to wait for the Volt, or change our present cars for something with better mileage now.  I usually keep my cars for 10 years plus, so the decision made now impacts what I will eventually do about the Volt.  If I can’t get one until 2012 or something, I may have to go to Plan B.

It is really instructive to look at the history of the introduction of the Corvette.  With its FRP body, it was fairly revolutionary for the time,  They made 300 basically toolroom models in 1953.  They parceled them out to Hollywood personalities, and other VIPs, thinking that it would get them a lot of good press exposure.  The result was that they lost the interest of the public.  When they went into larger scale production in 1954, the car sold very poorly, and they almost quit making them.  Only 700 1955s were produced, for example.

Is history about to repeat itself?

You are misinformed. Unhappy customers wouldn’t be hiring lawyers in an attempt to keep the cars they leased. For a report of an EV1 rental, see:
http://www.portev.org/commentary/living_in_the_past.htm  One guy even took his on a 3000+ mile trip (for which it was certainly not intended) and created a nice website at :
http://www.kingoftheroad.net/charge_across_america/charge_html/chargehome.html
His EV1 FAQ answers a lot of questions about how the EV1 was to live with.

Fantastic web links Storm, it was great to read how well the EV1 with NiMH batteries worked and the interesting bits of information on the 3000 mile road trip by the EV1 with lead acid batteries. Seemed like the car sparked interest everywhere it went. I wanted an EV1 when first announced over a decade ago and it’s so frustrating, GM knows how to do it. They did it 15 years ago. I’m expecting the Volt to have nothing less in capabilities of the 2nd generation EV-1 (NiMH batteries), that would include a range of at least 40 highway miles, not the city driving cycle range. You clearly demonstrated the technical ability to produce the most advanced electric car that existed in that time, my expectations are the same for 2010.

That is a GREAT idea!  If GM is really concerned about the reliability of the first run vehicles, they should only be sold in an area that is close to the assembly plant, in case there are serious recalls!

So I think the initial 10K Volts should be sold in Detroit and Kalamazoo in Michigan, and Columbus, Cleveland, and Youngstown, in Ohio.  That will give them good testing areas for both winter and summer driving, hilliy and flat terrain, city and highway driving.

Now how do you people in NY, LA, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, or Miami feel about the limited release????

 :)

Those of us out here in the middle of nowhere (NC, the 10th largest state), remember the history of  Ford’s Model T somewhat differently.  Ford’s introduction emphasized small towns, such as those in Michigan and Ohio, by pointing out that gas-powered vehicles would work in such places.  Remember that the big cities were then the domain of short trips with electric cars. I guess one might say "here we go again."  Ford, to his credit, was thinking about mass production.  GM, with the Volt, apparently has regressed and again is thinking about a niche car.

Actually, I’m posting because I DO (or at least DID) expect something great from the Volt and I’m very emotionally invested in it. That’s why I’m so upset when I hear about this nonsense about windshield wipers and the price and the service training, etc.

I could just as easily tell you to stop reading this blog for the next 3 years so you can think happy thoughts about rainbows and unicorns and not have to hear any potentially negative discussion about the Volt.