Nowadays, it just doesn’t matter to me HOW LOW gasoline gets.
It seems to me that the volatile price of crude has burned us all for the last time as regards our tolerance for it. I don’t care if it were nearly free, I refuse to change my mind regarding getting a Volt.
Even if a Plug-in SUV only got 25 miles on electric due to a higher wind-resistance profile (i drive 50 to 60 miles a day), I would get it in a heartbeat.
Dan Petit. Austin, TX.

GM Volt … convertible

Jim Hall, principal of 2953 Analytics, an automotive consulting firm in Birmingham, Michigan

Or maybe a couple of experts–they might have some info and thinking that this Volt site would highly value. Thanks!

And not necessarily just for the younger crowd either: I’m anything but younger, and given that the Volt is at least two years away (and longer for me as a practical matter since I’ll wait a couple of years post-introduction for GM to get the Volt’s price down and the inevitable bugs out), I’ll need something more fuel efficient in the interim. I’m single and live in an urban environment so a reasonably priced vehicle like the Beat (even with an ICE) would serve me well. You can like or hate GM, but you have to admit that they’ve getting base hits with vehicle styling lately if nothing else. I think this will be an important factor in the coming, inivitable compact, fuel efficient vehicle wars between manufacturers.

Though I would prefer a four-door compact, I like the Beat’s styling enought that I could live with it as a two-door. But lo-and-behold, take a look at the last image in Autoblog gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-beat-concept/

I could live happily with any of those vehicles. Canehdian makes a good point though: For maximum effect GM would really need to have the Beat ready at the time of the Transformer 2 movie realease (tentatively next summer). Let’s imagine a viable environment next summer: Release of what will likely be a blockbuster movie showcasing the Beat, a younger driving crowd out of school, even higher gas prices, hip styling (yes-this matters to that younger crowd), and a fuel efficient vehicle priced for that younger crowd (not to mention the masses at large).

I think GM would have a major hit on its hands; especially if they could release two and four-door versions of the Beat (double major hit if they could offer BEV variants-but I wouldn’t expect that within a year-Indeed, I’ll be impressed if GM can even bring ICE versions to market in a year).

Those like myself who follow this forum on a regular basis know that the Volt is a top priority for GM. I think they to make the Beat another, even more immediate priority.

That’s HUGE publicity for it.
It might actually take off, especially if aimed at a younger crowd.

As far as GM making no money directly on parts and service, I doubt that, but since I’m not an expert, I’ll take your word for it. However,the loss of all that money would certainly have an effect on dealer profits, and therefore would effect what they can afford to sell the vehicles for- which would IN-TURN would effect how many they can SELL- which obviously DOES increase or decrease GM’s profits. Will you not concede that line of reasoning?

Also, there is the question of re-tooling and re-training every plant, supplier, and assembly-line in America to manufacture a completely different type of vehicle. That’s one other reason I can think of why the auto-makers are dragging their feet on plug-in’s for the masses. I am sure there are a lot of other reasons too- but whatever the reasons, It’s clear that they are NOT being serious about converting over the whole fleet to electricity, because the Volt is never going to do that. I predict that 5 years from now, plug-in hybrids will be less than 1% of the vehicles on the road- if that- which is not relevant to our nation’s need for fundamental change. For what it’s worth, I really hope I’m wrong.

Regarding your “troll” comments, I take that to mean that you think I have ulterior motives or that I am insincere or have an axe to grind. I assure you that these are my true feelings and opinions.

I am just a completely fed-up, and totally frustrated American consumer who is tired of all the windbag promises and publicity stunts from the auto-makers and from the politicians. I’m only singling GM out, because they are pretending to be doing something of relevance here, whereas Ford is at least being honest about the fact that they arent going to even TRY to build a plug-in hybrid until they finally get a government mandate shoved down their throats.

EVERYBODY knows that we need fundamental changes in this country in the areas of energy and transportation, but NOBODY actually seems to actually be willing to do what needs to be done to fix the problems!

It’s like the enviromentalists who scream about the planet’s immenent destruction due to carbon emissions, but refuse to allow us to build more nuclear power-plants- which is the only source of power ( aside from clean-coal, which they also hate ) , which can give us the energy we badly need AND simultaneously drastically reduce carbon emissions.

In the area of transportation, we obviously need to switch the MAJORITY of American vehicles to plug-in hybrids NOW- as in a total transformation over the next 10 years, and yet there’s not a single one out there on the road today. Honda gave up, GM is talking maybe rolling out a 40K guiltmobile 2 years from now that nobody can afford, and Ford- ( damn them! )- is doing absolutely NOTHING.

If we had ran the Manhattan Project on this kind of timetable with this kind of a sense of urgency, we still wouldn’t be finished with the CP-1 reactor yet under the bleachers at Staggs Feild. It’s absolutely infuriating!

Thanks to all for listening to me vent, and thanks very much to the purveyors of this blog for the forum and for not censoring me.

Grizzly- I’ll concede you a nice point about the CAFE standards, but in a way you are also making my point that the only way to get the auto-makers to do anything and to quit dragging their feet is to shove a mandate down their throats. Next, lets do what California failed to do when they killed the electric car, and mandate phased-in percentages for plug-in hybrids.

Where’s my dad-gummed VOLT!

I’d like a $200 Cadillac. I really would. If GM would just ocme out with one of those, I’d know they really wanted to sell me a car, but I know they won’t. I want to be proven wrong, I really do, but….
Be well,
Tag

PS GM doesn’t make money on repairs. Dealers do. And there has been plenty posted here regarding concerns about dealers losing that income.

“I think that the only way GM ( and Ford is much worse ) will ever put their heart into making a plug-in car like the volt available to the masses is if the Government steps in and mandates that a certain % of the cars they sell will be plug-in’s……”

*** *** ***

They don’t have to. CAFE standards set in 2007 have raised the bar for 2020 so high that no fleet of ICE cars could ever meet it, even if they were skateboard sized! Add to that that companies like Phoenix, Tesla, Zenn and other competitiors can and will only make electrics in an era of $4/gal and rising gas prices and you’ll see the writing on the wall.