Comments on: 2010 Prius Gets 50 MPG, Will Top Out Over $30,000, and Will Have Plug-in Version in 2010 http://gm-volt.com/2009/03/03/2010-prius-gets-50-mpg-will-top-out-over-30000-and-will-have-plug-in-version-in-2010/ Real-time news, information, and discussion about the Chevrolet Volt. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 07:34:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Spike http://gm-volt.com/2009/03/03/2010-prius-gets-50-mpg-will-top-out-over-30000-and-will-have-plug-in-version-in-2010/#comment-136729 Spike Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:00:07 +0000 http://gm-volt.com/?p=1550#comment-136729 The $40,000 on the Volt, comes from GM, the lower prices are what they said earlier in the development. They started when the project was young saying that they would be under $30k, then they crept up thru the 30's and into the low $40's. And no less than Rick Wagoneer has said that even at that price, they will lose money on every one they make and sell. Great plan. Let's see, you are already bankrupt, and that is your plan? And keep in mind that they are billing the Volt as a family car. How many families can and will spend $40k + on a family car? To even beclose to competative, they had to get the government to agree to a $7,500 tax credit just for the Volt. If that isn't unfair trade practices, I don't know what is. Besides being more money we as taxpayers are paying to support a formerly privatly held company. And yes, Toyota financial borrowed money from thier government, but only because they got better terms than elsewhere. And they borrowed money, like any company has done, that is a BIG difference from the utter and complete bailout that GM got. Toyota would have survived without their government, GM would not have, as no one else would lend GM the money. 2008 was also the 1st year that Toyota had lost money, how many years in a row has GM lost money? At least the last decade or so, they have lost money every year. Not Toyota. GM lost money when times were good, it is not like this economy suddenly took them from making money to losing it. Toyota has mad money every one of the previous like 45 years by comparison. As for the sales of the Prius being down, in 2007 they sold 180,000 units in the US alone. In 2008 they sold 160,000 units in the US alone. Is that a drop, yes. But let's consider that the overall US market constricted on the order of 25% or so, depending on who you talk to. Let's also consider that the car was a version that had originally been introduced in late 2003, and so was over 4 years old. Most car models sales drop as they get older. Also consider that everyone knew that a new Prius with improvements would be out this year, so anyone who could wait, likely did. To put the 180,000 units in perspective, when introduced in 2003, Toyota said they hoped to sell 60,000 units a year. GM and Ford laughed at Toyota. Also in 2007 that 180,000 units number put it behind only one "domestic" nameplate car, the Impala, who gets a lot of sales to the fleet market while the Prius gets very very few fleet sales. As for the price of the new one, yes if you add every option it will put you in the mid 30 range for MSRP. But it starts at the mid 20 range, while the Volt will *start* at the low 40s range, who knows where it will end up fully optioned. As for reliability, my 2004 Prius with 90,000 miles on it, the amount spent on repairs, exactly $0. I have only changed the fluids, filters, tires, and wiper blades, nothing else. My Camry before that, went 238,000 miles while only getting 3 repairs -- the first not until 180,000 miles. And two of the repairs were for electric window motors, first the driver's one and then the front passenger one. Who knows how many times they had gone up and down in 200,000 miles. The other repair was a failed sensor. Nothing that ever disabled the car, nothing that ever required the engine or the drivetrain to be opened up or worked on. That 180,000 is far far more miles than I even kept my last GM product, or my mom's last GM product - or the two of them combined. I spent more on that car in 60,000 miles to fix things, than I did on my 238,000 mile Camry, which ran like a top when I sold it. The current Prius (the 2010 version has been out for a while now, will outsell the VOLT, there is virtually no question. The $40,000 on the Volt, comes from GM, the lower prices are what they said earlier in the development. They started when the project was young saying that they would be under $30k, then they crept up thru the 30’s and into the low $40’s. And no less than Rick Wagoneer has said that even at that price, they will lose money on every one they make and sell. Great plan. Let’s see, you are already bankrupt, and that is your plan? And keep in mind that they are billing the Volt as a family car. How many families can and will spend $40k + on a family car? To even beclose to competative, they had to get the government to agree to a $7,500 tax credit just for the Volt. If that isn’t unfair trade practices, I don’t know what is. Besides being more money we as taxpayers are paying to support a formerly privatly held company.
And yes, Toyota financial borrowed money from thier government, but only because they got better terms than elsewhere. And they borrowed money, like any company has done, that is a BIG difference from the utter and complete bailout that GM got. Toyota would have survived without their government, GM would not have, as no one else would lend GM the money. 2008 was also the 1st year that Toyota had lost money, how many years in a row has GM lost money? At least the last decade or so, they have lost money every year. Not Toyota. GM lost money when times were good, it is not like this economy suddenly took them from making money to losing it. Toyota has mad money every one of the previous like 45 years by comparison.
As for the sales of the Prius being down, in 2007 they sold 180,000 units in the US alone. In 2008 they sold 160,000 units in the US alone. Is that a drop, yes. But let’s consider that the overall US market constricted on the order of 25% or so, depending on who you talk to. Let’s also consider that the car was a version that had originally been introduced in late 2003, and so was over 4 years old. Most car models sales drop as they get older. Also consider that everyone knew that a new Prius with improvements would be out this year, so anyone who could wait, likely did. To put the 180,000 units in perspective, when introduced in 2003, Toyota said they hoped to sell 60,000 units a year. GM and Ford laughed at Toyota. Also in 2007 that 180,000 units number put it behind only one “domestic” nameplate car, the Impala, who gets a lot of sales to the fleet market while the Prius gets very very few fleet sales.

As for the price of the new one, yes if you add every option it will put you in the mid 30 range for MSRP. But it starts at the mid 20 range, while the Volt will *start* at the low 40s range, who knows where it will end up fully optioned.
As for reliability, my 2004 Prius with 90,000 miles on it, the amount spent on repairs, exactly $0. I have only changed the fluids, filters, tires, and wiper blades, nothing else. My Camry before that, went 238,000 miles while only getting 3 repairs — the first not until 180,000 miles. And two of the repairs were for electric window motors, first the driver’s one and then the front passenger one. Who knows how many times they had gone up and down in 200,000 miles. The other repair was a failed sensor. Nothing that ever disabled the car, nothing that ever required the engine or the drivetrain to be opened up or worked on.
That 180,000 is far far more miles than I even kept my last GM product, or my mom’s last GM product – or the two of them combined. I spent more on that car in 60,000 miles to fix things, than I did on my 238,000 mile Camry, which ran like a top when I sold it.
The current Prius (the 2010 version has been out for a while now, will outsell the VOLT, there is virtually no question.

]]> By: carcus1 http://gm-volt.com/2009/03/03/2010-prius-gets-50-mpg-will-top-out-over-30000-and-will-have-plug-in-version-in-2010/#comment-99141 carcus1 Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:16:16 +0000 http://gm-volt.com/?p=1550#comment-99141 #163 stas peterson, "Such motorcycles have no crash, side impacts, windshield, pedestrian damage, or any of a myriad of other rules ......" ____________________________________________________ From the Aptera website: "Composite body structures provide an impact-resistant exterior that is lighter than steel but three times as strong. Front crash zones incorporate race car technology that absorbs and deflects energy to keep the cabin from harm. Integrated high-strength aluminum door beams transfer crash loads into the body and away from the cabin. And a complement of driver and passenger air bags is incorporated to ensure that each passenger is always secure." http://www.aptera.com/learn.php Do you read much? #163 stas peterson,

“Such motorcycles have no crash, side impacts, windshield, pedestrian damage, or any of a myriad of other rules ……”
____________________________________________________

From the Aptera website:

“Composite body structures provide an impact-resistant exterior that is lighter than steel but three times as strong. Front crash zones incorporate race car technology that absorbs and deflects energy to keep the cabin from harm. Integrated high-strength aluminum door beams transfer crash loads into the body and away from the cabin. And a complement of driver and passenger air bags is incorporated to ensure that each passenger is always secure.”
http://www.aptera.com/learn.php

Do you read much?

]]> By: Mike D http://gm-volt.com/2009/03/03/2010-prius-gets-50-mpg-will-top-out-over-30000-and-will-have-plug-in-version-in-2010/#comment-98711 Mike D Thu, 05 Mar 2009 04:51:46 +0000 http://gm-volt.com/?p=1550#comment-98711 #162 It's because everyone likes to round up on price for a negative spin, and eventually it became magically factual #162

It’s because everyone likes to round up on price for a negative spin, and eventually it became magically factual

]]> By: Kurt http://gm-volt.com/2009/03/03/2010-prius-gets-50-mpg-will-top-out-over-30000-and-will-have-plug-in-version-in-2010/#comment-98707 Kurt Thu, 05 Mar 2009 01:38:17 +0000 http://gm-volt.com/?p=1550#comment-98707 #136 RB - Thanks and I agree! #136 RB – Thanks and I agree!

]]> By: joe obrien http://gm-volt.com/2009/03/03/2010-prius-gets-50-mpg-will-top-out-over-30000-and-will-have-plug-in-version-in-2010/#comment-98688 joe obrien Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:54:01 +0000 http://gm-volt.com/?p=1550#comment-98688 The Volt with a black interior with red accents looks amazing compared to the white on grey interior. Black interior for me! If it ever gets made....... The Volt with a black interior with red accents looks amazing compared to the white on grey interior.

Black interior for me!

If it ever gets made…….

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