Comments on: Chevy Volt Won’t “Pay its Rent” to GM

By: Johannes

Johannes — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:21:01 +0000

Does it mean that every volt will sell a manufacturing loss or that volt will never pay the overhead research cost due to the small volume?

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:28:18 +0000

The number “several” has been mentioned in many articles. I wish I knew how much “several” was. As in “several hundred/kwHr off the battery price” or “several thousand off the price of the car.”

By: john1701a

john1701a — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 04:32:19 +0000

Remember what else they said?

Countless claims were that Prius didn’t sell well. But in reality, Toyota limited quantity until production could be retooled to the point of profit. Sound familiar? Well, it’s not.

Those were in the days when gas was cheap, the SUV was king, and climate change wasn’t anything more than a greenhugger fear. Prius was simply dismissed as a fade.

The situation is very different now. GM is betting the farm on Volt. Not because they want to, like Toyota did. They have to. They’re being forced to deliver something new and abandon the old. Taxpayer loans must be paid back.

Also, the idea of “eco-PR” is just spin now. All automakers are expected to provide cleaner and more efficient vehicles. It’s not an option. Consumers see right through the “30 MPG Highway” advertising. A monster-size hybrid used for one-person, no-cargo commuting is considered wasteful too.

By: voltair

voltair — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 02:02:10 +0000

#108 John1701a
When Gen1 Prius came out, I clearly remember people in the US Auto industry slamming it for costing a lot more than it sold. Toyota invested. Toyota got a winning product that not only was high volume, but generated enough eco-PR for everyone to ignore that Toyota also makes a lot of gas guzzling SUVs. GM should have been investing in those projects instead of pissing away SUV profits buying companies like Saab.

Clarke said “It’s not our intention to lose money forever,” as a new philosophy for GM. Someone asked if that is the new philosophy, then what is the old: I assume the old policy was to invest only for short term gain.

By: bintoo

bintoo — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:36:42 +0000

Don’t forget the “FU factor” every time you drive by a gas station in your new volt. That my friends, will be worth every penny. Some of us might say PRICELESS!

It’s not about the gas mileage or the cost per year, it’s about saying I’m different, I’m not like the rest of you. This factor alone will sell 100’s of thousands of volts. It will be double or triple the PRIUS effect.