GM-Volt.com has now been in existence for 29 months. Throughout this remarkable turbulent ride I have had the chance to meet with and question many GM executives including former CEO Rick Wagoner on a few occasions.
Now of course Fritz Henderson is at the helm. He has inherited a company that is in bankruptcy, and is charged with the herculean task of restructuring it into a leaner meaner four brand form. The government and bankruptcy court are of course making that job easier.
We here have focused on the Chevy Volt’s development which we have been assured remains on track, in good health, and undeterred.
There may come the day when I get to meet and interview Mr. Henderson. If I did, as always, I’d want to bring all of you with me to ask him any questions you might have.
Please use the comments of this post to write down your one question for him. Please keep it short and concise, and watch out for repeats. If I do get the chance, I’ll pick as many as I can.
Henderson already answered some public questions on GMs Fastlane blog. He told a “Volt skeptic” who wondered if Volts could actually get into the hands of people other than the rich and famous, “this will not be an inexpensive vehicle in its first generation, but it will be extremely affordable relative to a tesla. while we have not made final decisions on pricing, you should be thinking about $40k ish, with a $7500 available tax credit.” He also said it was “not likely” when one commentator asked is we’ll ever see and electric Camaro.
And while your thinking about what question you’d like to ask, watch the new GMreinvention television ad below.
[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0Vcx3cRdi8]
This entry was posted on Saturday, June 6th, 2009 at 8:33 am and is filed under Feedback to GM, Video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Jun 6th, 2009 (8:37 am)I have no questions for him but I wish him good luck.. also remind him that pissing of the customer with problems and penny pinching warranty issues is what killed GM.. and high cost of course.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (8:42 am)When are you going to start making good car’s? Because I am fed up of ugly looking Vauxhalls going down the street!
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Jun 6th, 2009 (8:57 am)Now that is asking for trouble Lyle, heeh. I think in my own bid for ‘world peace’ I will not make any suggestions on questions for you to ask…at least I will hold off as long as I can, lol
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“while we have not made final decisions on pricing, you should be thinking about $40k ish, with a $7500 available tax credit”
—statements like this muddy the waters quite a bit for our optimistic posters…the only expectations to get ‘re-adjusted’ now are the delivery date and the production levels (although those expectations on production numbers have actually already been cut down 2 or 3 times)
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:01 am)Are they going to put some VOlts in the hands of the public prior to the official release date to get real world performance figures? And if so when? GO GM! GO VOLT!
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:08 am)How much do you see Voltec playing in meeting CAFE and CARB standards? And, will version two or three be easily rolled out across the rest of the fleet?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:11 am)My question[s] are regarding the Lithium-ion battery.
#1 Is there an ample supply of Lithium in this country?
#2 Are there any alternative chemistrys that look like strong competition to Lithium?
#3 Is there realistic potential of an EEStor [type] product being incoorporated into the Voltec drive system?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:13 am)What are you plans to pay back the billions in bailout money you received before filing bankruptcy?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:13 am)When will you build a Voltec SUV like the one we see from Raser Technologies using a Hummer sized body?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:15 am)What the hell do football and hockey images have to do with cars? That ad is ridiculous. Tell us about your specific plan to make better cars, not the hot dog and apple pie BS.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:21 am)Why won’t we be offered a CHOICE of battery size?
Old GM failed in part by not offering choices. New GM shouldn’t follow that same mentality… one size fits all… lack of diversity.
Provide the larger battery size as an option, just like countless other upgrade features have been marketed for decades. That way, consumers can choose what to buy. A less expensive Volt would still achieve significant consumption reduction while also being able to reach a much larger number of consumers.
Not getting the CHOICE also makes Volt less competitive… which is not wise in this much more competitive market. Remember, the business model now is low-margin vehicles sold in high-volume.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:22 am)I have been saving for my Volt since spring 2007. I want to buy one in 2010. Will Mr. Henderson give the Volt sign up list some priority as we have been the biggest cheerleaders of the entire Volt program and would be it’s biggest source of advertising.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:28 am)I’d ask Fritz what he thinks of the fact that Obama’s Auto Task Force consists entirely of Wall Street insiders with no experience in the industry.
I’d ask Fritz what he thinks about the fact that GM is being sold off piecemeal to Communist countries like China and Oligarchic countries like Mexico.
I’d ask Fritz if he ever thinks that GM stock will ever rise in value again, and if not, was’nt it great that almost 20% of the companies worthless stock was pawned off on the Unions, and was’nt it a great snow job?
Oh yes, questions abound for Fritz…
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:30 am)______________________________________________________
Here is My Questions for Mr. Fritz Henderson:
How do you respond to those critics that say General Motors has been transformed to Government Motors?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:32 am)Ask him if they plan to build an electric other than a small sedan which i and many others have absolutely no use for. How about a van or pickup truck. Half of all sales are pickup trucks.Makes sense to start there not?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:32 am)Mr. Henderson:
Eight months prior to the launch of the Camaro you allowed consumers to place deposits and select the options and colors of their choice which allowed the factory to get a ’sense’ of what the ‘market’ really wants from GM and from their ‘personalized’ Camaro… With that in mind, many GM-VOLT.com readers have wondered why it is so important to GM or Chevy to “load down” the VOLT with a huge laundry list of features, some of which border on the absurd (i.e.: the necessity for the VOLT to plug into the home power grid as a ‘backup battery’) if not just plain unnecessary.
My question is: With a price tag of $40,000 pushing many consumers away from the VOLT, why not take pre-orders NOW to find out what features they are really willing to pay for, and what a ‘minimum price’ could be?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:34 am)Lyle – not a question so much as a statement of encouragement…
To a leader with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to restore a once-proud organization into a profitable, productive, contributing enterprise that meets and exceeds the expectations of its customers, and confounds its critics.
Mr. Henderson – I can only imagine the incredible focus, dedication, customer awareness and energy you will need. On your side – call it the American way to support an underdog – and certainly GM is on the balls of its ass. I believe you can do it…in spite of the remnants of the old GM corporate culture. I believe you want to do it for the right reasions. Your success and GMs would reinforce this American’s belief (and I suspect many others too) that there are still in this country people who can innovate, work hard, and kick butt in the market place. Prove us right – for yourself, your employees, your dealers, and the taxpayers – American and Canadian.
Go GM, Go Volt.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:35 am)More of a suggestion.
I think the Volt as the pace car at a major Nascar or Indy race would garner more attention from young buyers than even a super bowl add would.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:36 am)I agree with #9 Jacob…Marketing in the auto industry has been mainly focused on superficial and meaningless imagery that does not encourage knowledge. Mr Henderson, will the new GM market the Volt and the Voltec platform based on our societies new challenges? The public needs to understand it…then make pretty pictures that stand on their own.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:40 am)GM wants me to buy another procuct from them but lowers my GM credit card limit and that lowers my credit score, making it harder and more expesive for me to get a loan. Explain that!!!!!!!!!!
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:42 am)My question is when will you sell me the Oldsmobile brand? I can’t wait to start making 2012 Olds 442’s that’ll blow the doors of any Challenger, Mustang, and cough cough, Genesis.. haha
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:42 am)My question would be (quietly):
“Who do I need to kell to get into a preproduction fleet vehicle”?
And then I’d wish him well.
Be well
Tagamet
LJGTVWOTR!!***************NPNS
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:42 am)Is the condition of GM today a function of the U.S. and World economy or was there a systemic problem with GM?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:44 am)______________________________________________________
GM Total Confidence ended June 1:
I went to Lyle’s above FastLane Fritz Henderson Q&A link and was struck by the following Editors Note posted at the top of the page:
“Editor’s Note: During the chat, Fritz stated that Total Confidence would run through June. This was inaccurate; Total Confidence ended on June 1. Thank you for understanding.)”
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I understand that the above quated Editors Note pertains to the GM “Total Confidence” marketing promotion but it is the same thing as saying to the consumer that as of June 1 the consumer can forget about having Total Confidence in GM products. Is it just me or do others think this is a bone-head PR disaster? Perhaps Lyle can distill what I have pointed out here into a question for Mr. Henderson.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:45 am)Can GM produce a practical all electric “commuter” car for under 20k$
and how long would it take to engineer and begin production.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:55 am)Argh. Kell=Kill
Tag
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:59 am)What will GM do differently going forward to improve its ability to translate the needs / wants / concerns of the car buying public into new products that sell? This isn’t just about producing the good products – already doing some of that with Malibu, CTS, Camaro and Corvette ZR1 – it is also about overcoming the years of anti-GM bias.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:02 am)Why are they pricing the Volt out of reach for most consumers? Originally, it seemed it would be reasonably priced, but whenever a price is mentioned, it keeps going up. I’m afraid we’re leaning towards the other possibilities now. It’s a bummer, because the Volt was sharp.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:03 am)Sorry, can’t refine to just one question…
1.) New competitiors have an advantage of having much less legacy cost and infrastructure to carry. This shows glaringly in the competitive advantage of being able to sell directly via the internet. Will bankruptcy allow GM to seek alternative means to the market, namely direct sales via the internet?
2.) Lyle included this statement in his post requesting input for questions to ask you, “He also said it was “not likely” when one commentator asked is we’ll ever see and electric Camaro.” I believe this to be legacy GM thinking anchoring your (our) company to it’s underperforming past. Is this accurate of your sentiments and if so, why do YOU FEEL this way about the possibility of a high power Voltec Camaro?
3.) GM has stated they will develop other Voltec vehicles but those other vehicles are not yet announced and may not yet be decided upon. GM has a glaring hole in it’s lineup in that you don’t have a “real” minivan competitor. Has the market shifted back towards minivans in the last year and would a stylish (more CUV looking) Voltec minivan make sense?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:07 am)Could the ‘new’ GM sell the initial volts to the gm-volt web site subscribers who have promoted and followed the Chevrolet volt from the start? Another point, could you put some real world test volt cars in the hands of gm-volt web site enthusiasts? We could spread the word of just how well the volt could replace ordinary gas powered cars.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:08 am)If you can, ask Mr Henderson
1) how long he thinks it will be before geographical distribution of theVolt extends beyond California.
2) what he thinks will be the main challenges to overcome in moving Voltec to high volume vehicles.
3) whether he thinks GM can improve its communication channels that go directly to and from customers (This question is important, as it has seemed to many of us for a long time that GM operates pretty much in isolation and really does not want to communicate.)
I’m not optimistic about his saying much in response to questions beyond the standard phrases, but it will be good to give him the opportunity should he like to say something.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:10 am)Are there plans for a Voltec Malibu with 20 or 30 mile range?
=D~~~~
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:11 am)Well… I guess i won’t be getting the Volt after all. I was very excited at first, but watching it morph from a fresh and sporty concept to a Camry clone put me off. I just bought a Corvette instead. Are there any plans for an electric sports (or at least sporty) car? One with more of a performance orientation? You know… like a Tesla but with Corvette pricing.
OK… I know some will think this a frivolous post. I understand that this is a “niche’ market, and not likely to be the best income producer, but I am intrigued by the enormous performance potential of brushless motors and the new battery technologies. I would buy one in a heartbeat.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:14 am)#15 Corvette Guy asks
My question is: With a price tag of $40,000 pushing many consumers away from the VOLT, why not take pre-orders NOW to find out what features they are really willing to pay for, and what a ‘minimum price’ could be?
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So doing likely would be a good idea for GM if they can figure out the geography of where the Volt will go. Based on the Camaro experience, it does not seem to be a good idea for buyers. Probably they are better off to wait and see if, as, when, and where Volts are delivered.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:15 am)Since you are closing the only Buick Dealer ship here in Tucson, does that mean your selling the division to the Chinese? How do you like your oil company buddies now?!
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:26 am)#32 Jerry Becker asks
Are there any plans for an electric sports (or at least sporty) car? One with more of a performance orientation?
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It is an important question, as performance is the one area of vehicle design that everyone cares about and where the advantages of electric are built-in. It’s the aspect where paying more is worth it. In the Volt the performance advantage is covered over, but it does not have to be like that.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:26 am)Will you make a public statement of GMs commitment to help us (America/North America) get 100% off of dependence on foreign oil? And, a follow-up, what will that mean for each product line and brand (of the 4 that remain).
PS, if you make such a statement GM will be an instant leader in the fight against terrorism/in efforts towards national energy security/in revitalizing the American and Canadian auto industry/in securing a brighter future for our citizens/in fighting Global Warming perhaps, etc.
And being able to stick it to the oil companies for throwing your industry and your company under the bus recently has got to be good.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:28 am)Fritz – I have a $39K Volt on order but am concerned about Chevy/GM’s ability to stand behind the 100,000 /8 yr. battery warrenty, since this is a $15-20K cost, and may not be available if GM goes chap 7, in a couple of years.
What assurance is there that we will have access to an affordable replacement battery supplier in the future?
also – why not bring out a Volt II, with only a 20 mi. range for $27K, and triple your sales?
Jim
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:29 am)Questions concerning the 2 mode hybrid technology:
Will the Chevy Equinox get the 2 mode hybrid option?
With an eye toward fuel efficiency, will the 2 mode hybrid ever be mated with a 4 cylinder engine?
I would love the option of a Chevy Equinox with a 4 cylinder engine and the 2 mode hybrid transmission.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:29 am)What is GM doing to make use of the advantages of Ultra Lightweight Thermoplastic Composites¹ for future use in cars?
¹: Fiberforge Thermoplastic Composite Materials
http://www.fiberforge.com/thermoplastic-composites/thermoplastic-composite-materials.php
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:31 am)Mr. Henderson: Of the two plug-in vehicles GM has announced, the plug-in Vue has enormous potential* in my opinion. Why have we heard so little recently about this exciting crossover and does GM plan to offer it either through Penske/Saturn, as one of its own brands, or (hopefully) both ways?
*NADA retail sales data shows the Vue outsold all other Saturn models COMBINED last year!
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:32 am)______________________________________________________
#28 Koz Said:
[Lyle included this statement in his post requesting input for questions to ask you, “He also said it was “not likely” when one commentator asked is we’ll ever see and electric Camaro.” I believe this to be legacy GM thinking anchoring your (our) company to it’s underperforming past. Is this accurate of your sentiments and if so, why do YOU FEEL this way about the possibility of a high power Voltec Camaro?]
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Excellent point made by Koz. This is hands-down the best and most telling question that could be asked of Mr. Henderson.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:35 am)Question: Some of GM models have very high quality ratings, others have poor quality ratings. What is GM plans to provide consistent quality vehicle for all models for all four brands?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:41 am)#33RB
Respectfully, I disagree. If GM were to open up Deposit Orders exactly the same way they did for Camaro, then consumers would flock to their local dealers to place those orders. That instantly creates a geographic map of where the VOLTs “should be” delivered to first! The goal for GM right now (as I understand it) is to MAKE MORE MONEY! MAKE MORE PROFITS!
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:42 am)Mr. Fritz,
What if any previous experience do you have running a nationalized business?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:43 am)I truly wish that my questions to CEO had any revelance to him however, there is a lot that I would like to know about GM. Mainly, is GM truly changing their mentality and approach to developing vehicles for today’s needs? Hopefully not like the way that GM had spent much of their resources in the past.
Also, is GM committed to taking the lead in producing and promoting the VOLTEC drive train and getting an affordable good vehicle on the road?
Is GM going to think fast enough and inovative enough to prevent undue, unthinking political intervention? The lack of this in the past has resulted in much of what we are seeing today.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:43 am)Why don’t you use a lithium battery EV/EREV modified version of the GM skateboard platform to have a common platform for all your models, thus saving $$$Millions if not Billions on parts inventory and design costs.
That way you would most rapidly recoup your development costs on the Voltec platform and at the same time expand EREV to every car and truck you sell. This would require having no more than 4 different versions of the EREV skateboard (small/mini car, medium size car/light truck, large car/luxury, and truck).
You could then put all your design efforts on the things that matter to a car buyer, the look and feel of exterior/interior, handling/performance and safety.
PS, Chrysler made its comeback with the “K” car. Think about it.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:46 am)#33RB
#28koz
(Sorry, hit the ‘enter’ key before I was done…)
I totally agree that CA and NY should not be the only states to get VOLTs initially. The cars should go where the demand is. Which also goes to the point (#28 koz) made about selling via Internet. If we can all place our orders online; get ONLY the features that we want; would that not streamline the process for GM? I think so.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:48 am)When will GM get the brilliant and charismatic leader it needs to come back from the dead?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:51 am)Will the people who signed up on this website to buy a volt get any opportunity to be among the first owners?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:52 am)Many of us will now look at GM as in effect the UAW. Many of us from years back considered GM to produce a more durable product than Ford but Ford is going to come out of this much better than GM because it did not go hat in hand to the Democratic administration for a bailout. No matter how techically sound the Volt may be, many will not buy a GM product for years to come!
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:53 am)How about a question on, Why hasn’t GM gotten some Public Relations Trucks with copies of the VOLT in them to visit American Towns to provide potential buyers a look at the real thing? I can remember many years ago that GM was real good at this sort of promotion campaigning.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:55 am)We know from hints dropped by GM and LG that the Volt battery is $12k, to buy a replacement from a GM dealership will be higher, usually they make lots of profit on parts so it may be scary..
If they cut the battery in half they could save $6k (maybe).. and thus dropping the cost from 40′ish down to lets say $35k..
They are losing money at 40sh so if they tripled sales at $27k they could lose a lot more
.. perhaps you meant $27k including the $7500 fed tax credit?
I think the only hope of lowering the price and defusing the battery replacement anxiety is to lease the battery.. perhaps they could even reduce the cost of the battery by not building-in so much overkill for warranty reasons since it will be leased.
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#37
Jim Dunn Says:
also – why not bring out a Volt II, with only a 20 mi. range for $27K, and triple your sales?
Jim
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:56 am)Most of my driving is less than 40 miles daily but 4 times a year I have to take a 400 mile trip. Will the Volt be able to drive 400 miles or will the gasoline engine be unable to keep up with the battery drain?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:56 am)Mr. Henderson.
Will you give some consideration to offering early delivery of the Volts to those who signed up for the gm-volt.com waiting list?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:01 am)A number of questions focus on choice and performance; #14,28. 32.33,35.
I am fully supportive of the volt and am aware of the coming competition. I would like to have other than just a small/intermediate sedan. At least a s/i 5 door, station wagon or a small SUV like the Vibe should be made available ASAP as the choices would expand the market and therefore volumn. A Solstice or Sky type electric would also be very desireable and helpful as an image builder.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:06 am)#43 CorvetteGuy says (to me):
Respectfully, I disagree. If GM were to open up Deposit Orders exactly the same way they did for Camaro, then consumers would flock to their local dealers to place those orders. That instantly creates a geographic map of where the VOLTs “should be” delivered to first! The goal for GM right now (as I understand it) is to MAKE MORE MONEY! MAKE MORE PROFITS!
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Your argument is strong, and I am persuaded. The question for GM is whether they would be prepared to support Volt dealers nationally, or at least all those that had orders above some threshold.
With such a plan the question for dealers would be whether they would be willing to take orders if that meant that they would have to make the investment in equipment and training necessary for Volt, a vehicle that, at first, is going to be low volume. I think there is more of a risk than with Camaro. But dealers could decide that individually, if GM would so allow.
Also, with Camaro I think GM said they were limited by state franchise laws as to where they could deliver how many, that is, any priority had to be within a dealer’s allocation. I assume something similar would apply to Volt.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:07 am)A number of questions focus on choice and performance; #14,28. 32.33,35.
I am fully supportive of the volt and am aware of the coming competition. I would like to have other than just a small/intermediate sedan. At least a s/i 5 door, station wagon or a small SUV like the Vibe should be made available ASAP as the choices would expand the market and therefore volumn. A Solstice Coupe or Sky type electric would also be very desireable and helpful as an image builder.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:10 am)GM has a lot of kahonies to jump into bankruptcy with a smug smile on their faces and billions of taxpayer money in their pocket. How dare they get billions more and then take bancruptcy. Closing dealerships is ridiculous. The dealers are their customers and we as the public are the customers of the dealers. Are people going to buy GM when they have to drive hundreds of miles for warranty work? I think not. GM needs to dump ALL of their gas hogs and take a set of rear view mirrors and see how to pull their head out of their ass. I own a Silverado right now, but wish I didn’t. Bankruptcy should have been way before billions lined their pockets.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:11 am)#49 FRANC asked
Will the people who signed up on this website to buy a volt get any opportunity to be among the first owners?
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I don’t know the answer, but a similar question came up with Camaro, regarding GM’s own sign-up sheet. GM said the delivery order had to be in accord with state franchise laws. I gather these require proportional allocations to all the dealers, though I’m not sure about that. GM posted some information on the GM fast blog about it.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:16 am)Same question as CorvetteGuy at #15.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:21 am)Mr. Henderson,
Virtually every other major auto manufacturer and countless startups are bringing BEVs to market within the next 3 years. (Ford has already announced 2). Will GM introduce a BEV of it’s own by 2012. . . or is GM’s focus purely on “Voltec” technology?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:26 am)26 StevePA
“What will GM do differently going forward…..”
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Pet peeve of mine. I despise the phrase “going forward”. It is usually uttered by upper management whenever they seem to want to impress the minions. Of course your plan is “going forward”, who would say “And going backward our company XYZ will….”
Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest.
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Ok so questions for Fritz:
1) Fritz, where do you see GM in 1 year? 5 years? 10 years?
2) Does your vision of GM include the electrification of vehicles in the US and other countries?
3) When you were offered your position as CEO, how long did it take you to accept it? What was your greatest concern, when you accepted the job?
4) Can GM survive if the SUV and truck markets do not revive back to levels seen 2 years ago?
5) Will you be driving a Volt as your main mode of transportation?
6) When will someone outside of GM get to experience the Volt transitioning from electric to range extender?
7) How do you convince someone looking for a new car to buy a GM, with all the turmoil and uncertainty at GM?
8 ) Did Lutz provide you with any advice when you took on this job in the middle of the worst automotive meltdown in history? (Did he offer up his pink tie?)
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:28 am)K, I have a question..
Is GM considering a lease model for the batteries only when you buy the car itself?
If so, what would be the approximate cost of the car and the monthly payment on the lease, and what terms?
If GM leased the batteries, could there be a cost savings by reducing the warranty requirements of the battery?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:30 am)I WILL NOT PAY $40,000 for a Volt! I can buy 2 Prius’s for that amount of money.Volt will have to retail for a competitive price to be accepted by the American public! thank you.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:33 am)So the commercial says “fewer, stronger models” and what not, but it almost sounds like they’re saying “fewer stronger models”, i.e. the number of our stronger models are decreasing. I think I would’ve probably separated that into two statements if I were GM.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:34 am)#26StevePA
What will GM do differently going forward to improve its ability to translate the needs / wants / concerns of the car buying public into new products that sell? This isn’t just about producing the good products – already doing some of that with Malibu, CTS, Camaro and Corvette ZR1 – it is also about overcoming the years of anti-GM bias.
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Here is my solution for this:
I would be happy to be the first “New Hire” for the “New GM” – - – Just give me a VOLT, a Traverse, a Camaro, and a Corvette ZR-1 – - – I would be happy to travel to every shopping mall in North America to show people “how and why” the new lineup of Chevy cars are superior to other cars in their class!
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:39 am)In hindsight, a bankruptcy filing in 08 seems like missed opportunity given the current 60% government owned situation. What is your honest opinion of the administrations intentions in controlling the future direction of GM?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:41 am)1) When do you feel peak oil will hit?
2) How sold are you on the electrification of transportation?
3) Do you feel you should limit the company to just vehicles or should you become a major electrification infrastructure company?
I was a bit worried when I saw the commercial. I’m worried because it makes it seem like GM does not even feel we have an energy crisis on our doorstep or that radical change is coming. Did you see how many large and soon-to-be impractical models were shown?
I fear companies like Nissan, perhaps the new Saturn and new companies like Tesla and many new Chinese companies are fully sold on the needed transition and are going full speed ahead. If GM is not on-board, it’s already too late. Again, Mr. Henderson, DO YOU BELIEVE?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:51 am)A real world question for you, how do you expect to rebound on the Volt when it will be priced thousands of dollars higher than the competition? Volt $32,000 VS Prius $26,000 or Honda insight $25,000.. I have ocean front property in Arizona for sale too.. everyone agree’s we need the electric car but not at such high an expense, as the Insurance costs will be outragous as well…
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:54 am)Any chance of restarting EV1?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:55 am)I was just listening to “Blinded By the Light”, Manfred Mann version, on a classic rock station. How about making a rival to the Scion, a nimble, little quick car with little Japanese car styling. make it amenable to after-market upgrading. I don’t know how. This is for the younger set, you know. Call it “Deuce.”
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Jun 6th, 2009 (12:02 pm)Here’s the thing. If in fact the volt will cost 40K, then you are into luxury car pricing. For that price, I at least want a car that looks and feels luxury, even if it’s small. The original design of the Volt was exciting and fresh, while the current design is lackluster.
I understand the Capitalist marketing model. Make a Volt, that everyone buys, then a new model in a few years with added features that will trade in their old Volt for. But GM is so far behind the curve that they cannot afford to start with nothing less than all the bells and whistles. Not only should the Volt look and feel like a car that everyone wants to buy, but it should have a solar sun roof that powers the air conditioning like the third generation Prius will have. A lot of people don’t drive more than 25 miles in a day, so there should be a cheaper version with a smaller battery offered for lower income families with a green concious. The Volt should be the flagship of what the new GM is all about and a step beyond what any other company is going to deliver this Fall.
A lot of people submitted a lot of good questions on this forum. I hope you read them carefully and consider how those questions can help you make the best Volt possible. If not, I fear that GM will last a few years and then burn out. We will see Toyota, HOnda and KIA factories where GM factories once were.
Get this right guys. YOu have to let go of everything you believed about how to make and market cars and step way outside the box and reinvent.
This is America. Don’t let us down.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (12:05 pm)Danny, Danny, Danny. This conversation continually repeats. Think of how flat-screen TV’s began. The first iterations were not exactly affordable to the general public. Gradually, as production bugs and such were worked out, and they were able to produce in larger quantity, they were able to price them more cheaply, and more and more regular customers could buy them.
I’m sure that GM hopes to follow the same pattern with the Volt. If they are able to, then the Volt has a chance to become very popular and GM will have a chance to make money. If the pattern doesn’t work out for some reason, it will fail.
They won’t know till they try, but I don’t think that having the initial iteration priced high represents a problem. It’s just part of it. They’re only trying to sell about 10,000, I believe, that first year. They should be able to do that.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (12:07 pm)I have driven a hybrid Insight for over 9 years and I believe that at this stage, the Volt drive model is the only way to go. But if we discount tax incentives (haven’t we given the automakers enough already?), then the Volt only costs 20% less than a specialty manufacturer (Tesla S) that outperforms it in every way. It costs twice as much as the new Insight. Almost double a Prius. Assuming a price differential of $18K and an elevated gas price of $3 a gallon (keeps the arithmetic easier) then at 50 mpg (and assuming with my habits, I never used the Volt’s ICE), then I would have to drive the Volt 300,000 miles to match the cost of the Honda Insight, not counting electricity. And with my work from home driving habits, I’d need to live and drive until I am 100 years old. That’s ridiculous.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (12:08 pm)Dear Mr. Fritz Henderson
How will the new GM be prepared to handle and expand its non-U.S. markets, especially as demand for vehicles grows outside of the U.S. markets.
Ideally, this strategy would entail offering affordable cars to these markets that are built in the U.S., and are able to compete with the likes of non-U.S. automakers.
As a taxpayer now vested in GM, I would like to know if there is a plan to go in this direction. As much as I am attracted to the Chevy Volt, I feel that this car is coming too late to capture its intended U.S. market. It’s time to deflate our debt by reaching out to other markets. Innovation will be very key in doing this, but it may not require producing cars with a 30-40k pricetag.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (12:40 pm)GM needs this. Chevy is as American as apple pie, baseball, and the stars&stripes! Of coarse I saw this recession coming when the American economic barometer (GM) went down! I would love to own a Chevy, GMC, Cadillac, or Buick as my first car that I get in 1 1/2 years. Unfortunately, the Volt is the only car that fits my criteria, and its waaaaay out of my budget. I hope that GM will get itself restructured into a company that will eliminate Toyota from the average Americans driveway. With that I come to my questions:
What will become of the SUVs of yesterday? When somebody says “SUV” the one that comes to mind is the Tahoe. That stems from the second sentence.
Are you going to bring European diesel technology to America, and if not, why? They’re so much better than gasoline!
What will remain of the GM of yesterday?
What standards are you going to set for the new GM?
Will you make a minivan or wagon again to try and replace SUVs?
Is Camaro here to stay?
Thats it. Thank you. Good luck with reinventing the American car!
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Jun 6th, 2009 (12:43 pm)When will the Converj get greenlighted? 2011, 2012?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (12:47 pm)The Volt sounds like idea that has real possibilities, the only problem is the reported cost. The average hard working commuter is not going to be able to afford a cost in excess of $40,000. I believe the market could support such an idea if the cost were to be in the mid to upper 20’s. I hope this will be in the offering at some point.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (12:52 pm)Big question : When is GM going to hire someone with executive abilities? We all know that ain’t Fritz. So how long will Fritz’s buddies on the Board allow him to continue Wagoner’s gooney policies of trying to make those who have destroyed GM (your lovely overpaid, undereducated, unskilled UAW “workers”) your good buddies?
I look at that photo of Fritz and think, “Would any sane person allow someone with this face to run a major corporation?”
The expression says it all – “I’m in way over my head.” I thinkit appropriate that the production version of the Volt will have
styling just as bland and blah as its company’s CEO. When will GM learn that styling sells? Look at the Tesla Model S – and its an impractical car, but people are falling all over themselves to buy it.
And then look at the homely Volt. If GM thinks this car will carry it to glory, then GM has just arrived at a new low in automaking ignorance. No wonder they’re bankrupt. I’m amazed it didn’t happen sooner.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (12:57 pm)Same as Koz (#28-1) & CorvetteGuy (#47)
When does CTO (construct to order likes computer) online order become a reality?
It may help reduce car inventory cost, frustration not finding what you are looking for and may improve lead time for delivery & satisfaction.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (1:03 pm)Hi,
I am taking advantage of this opportunity by throwing out three main questions to be answered. I thank you for your time.
A lot of people I talk to barely know much about the Volt, and the ones that know something say to me sarcastic statement’s such as, “what is so great about a gas powered car that drives 40 miles on a charge only to go back to gas till you get to a charge station”? I guess a lot of us are still under the impression that the Volt only has 30-40 miles of charge, till you get home to recharge it.
Also, it has been said that the battery, which has a life of 30-40 miles or so, will recharge itself while you drive, is this true? Example of how I am picturing it: I plan to drive from Northern California to San Diego, and I start off with 40 miles of charge, then drive for 20 miles or so and during this time the battery is recharged by that which I can only call alternators. This happens frequently through my scenario as I envision the Volt to be a 50/50 hybrid.
Also, is it true that I can change out the engine to be a B5 Diesel? I would so love to see a diesel/electric. Why: Because diesel offers power to get up those crazy hills and is cleaner, and electric offers energy savings going down a straight away.
Thank you, and sincerely,
Garry G.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (1:11 pm)My question is : Since we sent the Lunar Rover up to the moon some 40 yrs ago, and it didn’t use any gas to get around, then why has it taken 40 yrs and millions of dollars to get the Volt started ? Also, Since they have had a camless engine out for awhile, that’s why Fiat is trying to hook up with Chyrsler – they have the camless engine in production – which, by the way gets 25% better gas mileage that the ave. car, then WHY DON’T YOU AND YOUR COMPANY have it in production as well?????? I did go visit one of your GM dealerships, just a few days ago, and they had a Corvette with a mechanical blower on the intake manifold. Didn’t they have the blower on cars some 30 years ago???? They do make a more modern type of blower, for your information. Just visit the websight, e – supercharger.com. So, is GM going backwards, or are they just haven’t gone forward in 30 years??????? Or are they just stuck paying people alot of money to act and be dumb?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (1:11 pm)My 1984 Camaro will be my trade-in car for my new Volt in early 2011 (or late 2010 if I’m lucky). Will there be special discounts for current GM vehicle owners from GM when they trade in their old GM vehicle for a new one?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (1:19 pm)One more….
When will we see a drivable version of the VOLT in Victory Red?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (1:22 pm)Hello Mr.Fritz,
I am from Oshawa, ON, our city has been hurt alot by GM’s decision to close the truck plant. Does GM have any plans to retool and build something new at this plant?
Thanks
Jacob
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Jun 6th, 2009 (1:24 pm)Fritz,
We’ve seen the ZR-1 Corvette that blows away most exotics at less than half the price. The 2010 Equinox, a small SUV, gets an EPA rating of 32 mpg highway. The Chevy Volt appears to have a great deal of promise.
In a recent statement, you mentioned that GM had vehicles in the pipeline that would “blow us away”. My question: Can you provide a hint as to what to expect that will “blow us away”, i.e. Voltec trucks and SUV’s, 2-mode sedans like the Malibu/LaCrosse, high performance hybrids like a 2-mode Corvette, etc.?
Thank you for your interest and thank you for your feedback.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (1:29 pm)Same ? as #24 Brad!!!!! A Th!nk but don’t lease the batteries.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (1:35 pm)Ask Fritz if Chevy ever considered “wheel-motors” (like Japan’s Eliica race car uses).
Perhaps you could expand this train of thought beyond Fritz. I’m wondering about all of the consequences – good and bad – that a world-wide conversion to electric vehicles will introduce. I mean, who would’ve conceived that cell phones would become IED triggering devices in Iraq and Afghanistan when they first came out?
For example, let’s talk about auto theft. How many electric vehicles will get “boosted” for their precious cargo ($10K-$15K) of batteries? What will that do to insurance rates? Should you buy stock in LOJN (LoJack)?
What will happen to the thriving 3rd-party auto aftermarket? Headers? Exhaust systems? Custom air filters (K & M)? Since batteries (and underlying electric components such as inverters) play such a large role in electric vehicles, what will be your options when the original battery in your vehicle finally wears out? Will new batteries be so much better in the future that your car’s performance is much improved over when it was new?
What will electric vehicles mean for states that rely upon gas taxes for road construction and maintenance? Will they start shifting taxation to miles driven? Will new roads all be toll roads? What if you drive out-of-state quite a bit? How will it be measured? How will your privacy be impacted if the state can always see where and how much you are driving?
I noticed that Mitsubishi’s iMiEV website states that its batteries can be conventionally charged as well as “Quick charged” (to 80%) in approximately 30 minutes. Will today’s gas stations be replaced by tomorrow’s fast-food (including Denny’s) restaurants with similar quick-charge adapters? Will rest stops feature quick-charge adapters? How much will you pay for power at these locations? Regulated or whatever-the-market-will-bear?
In fact, will today’s gas stations slowly start fading away like the old Fotomat film-processing kiosks? How will the loss of gas stations (many with food marts) manifest itself? Fewer entry-level employment opportunities. Less tax revenue for government. Fewer outlets for state lotteries, many which rely heavily (see California) upon that revenue. Lots of prime retail locations becoming available for other uses.
Think about the gasoline infrastructure. The refineries, pipelines, thousands of fuel semi-trucks, manufacturers of gas pumps, etc. The trickle-down effects of moving from gasoline to electric vehicles are simply mind-boggling!
What about electricity? Will new companies emerge such as commercial power users that are nothing more than resellers to large “virtual” customers, in order to get low night-time rates? In fact, will utility regulation enter a new phase, where tiered rates for high daytime and low nighttime becomes the norm?
I could go on all day, but you get the drift. As a consumer AND an investor, I like to, in the words of Wayne Gretzky, “skate where the puck will be.”
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Jun 6th, 2009 (1:42 pm)Re;Karma and GM
There are rumors that the Fisker Karma will use GM fossil fuel/gasoline engines. I am so impressed with the Karma’s lines and concept (hardtop hybrid convertible). Please tell me/us you’re considering a line of similar but more affordable hardtop hybrid convertibles? (Ones for those of us not-so-rich, but ready to invest a little more in an environmentally responsible fun-car)? Maybe something like the Pontiac hardtop line, but with the Lithium technology, and with Japanese/Korean dependability and quality?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (1:49 pm)Lyle
Do some of these make you wonder how bad it could be if you asked for some to take crap shots at Fritz?
It pleases me that you will actually be editing this and asking only pertinant questions.
[Even if you consider mine to be unworthy!]
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Jun 6th, 2009 (1:59 pm)Mr. Henderson,
How do you plan to ensure that from now on General Motors is at the forefront of innovation and does not get stuck in a similar situation 50 years from now?
P.S.
Chrome and fenders still look good!
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Jun 6th, 2009 (1:59 pm)ME ME ME
What are the conditions to get a green light on a 2nd model using the Voltec technology and what would be your prefered direction, a coupe like the Converj or Small SUV/Cross-over like the Provoq?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (2:06 pm)I really like #46 CS Guy’s idea. We need to start thinking out side the reciprocating engine mentality. Too many parts! Even the Wankel or the vapor ware Free Piston engine might need more research to reach their full potential.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (2:41 pm)Will GM Daewoo be able to increase the quality of their products produced to compete with Toygota and Honda? The Chevy Aveo did not give me confidence and if they are going to be the source of GM’s small cars they need to make a huge advance. I hope they do as I would love to be able to buy a small quality car from GM and not have to worry if I did it just for patriotism.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (2:42 pm)Well, I would ask why the price of the Volt keeps changing. You have lost me now. Besides, I don’t think I will ever buy a GM car again. Nothing lasts forever. GM is over. They should have never gotten any of our taxpayer dollars. Now I feel GM should give us taxpayers one heck of a discount. Think about it. Our taxdollars went to bail out GM, and now they want us to spend more of our hard earned money on GM product and then pay interest? Get for real. Whatever. Bye bye GM. The last GM product I owned was a 95 Chevrolet and it was a piece of junk. Too many problems too list. Instead of buying an expensive Volt, I will buy a hybrid Ford Fusion and still save money.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (2:43 pm)My concern is with residual value in an older Volt. Imagine trying to sell an 8-year-old Volt and having to tell the potential buyer that they will have to come up with an additional $15,000 to replace the batteries that are now on their last legs. Seem to me that an older volt will have NO residual value. What you are doing is making a $40,000 throw-away car.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (3:13 pm)Any chance of adapting the Spark to be purely electric in order to compete with the IMIEV from Mitsubishi for city driving?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (3:24 pm)What is your answer (as in your version, EV2, Sparko, Ampa) to the Ford EV Focus with a 100 mile range (or infinite range if you include a small honda generator in the trunk for people who can’t read the amount of power left in battery meter) coming to market in 2011??
Are you planning on releasing a Volt generation 2 soon with only a 20/25 mi. range for $25K???
GO EV !!!
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Jun 6th, 2009 (3:29 pm)Why can’t we speak to folks like Infinia (a US company) or Enatec and get a Free-Piston Stirling Engine for the battery charger? As per Dean Kamen’s recently publicized prototype. Simpler, better efficiency, lighter, smaller, less pollution, multiple fuel options, quieter, less maintenance….
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Jun 6th, 2009 (3:38 pm)Here’s a little help for you to sell the new volt. I have designed and built a solar power system to keep my volt charged when I get home from my daily travels. Not much solar is needed to keep the batteries up. My 2.8KW active tracking photovoltaic system is more than enough to keep my Volt number 348 ready to rip. I offer this solar system to GM at no cost. Now that I think about it, perhaps, you could give me a discount on my cost of the top of the line Volt. We can talk. SolaRichard in Tacoma
P.S. Sunshine yellow, Please!
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Jun 6th, 2009 (3:48 pm)Mr. Henderson;
Since so much development of the VOLT was done on the Cruze chassis, how soon after the launch of the VOLT can we expect a lower-priced Cruze EREV?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (3:52 pm)Dear Mr. Henderson
I presently own a 2003 Yukon, last purchase was a 2004 Pontiac GT which got into an accident, so I am down to one car.
I have seriously looked at Hybrid vehicles, and after testing The Prious, Insight, and Fusion I like the Fusion best.
My only problem is that the Fusion is Mexican made, so how am I helping the American economy.
Isn’t it time you make a similar vehicle in the US/ that gives 36 t0 41 MPG in a mid size vehicle made in the USA?
Best regards and good luck
Bert Nissel
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Jun 6th, 2009 (3:57 pm)______________________________________________________
Question for Mr. Henderson:
How will the return of higher gas prices impact the “new” GM?
———————-
Bend Over The Barrel Time Again America!
The AP reports:
“Oil spikes above $70 for first time this year…Oil prices broke through the $70 per-barrel barrier Friday and more forecasters are broadening expectations for an upward swing in crude…Oil prices have been soaring for months despite a massive surplus of petroleum and natural gas…”There’s this feeling of ‘here we go again’ with what happened last year,” Kloza said. “It hurts discretional spending. It leaves people to think about not taking those summer vacations.”
Source:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Oil-prices-briefly-above-70-apf-15449561.html?.v=9
______________________________________________________
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Jun 6th, 2009 (4:00 pm)All my questions about the Volt have already been asked by the first 101 posters.
So my question is about GM Marketing in general. I could have asked this to Bob Lutz or any high ranking GM Executive.
Why did it take so long for GM to build a sports sedan like the Cadillac CTS? My friend recently bought one and I’ve driven it. WOW. This is the type of car that Cadillac or perhaps even Pontiac should have build over 20 years ago. Cadillac built “boats” while Mercedes and BMW inported these cars that were wildly popular. In particular the 3 Series BMW is an incredible car. It was obvious that the young sucessful car buyer wanted this type of car over the larger vehicles that Cadillac was making. It looked like Cadillac was aiming for the over 65 crowd, a shrinking demographic. And why didn’t Pontiac the supposed “sports car division” continue to build cars that looked sporty and performed like something less than a sports car. Pontiac Fiero anyone? I for the life of me cannot figure why GM (and Ford for that matter) didn’t respond in this area. The Pontiac G8 (an Austrialian inport) is also a car that Pontiac should have had 20 years ago. Why now when it’s too little too late.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (4:44 pm)By the time the Volt is available a 2011 Hyundai Sonata will have a turbo charged 4 banger in a car that will be larger, heavier, more luxuriuos, superior performance, 35 mpg., and yet selling for $25K verus $35-$40K for the Volt. If gas is $5/gal at that time it will take 7-10 years to break even when comparing the up-front cost versus the annual fuel cost savings.
I now own a 06 Sonata V/6 that has averaged 26 mpg over 28K miles of my driving.
Conclusion: The Volt would prove to be bad financial investment unless the initial cost could be reduced to $25-30K. One can be assured that Ford, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, BYD, etc will not be sitting by watching Volt make history. Once the thrill of driving a new plug-in hybrid wears off, the cold hard financial differences will kill the Volt unless the initial cost can be reduced to compete with the ICE or hybrid midsize competition.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (5:01 pm)Dear Mr. Henderson,
My Question is:
Would GM consider outside contractors for technical writing of service manuals, owners manuals, and technical service bulletins for non-engineers and L-1 advanced techs?
I have written 14 e-books/service manuals in the 1980’s called
“The Auto Parts Datasystem” on Microdisk sold Nationwide to shops, trade schools and governmental agencies. It described failure characteristics and diagnostic procedures, and, field service bulletins in concise abstracts (256 of them within 14 e-books), updated annually.
Pontiac Motor Division sent a team down to Austin to see it in action in an Auto Parts Store back then, and called it “Exceptional and intimidating” (with a positive excitement).
(Library of Congress registry for “The Auto Parts Datasystem” is: TXu 152-197 copyrights 1984 through 1990).
(By 1991 we just did not have technically-sufficient diagnostic equipment for the broad task of scanning all makes and models, until 2002 with the Genisys waveform graphs.
Those waveforms *confirm* 70% of all diagnostics for all makes and models of all processors.)
You can see my credentials if you Google “Dan Petit Texas DPS”
Genisys Waveform Training (The Texas Department of Public Safety are the State Troopers who administer the Emissions and Safety bench tests for annual emissions inspections.) (There are 5 pages to scroll).
I would like to compile servicing manuals to be written in a diagnostic hierarchical sequence that technicians can easily understand. I would like to help provide input to the process for the owners manuals also.
If GM would be interested in a set of approaches that are not as formal-engineering in vocabulary, yet still constrained within the necessary contextual technical-continuity required for teaching the top 5 percentile of technicians, I am interested in providing GM this service for the Voltec product lines.
Dan Petit
ASE-Examined L-1
Advanced Systems Educator
(512) 834 – 2141
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Jun 6th, 2009 (5:22 pm)I wonder why my 1994 Toyota Corolla DX (with 200+k miles on it) is able to get 32mpg …and the new industry average standard of 39.5 (by 2016) is supposed to be such a stretch.
The auto industry should be ashamed of the miniscule strides it has made in the past 20 yrs. and all the stalling it has done to keep from bettering its self.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (5:32 pm)Very good questions posted here as well as some salient tough love statements.
The formula for success in the car market of today is electric drive at an affordable price. Once electric drive catches on, we’ll see which car manufactures are left behind.
The obvious spear tip of winning the EV / EREV war is a basic electric car. Something like a Focus, Versa, or Cruze. These will pave the way for the mid size EV / EREV cars and trucks of the future mainstream car market.
Premium gasoline here in Santa Barbara just took another obscene jump higher. The lowest in town is $3.09 (USA) the highest is $3.69 (Mobil).
=D~
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Jun 6th, 2009 (5:42 pm)#107 Rocky
Your 94 Toyota with 200,000 miles at 32 mpg beats my 1999 Buick Park Avenue Ultra with 189,000 miles by 2 miles a gallon. Folks just don’t want to believe us. I assume your stating a fact as I am!! Believe it or not but my car does not qualify for the cash for clunkers program. [Both city and highway milage is to high] Go on line and check it out!!!
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Jun 6th, 2009 (5:44 pm)Rocky,
All the auto manufacturers have at least 18 outside agencies (“bosses” if you will) to please.
Internal Combustion Engines have “hit the brick-wall” of the laws of physics. Not much more fuel efficiency can really be extracted out of gasoline engines.
But if you add the fact that we have recently had these miraculous advancements in storing household electricity into these new kinds of terrific batteries, well, there are many more new “laws of physics” that are now “on our side”, and it is all pretty darn exciting for me.
Internal Combustion Engines, for me, have not any further challenge, no matter how many more computers need to be placed to do whatever they need to do. ICE has become a real boring thing. Performance and racing put me to sleep. Practically anyone that knows what wrenches do can throw together a race car and get better and better at going faster and faster. (…Yawn….).
The very highly refined quiet of a drive in a Volt , with what electric vehicles do with the Wind Energy that can be sold to me when I plug it in overnight just leaves me astounded.
This is what was meant to be.
For us all to ride with the wind.
In near-perfect quiet.
Dan.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (5:52 pm)My number one question for Fritz would be the battery development for the Volt. I would like to know what we can expect in the future (ie power and mileage) and will the current Volt models be able to handle upgrades?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (5:55 pm)#107 Rocky
I read what I just posted and it didn’t come out as I intended. I wanted to say that if I can drive my car on a road trip [driving for milage] and get 30 MPG then the industry should be able to get 39+ MPG by 2016
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Jun 6th, 2009 (6:09 pm)Im not so much in worry about the next car this person will produce to make money to go into his pocket, the next scheeme to sell america a car (great its green) that will be cheaply built and mass produced.
Im more interested in where quality went to?
Im more interested in what will happen to the economy of an entire state that lives and breathes GM….What will happen to the thousands of families that are effected by this bankruptcy?. While the CEOs are comming through unscathed, benifits, byouts, healthcare, and retirements are cut from people that have worked in your plants builing your money makers for 30 years plus. When I have several 40 year old men and women come into my retail store asking for job applications because they have lost their jobs at GM after working 25+ years, I have to wonder when we will stop to take a look at the structure we have all helped to create–myself included. When do we all say enough is enough and start treating people like fellow human beings—making others in companies share the wealth so when large companies like this fall, the common working class fellow is not left destitute and struggeling off of state while CEO’s are trying to figure out how to keep their money and create new cars after becoming bankrupt?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (6:13 pm)Why don’t you produce and sell the EV1 now while we’re waiting for the Volt?
Do you have plans for offering a more practical vehicle with cargo space and room for more passengers? It seems like you’re starting off with the sports car model.
What’s the best range on a single charge you’ll be able to provide in the next 3 years?
Will you have component upgrades and trade-ins for the Volt and other EV models as technology improves, e.g., batteries, chargers?
How specialized will maintenance people have to be? Are you taking steps now to make sure there’s someone to take the Volt to when it misbehaves?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (6:50 pm)Offer/Provide Buyers a way for GM to accept the Volt deposit (PLUS) a way to record partial down payments on the Volt prior to release/delivery of the Volt to the customer.
Example: a $1,000 initial deposit with the ability to pay timely additional monies to GM that contributes to the Buyer’s down payment (this would lower the amount financed when the Buyer takes delivery of their Volt).
Benefits to allow GM the ability to accept additional partial down payments:
1) Provide GM more up-front money,
2) indicate Buyer’s long-term commitment,
3) show additional Buyer Fiduciary responsibility to the Finance Company,
4) Reduce the final Volt financing amount
Bottom Line:
a “Win-Win” for GM and the Buyer, GM sells more Volts, Buyer is better able to qualify to buy the Volt
(Somewhat similar to Comments # 15, 29, 33, 47 and especially 56)
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Jun 6th, 2009 (6:57 pm)My simple question:
Most of us (Americans) Prefer to drive trucks (SUVs or PUs) and tow our Boats, Snowmobiles and travel trailers what is being done to improve larger vehicles? Plug ins? Voltec?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (6:59 pm)Clarification to my post at 110
One of the things I was trying to say was that non-factory equipment added to a vehicle nowadays often do not make sufficiently-helpful improvements above what the original factory engineers have installed.
Non factory equipment increases the chances of all kinds of diagnostic problems for “daily-drivers”. High performance racing just reminds me of all those sorts of unintended problems people have when many aftermarket things get installed improperly, and I see that daily.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (7:00 pm)johnmh wrote:
“My concern is with residual value in an older Volt. Imagine trying to sell an 8-year-old Volt and having to tell the potential buyer that they will have to come up with an additional $15,000 to replace the batteries that are now on their last legs. Seem to me that an older volt will have NO residual value. What you are doing is making a $40,000 throw-away car.”
Well, the Volt certainly isn’t alone in this category. I paid $20,680 (plus tax and license) for my 2001 PT Cruiser in November, 2000, and it is now worth (according to Kelley Blue Book) $4,220, and that was over a month ago when I looked it up.
I suspect that 8 years after the first pioneers buy a Volt, there will be several 3rd-party battery upgrades that will be cheaper, lighter and provide more power than the stock battery.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (8:54 pm)Since GM now has some equity in the newly form Parnassus Holdings II LLC, an affiliate of Platinum Equity. They should consider buying as much parts from their own Delphi/Parnassus as possible.
Mr. Henderson, do not support your competition by buying parts from them, example – Toyota and their part division – Denso. Why are you subsidizing Toyota so they can beat you with their cars and trucks? You need a better business plan than what had been done in past. Stop supporting your enemy.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:18 pm)Wondering which all executives are part of OLD GM because bad decisions were not made by machines or brands. Even to be true. I think the Bad GM was supposed to be Winner because mgmt team is with good GM. Looks mostly Rick is also part of Bad GM – all his programs are winners as of now ( CTS, Traverse, Camaro, Volt )
ex: Hummer : World class off road vehicles
Saturn : Fuel efficient small cars.
Pontiac :Sporty Youth Brand : look at Vibe,G8, solstice and the old sunfire etc.
To be true , In my view the bad GM is going to be winner because of new mgmt. I think if they sell Pontiac also then it would have been great.
Why i loose confidence in new GM :
1) the CEO only talks on Cadillac, Corvette and big cars, He don’t know the market of small cars . He never drove them.
No push on hybrid/Evs programs : no 2 mode malibus, no 2 mode traverse. no cruze hybrid. Learn how ford markets their cars now ( ex: most patented car ).
2) The marketing Boss : he dont know about hybrids and even he never know that diesel is cheaper than gas.
3) Above 40k cars competing 20k cars. Volt is supposed to compete against Prius/insight in market and volt is at 40k. they dont have a plan to have a range extender only config with say 10 mile battery.
4) No proper hybrids in market – i don’t say PHEVs may be way but the current market needs hybrids. they don’t have 2 mode hybrid sedan or a small/medium SUV.
5) Still they try to sell hybrids at a premium
6) Arrogant dealer network – read the comments even in fastlane about dealers
7) Incapable program management : go to faslane.gmblogs.com and look how badly they manage the Camaro program (just read comments ) . People have only complaints.
9) Resale value/reliability issues on all most all products
list goes on….
Future will say us which was Good GM and which was Bad.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:30 pm)- Does he plans to buy a Volt?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (9:42 pm)RANGE EXTENDER:
Will GM be offering options ?
SUGGESTION:
Why not make the range extender an option, define the interface, publish the specifications, setup an authentication program, and open it up to 3rd party manufacturers ?
This Business Model is still used by many successful computer manufacturers (Apple, Intel, Microsoft, HP, Compaq, etc.).
That would provide an opportunity for Fuel Cells (H2, Ethanol, Methanol, Metal-Air, etc.), High Energy Batteries (perhaps swappable), ICE’s (Gasoline, Diesel, Ethanol, etc.), Gas Turbines, Stirling Engines, Compressed Air, and the list goes on …
This would take the pressure off GM potentially picking the wrong technology!
Are you up to the task Mr. Henderson?
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:19 pm)Lyle,
As a common stock holder of 500 shares of the old GM now listed as GMGMQ , I would like to ask Fritz what the new GM intends to do with regards to the new stock when it emerges from bankruptcy protection.
1. Will they declare the old stock worthless and not exchange it for the new stock leaving faithful GM shareholders without a cent.
2. Will they issue the new stock to existing shareholders in a reverse split scenario say 1 New GM share for every 10 Old shares?
3. Will they issue a 1 for 1 share exchange?
I don’t know if this information has been publicly addressed by GM, but I think the choice they make will either make a very large number of common stock holders very angry at GM or solidify their faith in a company that cares for its stock holders.
NPNS!
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:25 pm)I haven’t written in a long time(months) but I have a question to ask, not about the Volt but GM. It’s a given that the Volt will not be profitable for a few years until volume is ramped up and cost is lowered. What is GM’s plan for sustained profitability in the meantime and what types of vehicles will they offer to insure that profitability? I know from what I read that they have a set # of vehicles to sell to remain profitable but is there anything new and exciting in the works besides the Cruze to get excited about? If not will they be able to make money with the same lineup of cars and trucks? GM must offer more than the Volt to keep alive.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (10:30 pm)I would like to get a Volt however I am skeptical about the long term philosophy and interest of GM concerning the Volt. I am afraid your company will pay a half hearted interest to quality and design in order to do the minimum necessary to claim the PR benefit of a electric car.
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Jun 6th, 2009 (11:32 pm)What are the arrangements for international manufacturing and sales of the Volt (I am particularly interested in GM Holden since I live in Australia)?
I don’t think Holden’s local management have that much interest in anything but big six and eight cylinder cars.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (12:43 am)Mainly I have this to ask:
Why did you change the awesome body style of the prototype to this piece of trash? Then jack up the pricing? GM you lost me, I will shop elsewhere. I feel bad for everyone who lost their taxpayer dollars to these tools. You are not as American as apple pie. Your are the pie crust we throw away.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (12:54 am)127 responses and no one asked the obvious???
Mr. Henderson:
Exactly when will GM announce the specific trim levels, available options, and sticker pricing for the Volt?
It will certainly settle some major discussions we have on this site!
Thank you.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (1:13 am)QUESTION;
Why dont you build the Volt in Shanghai China where it can be made to USA specs for less than $20,000 and bring it to North America where you will be able to sell it for less than $30,000 .
You would be able to get the volume numbers up where they would count .
GM would make a comfortable profit right from the first one .
The Cadillac Converj could be made in a North American plant and also sold for a comfortable profit for around $50,000.
All the research and development was done here and it is a fully “American” car , made by an American company , for North Americans , just made in Shanghai GM plant .
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Jun 7th, 2009 (1:30 am)the cadillac converj . i want to know the cost of it and release date. also if volt battery charge time should be somewhere at 4 hours and not 8 hours
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Jun 7th, 2009 (1:38 am)1. How will GM pay back the billions of dollars of tax payers money? How can that be possible by selling cars?
2. How could GM have let the autoworkers union gain so much control over the company (which ultimately strangled GM)?
3. Would GM had been better of fnot taking any bailout money and filing for bankruptcy in the very beginning rather than taking billions and then filing for bankruptcy?
4. Do you honestly think the governement owning GM is a good thing? After all the government cant even balance its own budget and can only print more money to solve its short term problems.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (1:46 am)it should be made in USA and not in mothafuckin china. what respect does USA worker get if it is simply outsourced. it only increases trade deficits and makes china more economically powerful.all the bailout to go to china is not at all reasonable. it should be made in USA and not in china chevy volt will become cheap next year at $32000and $28000 in subsequent years.trade deficits must be curbed we must also export the volt.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (1:55 am)Here’s some important questions for Fritz.
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Do you realize there is no way on heaven or earth that hydrogen will EVER be cost competitive with EVs. Not for the fuel, not for the R&D, not for the cars, not for the infrastructure, not for the convenience, not for anything. Tell him that GM is embarrassing itself by continuing to dump millions of dollars down the toilet on Hydrogen Equinoxes that will never be even remotely mass marketable.
Why did you stop developing electric vehicles, yet keep building hydrogen vehicles to this day that cost somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 times the price of an EV1, at a time when battery development was advancing by leaps and bounds mostly because of the promise of mass marketing EVs?
Do you have any ballpark estimate for what you are hoping the retail price for the 2nd gen Volt to be?
Have you heard of Kaizen?
No? I didn’t think so because this one ideology is what has made Toyota the reputation for reliability powerhouse it is today. Ask someone who works for Toyota how it works. Learn it, do it. If there is a design flaw with the vehicles, fix it in the next gen. First, go back about 5 years and find out what are the common problems people are facing. If I were you, I would give a fleet of about 100 cars to a bunch of poor college students to drive to school in. Have them put those things through hell and back and find out what broke.
The next thing I would do is dissect some of the trouble parts you have like transmissions out of Japanese cars and figure out what they are doing that is making them last so long. I have lots of family and friends who only buy Japanese and they are getting 300,000 miles + out of their transmissions. I’ve owned cars from the Big 3 and replaced transmissions about 100,000 miles every single time. This kind of crap is destroying resale value which makes people not willing to pay as much, which means you have to operate in the red.
What do you think, Mr. Henderson, was the real problem that has brought GM the $80 billion loss in the last couple of years? Why all of a sudden in 2007 did the crap start hitting the fan? That was actually a good year for car sales. Surely the 2008 economic slowdown was only hastening the inevitable after a year like that.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (2:03 am)Do you have a plan, over the next few years, to get the cost of a Volt down to a level comparable to a new Toyota Prius.?
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Jun 7th, 2009 (2:44 am)In this rebuilding year for GM, what are you doing to hire the best talent? (to explain the sports analogy: it’s all about who has the best people–gimme Shaq and Kobe or Michael and Scotty and I’ll win; with the best leaders, managers and workers so will GM. Without, they won’t)
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Jun 7th, 2009 (3:10 am)1. Will you support a Value Added Tax which pays for healthcare and retirement costs to make GM more competitive (like the rest of the world) even though it makes outsourcing less profitable?
2. Will you shut down your dead end hydrogen propulsion technology and focus on Voltec to keep GM ahead of the pack?
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Jun 7th, 2009 (3:56 am)My questions:
Do you feel the Volt will succeed if gas stays relatively cheap, and how will GM respond should the Volt be released to a world with cheap gas?
Will the Volt price remain at around $40,000, even though the majority of R&D expenses are now essentially dissolved after GM entered chapter 11 protection, and now has far less labor costs due to the concessions the UAW has agreed to?
What is GMs response to those who have analyzed the cost of Voltec components (electric motor, battery, generator, controller) added onto what is essentially a Malibu-cost body and that say the Volt is several thousand dollars overpriced?
What is GMs response to the Administration finding that suggested that the Volt will be too expensive to succeed in the short term?
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I think, Lyle, if you are going to stick some serious questions to GM upper management, they should be relating to cost- because quite frankly, I’m pissed that I won’t be able to afford one. I honestly think GM is trying to attach the biggest pricetag they can to this car, and I think that price is going to be what kills it.
I’m really hoping Ford will reconsider making an EREV, because I’m confident they can make one far better and for much less cost than what GM is trying to sell us with the Volt.
I think we are being screwed.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (4:07 am)When can we expect to see Voltec technology in larger vehicles, such as trucks?
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Jun 7th, 2009 (6:39 am)I would like to ask a question. A few years ago when the Volt was a concept, the price was estimated to be around $30,000, with government incentives about $22,500. The price now is $40,000, $32,500 after government incentives. Right now this car is out of my price range. Will Chevy offer a electric car in my price range? My wife is out of work and I had to take a large pay cut. I need a new car and it looks like I will have to buy a Cobalt. I just pray the gas prices don’t sky rocket last last year.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (6:40 am)Voltec HHR?
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Jun 7th, 2009 (6:53 am)cup holders! how many, and where are they located?
Oh, and will Holden in Australia be building any Volts? this will make them a lot cheaper then shipping them from the US.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (7:17 am)Dear Fritz,
How far can you run with an 800 pound gorilla on your back?
Goodbye GM – all is dross,
Will you Please sell the Voltec technology to a start-up or a spin-off – maybe you could jump to that yourself – get some greenwave mania money to carry you through start-up years and get battery R&D money from the same source to help also.
Wouldn’t that make your life much more pleasant? No more Central Committee or local UAW soviet to deal with? Think about it – do a coup – rooting for you and the Volt.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (7:23 am)When can I get a Volt in New Hampshire? I’ve already figured out that I won’t get a first generation Volt so I just put my money into replacement windows for my house. But I sure would like to get a Volt in 2012 or so.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (7:48 am)New question:
Will there be a bare bones five seat version II Volt running Firefly batteries?
Cost 15% more than traditional Pb batteries but long life, deep charge capable similar to NiMH.
And a recommendation. GM should look to Voltec doing something no other powertrain is set up to do standard. IE have 120/240 AC power points as standard. Certainly EVERY SUV/Truck aimed at tradesmen should have this feature.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (7:50 am)Excellent article this morning by Michael Leahy of hte Washington Post. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31146562/
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Jun 7th, 2009 (7:57 am)Are there any plans for a Voltec-powered compact station wagon with sturdy roof-racks? I’m hoping that such a vehicle could obsolete both our Toyota Prius and our Ford Ranger pickup truck… I’m short (5′4″), so I don’t want to be lifting lumber or sheets of plywood up on to the roof of a CUV.
Also, will future versions of the Voltec architecture include a power take-off, so that I could use my car to power my house during a power failure? 110V outlets in the interior would be nice for road-tripping with electronics, too.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (8:04 am)A Volt dealer in New Hampshire? Perhaps in 2015.
1) Since the Old GM planned on the Volt costing $40,000, can we expect the New GM to produce the Volt for around $32,000, because of all the cost saving changes of your viability plan?
2) What is the size of the gas tank in the first IVER?
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Jun 7th, 2009 (9:05 am)I was extremely interested in this car until the production model was unveiled and strangely it looked a lot like a 1988 Chevrolet Beretta. What happened there? Are you going to continue to let the old curmudgeons at your company continually screw up your innovative work?
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Jun 7th, 2009 (10:10 am)My Question,
Since the battery is the big price part of the 40 mile range , I want to know if you intend or have given it any thought to having a Volt with only a 10 mile range that you dont have to plug in to charge up the battery ?
I want a Volt car that gets its power from the gas stations that are everywhere , not from some charging station that I have to search for .
I live in a high rise apartment building and charging up at home is out of the question .
I want a Series Volt with a small battery that I can put a larger battery pack in the future if I want or my life circumstances change and I rent a house with a power plug already available to me .
I could see paying 25,000 for this kind of Volt , but not a 40 mile 40,000 version .
I really dont want to plug in my car , just make it a very good mileage Series hybrid car to compete with the Prius .
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Jun 7th, 2009 (10:58 am)More a suggestion than a question:
Why not accept advance down-payments on the Volt?
Dealerships could accept the down-payment using a brochure to provide information. The customer would receive a number indicating where he/she is in line and an approximate date of delivery.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (11:02 am)I would like to know,
Since the Cruze got such fantastic reviews as the Volt mules do you plan to continue a good thing and make a pure electric Cruze EV since over 80% of people don’t travel over 40 miles per day anyway .
Seems like an ideal vehicle to compete head to head with the Ford Magna electric car . You know that you would have a winner here in the Cruze EV . Just increase the available range and use the newer batteries that charge up quickly and put the extra range in the former engine compartment with some capacitors from Maxwell .
Have you given that any consideration at all , it seems to me that it would be a natural and a win , win for everybody .
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Jun 7th, 2009 (11:11 am)How will the Volt program get impacted due to the bankrupcy?
Specifically:
- What is the new timeline for pilot production and full production of Volt?
- What infrastructure (i.e. home charging or street charging or other) would you depend on for initial release of the car?
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Jun 7th, 2009 (11:22 am)Toyota had a viable purley electric car (Rav4) in 2002, why can’t GM make a similar car 7 years later? Also, if you only lease the volt, like you did the EV-1, it will be very apparent that you are taking bribes from the oil industry and not trying to make a car that Americans want (every single person I know would buy a pure electric car if it were available, and none of us are interested in buying another ICE car). I may seem harsh, but GM has bilions of dollars of taxpayers money (my money), so I feel that makes you more responsible than ever to make a product that customers want, instead of making cars that the oil industry wants.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (12:18 pm)Please think of the “working poor” when setting prices for cars you expect us to buy. Keep in mind that GM has not built such a car since 1994. I know because I own one. (1994 Buick Century) It’s got over 160,000 on the clock and I’m still waiting for a viable replacement. The Volt sounded like a good idea… until you set the price. 40K is far more than I, and the millions of other “working poor” in America, will be able to afford. I guess I’ll have to buy a Toyota or Honda after all. Darned shame too – my uncle worked for GM over 30 years. Sure glad I don’t – I already did my government duty.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (1:08 pm)How about All-Wheel-Drive?
How about a small pickup truck?
How about a convertible?
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Jun 7th, 2009 (1:36 pm)Is GM going to have someone like Lee Iacocca to advertise GM vehicles on television? I think Fritz Henderson could successfully do it.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (2:40 pm)Have you looked into the super capacitor EEstor is about to produce? If EEstor’s product can be mass produced your lithium battery is already obsolete.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (3:18 pm)As several other commenters have said, I ask! Why did General Motors STOP building, collect and destroy the very popular…limited to California…ALL (GM) Saturn EV1? And “How can you claim your VOLT is the first generation of GM Electric Cars”? With the fantastic AMERICAN advances in battery technology (including Photovoltaic or Solar energy collectors) why are your prices so ridiculously out of the market? Has GM thought to drastically change anything, like buying out APTERA MOTORS and building a brand new shape at lower cost & lower price for AMERICANs that drive in the city everyday?
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Jun 7th, 2009 (3:31 pm)I bought my first GM car only a few years ago (a Malibu Maxx) and it’s best car I’ve owned. It was affordable, flexible, reliable, and econmomical. I can’t for the life of me figure out why GM decided to quit making it. If they started making it again, I’d buy a second one. Bad decision if you ask me, but that was the “old” GM. Let’s hope the “new” GM is smarter.
The Volt has the chance to change a way the world thinks about personal transportation. Not only can it save GM, it can save the planet. Let’s not blow it by making the first versions so expensive that it can’t gain enough traction to build momentum. So I would ask Mr. Henderson “how does GM plan to make the Volt affordable enough?” At $40,000 a copy (32K with some generous rebate program from the feds), it’s still pricey for the masses which is where it needs to be sold. I’d suggest that a base model should be offered that would be in the $30,000 range, then add options and make your money off those options.
As for options, I have two to recommend. One, offer a solar powered recharging unit. Solar energy could be captured and stored during the day and transferred to the Volt when the driver returns after work. Second, offer a natural gas fueled ICE for the Volt.
I think the only way to sell Volt in the sufficient quantities necessary to make the program a success is to market it as a way to reduce the world’s dependence on oil. Solar and/or natural gas combined with the great electric/battery technology in the Voltec system make a winner. You could market it as a car that never needs a drop of gasoline.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (3:54 pm)Mr Henderson. I am very unhappy of what has happen to GM , being an American I would love to see GM back on top. I can not understand why did it take GM this long to realize that it had to be a better company to compete in this global arena ??? For years our competetors have been producing better car while the bean counters at GM put profits before it’s customers and CEO’s & stock holders sucked the life blood out of GM. I am 45 and have had my fair share of GM cars but looking at what GM was building until recently did not make sense & some of the car still don’t make sense. I would also like to give you some input on this Volt that will hit the market est cost $34 K +++ for a Chevy who are you builing cars for . For $34K I will buy a entry level Benz or a BMW. The average American needs a 100K mile trouble free car for $20K just like the Japs & the Korean’s have been making for the past 20 Yrs. You really need to look at what all the WW2 vets & baby boomers are buying Honda’s & Toyota’s why don’t GM copy these models just like the competion did to GM. I know your going to say we are building better cars but the trust you have lost is going to take a long time to win back. Please get ads on TV & bash your competion show the public that not only GM but all American cars are better post the consumer rattings in the show rooms STOP with the BS that we need to join together & buy American. Why should I help GM when in the past you were not there for me.
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Jun 7th, 2009 (4:16 pm)HERE ARE SOME GOOD QUESTIONS:
***How do you plan to increase GM’s market share here in the United States?
***Will GM’s four core brands “fill the void/pick up the slack” of the four brands GM is shedding?
***Do you see any viability or purpose in reviving a discontinued brand in the future (i.e. Oldsmobile or soon to be Pontiac?)
***Is there a possibility GM may keep a small stake in the brands it is shedding?
***Do you think automobiles will be relevant 50 years from now? 100 years from now?
***Other than electrification and alternative fuel, what is the future of the automobile?
***Is the Voltec powertrain limited to the Delta II platform? Will we see applications in larger platforms?
***Do you think the new GM can again become the world’s largest automaker?
***Do you agree with other analysts’ views that the industry is consolidating?
***Does GM plan to enter the battery industry in some capacity (perhaps to diversify the company’s revenue)?
***Do you see the potential that Voltec technology can be licensed/sold to other automakers if it’s good enough?
THANK YOU!
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Jun 7th, 2009 (6:34 pm)Once again, a vehicle beond my means,, the rich get richer and the middle class will just dream of a car like this and keep paying $3 to $4 gal for gas,,, take my name off the list, toyota or Ford, here I come….
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Jun 7th, 2009 (9:57 pm)Observation:
A $7500 tax credit for the Volt? So, even if I don’t buy a Volt, as a taxpayer, I’ll be sharing the cost.
Questions for Fritz:
1. When will GM (Government Motors) start building Trebants? And how much of a tax credit will they fetch?
2. Now that the GM and Chrysler bond holders have been screwed, how do you plan to raise private capital? Or do you plan to just continue to feed at the public trough until Trebant sales improve?
3. Obama said he doesn’t want to interfere with GM’s day to day operations, but has made it clear he and the Democrats want GM to a) build small profitless cars rather than large profitable SUVs, b) do no outsourcing of production to China or other countries with lower manufacturing costs, and c) abandon plans to reduce the number of dealerships. So just what decisions are they allowing you to make? Naugahyde colors for the new GM Trebant?
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Jun 7th, 2009 (10:26 pm)Two factors will prevent GM from staying in existence for very long:
1. Labor costs (direct and indirect).
2. Engineering competitiveness (being “almost as good” is like a plane flying blind with the nose down 1 degree).
If Washington just keeps propping it up then in ten years we will be producing our own “Yugos.”
The issue of labor costs could be solved by telling Washington to take a hike, dissolving GM and selling it off in pieces to parts suppliers and start-ups (i.e. Saturn style).
The issue of engineering competitiveness can be solved by the same action – the start-ups can attract super-star engineers with stock options etc. with potential GM and Obama couldn’t begin to equal.
If you let GM dissolve this way and if present GM stock holders and creditors accept start-up shares as payment for the assets, then American innovation will have a chance to rise to the challenge as it has in other fields. If you don’t, you may as well close the doors right now and save us taxpayers $100B+.
Do you and GM have the guts to do this?
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Jun 8th, 2009 (6:41 am)I need a small pickup… but the numbers don’t work in GM’s favor when I compare against your competition. Basic, no frills transportation like back in the late 70’s – early 80’s like the the Chevy Luv would be greatly appreciated!
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Jun 8th, 2009 (8:42 am)Why were the bond holders forced to take significant loss their interests and the UAW wound up not only owning GM but not making any significant concessions.
This is utterly obscene. As a taxpayer I am subsidizing a company whose worst cost imbalance was not addressed in the bankruptcy guaranteeing there will one day be another reckoning.
I was a Volter, through and through, now I want nothing to do with GM, no check that, the thugs that run the UAW for their own benefit and don’t see fit to compete in the market.
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Jun 8th, 2009 (9:58 am)It is Monday morning and I know this is late, but I don’t have anything I would ask him. All the things happening is turning me off to GM.
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Jun 8th, 2009 (10:46 am)will he build an Aptera, will he build a Loremo, will he build an EV2, will he finally understand that the trick is light weight materials and real aerodynamics
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Jun 8th, 2009 (10:58 am)You know, I do have a question for Henderson. Lyle, ask him what was he doing while GM was hitting the skids towards bankruptcy for all those years he was in a position to do something about it. Here is a man who has been in the top management position for a number of years. Why wasn’t he doing his job and helping get GM on track financially? So what is new now? Just because he has helped get GM into Chapter 11 his past inadequacies have not been forgotten. Don’t let him say that he did not have anything to do with it or that he was not in a position to effect change. He did and he was.
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Jun 8th, 2009 (11:12 am)I liked the above video. Now if only GM can do what they say they are going to do. “Get down to business” is good, but they have got to get cost and quality under control. Every car needs to be the best in its class. No excuses, GM. Just get the job done. Do it right and you will own the market again. And then, maybe once you get the government paid back and they no longer own any part of GM, I will buy another GM vehicle. I would say the same for the UAW, but I suspect that will never happen. I don’t want either of them to own any part of GM.
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