GM has announced that the Chevrolet Cruze’s introduction in North America has been delayed, moving from April of 2010 into the third quarter, namely August. In the meantime, the Cobalt will soldier on until the Cruze’s arrival.
This news is especially of interest to the Volt community, because both it and the Cruze ride on the Delta II platform, share parts and have many commonalities.
When GM first revealed the Cruze to the public, it looked to have a huge jump on the competition, boasting a bold new look and mileage per gallon numbers starting with a four…unseen anywhere else in the GM lineup.
Unfortunately, the Cruze program has been slow to reach fruition domestically, and the lead over next generation offerings such as the new Ford Focus and Honda Civic, is eroding quickly. The Cruze has been on sale in Europe for much of 2009.
The official reason for the delay was because GM wanted to “ensure a flawless launch and to go to market with full availability of high volume content,” however there was quickly speculation in the media that there was supplier issues at work behind the scenes, and maybe even difficulty sourcing the engine lineup in time for the original launch date.
If the Cruze has indeed run into complications with sourcing, it would not be unreasonable to expect the Volt could face the same challenges when attempting to get to market as expected in November of next year.
I spoke to Lesley Hettinger at Chevy Communications, who is unofficially ‘the point for all things Cruze’ at GM, and she happily put those rumors to rest and offered some good information on the program:
“There are no supplier issues. Initially we planned a pull-ahead on Cruze timing with a start of production in the second quarter of 2010 in our plant in Lordstown, OH, we have since revised our production schedule and decided not to compress the program timing to ensure a flawless launch and to go to market with full availability of high volume content. Assembly of pre-production builds will begin in the second quarter of 2010, followed by start of regular production with the full model year in third quarter of 2010.”
Closer to home, on the topic of the Volt, Rob Peterson offered the following reassurances to us here at GM-Volt, “The Volt remains on schedule for November 2010 production launch. The Cruze timing has no impact on the Volt.”
Still, given that this is the second of GM’s new cornerstone products to be delayed (Chevrolet Camaro), and with the added complexities of electric drive added into the mix, one has to wonder if a similar fate to ‘ensure a flawless launch’ might still be in store for the Volt…and that might not be a bad thing in the long run.
This entry was posted on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 6:18 am and is filed under Production, Timeline. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Oct 30th, 2009 (6:19 am)I hope the Volt is not delayed. The competition is right on GM’s heals. By 2011 there will be a more EV type vehicles available.
But the Volt needs to be very reliable. Personally, I would rather wait a little bit to ensure this is the best vehicle they ever built.
+4
Oct 30th, 2009 (6:33 am)The Volt remains on schedule for November 2010 production launch
———–
Now Ladies and Gentlement that is a production launch not a full. launch, a sales launch, or a dealership launch and not a lunch of any kind. And it is a production launch which should never be confused with a production line or any variation thereof.
With gm we have learned that these adjectives always carry a meaning, but our decoder cards don’t always have the right combination to know what the meaning is. Will the new gm be giving us new decoders, or are we still using the ones from the old gm?
On a sadder note, a few days ago a big truck took down the “Chevrolet” sign from “my” dealership in Hillsborough NC. It’s been a great dealership for generations. Now there is no place for me to buy a Volt or even a new truck, should they someday become available in NC. Oh well, I hope you all like your cars. I will be envious.
Oct 30th, 2009 (6:47 am)it is worrisome that both cars will be released at the same time.. and with a vast difference in cost for two cars that are about the same size…
Perhaps we will see the halo effect if people come to look at a Volt and leave with a Cruze
Oct 30th, 2009 (6:47 am)My understanding of this is that it is a supplier issue.
The Cruze production will still happen before the Volt production just now it will be a couple of months before Volt production. The Volt initially will be very low volume compared to the Cruze so I don’t see this impacting the Volt launch.
+2
Oct 30th, 2009 (6:50 am)Herm,
Unfortunately the virtually simultaneous “launch” of Cruze destroys the identity of the Volt as a distinct car, at least visually, and visual leaves such a strong impression (think TV) that once people see the same thing they don’t think there really can be much difference “under the hood.” So then anybody trying to convince people that Volt is different is going to be trying to push water uphill.
It is the price now to be paid for making Volt on the cheap, styling wise.
Oct 30th, 2009 (6:54 am)Talk about over analyzing……
I think that the Volt project is so important to GM that they have to make the Nov, 2010 timeline for selling the first Volt. They may only have a few for sale by the end of the year, but they will be able to say they stuck to their timeline.
After all, just about every top GM official has said Nov, 2010. Has that been the case for the Cruze? I don’t seem to remember the Cruze April date being so set in stone, but maybe I am wrong on this one….
I guess only time will tell!
Oct 30th, 2009 (7:01 am)The Volt will have to be on time. There’s too much riding on it for GM to miss that date. If there is a delay that puts it into 2011 GM may not be able to recover its public image again.
Oct 30th, 2009 (7:02 am)Remember Two-Mode?
It was another new technology from GM. Delivery was “on schedule“, but so few were produced initially that the date itself really didn’t matter.
The question should really be how many do we think will be delivered within the first 6 months following November 2010.
+1
Oct 30th, 2009 (7:03 am)Focus on quality GM. Nobody will remember that you were 3 months delayed after the car comes out, but if you have 5 recalls in the first year that’s hard to shake. Spending more time on the Cruze in the end might help polish the volt as well.
+1
Oct 30th, 2009 (7:09 am)I’m not sure how to feel about the delay of the Cruze. This is a regular gasoline driven small car, the kind automakers have been making for about 100 years now, and they can’t get the thing to market in the U.S. any sooner than August??? And the real enigma is that it is already being made in China and Europe! What in the world is going on here? Is this a joke? They needed the Cruze in the U.S. market like yesterday. I voted an emphatic “No” in GM getting the Volt to market by 2010. Seriously, if they can’t even get their acts together to manufacture a typical ICE car, the Volt looks a whole lot more dubious now. Sorry for the negativity this morning, but maybe it needed to be said.
They’ve got to do better than this.
Oct 30th, 2009 (7:15 am)I, Dr. Who, the time lord could tell, but that would be cheating….
Is it still to early to take a wait and see attitude?
First cup of coffee down, more to come, blogging fingers engaged (day off work, or should I say furloughed?)
+4
Oct 30th, 2009 (7:17 am)Just thought I would touch in on the ‘Bob Lutz CTS-V’ challenge. Jaguar ended up pulling out, leaving several drivers stranded with no XF-Rs to race…they all got CTS-Vs to make up for it.
Anywhoo, Bob ended up losing to a BMW M3…finishing 7th overall.
Three CTS-Vs did end up finishing higher the BMW. It should be noted however that first, second and third all went to ‘ringer’/professional drivers for Caddy.
1. John Heinricy (Cadillac test driver) CTS-V — 2:46:560
2. Aaron Link (Caddy engineer/ Nurburgring Vet) CTS-V — 2:48:902
3. Brian Redman- (Racing icon/Grand Marshall of Monticello) — 2:49:596
4. Michael Cooper – (Licensed Driver) BMW M3 –2:50:424
—–
7. Bob Lutz- (VP of Marketing, GM): CTS-V — 2:56:321
Mr. Cooper’s bio for the BMW M3? He boasts having a driver’s license almost 5 years, and actually did ‘run what he brung’ in the truest sense …it was his own car (he did get some training to drive test tracks before the event however).
Of interest: There was a ‘mystery driver’ added to the field, who put on a bit of a show for Speed as well… Corvette racer Johnny O’Connell, who covered everyone in pwnsauce after the event was over)
+7
Oct 30th, 2009 (7:20 am)First of all, the accusation of “styling on the cheap” makes no sense
whatsoever. The shape of a car’s sheet metal is fairly independent of cost. We all know that the styling was done for aerodynamic drag reasons, and to claim otherwise is just factually wrong.
Second, the Cruze and the Volt are not identical sister cars. They share a common, yet invisible, underpinning. What people see when they look at a car is the sheet metal, the interior, and the dashboard, all of which are unique to the Volt.
So I don’t believe your concerns are well founded.
Oct 30th, 2009 (7:23 am)As with any large project, the initial estimated completion date is rarely met.
GM cannot just bring the car into the US and release it. Along with all the logistics of actually gearing up a plant to build it, and all the supplier issues (I do not believe for a minute that supplier issues are not a problem, they ALWAYS are. Not all the problems lay in the lap of suppliers, but you can bet they have their fair share).
Also, you need to meet all the safety and emmision standards of the US, which require a lot of paperwork and testing. This ain’t easy or quick.
I would actually consider the Cruze, but only consider it. I need to see it, touch it, drive it, and read about it. I usually shy away from first models, but if I like what I see, at a price I can afford, this could be my next car.
+3
Oct 30th, 2009 (7:27 am)Let’s toast to an October launch of the Volt… It’d be great to see them beat the schedule slightly, and would give them a lot of clout in the EV world.
Oct 30th, 2009 (7:29 am)Hi Statik,
What the heck is the little red “tag” on the lower front grill of the Bemmer?
Nice to see ya’ posting again!
Take care.
+1
Oct 30th, 2009 (7:30 am)What gm officials have said more often is “..by the end of the year…” but maybe it doesn’t matter. As you said, all they have to do is arrange to sell one or two someplace in November.
+2
Oct 30th, 2009 (7:40 am)My thoughts exactly
+1
Oct 30th, 2009 (7:41 am)I’ve never seen a real Volt and never seen a real Cruze, so I have to respond from looking at the pictures. What I see is the same car with slightly different trim levels. They are both moderately stylish small cars. I agree that the Volt has, visually, a slightly nicer and more upscale trim level. It is not a criticism of either to say they look about the same.
No doubt aero was an important factor in designing both and helps Cruze get high mpg, but gm clearly was looking for cost savings in making Volt, which after all is a low volume car, a variant of the high-volume Cruze. And, as noted above, it may be that the gm marketing plan is to get people to come out and see a Volt and then, after looking around, to buy a Cruze. It would be similar to what has been done by them for generations, with various combinations.
Please keep in mind that I am a Volt supporter. The fact that a Volt looks like a Cruze does not mean it is a Cruze, but I do think it makes it harder to get someone to “see” the difference.
+3
Oct 30th, 2009 (7:42 am)Big deal,
A car is delayed from a company coming out of bankruptsy. The delay is not all that big anyway. Its a 2011 model and it is still coming out before 2011. Most people in the public could care less.
Many new products end up delayed a little. Think Microsoft with all of their billions of cash.
For a company like GM that has lost a lot of staff and had to cut costs in many areas, a delay of this size is no big deal. The Cobalts are still being produced. There is no hole in the market.
I just hope the Cruze actually beats 40 mpg on the highway. Then it won’t matter if it is 6 months late.
As for being similar to the Volt, that is great. Remember, most people will not be able to buy a Volt. Volts may be on 6 month back order. The Cruze gives them somthing to consider. In this way, Volt is the perfect Halo car. It gives GM some credibility and for most people, the Cruze will be a better choice (since a $30-40,000 car is not really a choice for many anyway).
+1
Oct 30th, 2009 (8:03 am)I agree.
+1
Oct 30th, 2009 (8:06 am)I second the agreement.
Oct 30th, 2009 (8:07 am)23.
Guy Incognito Says:
October 30th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Quote Rob Peterson, in the 9th paragraph:
“The Volt remains on schedule for November 2010 production launch. The Cruze timing has no impact on the Volt.”
Thank you Rob, that’s very reassuring.
395 days, and counting.
=D~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-4
Oct 30th, 2009 (8:12 am)Old GM had a reputation for “over-promise, under-deliver”.
New GM seemed to be following the same trend. This does appear to be breaking that by resetting expectations to not be so high. Being realistic about the price of Volt is helping too.
Volt is a massive project. Now that the bankruptcy effects are becoming evident, what should we expect for Volt production?
Oct 30th, 2009 (8:52 am)HowDee JEC
It is a tow hook, it was on all the cars.
Oct 30th, 2009 (8:57 am)….man those M3′s are clean looking cars…
I agree with you RB…and I have seen a production Volt in person (NY auto show)….I couldnt touch it but I certainly saw it….I think this news could be problematic for those so-called regular consumer people to “see” the difference if and/or when they are “looking” at the Cruze and the Volt parked next to each other at the dealership, (much less once they compare the prices)
I remember when GM used the phrase “….the spirit of the concept desgin…” regarding the design changes for the production Volt …well that spirit is certainly visible between these two sisters WAY WAYmore than that of the concept (the concept design only lives on in the current Camaro)
sorry going on about that damn concept again…you guys shouldnt have posted those old pictures the other day — I’m regressing here !!!
ok… mantra time….
its about the electrification of the automobile not about how cool it looks…
its about the electrification of the automobile not about how cool it looks…
its about the electrification of the automobile not about how cool it looks…
OK…feeling better…
+2
Oct 30th, 2009 (8:59 am)About 2 years ago, prior to the financial meldown, the Volt project was described as a moon shot on a tight schedule and with very little or no room for problems.
In the grand scheme of things, I find it amazing that GM still stands by the Nov 2010 date (no slips from 2 years ago). How can this be given the loss of staff, loss of sales, and general financial storm that GM has had to weather?
Either they have scaled back the magnitude of the Nov 2010 rollout (i.e., they will roll out in very small numbers and meet the date on paper only), or they are simply working at an amazing pace to keep on schedule. The real story is probably a little of both.
+3
Oct 30th, 2009 (9:01 am)I have always thought this was part of the plan. The public comes in to see the great new Volt and loves it! But many can’t afford it they say “wow that is a great car better then anything I have ever driven I would love to buy one but the payments are just to high.”
So a good salesman says “I understand, the Volt is really something. By the way have you seen the Cruse it has a lot in common with the Volt on the plus side it even seats 5 and it gets over 40MPG and I can get you one for 1/2 the cost of a Volt. Lets go drive one OK?”
Chevy sells a limited number of Volts and works on getting the cost down well they sell a million Cruse. Great plan and it works best if they come out close to the same time.
Oct 30th, 2009 (9:04 am)I’ll third the agreement and remind folks that the Volt won’t see a nation-wide release at launch. For the 40+ states with no Volt availability, the Cruze will be the efficiency representative for Chevy.
Oct 30th, 2009 (9:04 am)John,
I would expect issues to arise and if they are significant the schedule slips, if not they attempt to remedy the problem ASAP, and hold to the schedule.
If I were an optimist, I would say they meet that Nov time line. But, my pessimistic side says they will have issues that need significant time to resolve. I want GM to succeed, like many here. So, the real issue is schedule versus quality, as usual. If GM can meet both, then they have something special, and if they slip on one, it should be schedule.
Just the way it is. This would apply to all the auto manuf. not just GM. Welcome to the real world.
+1
Oct 30th, 2009 (9:09 am)Well the Cruze is available in New Zealand, but as it does not run on electricity I, really, could not care less about it. Although I was interested to see the diesel version gets 47MPG.
LJGTVWOTR
HAS Plug? HAVE sale.
Oct 30th, 2009 (9:19 am)This delay has disturbing implications for the Volt.
“Nobody will remember” because they will buy a competitor’s car in the mean time.
An inferior product right now will not meet customer’s needs, but neither will a refined product that is not available when the customer needs it.
-3
Oct 30th, 2009 (9:25 am)Daewoo Lacetti(aka Cruze) has launched in November 2008 and is currently on sale in UK and Mexico.
The US could have had Cruze last spring if GM would just import it from Daewoo instead of trying to set up a US production.
Oct 30th, 2009 (9:25 am)Statik,
Once again you have provided us with a great report. Keep up the good work. We still miss your daily input on this site. Looking forward to seeing more from you in the future.
Oct 30th, 2009 (9:27 am)The Cobalt has so little headroom that anyone over 5 feet tall has to look elsewhere. I would say that people of average height and above who want an efficient car constitute a huge hole in the market.
Oct 30th, 2009 (9:53 am)Yeah..but the initial Cruze launch was old GM.
New GM making a more proper and realistic one. GM cannot afford mistakes on ANY new product. Rather than rush a needed an new product and potentially have issues and hence bad PR, I like that they are deciding not to rush it, and get it right.
+1
Oct 30th, 2009 (9:57 am)Actually I am 6 ft tall and I rented a Cobalt recently. I didn’t notice any discomfort of limited headroom. Then again, maybe I am just a freakishly disporportioned person with 4-ft long legs and stubby torso, but I don’t think so…. More likely it’s that fact thay my head resembles a cueball, so I don’t have the annoyance of my hair touching the celing.
Bob G: The Cobalt has so little headroom that anyone over 5 feet tall has to look elsewhere. I would say that people of average height and above who want an efficient car constitute a huge hole in the market. (Quote)
Oct 30th, 2009 (9:58 am)well the cruze has already been released in korea and later in india and i dont why it takes long to bring to the american market.
+1
Oct 30th, 2009 (10:01 am)I agree that the Cobalt has a headroom issue. I am 6’2″ and have to lean the seat back to have head room.
I hope the Cruze is better but this is not for sure.
I am concerned about headroom in the Volt also. GM has been really lowering the roof on their latest cars. This drops the frontal area and helps with the highway mileage but I would rather have the extra two inches of headroom myself.
Oct 30th, 2009 (10:04 am)Actually, it is a transponder. It measures lap times, and is very common in Rally, Auto-X, Road Courses, etc…
Oct 30th, 2009 (10:04 am)I stand 6′ 1″ tall and have have rented a Cobalt. And although a small car, I didn’t notice headroom problems. The MPG was very good.
Hearing the recent test drive feedback. The Cruze is designed around styling and comfort. It will sell in higher volume than the Cobalt.
http://www.evchargernews.com/regions/93101_1.htm
=D~
Oct 30th, 2009 (10:11 am)Exactly. Smart move.
Oct 30th, 2009 (10:15 am)I was in South Korea this past summer and saw a Cruze on the streets there. If Chevy can put a Cruze in South Korea, why not South Carolina?
Oct 30th, 2009 (10:16 am)I’m 6’4″ with 32 in inseam (long torso) and I was fine. Weird.
Oct 30th, 2009 (10:25 am)Yeah, great, the same day the Cruze gets delayed several months. I heard Mr. Lutz interviewed about this on NPR last night. He didn’t sound too happy about the BMW, LOL.
The NPR guy asked him if this didn’t sound like something from the old days of GM, before annoyances like bankruptcy and global warming, but Lutz just laughed it off. NPR also had an extensive feature this AM about the likelihood of the taxpayers ever getting their money back out of GM. Slimski and noneski, as Jim Healy used to say. I wonder how much this little soiree cost?
Bob Lutz has the honor of appearing as “Captain Bobvious” In the current Autoweek. I hereby nominate him as “Captain Irrelevant”.
+1
Oct 30th, 2009 (10:28 am)Just drop a battery in the cobalt and get something out this year. How about a Cobalt EV model. Doesn’t seem that complicated really. People do EV conversions all the time.
Oct 30th, 2009 (10:29 am)OK I am not over 6′ tall but I have rented the Cobalt. I thought it was a fine car. I must admit I like the HHR a lot more. That is my first choice to rent.
+1
Oct 30th, 2009 (10:32 am)Cruze and Spark are running all over the world other than NA.
While i talked to my brother in india, He told cruze is a 2 litre 5 speed manaul in india. The 1.4L engine is not there.Aus has 2 trims.
I checked in some sites and found sparc is already on roads in Korea and the name is matiz creative ( check you tube – you may see some nice commercials )
3 months delay is not a big issue but quality may be very important .
Again incremental updates ( which GM is bad in – i dont see any difference between a 2009 malibu and 2010 malibu ) for all the cars is very important than selling same model for 5 yrs and then have to start from base. Instead they should plan for incremental updates and improve all time. Typical example was EV1, then came with EV1 serial hybrid concept , then shut off, later huge money spending for Volt. Same with Aztek – aero design – then stop. They should have gone for hybrd power trains, aero refinements etc and get that as a brand like prius. Now Aztek influences almost all designs.
Cruze india :
http://www.chevycruze.in/
Holden cruze:
http://www.holden.com.au/vehicles/Cruze
Matiz creative teasers :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htbvdk9uFSU
Oct 30th, 2009 (10:33 am)They need a double bubble like the Fiat Abarth Zagato, LOL.
Oct 30th, 2009 (10:38 am)Yup. Good catch. Held on by zip ties too, good racer stuff. You would think that they could have sprung for black zip ties at such a classy event, hehehe. I even have one for my ’55 Corvette, LOL.
Oct 30th, 2009 (10:46 am)Here’s the good news. My brother bought a new 2009 Aveo 5 yesterday. $3500 off sticker PLUS 0% APR. Now that’s a deal!
He is a tough shopper and looked at every hatchback in the LA marketplace, and it was the best deal, far and away. Plus, he bought it through the Chevy website with one phone call and one email from the dealership. “What’s your best price?” They sent it in an email. “Sold.” The salesman stayed 30 minutes past quitting time to sign the papers and take the deposit. Now that’s the way to sell cars.
Well done Chevy.
See, I can come up with something positive once in awhile, LOL.
Oct 30th, 2009 (11:04 am)Or like this:
http://pagesperso-orange.fr/Jas-n-Geoff/Geoff/homer.jpg
Oct 30th, 2009 (11:12 am)Pretty good showing from Lutz on time. The Cadillac CTS-V and BMW M3 are both sticker priced around $60k.
=D~
Oct 30th, 2009 (11:19 am)RB,
Cary is only 30miles away and has a Chevy dealership, Rick Hendrick Chevrolet.
Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.
Oct 30th, 2009 (11:27 am)Your right it is a transponder…held on by a tow hook.
/I split the difference with you, (=
Oct 30th, 2009 (11:34 am)Thanks for the update Statik. That dude mauled Lutz by 6 seconds and lost to a professional driver by less than 4? Well Lutz is getting pretty old.
+3
Oct 30th, 2009 (11:34 am)Unfortunately GM can’t sell a non US Daewoo without updates for FMVSS and EPA standards. And a small cars margins are so low currently that it would be difficult to make a business case for bringing them long term from overseas.
Considering the issues and the political backlash of importing more foreign made cars as GM vehicles, how would it be advantageous for GM to try this in South Korea when, even if the cars reworking resulted in successful US sales, the same reworking would soon have to be repeated stateside?
Oct 30th, 2009 (11:40 am)Actually, it probably isn’t fair to say he finished 7th. Of the actual contestants (stripping out the pros/ringers), he finished he finished 4th…which is not bad considering he is 77. (Cooper is 21)
1. BMW M3 – Michael Cooper 2:50.4
2. CTS V Jack Baruth (from TTAC) 2:51.1
3. CTS V Lawrence Ulrich, (journalist) 2:53.1
4. CTS V Bob Lutz 2:56.32
————————-
5. BMW M5 3:05.3
6. Mitsubishi Lancer Evo MR 3:08.1
7. CTS V 3:14.2
8. Jaguar XF SC 3:15.6
9. Audi RS4 3:15.6
Oct 30th, 2009 (11:51 am)Very cool. 5 door, no less. Maybe they can stuff a 1.4 turbo in that. Spark SS? I’ll take one.
Oct 30th, 2009 (11:51 am)The Cruz made for the North American market will have a 1.4L direct- injection turbocharged four-cylinder engine under the hood. Judging from the following article in Motor Trend:
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/112_0905_chinese_chevrolet_cruze/engines.html
the vehicle produced in China did not provide the performance the U.S. market would demand. There are several issues addressed in the article that may be the reasons for delay of theCruz launch here in the states. I, for one, will be looking at the Cruz as an alternative to the Volt. Then when the price is more afforable, i will trade the Cruz in for a Volt.
Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.
Oct 30th, 2009 (12:00 pm)Good point. I guess if they are willing to gear up and build them in Lordstown, I should be willing to make allowances. Given that they are in production overseas, can we infer that this is more of a production process problem than a design problem? Or is the configuration enough different here that the design is considerably different?
Unni says at #47 that the Indian version is 2 liter with a 5 speed manual. So that’s a pretty big difference from a 1.4T with a 6 speed (I hope) auto. I wonder what the power trains are in Korea, et al?
-9
Oct 30th, 2009 (12:01 pm)In the same old GM fashiion, everyting GM will bw late. Yup, this is still the same old GM. Nothing new here. Glad our tax money went to a slow producing non profit company.
Oct 30th, 2009 (12:01 pm)I agree with you Jim. When potential buyers look at the performance data they will see that the Volt is a different vehicle. I wonder about how well the turbocharged four cylindar engine will increase performance over the Cruz vehicles made in China.
Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.
Oct 30th, 2009 (12:05 pm)LOL. That would work. Maybe it should be a dealer installed option, LOL. I have to confess that I prefer the Zagato solution, however. I wonder if you would actually use 4 bubbles for a sedan, or just continue the front ones on back. Maybe like the fin on a D-Type Jaguar, LOL.
I could see it if it would up the AER a bit, hehehe.
BTW, that’s 3 LOLs in one comment, so you must be doing good work!
+1
Oct 30th, 2009 (12:11 pm)Thanks for the excellent link. Direct injection? I don’t remember hearing that. Very cool!
I think that the tire issue they raise probably comes from the use of low rolling resistance tires to help the mileage. Clearly, there is a tradeoff between rolling resistance and grip.
44 mpg highway sounds great, but I wonder what the city and the combined are? They very carefully avoid mentioning those. I don’t find the highway very relevant, and object to its use as a marketing tool. The real number is the combined, IMHO.
+1
Oct 30th, 2009 (12:12 pm)Off topic…
Apparently Frank Weber is moving back to Europe to join Opel/Vauxhall senior leadership team.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=aa.k3cP_qhsQ
Is our beloved Volt in trouble?
Oct 30th, 2009 (12:16 pm)Turbos are great, as long as the engine is strong enough to stay together. Just keep turning up the boost until you get what you need, hehehe. The Cobalt SS is totally amazing. 2.0L, 260 hp. It turns lap time at Willow Springs which humiliate WRXs and Mitsu Evos. I bet it would keep up with a CTS V, LOL.
-2
Oct 30th, 2009 (12:18 pm)Bob, If you want I can drop a terd in a box and call it fuel efficient (I’ve got time). I’ll be out first but all you’ve got is a fuel efficient piece of S&@T. But as someone who’s never owned a GM product and looking to be convinced by them I want a quality product and I’ll be happy waiting into 2011 if I know that what I get is a great finished product. There is nothing short of the fisker on the map that competes with the volt. Yes other BEV’s are coming but 3 months or even 6 months probably won’t convince someone to jump technologies at this stage in the electrification game.
-2
Oct 30th, 2009 (12:25 pm)That’s where all the fuel efficient cars go that’s built by GM and funded by taxpyers in the US.
Shame on GM!
Oct 30th, 2009 (12:29 pm)Is the volt in trouble? I would guess not, the program is wrapping up and it would make sense that Weber might want to be at Opel to ensure the Ampera gets made.
+6
Oct 30th, 2009 (12:59 pm)Agreed in part. I have owned two GM products. The last one a piece of junk. I too want the Volt to be a good finished product. Not just for me, but for all buyers and especially for GM. GM needs a clear winner. Volt is the flag ship car for this. GM knows how important this is. Notice how many companies are putting GM down for this effort. I say Screw Them! GM will come out the winner here. They are not rushing this car to market. They are testing the he11 out of it.
This is how they will regain their good name.
A few years ago, I was the last person that would buy a GM product.
Today, I would be happy to be the first person to own the Volt.
Oct 30th, 2009 (1:11 pm)+1 Rashiid
Oct 30th, 2009 (1:16 pm)The Cruz built in China equiped with the 1.6L engine takes over 12 seconds to go 60 mph. The Daewoo Lacettii has the same engine. It would hardly be acceptable to North American buyers and in no way competitive with other manufacturers vehicles of the same class. GM was planning on mating the Cruz with a 1.4L direct-injection turbocharged four cylinder engine for buyers in the states; however, the following article indicates that DI may not be included;
http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f12/technical-analysis-gms-1-4l-engine-69615/
The engine will still be supercharged. Note the article was dated some time ago. If anyone knows what the current status of DI in the 1.4L engine, please post a comment here.
Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.
Oct 30th, 2009 (1:32 pm)90 days in the creation of a new product is no more than an exhale.
Don’t sweat it and barely worth mentioning….
Just one part in back log and then shipping time is an easy 30 days…
Oct 30th, 2009 (2:27 pm)“Still, given that this is the second of GM’s new cornerstone products to be delayed (Chevrolet Camaro), and with the added complexities of electric drive added into the mix, one has to wonder if a similar fate to ‘ensure a flawless launch’ might still be in store for the Volt…and that might not be a bad thing in the long run.”
Then again, it might be par for the course for a business that is traditionally slow and cumbersome.
Respectfully,
Dr. Ibringdoh
Oct 30th, 2009 (2:29 pm)Me too. +1 Thanks. He’s running up some big numbers lately.
Oct 30th, 2009 (2:34 pm)If you look at the link to Motor Trend posted by LRGVProVolt at #59, MT specifically states that it is DI. Do they know what they’re taliking about? I dunno, it sort of surprised me. But it does seem like a strong indication.
Oct 30th, 2009 (4:19 pm)I doubt that DI is out for the Cruze, if it is I seriously doubt the MPG numbers would be what they are claiming.
Oct 30th, 2009 (8:00 pm)I believe it is an electrical “kill switch”, a common safety requirement for track cars.
Oct 30th, 2009 (8:00 pm)deleted
Oct 30th, 2009 (8:01 pm)deleted
Oct 30th, 2009 (9:00 pm)I knew you would be back! Thus, that long goodbye speech was for nothing. You even had some members crying (not me of course).
Oct 31st, 2009 (1:58 pm)Now that I read this, I do remember this article. They seem to state pretty unequivocally that it wiil NOT be DI. This would appear to be a GM publication, so maybe they do know more than MT. It’s beyond me. Anyway, good link. Thanks.
M publication
Oct 31st, 2009 (2:29 pm)The poll doesn’t include an option for “The Volt will go to select special customers in November of 2010, but I’ll probably have to wait until 2012 to get mine”.
Oct 31st, 2009 (2:33 pm)Actually, Johnny had it right at #40. It’s a timing transponder.
Nov 4th, 2009 (3:37 pm)I am 5′ 10″. On the GM small cars that I have driven (e.g., Cobalt, G6), the roof is low (presumably for aerodynamics) and the steering wheel is placed far away (presumably to protect the driver from the death bag). Someone with a normal to tall torso needs to lean the seat back to fit under the roof, but unless they have extremely long arms, reaching the steering wheel is difficult.
I don’t have this problem in the HHR, or in cars from other manufacturers. If they put this same screwy driver position in the Volt, I’ll have to get a custom lowered seat made or buy something else.