The New GM will likely do an IPO in 2010. If they do that before the price and other key aspects of the Volt is announced, the market may not take it well. If they over price the volt, the market will not take it well. They need to see a GM that is agressively going to compete with Toyota. Its true the don’t have to beat the Plugin Prius on price, but being 6K more in cost and having lower highway milage or missing the AERV numbers could kill their IPO. Perception is a big element in the IPO world and so a low MSRP now (but still profitable in 2-3 years) actually could have a huge short term value as well.

It feels like GM may be intentionally holding back numbers, especially if they have an upside surprise, until its close to IPO time. They will want lots of positive press then, and just finally announcing numbers. With an IPO date of July 10 (last I read) it fits pretty well with the timetable for Volt announcements.

I’m waiting to see what they announce, but with a 14mile commute and 100+ mountain/highway trips 1-2x a month, I’ll still do the math and make the best value choice. When GM announces the price and remaining critical number for the volt, a lot of people will buy in, or write GM off as dead. I’ll be among them.

Even if its the right choice, I’ll never haggle on price and live in CO, so I still may not get one even if they hit the numbers.

Happy year of the new PHEV.

Skeptic: I hope that the Volt suceeds but given GMs past history on new technology including the Vega (all Aluminum engine), cylinder de-activiation (8-6-4-0), diesel cars, etc, I am not convinced. Also I think that the Volt will be overpriced. I think that the Nissan Leaf will be much more affordable and they will probably lease the battery which eliminates future owner liability and also lowers upfront cost. ..

I agree 100%. GM has never been able to roll out new technology without huge recalls. They should keep the 40k+ pricing, and only the EV fanatics will buy one. Those people understand all the irregularities of EV reliability.

After GM fixes all their mistakes, economy of scale and new competition from FORD will drive the price of the VOLT to the market.

I think GM would be smart to break even or lose some money on the 2011 Volts since they are only going to make 10,000-20,000 of them. The Volt needs to become a popular car right from the beginning. I’m sure GM would love to have the “good problem” of having people mad at them because they aren’t making enough Volts to satisfy demand.

One thing is for sure … the Volt is going to change the auto industry. The Wall Street oil speculators and fat cat oil sheiks will no longer be able drain our wallets at the gas pump anytime they feel like it! Cars like the Chevy Volt will be a powerful way for drivers to fight back.

People love to have OPTIONS. People don’t like to pay outrageous prices and have no choice in the matter. If and when gas prices return to $4+ a gallon, you’ll see LOTS of people flocking to dealerships to check out the Volt. Because of the Volt, we will be able to “fill ‘er up” with inexpensive electricity instead of this product called gasoline. We won’t NEED no stinking oil nearly as much. The next 10 years of the auto industry are going to be great.