The 2012 Chevrolet Volt was recently named by Kelley Blue Book as the “Best Electric Car” in its 2012 Best Resale Value Awards.
The Volt’s resale value according to the car value estimation source is 42 percent at 36 months, and 27 percent at 60 months.
The reviewers’ projection could be seen as a mixed blessing, as compact internal combustion powered vehicles scored better percentage-wise, but Kelley’s editors nonetheless offered high praise for the top electric car.
“The Chevrolet Volt can arguably be considered the ultimate green machine,” led off Kelley Blue Book. “From its seats made from recyclable materials to its innovative electric drivetrain, the Volt bleeds eco-friendly from head to toe.”
And to be sure, the Volt did beat out its often-compared battery electric rival, the Nissan Leaf, which placed second with a 39 percent estimated resale value at 36 months, and 25.5 percent at 60 months.
The Volt is a compact-class car. It also represents brand-new technology, and the market is yet adapting to it, deciding how it will place its bets and ultimately value electric vehicles.
As such, it may not be surprising at this juncture that the long-established Honda Civic was named “Best Compact Car,” and its estimated value at 36 months was 56.5 percent, and at 60 months it is projected to be 41.0 percent.
But how much stock should even be placed in the Hondas’s estimation? Although Kelley called the 2012 Civic number one, this same car was recently near the top of another list put together by Forbes magazine.
The inauspicious distinction of being one of Forbes “Worst car flops of 2011” also belongs to the 9th-generation Civic.
“The 2012 redesign plummeted in Consumer Reports scores from one of the best small cars to one of the worst,” said Forbes of Kelley’s top pick. “Its nimble handling was replaced with a ‘soggy’ suspension, and braking distances are too long. The interior quality also declined, with lots of hard plastics throughout the cabin.”
So go figure.
Could it be that the old paradigm is yet positively valuing the latest expression of a former pinnacle, but Chevy’s new EREV is positioned to rocket to new heights from here?
Time will tell, but there surely is room for error in anyone’s projection, and this is true also for what could be undervalued electrified vehicles. In the budding industry, the Volt had limited competition, and the market will see some adjustments as more electrified vehicles come online, and actual years of hindsight, supply, demand, and other factors enable a clearer picture.
Kelley’s conservative estimate also falls in line with a story we ran in May documenting conservative lease residual values placed on the Volt and other electrified cars.
As is true for insurance underwriters, any type of institutional investor placing odds on something will want the deck stacked in its favor as much as possible.
While possibly disappointing to those who see what electrified vehicles represent, conservative estimations of what they will really be worth are virtually to be expected as no one wants to lose.
Also, just as consumer knowledge and awareness for electrified vehicles is expected to catch up to what is patently obvious to GM-Volt readers, their resale value should increase as well.
This said, the Volt’s Kelley value estimation is still a positive portent. The Volt has won numerous other unqualified accolades, and it can now say it offers the highest estimated resale value.
So for now, although every EV is seeing its wings clipped, the Volt is still number one.
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This entry was posted on Friday, November 18th, 2011 at 5:55 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
+11
Nov 18th, 2011 (6:28 am)The 2012 Volt should have the best resaie value, it’s brand new! Imagine an even higher resale value for the HOV Volt model for California. This is more great news for GM.
Got to see another red Volt last night. We were both parked at Fashion Island enjoying the free ChargePoint charge stations. There’s a new EV car dealer that moved into the mall, and they celebrated in style. With the LA Auto Show in full swing, it’s a great time to search for perfect transportation. The demand for GM Volt should be higher than ever.
+5
Nov 18th, 2011 (7:55 am)Reason number 857.
+10
Nov 18th, 2011 (8:22 am)But I thought that the Volt would depreciate like crazy because the battery will fail within a few years? My cell phone only lasts two years so the Volt can’t last more than 3 or 4, right?
There are only 4 seats, my cousin has 3 kids so the Volt won’t work for anyone!
I hate Government Motors!
The Volt is vapor-ware! We will never see one on the road!
Whew!
I just had to get that off my chest.
+9
Nov 18th, 2011 (8:26 am)So my dream of an off-lease Volt in about 2015 for $17k is alive!
+14
Nov 18th, 2011 (8:55 am)You forgot to mention that if you’re involved in a serious collision in a Volt AND you remain in the car for three weeks it might catch fire. (Whenever I’m involved in a serious collision I do not remain in the car for three weeks BUT I always ask the tow truck driver to park the car next to a lot of flammable materials) The Volt is also evil because the ICE can deliver mechanical power DIRECTLY to the wheels! (never mind that it improves efficiency) Furthermore, Neil Cavuto says plugging in the Volt will result in a lot of divorces. With all of these drawbacks I can’t imagine why so many people are excited about the Volt. You guys must be crazy or something.
+4
Nov 18th, 2011 (9:06 am)Good article, but not surprising.
Bad sarcasm. I see some volt owners sense of humor has already seriously depreciated.
+6
Nov 18th, 2011 (9:08 am)ziv,
ziv on 3,
You are being funny, right? Just for those who might take you seriously.
-19
Nov 18th, 2011 (9:15 am)(click to show comment)
Nov 18th, 2011 (9:27 am)So for those of us who leased, what does it look like we’ll be able to buy them for when the lease is up? Or would it be cheaper to let the lease go and go grab one that is turned in by someone else?
+12
Nov 18th, 2011 (9:33 am)Jim Fallston Md.,
Jim, wake up, ziv was “tongue in cheek.”
+5
Nov 18th, 2011 (9:52 am)I saw an episode of Big Bang Theory where Sheldon (a character with a touch of aspergers disease) had to be told with a sign when someone was being sarcastic. MichaelH is now holding up that sign Jim
+11
Nov 18th, 2011 (9:57 am)Hate to rain on your buy a used Volt parade but I plan on putting my Volt in my Will with a stipulation it never be sold outside the immediate family.
NPNS!
Volt#671
+1
Nov 18th, 2011 (10:05 am)Weren’t a lot of 2011′s leased? Some states didn’t have incentives and I think a lot of people leased to save on payments. So, there should be a good number off lease early into 2014. Also, cross your fingers for drop in new-prices during that time. $35K base is what I’m hoping to see to generate higher retail sales into 2014.
+5
Nov 18th, 2011 (10:25 am)I wonder if these residuals consider the tax credit? My guess is no, which is why the electrics don’t look as good as the ICE vehicles but will outperform them handily.
Makes a big difference. If a Volt has an MSRP of $40K and you get a $7.5K tax credit, then the effective cost is $32.5K. This means that loboc’s $17K off lease Volt actually has a residual of 52%. If you do the calculation without the credits the residual drops to 42.5% (more or less what they’re saying). My guess is the residual price will actually be somewhat higher, being able to drive for $.01/mile is appealing, especially if gas prices stay high, but that’s still minimal depreciation as these things go.
+5
Nov 18th, 2011 (11:21 am)I think they undervalued the Volt and overvalued the LEAF. In five years, I would think that the Volt with its understressed, temperature managed battery would be a far better, far safer buy than the LEAF whose battery has no active temperature management system and has been subjected to several cold winters and hot summers and who knows how many stressful quick charges.
+4
Nov 18th, 2011 (11:31 am)Happy Sarcasm Day Everyone !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
((( Not. )))
+2
Nov 18th, 2011 (11:43 am)The tax credit does not reduce the MSRP or the residual in reality. It’s the same as holding a PC on the books for 5 years, but, it’s really junk for the last three.
But, I’m thinking similarly that the 36-month actual depreciation will be half of the actual cost, so, around 17k would be correct (half of 35k). To a non-believer, a used Volt will be very scary. I’m counting on it! Scary cars depreciate quicker.
I’m currently driving a 13k car that had an MSRP of 38k. My wife’s high-mileage car cost me 16k (one-year-old) and the MSRP was 30k.
Driving a new car off the lot is probably the least value for the money spent on the planet. (Well, maybe military stuff is slightly worse.)
+4
Nov 18th, 2011 (11:44 am)Joe, you are right, I should have done a sarc tag! LOL
I just feel so good about seeing Volts getting sold in larger numbers and seeing them in the wild. I have been reading Dr. Lyle for years hoping to see this day and I am glad Jeff is keeping this site running!
Just saw Jim in Fallstons comment, yeah, I really should have put in a sarc tag on my comment.
+12
Nov 18th, 2011 (11:50 am)Sorry Ziv, I get tired of seeing that crap from people who are actually serious about it.
+4
Nov 18th, 2011 (12:12 pm)Jim in Fallston, plus ones from me. I hate the negativity that has surrounded the Volt for so long, usually from people that were either ill-informed or just hateful. I should have made my sarcasm a bit more obvious but no harm done. I even tried to beard the lion in his own den by jumping into Mickey Kaus’s blog entry responses about the Volts disappearing and by the end I think that even a few of my fellow conservatives were willing to give the Volt a second look. Maybe… LOL
Nov 18th, 2011 (12:20 pm)Very key point, Don! Whoever got (or will get) rebates/credits needs to take this into account. Doing so could very well make your Volt’s resale value above that of many ice cars (as well as the best for EVs).
+4
Nov 18th, 2011 (12:51 pm)Speaking of seeing one on the road, I just saw my first Volt in the wild 2 days ago in the Montreal area in Canada.
I followed it for a while. The driver was extra careful with the car, accelerating slowly, braking gently. Must have been brand new.
Alright, I’ll admit it, I was jealous !
+2
Nov 18th, 2011 (1:07 pm)Tall Pete,
Tall Pete, I have a neighbor that has the 2012 in Crystal Red, looks very nice, and yes, I might be a bit jealous, too!
What I can’t wait for is when so many have been sold that I have one or more in the parking lot at the building I work at. Right now we have 2 or 3 Priii, 2 Ford Escape Hybrids and a Lincoln MKZ hybrid, (plus one lime green Vespa scooter I wouldn’t be caught dead on) and there are only 60 or 70 parking spots. Add a couple Volts to that mix and it gives an anecdotal glimpse of what our national gasoline demand might do in the next 3 or 4 years. Plus, when the next gasoline price spike happens, nearly everyone will have a friend or relative that simply won’t care what the price of gas is because they use so little of it. That lesson will sink in.
Nov 18th, 2011 (1:08 pm)Loboc,
I knew you would say that! +1
It will be interesting to see what the off-lease price range actually ends up being. It could be quite a bit higher if there are lots of folks like you (and me) in line.
Nov 18th, 2011 (1:53 pm)Don make a great point, +1 – I don’t think they included the tax credit.
Is there anyone here driving a leased Volt? I’m still contemplating a lease vs. a buy, then a purchase at the end of the lease. I think today’s information supports a purchase pretty well. My whole plan is looking towards the pace of battery tech improvements vs. the cost of replacing the battery. I am a convert, I haven’t always been the huge Volt fan I am today. I have to tell Ziv I was once one who doubted GM back when I first visited this site back in ’07. You can go back then and find me echoing some the points you sarcastically listed. Most of all, I doubted GM’s committment. I’m still a bit on the fence with GM as a whole – watching with interest each day to see if they will carry through with the momentum of Volt. The Spark EV seems a good move being that the Focus EV is unbearingly overpriced at this point. An EV in the just-larger-than-Fiat-500 class seems a good bet as a commuter, city car – 2nd or 3rd vehicle in a home.
What Volt and Voltec needs is a competitor, of which there is really none at this point. Plug-In-Prius hopefully can engender a Mustang vs. Camaro type rivalry which will propel Volt through this uncertain period where GM is weighing Volt’s value to the brand, and position in it’s future lineup. Ford’s C-Max Energi seems a big question mark. We’ll have to see it’s capabilities and pricepoint to determine if it will be icing or a cake to Ford’s lineup. Ford’s very slow and pragmatic entry into hybrids and EVs is pretty underwhelming. Ford seems to be doing the minimum to “bet there” if the PHEV/EV market really heats up. Focus hybrid and to a lesser extent, Escape hybrid have been mildly successful, but in a kind of stealth fashion, as they share body and platform with much more popular ICE versions of the same car.
VOLT, IT’S MORE FREEDOM THAN ELECTRIC ,
James
Nov 18th, 2011 (1:59 pm)Agreed. High demand for used will make the price higher no matter how scary.
I’m thinking that any lease residual will turn out to be higher than the actual depreciation. The leasing company will eat the difference and we will get a great deal!
+5
Nov 18th, 2011 (2:18 pm)Now that….is hilarious!
Nov 18th, 2011 (2:20 pm)#25 – I’ve heard the Plug in Prius is a darling of those in California who wanted it for the HOV lane. With Chevy Volt now going to offer a compliant version for just about the same money but with at least double if not triple the AER of the plug in prius, there is pressure against the success of the PiP in California now. I know a guy in San Jose who was looking at the Volt (without sticker) and was then swayed to commit to the PiP for HOV lane access only. However, now that Volt will be available for the HOV lane with the new options to come in 2012, he’s open to the Volt again.
+4
Nov 18th, 2011 (2:32 pm)One of the biggest takeaways from the film Revenge Of The Electric Car was the whole Bob Lutz/Elon Musk relationship. We’ve read briefly that Lutz said GM could do it if a small startup in Silicon Valley could. The film shows a cigar-toting Lutz ( exemplifying the big bad domestic car megacorporation ) in his gravelly voice talking down about Musk’s Tesla, saying he’s dubious if it will survive/succeed. Later in the film, Lutz meets Musk entering the New York Auto Show and they walk together discussing other firm’s EV offerings. You see Lutz the old veteran eyeing Musk in a sort of admirable and respectful way. I think this dynamic really propelled the reality of Volt into the world. This insight supports my gut, which told me way back when that Volt was a “Proof Piece” – showing GM’s EV-1 detractors it could do it, and also putting upstart EV companies in their place. Now will GM make the right moves to make electric synonymous with success, or will it let Volt flounder as a one-off?
I know GM has practically insured gen II, but during this 100 year anniversary celebration of Chevrolet – I was looking back to try and gain some insight as to what may be the future of Volt. In examining Chevrolet’s history I keep going back to the Corvair. The Corvair was equally unique for it’s time – America’s first rear-engined, air-cooled sedan, and a compact to boot! Corvair’s competition was also Volt-like in diversity and like Volt, it really didn’t have a peer to compare with side-by-side in the marketplace. GM didn’t abandon the Corvair, but soon after it’s release they began developing a safety-valve called the Chevy II, a conventionally designed, front engined compact more like the successful Ford Falcon. I see the Chevy II represented as today’s Cruze.
The Corvair came in a two and four door variant. Chevrolet even sold a Corvair station wagon and Corvair based vans. None sold very well. Eventually a young lawyer named Ralph Nader essentially killed the Corvair, writing a book called Unsafe At Any Speed – and I have to tell you, when someone says “Corvair”, my mind says – “Unsafe At Any Speed”. I decided to reprogram my brain by studying Corvair, and it really was unduly slammed and wasn’t a bad car at all. It’s rear engined configuration gave it fantastic traction and where GM really abandoned it was when they designed Gen II Corvair – they didn’t address it’s biggest weakness, it’s non-sporty suspension and handling. I feel GM cowed to negative media and a dubious public opinion ( sound familiar? ) and took a more proven and familiar path with the Chevy II which became the Nova.
GM did give the Corvair a “sporty” option in 1962. Giving the Corvair a turbo made it the world’s first production turbocharged car! Gen II got a sportier body but not much else and GM eventually let it die out in 1969. The Corvair never did sell very well – and it never had a niche as it was targeted mainly at the uber-successful air-cooled VW Beetle and in sales it couldn’t touch the Bug’s tailpipe.
We can only hope that, unlike Corvair, the Volt finds competition and a lower pricepoint. If Ford or Toyota steps up with a more capable PHEV – the race is on. Today’s news broadcast projections for the most costly gallon of gas during the holiday season ever. Hopefully these trends will thrust EVs and PHEVs over the hump of public acceptance and we can count on a better, more mainstream Volt that will show even higher success in the marketplace along with a resale price competitive with it’s ICE rivals.
RECHARGE! ,
James
Nov 18th, 2011 (3:00 pm)Er….Fusion Hybrid. Sorry for the typOHs!
RECHARGE! ,
James
+2
Nov 18th, 2011 (3:27 pm)#29
Actually, the “Gen II” Corvair had vastly uprated suspension and handling. The Yenko Stinger version was an incredibly successful SCCA production racer and they still turn up occasionally going amazingly fast at the vintage races.
Alas, Ralph had already done the damage, and I agree with you that GM didn’t have the marketing skills and/or the determination to sell what was a vastly improved and technically advanced car. What a shame.
+1
Nov 18th, 2011 (3:29 pm)Why am I not surprised? Thank you Kelly Blue Book for your expertise.
+1
Nov 18th, 2011 (3:48 pm)The market sets the residual, that’s just supply and demand. And the tax credit does not effect the MSRP technically but it does practically since the credit as a practical matter reduces whatever you pay for the car by $7500.
There aren’t many absolutes in the world but if you intend to buy the Volt, or think there is a good possibility that you will, you absolutely should NOT lease. The reason is that the lease calculates the buy out price by adding the $7500 credit to the residual. Ordinarily you can buy the car at the end of the lease for the residual. This is why Lyle didn’t lease the Volt though he generally leased all his vehicles.
+1
Nov 18th, 2011 (4:45 pm)So I can maybe get a $17k Volt in only two more years? COOL. Actually, cool IS the word–I’d prefer to buy it from an owner that didn’t let it get real hot, I assume. The least wear on the batteries. Will someone offer a battery-checker that tells you how good the battery still is?
Nov 18th, 2011 (5:02 pm)I have to take exception on both points.
Residual, in the normal sense of the term, is set in the lease contract. It is not set by the market. Depreciation may be more than that and sets the market value (as well as availability, desirability, and other factors). Residual may be much higher (or lower) than actual market value since it is an estimate 36-months out. The lease company (first owner) gets the $7500. What they do with it is negotiable. Ideally, they would take it off the lease, but, they’re pretty tricky about keeping every dollar they can.
MSRP is what you must finance or pay in cash (or whatever you negotiate above or below that). That is the price you pay and then you get a credit the following April. If that happens to come to you in your situation as a refund, then, I guess you could refinance or pay down your principle. Initially, you are paying MSRP.
Nov 18th, 2011 (5:21 pm)No problem with the first. You said “residual in reality” which I interpreted as the actual market price for the car at the end of the lease. If you meant contract residual, then yes, this is set by the contract and isn’t effected by the actual value of the car at the end of the lease. (BTW what did you mean by “residual in reality”?)
On the second point, the $7500 certainly does affect what you pay for the car, be it MSRP or something higher or lower. That you get the $7500 back later in time doesn’t change the fact you get it back. It would just be the value of money and at current interest rates that’s more or less zero. In actuality, if you buy and finance the tax credit just makes the whole deal potentially cash flow positive for a first part of the transaction. Buy in December. File in January. Get a refund of $7500 in February which will cover your payments. And realistically it doesn’t matter if you get a refund or just have to pay less. It’s all the same. (The state rebate just make the transaction cash flow positive for a longer period of time).
+3
Nov 18th, 2011 (5:50 pm)Ziv, I thihk I said almost exactly the same thing a year or two or ago. Thanks, it’s still refreshing to get it off your chest isn’t it. Glad Jim wasn’t reading the comments that day…Ouch! James might have been , but I don’t remember getting slammed that hard for saying it.
Nov 18th, 2011 (6:26 pm)Very true, the bank gave us the bone when they structured the lease in such a way as to apply the $7500 credit to bump the residual instead of becoming a cap cost reduction credit, and frankly GM obviously let them do it that way. I went lease anyway because I did not want to risk the resale value, like if the Volt absolutely flopped. I don’t regret leasing and it made the payment affordable, but if at the end of 3 years the Gen II Volt is still a year off, I’m not sure what I’ll do. I won’t buy a new Volt if I know that a much improved model is only a year out. If the Cadillac ELR is out by then, I might lease one of those. I’m almost certainly not buying my Volt for the greatly inflated residual they put into the lease. Perhaps a deal can be worked, but that’s 25 months away now so it’s all speculation at this point.
Nov 18th, 2011 (7:02 pm)Instead of checking pressure in the cylinders, check the charge in the cells, and value it accordingly. It will be clear which has longevity, unfortunately for some owners*, all too soon.
#Note – all 2012 Leafs come with an improved battery temperature management system as standard.
+1
Nov 18th, 2011 (8:01 pm)You’re, maybe?
Nov 19th, 2011 (8:30 am)Sorry to come back to subject – Impot duties of US cars in other countries… I recall reading how China tried to muscle GM to give them the VOLTec knowhow before they allow them to sell it there.. Now china sells millions of items (Just look at Walmart) and are these items pay import duty ..Dont think so. How come we have trade policies like that? Digging into it to see why US pursue policies like that when we have Free trade aggrements like NAFTA in this hemisphere?
There must be something to this trade policy. Now China is trying to sell CODA here ..Hope no one buys it that is how I feel. Knowing them they will sell cheap. Any one has any info on how these trade policies work with China.
Go VOLT and GM. Make cars with quality engineering and buy American.
Nov 19th, 2011 (5:37 pm)So, now the seats aren’t so hot in the summer?
+1
Nov 19th, 2011 (8:35 pm)James,
About 1967 my best friend and 4 other Boy Scouts were killed in a Corvair when it flipped and was T-boned while rolling through the air. They were returning from a scouting week-end. The driver was a 20-year old scouting leader who probably slipped off the road and then over-corrected.
I later read that GM could have fixed the stability problem for less than $10 a car. If all the hype was true – that the car was unstable, and that GM could have fixed it so cheaply – then Nader saved a lot of lives by publishing the book that killed off the Corvair. The fact that GM has built a cutting edge technology car that can claim 5 star safety ratings shows how far they have come from the Corvair days.
At our 40th high school reunion this fall several of us tried to recall our thoughts about John and the other boys. Even after 4 decades I still find I miss his friendship.
WVhybrid
+1
Nov 20th, 2011 (1:22 pm)Highlights from Fridays Facebook chat at Chevy Voltage
Did we know this already or are these dates/info new?
————————–
we have two plug-in vehicles in the works a Chevrolet Spark EV which is due 2013 and the Cadillac ELR electric vehicle with extended range in 2014. There’s others underway, but I’d most likely be looking for employment if I shared any more.
-Rob
Also somone asked about Cadillac’s CUE system and if we’d see it in the Volt. The response is below. So does this mean yes?
———————
Hi Matt, good question on the CUE. Stay tuned. – Doug
Here’s a Q&A about tires:
———————-
Matt Hasselback Living in Buffalo, NY I typically put winter tires on my vehicle – and typically use a 2nd set of wheels. Out of curiosity would i be able to purchase the Ampera wheels in the USA? If not are the new “Sport Wheels” available for purchase at chevy dealers seperate from buying it with the car?
Hi Matt, you will eventually be able to buy the Ampera wheels.- Doug
I thought this was good/interesting info too:
———————
Tanner Edward Demoney: How much fuel (in mileage) do I have left as sson as the LOW fuel sign comes on?
Chevrolet Volt: Hi Tanner, you have about two gallons of fuel left when the sign comes on. – Doug
Somone asked about the Cadillac ELR drive train… hmmm:
———————–
Austin Emke: Does the cadillac elr coupe have the same powertrain as the volt????
Chevrolet Vol:t Austin – the Cadillac ELR will have a Voltec Propulsion system, but with performance and features consistent with the Cadillac brand.
-rob
Here was a question about Ampera #’s and Volt allocations:
——————–
Charlie Harnett: Volt production – You are not reporting Ampera production separately on your NA Production report. How many Amperas have you built? Also, how many Volts have gone to fleets?
Chevrolet Volt: Charlie – we plan to export about 3,500 Ampera’s/Volt’s this year. Fleet sales have been relatively light – only a few hundred.
Great insight into the delivery process. We’ve experienced some growing pains trying to put Volt’s in 2,600 dealers nationwide while ramping up. We’ll soon transition our delivery process to a “turn and earn” approach where sold orders and dealers who are selling Volt’s see higher allocations.
-Rob
Nov 20th, 2011 (1:34 pm)Was looking at EV Spark. To someone who monitors this blog for GM, redo the ugly looking radio antena and make it smaller or as some cars have it like Honda, Totota. This radio antena makes the Spark look so cheap.
Nov 20th, 2011 (1:52 pm)From the Facebook chat w/Chevrolet Voltage on Friday:
———————-
Chevrolet Volt: Todd – KBB includes the $7500 federal tax credit in it’s depreciation figure. The Volt’s battery is warranteed for 8 years/100000 miles. The technology is changing rapidly – it’s tough to estimate exactly where it will be at the time you’ll need a replacement battery.
-Rob
Nov 20th, 2011 (1:53 pm)I was disapointed in the Volt’s antenna. I don’t know why they didn’t go w/the sharkfin you see on the Buicks.
Nov 20th, 2011 (4:29 pm)Agree kdawg. I dont own VOLT (wish I cud afford it) but I am looking at EV Spark as a potential vehicle to own next year. Was looking at the sketch details which are out there. Then I noticed the ugly looking antena which may change my mind. Looks to me that GM is again falling into the trap of cutting costs on items which are cheap to begin with and make the car look so ugly. Sigh
I hope someone from GM at this blog will refer this to the engineers or those in charge of Spark production. My concern continues to be that GM is again falling asleep at the wheel on some issues especially when folks get to look at a car from outside before they make up their minds to buy one.
I wud add a very controversial statement. Other can throw their opinions on it. GM – Act in the interests of your customers rather than the bottom line always. Higher good productive people and pay them well. Pay less to your management folks, they dont make anything including YOU the president of GM. Set an example for your subordinates to earn less and give more to GM.
Best wishes. Go VOLT.
Nov 24th, 2011 (12:54 pm)…just a test
/success