http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/03/r...ls-chevy-volt/




$15000 premium on a Corolla? Sounds alot like the Gulf and A3 ?

 

Well that makes me want to buy a Audi.

 

I don't think this guy realizes that the volt is electric and pretty much doesn't need gas.

 

I bet if Audi came up with a Volt, he would be talking a different tone.

Anyway, it's just politics at play here.

 

His statements are a good example of how to step on your own genitalia several times in 2 paragraphs.

Audi is a prime example of a brand that appeals to the elite who are willing to spend more for less in the pursuit of cachet.

If he thinks his brand has a better mousetrap, move some units and prove it.

The Volt will not make sense for everyone. It will, however, be a perfect match for quite a few.

 

I don't think it would be wise to drive a Volt around with no gas in the tank.

 

I agree, but most people could get away with commuting to work everyday solely on electric power.

My point was, however, that the volt has a completely new drivetrain system never before seen in a car, hence the extra cost.

 

i agree with him and i think the volt will be a big flop

 

The Volt isn't going to be a volume seller, but they're not expecting it to be. It's a technology leader, a halo car, a first attempt at something new. It's expensive, as new technology usually is.

In the late 1970s, the cheapest computers cost thousands of dollars. The idea that the average family would have one was laughable. That didn't stop computer companies from putting their expensive products on the market and letting people with some money to spare buy them. That, in turn, drove down prices, and now, long story short, computers are basically a commodity.

GM's bet has to be that the same thing will happen with plug-in hybrids. I think they're right. With federal subsidy, the Volt isn't going to be all that far out of reach -- roughly the same cost as a new Camaro SS. Not cheap, but within reach to a large portion of the population. My guess is that GM will sell every single one they build without laying any incentives on the hood.

 

Well someone who spends $45K on a Volt (that GM still looses money on BTW), won't be called "smart".

 

I gotta admit, de Nysschen pretty much says exactly what I think even though he pretty much exposed that he perhaps should think a bit more before he actually says it openly in the press. Especially since his own company is about to unveil an electric vehicle itself.

The He's dead on on the "intellectual elite" comment. I've ran into quite a few of those smug types myself here in the bay area who believe that people don't buy electrics and Toyota Hybrids because either the masses are stupid and simply aren't aware of it's superiority or that "The Big 3" and "The Oil Companies" are conspiring to keep those cars from being a runaway success... just like they "did" with the GM EV1.

As for the Volt, save PR, I can't debate his conclusion on the Volt's chance for success in the marketplace, though his labeling of idiots is a term I wouldn't use (but that doesn't mean I don't think it ).

The Volt has consumed a massive amount of GM's resources. One can even make the case that the resources dumped into the Volt (instead of improving the higher volume cars they already had) contributed to GM facing bankruptcy sooner rather than later.

The Volt is going to sell or about $40,000 & is barely bigger than the Cobalt. A Ford Fusion Hybrid is more than 25% cheaper and is a luxury car by comparison. $40,000 will also buy a pretty nice BMW 3 series or a decent new Mercedes Benz. The only other thing in a Chevrolet showroom with a base price closest to the Volt is the Corvette. GM isn't expected to make money on it... it's even seeming that GM will lose money on each one they sell.

The answer to improving fuel economy is diesel (at least unless or until we get a nationwide network that enables us to use CNG in passenger cars). Hybrids tend to be heavy and expensive, and electrics are impractical and even more expensive. Both create just as many enviromental questions as they answer. IMO, they are nothing more than feel good, shortsighted subsitutes to what is really practical (not to mention financially feasible without needing government grants or "tax breaks"... a backdoor way of giving away money... to sell or the company making them to survive).

 

Now what if gasoline is $5 a gallon in 2011?

95% of people don't need anything more than a Focus/Civic/Vibe. So I guess anyone spending $50K on an Audi that gets terrible mileage and does the same thing as a Civic is an even bigger idiot.

Volt is to people that like technology what the Corvette is to people that like speed.

 

My personal opinion is that gasoline prices will go up. They are low now because the state of the world economy has reduced the demand. People are just not driving as much, companies have gone under and thus don't have the lights on, or fleets running, or need trucks to move materials to them for production, or out of their plants to commerce.

The pressure from environmentalist interests is not going to subside. Some form of cap and trade is coming and the prices of politically incorrect energy sources will rise. The tension in the middle east between Israel and Iran will likely lead to a take out of Iran's nuclear capability... thus a closure of the Persian Gulf for a period of time. I believe inflation is coming as the "bill always comes due". Any single thing I have mentioned will run gasoline and diesel prices up. Combinations of the mentioned possibilities will have a cumulative effect on the price at the pump.

As I have said, the Volt does not make sense for everyone, but it is a wise alternative for more folks than Audi's chief thinks.

At present folks are not as anxiety filled about fuel costs as they were a few months ago. That can change in a heartbeat. The issues of emissions and "foreign" oil are not going away. Period.

A Volt, for folk who fall into the 80% who drive less than 40 miles per day to get to work and do the things they need will make sense. They can have mobility in circumstances where others might be subjected to a much more expensive dilemma. If your house has electricity, you can keep driving within a certain range.

I offer that electric vehicles are not the end all and be all. I also will tell any that seek to hear, a belief that the segment that Volt addresses doesn't exist ... that is idiocy.

Have Audi get back with us if gasoline hits $4-$5 and diesel is $5-$7.

 

My understanding is that the reason GM is charging so much is so that they don't lose money on the deal. Can you point to some evidence that indicates that they're going to be selling it at a loss?

The last time I heard, GM was going to charge $40k for the Volt, not $45k. The government was going to pay 8k of that in the form of a tax rebate. That's $32k to the buyer.

$32k seems a pretty reasonable price to pay for something so innovative.

 

What's a good MSRP for a midsize Audi now-a-days?