January4
Despite several claims by General Motors and some top-ranking officials, the Chevrolet Volt might not make it to market by 2010. GM CEO Rick Wagoner revealed in a question and answer session yesterday that the Volt launch date remains “fluid.”
“We continue to put massive resources into production as soon as possible,” Wagoner said. “2010 would be great, but (we) can’t guarantee that at this time. We’ll keep you posted regularly on our progress.”
General Motors is still developing the lithium-ion battery pack for the Volt, and it remains unclear if the technology will be ready for mass production by 2010 — the launch date previously give by the Detroit automaker.
The Volt was also recently redesigned as its aerodynamics weren’t up to snuff.
Let’s start a pool. I say Spring 2012- introduced as a 2013 model.
Even though the plug-in Prius is at basically the exact same pace, I expect this thread to fill with salivating import humpers at any moment.
OK i guess i’ll be the first one to say it.
IT AIN’T COMING. GM simply talked about it to look a little GREENER, they needed something for PR. They have done this before, many times over. This car will never be built, and if it will it will be a decade behind Ford Escape.
I believe that one major automaker will have a vehicle like this on the market eventually. Maybe 2010 is too lofty. But if GM went bankrupt from R&D of the Volt, you know-it-all environmentalists/Big Oil haters would still try to castrate the company for not following through.
Just wanted to get that out there before the GM-flaming begins.
Well GM is certainly sounding optimistic in trying to have Volt ready by 2010. This news isn’t surprising. GM isn’t the only one having issues working on developing the battery packs. From what we’ve heard it’s also taking time for Toyota and Honda as well. Well we’ll just have to wait a little longer….
I think this another case of GM trying the Hail Mary when all they needed was 5 yards for the first down. It’s all well and good to want to one up everyone else but at what cost?
GM won’t ever be first in the fuel saving car category. They always will be first in the advertising department… their ads are great, and they have whole floors of spindoctors employed for “good news from GM” messages. This “delay” was predicted and rehearsed long ago at GM headquarters. Just get some more rockstars to sing for you GM, and all will be well! To bad for us that wanted the VOLT to happen.
replace “fluid” with Impossible
I think GM STILL perceives alt-fuel cars as a PR strategy, not a serious business line. Remember when Wagoner invited 60 Minutes in to see the GM prototype hydrogen cars and swore they were GM’s future? GM scored a ton of warm-and-fuzzy press that way, but where are the hydrogen vehicles today? Nowhere. GM has scored some great PR with the Volt concept, but three or four years from now where will the Volt market-ready vehicles be? Nowhere also.
Understand this. The American auto industry doesn’t do ANYTHING new or different unless it is absolutely forced to. Seat belts, air bags, 5mph bumpers, third brake lights… none came until there was a gun at the industry’s head. And then they do things second-best, in an ass-dragging way, complaining every minute.
Lutz will go to his grave before you and I get to test-drive a Volt, because GM still thinks there is no gun to its head (even though they have permanently ceded industry leadership to Toyota as a price for their behavior), and as far as they’re concerned the whole initiative was about those great TV ads with the little kids and the funny Washington Mutual guy.
TomF
Toyota? They are not even competative with Ford in that field. This not about fuel economy or CAFE or environment. Now fuel saving vehicles are a class on their own, like SUVs, sedans and minivans. GM is refusing to make a vehicle in a certain class that is obviously is on the upswing. This is, along with many others is the reason Wagoner needs to go. He is beond repair….much like that GM engine.
These guys ever talk to A123, or any other battery manufacturer.
http://www.a123systems.com/newsite/index.php
Going it alone is bound to make things harder. Just because GM doesn’t own a battery maker doesn’t mean they shouldn’t work with them. That’s why some of these companies came about, to provide the tech other companies don’t have yet or can’t get any other way.
But 2010 is not tomorrow. We will have to see.
Blakkar well 2010 is tomorrow. We are already in 2008. Remember back 2 years…GM was releasing pictures of Camaro, it even was test driven by a few Magazine Editors, we knew a lot about that car 2 years ago…and i think we are atleast a 1 and a half years away from Camaro hitting the market.
So GM will need to hav something VERY CONCRETE by the end of the year….if they are planning to build this car something needs to be there by the end of 2008. We already should have seen spyshots of Volt goind around the country, testing real world conditions….if we will not see these things by the year end you can safely assume that
#1 Either the whole Volt thing was a PR move (like i think)
or
#2 Volt will be posponed by atleast a year to two or even three years.
I think Wagoner know very well what vehicles will be needed for the next 10 years and he reads about cost of oil every morning in WSJ. The truth of the matter is, his team can not execute.
Honda started working on diesel 5 years ago. Two years ago their diesel was best in class in Europe, next year we will be able to sample it in the Accord and perhaps CR-V(I still think it is ugly truckeltte and they sould kept older style). About 5 years ago Wagoner was in front of the congress explaining advantages of diesel. Since then Honda build an engine and GM could not. GM is trying hard, but perhaps talent is not there. I reckon Harvard MBA does not guarantee success for the company, just for the graduate.
Autonut. Bush also has an MBA from Harvard right? I believe he does.
Also what kind of selfrespecting engeneer will work for a company that does not want him to fulfill his potential.
i’m hoping the volt comes in 2010 as a 2011.
I believe it will come out a year late, most likely because of safety concerns or overheating.
Blakkar- I don’t know how you come to the conclusion that GM is not working with outside resources, and the fact that A123 Systems is developing the batteries for the Chevrolet Volt (it’s on their front introductory page) shows how little you know about what you just said.
Autonut- Wagoner knows what’s to come and what’s needed. Part of it is resources, part of it is the closet mind market, and some of it is yes, his design team and such.
You can hear the fear driven hatred in these import-lovers’ comments. The imports you love will be **** in a few years. When the average car-buyer catches up with the curve, and the buying trends reflect the imports’ current lack of build quality, materials and good design, then you’ll understand what some of us have been saying.
I personally hope GM spends the extra time perfecting the Volt. Unlike Toyota and their new Blundra. They rushed it to market and forced sales through discounts but ultimately they will pay the price with a damaged image.
GM has a lot of good product now and coming up and the import humpers haven’t been programmed on how to respond. So they get angry. I can imagine them foaming from the mouth. Comedy I tell you.
N_yo_face, it was very kind, polite, and laced with love and understanding piece you wrote. Are walls soft enough for you?
The whole dam car is fluid.
jayjc08,
I was well aware that A123 was working on batteries for the VOLT. The reason I made the comment is simply because their is a disconnect with GM and the realities of the technologies. The Technology exists now. The approach GM took is flawed, badly.
Much like, NOT EXACTLY LIKE, the US government seeking their next fighter plane or infantry combat rifle, GM should have held out a contract and said to no less than a half dozen companies, the INSTANT they decided this car was going to production, “These are the specs for the Batteries we want for this car. Who ever can meet this and/or surpass this will get the contract.”
I guarantee you GM would have their battery now and probably better and cheaper up front to boot.
Also as I said, 2010 is not tomorrow. It isn’t because if you don’t drag your feet and just “get ‘er done”, 2010 is two years and NOT two days from now.
But whatever, I just wanted to kick up some dust, because the last two weeks have been so boring around here.
Worldwide Autoshow season just started, didn’t it? You’d think we would have more to discuss.
autonut, were you drunk at 10:53 AM on January 5th?
Al Gore will make the Volt happen.
Al Gore will save the earth.