Let me sum up most of the posts below this one:

Lutz is an idiot, and Al Gore weights 1,000 pounds.

Cool? I guess it is a good idea to make sure the launch is smooth before going to full-scale production

This will put all Toyota hybrids in the dust. My uncle works for GM in the Wixom,MI plant and he said, Chevy is just saying this is going to be a plug in hybrid, when really it will be all electric, to throw toyota off and be ahead in the green game.BUH BYE TOYOTA, YULL NEVER CATCH GM!

Value is created in under-promising and over-delivering. There is also value in being quiet until the car has lined-off. The Volt continues to seem like the opposite of this. First under $30K, now closer to $40K. First long range electric-only, now not so much. First stiking design, now soft. First mass production to compete against Prius, now limited production. First absolutely 2010, now maybe not. There is also value in being quiet until the car has lined-off.

Lutz is cool, and Al Gore weighs 1,500 pounds.

Quit making things up to try to make a point. There was no comment that the Volt would cost under $30k in the first years. Still a 40 mile range vehicle. And the Volt body was a CONCEPT vehicle. It was never said to be the actual car. AND NEVER was it absolutely a 2010 model.

If I am incorrect please post links to your data. I am always looking to be corrected.

How could you say that about Bob? I’m of the opinion he’s saving GM and thusly saving the American Auto Industry because they’ll follow. STYLE SELLS

chris2 = homo

sorry for putting it twice- error

@ tbay, one man saving the American Auto Industry? Hardly.

The biggest problem with GM these days is their tendency to over-hype the **** out of everything way, way too early. At this point I’m as sick of the Volt as I am of the Camaro. I completely understand the need to bait your dealer base and shareholders but sometimes it’s best to treat the public like mushrooms- feed them bull**** and keep them in the dark.

I understand in today’s world it’s tough to keep secrets, but GM seems to be making a habit of trying to sell you the farm before you’ve even looked at the cow.

johhnycanuck: Agreed.

Kaizen my hat is off to you. There is reason why Lutz rimes with Putz. And I don’t believe that he does anything for GM, all the guy is doing making sure that his income gets higher and higher. There is no altruism in what he does. Read what Iaccoca wrote about the guy. It was Iaccoca who gave world Mustang, I still don’t know why Lutz/Putz deserves any credit or paycheck.

autonut, your whole standpoint is based on suspicion, character assassination, rhymes and a blind reference to a book that I will never read. And when you say, “It was Iaccoca who gave world Mustang,” are you convinced that Iacocca single-handedly did it; for the world? Let me guess, you read that in his book. I don’t know the story, but I’d bet he -lead a team- and now takes credit for it.

When you say that you don’t believe Lutz does anything for GM, what is the basis? Also, what is your basis for assuming that Lutz has the authority to set his own pay? He seems to have been doing something right or has benefited greatly from a coincidence.

What’s so revolutionary or new about a 40-mile range from an electric? Volt is more over-hyped crap from the company that originally killed the electric car.

so how much does the gas get after the electric runs out?

Oh well, I probably won’t buy one anyway.

howsmydriving, if it was a 40 mile range from an electric-only vehicle it wouldn’t be amazing, it’s not electric-only. That’s 40 miles without a drop of gas, then the generator turns on allowing it to recharge the batteries while just sipping the gas. Diesel-electric locomotives have been using similar setups for decades. The best part is that if you live within 20 miles of work and shopping you could theoretically almost never buy gas. If Toyota was doing this you guys would be singing praises.

I drive a 8 year old full Electric vehicle that has its origional Panasonic batteries and they test 100 percent of stated charge to this day. GM does not really want to build a full electric….nor do I think they can profitably at current battery costs. I have had about zero problems over the years now and I can go 70-90 miles on a charge for about 85 cents worth of electricity. The Panasonic EV-95 patents were purchased by Chevron oil and they prohibit selling these or manufacturing them for EV use. They basically shelved them. An EV that can drive for 40 miles on electric power alone has at least $15,000 worth of batteries in it…at current battery chemistry (Lithium), and battery size (small cell/format). If Chevron would allow car companies to use, and Panasonic to produce once again these large format NiMH batteries, we would have a dependable long lasting solution to the current roadblock. High volume NiMH large format batteries would only add $5000 to the cost, and be ready for mass production now….not later. So hopefully the Volt makes it out in some form or other…even 10 miles of EV only mode would sell.

I’m not gonna open the whole debate up again, but I wonder where people think all this electricity is going to come from to power these cars.

Besides the massive pollution load generated from all the excess coal-burning in the first place, what makes people think we have a grid strong enough to support this? Look at California alone – one hot summer and the grid goes down like Murderedout on a tranny callboy.

If the batteries cost to much maybe GM should try shopping Costco.

This car will either never see the light of day or be quickly killed like the last one.

Why build as many as you can sell? Clearly they are going to limit production to create demand through hype. Sounds like big mark ups will be guaranteed. Some people must have what others can’t, they will line up to be first like the early Prius lemmings.

hey, doesn’t the Panasonic battery use Nickel metal hydride tech? I was under teh impression that you had to fully drain those batteries before recharging them to last much longer than a normal battery…am I wrong?

jdache GM has already built a full electric, it’s called the EV1. The Volt looks way better than that piece of **** trash toyota prius. More people buy a vehicle for looks, above anything else.

Murderedout, you beastialist child molester; the only pattern here is my Friday nights with your whore mother. First I **** on her chest, then I cum in her face, then I give her a black eye. Same thing every Friday.

Back on topic here.

“Plug in” hybrids will not solve the energy crisis. If anything it will get worse.

Has anyone thought about the effects of thousands of people coming home and plugging their cars into the power grid to charge? Large cities already have enough problems keeping power running to homes as is… so what happens when we double the demand?

The majority of electricity in the US is still generated from non-renewable & heavily polluting resources like COAL and NATURAL GAS. Will increased electricity usage help us reduce green-house emissions?

It won’t… but it will succeed in making the cost of electricity go up for everyone. So those of us with traditional cars will have to pay more just to turn our lights on.

GROW THE FI_ICK UP. You things aren’t even as mature as kids in kindergarten with a few vibrant words. Seriously, you claim to own a car, and claim to be some car nuts?

LLN, maybe you should get somebody else to write your articles, and have somebody manage comments? I’m pretty sure most of us don’t care if we use a few select words every once in a while, or seldom make comments like that, but come on, this is just sad…

it makes sense.

Fire up the utilities….electric cars are coming.

Now, exactly how are they going to be fired up to make electricity ????

Oh yeah….COAL, OIL, Natural GAS…..and even NUCLEAR POWER.

HELL YES, BRING ON THE ELECTRIC CARS !!!!!

^^I think we should go back to horses.

psiclone, I agree that Iaccoca did not build Mustang by himself and wasn’t even chief designer. He was product manager and responsible for building it from conception to dealer doors and at the right price. It was an achievement. What did Lutz do? Despite Iaccoca book, who from the industry ever pointed to Lutz’s achievements? I know car journalists love the guy – I would to if I would make living out of quoting him and selling zines. But what his responsibilities at GM? What division he directs? He is GM version of a senator: a lot of hot air and little in the form of deliverables.

autonut, you didn’t directly answer my questions. Once again character assassination and blind references. Because you don’t know exactly what his dituies at GM are doesn’t mean that there are none. Clearly you dislike the guy and in my opinion are allowing that to direct your perception of him. I don’t necessarily like the guy but i don’t dislike him either. Purely from a business standpiont GM seems to be moving in the right direction under his watch.

Get Real- Even horses make their own pollution, so what then

psiclone, autonut- Lutz isn’t just floating in GM’s pay plan…
I don’t like Lutz all that much, but he CAN push products that were going to be scrapped or destroyed by cost cutting. He’s also very much there for the media.

Guys. Guys! Guys!!!!!! Please, let’s keep the insults down to a low roar. I love calling a douche nozzle a homo just as much as the next guy, but try and stay on topic… Al Gore is the “manraped” jiz guzzler.

Speaking of electric cars and everyone’s fears of possible problems with plugging them in at home. Don’t worry, most owners of the Volt will do the same thing they do to combat the high cost of computer printer ink… just steal it from work.

As far as the grid not being able to handle the power surge — most of the recharging will occur during the grid’s non-peak hours, such as the middle of the night. There has also been talk about plugged in batteries being capable of storing and pushing power back into the grid or simply back to the owner’s house.

Regardless, the market will sort all of this out for us, so tone down the bitching and negativity. I’m sure all the horse buggy industry CEOs bitched that it was going to be impossible to build the necessary gas station infrastructure.

Oh, and f*ck Al Gore.

True: Horses produce CO2 and Methane Gas.

Lets just go back to the middle-ages and walk everywhere.

Love the Earth….Don’t Drive.

“unlike Toyogurt with their Enhanced Kindness-of-our-Hearts Service Bonus.”

funny as hell!