Comments on: Spied Again: Chevrolet Volt test mule

By: snoboardguy21

snoboardguy21 — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:46:22 +0000

Ok, the most interesting thing about this whole post is that the old style malibu is actually decent looking with some real euro style fender flares. Put some spacers on those wheels and bam, wide body.

By: HolyDogWater

HolyDogWater — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:07:36 +0000

GM… just ignore all these basement dwelling naysayers with way too much time on their hands and just keep grinding it out. Don’t waste your engineers, technical managers, or project managers valuable time with talking to the media. F*ck the media and f*ck LLN. They are not your friend and never will be.

By: cmx

cmx — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:27:49 +0000

SuperSS27 has a valid point, from a consumer-end user view.
The volt will be more of massive roll-out. I’m not a huge fan of GM, but credit should be given where it’s due. GM has come a helluva long way. The Malibu is great offering. Not perfect, but FINALLY a true competitor. GM finally woke up, and because of this, consumers woke up, and put Chevy back on the radar for midsize sedan candidates. (Some even woke up completely to realize a car called Malibu exists) If only they can continue this trend. Ford is on their way, if slowly lol. Chrysler, I have no clue what’s going on. It’s actually pretty sad to see an American automotive icon come to this point. Especially when you consider all of their older cars like the Imperial and Diplomat were among the top in their heyday.
Seems like it has all to do with 3 things: Management, Product, Timing.

By: SuperSS27

SuperSS27 — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:12:12 +0000

02WRXRSM. GM is the only company that has a true plug-in electric car slated for production. Everyone else just has concepts. And the link you posted earlier says that the car is not going to be in production and there will only be a fleet of 20. Nobody else is as far along as GM.

By: 02WRXPSM

02WRXPSM — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:45:26 +0000

I don’t think it says the car is headed for production at all, my point is that GM is not operating in a vacuum here, every single manufacturer out there is gunning for the plug-in-hybrid/lithium-ion target as well. The VW sweetens the deal by also being diesel. The Volt is not going to be the standout in the market that GM (and GM fanboys and girls) thinks it will be.

By: xyunya

xyunya — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:34:49 +0000

02WRXPSM, the article says 2012, not 2010.

By: beatusmongous

beatusmongous — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:50:31 +0000

Actually, Johnny, that would most likely happen with me. Thanks for raising the concern, as I didn’t even think about it. That type of concern would probably happen with me in any type of plug-in hybrid, too, as I only drive a total of 14 miles per day on average, never over 30.

And thanks F451 for pointing out a solution. $10 every 6 months is just fine with me if I seldom actually have to fill up.

By: F451

F451 — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:45:34 +0000

JohnnyCanuck, don't worry fuel stabilizers like STA-BIL (I use it all the time in my various vehicles) will have a booming business!

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:35:37 +0000

Hypothetically speaking, and I know this is somewhat unlikely, but supposing someone goes, say 6 months or even a year without having to use the gas engine. It’s possible don’t you think? What happens not only to the gas motor due to lack of use, but also to the gasoline that’s been in the tank turning into varnish? And what stance warranty-wise do you think GM would take? I mean the batteries could be the least of their problems.

By: F451

F451 — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:26:47 +0000

It is good to see LLN speak with someone on the Volt team versus know-nothing Lutz. Why doesn’t LLN do an interview with the Volt team in general? GM now has too much weight bestowed upon key vehicles in its effort to keep GM alive so I am hoping the Volt is the success that GM needs it to be.

By: beatusmongous

beatusmongous — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:16:13 +0000

I sure hope they don’t change much from the concept to the production version. If it looks like that, people will be much more willing to fork over the cash. However, we all know that the production version never looks like the concept, just like the burger on the billboard never looks like the one you get at the drive through.

By: xyunya

xyunya — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:14:00 +0000

Let me do some translation here. It is definitely sounds like it is 2012 model year, meaning 2011 debut date. It is was announced already, that it will cost more then 40K with no options. When all will be said and done Toyota will be selling plug in Son of Scion for 25-30K loaded with all electric range of 30-40 miles (vs. Volt’s 45 miles per this article). The question is: will it sell as well as Tahoe hybrid today?

By: mayer_ray_nagin

mayer_ray_nagin — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:52:21 +0000

That could be any old model Malibu.