[News Bot]

So far in 2012, Chevy has offloaded 7,057 Volts, compared to the the Corvette's 5,547 sales.

More...

[lowcrawler]

But I thought the Volt was a 'huge failure'...

*rolleyes*

[PhantomPholly]

It is, and not because it has batteries.

Corvette sales, always a niche market, have plummeted because of the economy.

[lowcrawler]

Oh, so a 45k extended-range hybrid isn't a 'niche' market?

[PhantomPholly]

That's exactly the point, isn't it? The Volt was meant to be "an electric car for the masses." How's that working out?

Now, the new Toyota Camry at $26k starting price may finally crack that nut. It appears to be an excellent vehicle - 200hp on tap when you want it, with a CVT to make best use of available power - but still gets over 40mpg. What's not to love?

[dladd]

Originally Posted by PhantomPholly

That's exactly the point, isn't it? The Volt was meant to be "an electric car for the masses." How's that working out?

But I thought it was supposed to be "more car than electric."

[DavidDymaxion]

You can argue the Corvette is the best bang-for-the buck car in the world. It's Ferrari fast for a fraction of the price. Chevy also gets a ton of good press from the Corvette on an ongoing basis. It is also the longest, or one of the longest continuously produced car models of all time -- clearly GM thinks the Corvette is worth doing despite historicalliy low sales numbers.

The Volt is significantly more expensive that the Leaf, MiEV, and Prius competition. You are also paying over double economy car prices for a car that is essentially an economy car, with boring looks to boot.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a Volt! I think the Tesla Model S, Priuis, MiEV, and Leaf are the cars to contrast it with. (BTW I think another 20% for a Tesla Model S is a very interetsing comparison.)

Originally Posted by lowcrawler

Oh, so a 45k extended-range hybrid isn't a 'niche' market?

[PhantomPholly]

Originally Posted by DavidDymaxion

You can argue the Corvette is the best bang-for-the buck car in the world. It's Ferrari fast for a fraction of the price. Chevy also gets a ton of good press from the Corvette on an ongoing basis. It is also the longest, or one of the longest continuously produced car models of all time -- clearly GM thinks the Corvette is worth doing despite historicalliy low sales numbers.

More importantly from the standpoint of a sustainable business model, it is profitable.

The Volt is significantly more expensive that the Leaf, MiEV, and Prius competition. You are also paying over double economy car prices for a car that is essentially an economy car, with boring looks to boot.

You are too kind. Not being sarcastic, being literal - the car is a stinker in the looks department.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a Volt! I think the Tesla Model S, Priuis, MiEV, and Leaf are the cars to contrast it with. (BTW I think another 20% for a Tesla Model S is a very interetsing comparison.)

I'd rather have a Toyota. Better looking, better performing, half the price. Just sayin'...

[rochesterricer]

I think the Volt looks awesome, and I know I'm not alone. Most people I've talked to IRL think it looks really good.

[lowcrawler]

Originally Posted by PhantomPholly

Now, the new Toyota Camry at $26k starting price may finally crack that nut. It appears to be an excellent vehicle - 200hp on tap when you want it, with a CVT to make best use of available power - but still gets over 40mpg. What's not to love?

Well, if you live within the battery range of work, the Volt smokes it in MPGe... and even if you don't, it still beats it by a lot for almost anything but the absolute longest commutes (and, personally, most people that commute more than 40 miles a day are flippin retarded).

It's also smoking the prius in it's first year too... and that seemed to work out pretty well.

Looks? Meh... it was supposed to look sweet (if it had looked like the concept, I'd have bought one in a heart beat... once I saw it looks like every other focus-grouped-to-death car on the road, I decided to DIY). What came out is pretty bland. Then again, almost all cars are bland now-a-days - focus group acceptability removes everything 'interesting'.


I'm not sure where the hatred of a car that's pushing the boundaries and trying to bridge to EV's comes from... it's just a car. Too bad it's needlessly turned into some right-wing punching bag... (all while having owners spend nearly a BILLION dollars buying them so far)