GM Is Dropping the Volt

te:

of GM's cut backs.

production of the Chevy Volt

th a lot going for it. I'm sorry to see it go. I wonder why sales were ne ver very high?

is will help with the shortages of the larger surface mount passives.

driven in it many times. Pure electric, not hybrid, but quite impressive ra nge, and a bargain here when the provincial government was kicking in $14K CAD subsidy and more for the charging station- recently cancelled by the Pr ogressive Conservative party gov't.

G

he

there is still the range anxiety issue - so better as a 2nd or 3rd car.

What is the range, door to door, not the theoretical?

They aren't making many Bolts, likely because they lose money on each one. You talk about range anxiety but that really doesn't extend to the Bolt be cause you can't really take it on trips without long charge times. The ter m "range anxiety" usually is used for that rather than local driving where you can easily stop someplace with a level 2 charger to put enough miles on to get home. But I suppose that depends on where you live. Here the only charger is a campground with a 14-50 outlet at $10 for two or three hours. Otherwise I have to drive some 25 miles to any charger.

I can see the Bolt being used as a second car for sure. But I think with G M's attitude toward them they won't be selling very fast even if they made them faster. GM just doesn't want to be in that business yet. Likely they don't want to play second fiddle to Tesla.. or third to Nissan... or fourt h to Jag... Well, you get the idea.

Rick C.

Tesla referral code +-

From what has been posted here the Volt was an excellent hybrid auto

Quote "Chevrolet Volt $582 Average Annual Repair Cost"

That is what I've heard as well. However, instead of simply throwing in the towel like they did in the past with compact and micro cars they should have rolled up the sleeves and find out why this is so. Why does Toyota turn a profit with hybrids and we don't? Why are theirs more reliable?

Or be totally left in the dust by foreign manufacturers. This has happened time and again. Remember when the US was leader of the pack with CCD sensors? And with LCD arrays? And with ...

--
Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

They're selling pretty good in Korea, Americans hate small cars in general, the managers of the big old guard US automakers hate them too for their low margins.

There are or were plans to sell a re-badged variant of the Volt in China under the Buick marque, which has brand-name cachet there in the way BMW does in America. Don't know if those are off now too or not. I think the plan was to manufacture them there anyway.

GM figured that the US made a good testing ground for their fashion of electric vehicle design but that for the moment the big market for cars like the Volt and Bolt lies in Asia, probably why the Bolt's design team had heavy input from GM Korea's offices.

Remember it's not like, GM's "job" as an international corporation to either employ American workers nor sell strictly to Americans.

Ford and GM would probably prefer it if the feds mandated the sale of pickup trucks and SUVs it's what they want to make the most for the high margins, and what they seem good at doing for the most part.

Huh? Are you actually familiar with the EV market??? The US ***IS*** the leader in BEVs. Haven't you heard about a little known startup called Tesl a? They seem to be eating not only lunches, but breakfasts and dinners as well. They are selling in less than a year as many model 3s as Volts sold in their 8 year span and Tesla is still ramping up.

But then Tesla is opening a factory in China. Maybe they will move all Tes la production there and close the Fremont factory, who knows?

I don't think it is possible for any car company to move forward with ICEs only at this point. It may take 20 years, but BEVs will be the primary mea ns of transport as we move forward.

Rick C.

Tesla referral code +-

You mean "almost surely" I think, not "who knows" ;)

Tesla loves paying a 25% tariff on steel and 10% on aluminum, too. NOT!

You say they didn't make any money on the Volt and they lose money on the Bolt, gosh GM sure has made a lot of electric cars for a company not making money on any of them. How do they stay in business? They don't get sent Musk-level checks lol

You talk about range anxiety but that really doesn't extend to the Bolt because you can't really take it on trips without long charge times. The term "range anxiety" usually is used for that rather than local driving where you can easily stop someplace with a level 2 charger to put enough miles on to get home. But I suppose that depends on where you live. Here the only charger is a campground with a 14-50 outlet at $10 for two or three hours. Otherwise I have to drive some 25 miles to any charger.

The technology to make a car like the Model 3 at a 35k price point didn't exist circa 2007-2008 when the Volt entered design, seems hardly fair to criticize them for not selling enough of a car they couldn't make!

The Volt was a marvelous car for what they spent on R&D on it, which was essentially peanuts of anyone's money, their own or the governments regardless, as compared to the $HUGENUM sums Musk and co have spent to develop the Model 3.

Circa late 2008 the entire Volt design team consisted of about a half-dozen guys total and it was ready for full scale production by the

2011 model year.

I would surely hope the Model 3 is a better car considering what we've paid for it!

n s

the leader in BEVs. Haven't you heard about a little known startup called Tesla? They seem to be eating not only lunches, but breakfasts and dinners as well. They are selling in less than a year as many model 3s as Volts s old in their 8 year span and Tesla is still ramping up.

Tesla production there and close the Fremont factory, who knows?

It is making cars in the US that they will be paying tariffs on imported st eel and aluminum. I don't think there is currently a tariff on imported ca rs. But I expect that will happen within the next two years. However, it will go away very soon after those two years are up. I expect most automak ers are playing the long game. :)

Rick C.

Tesla referral code ++

rt of GM's cut backs.

ng production of the Chevy Volt

with a lot going for it. I'm sorry to see it go. I wonder why sales were never very high?

this will help with the shortages of the larger surface mount passives.

ve driven in it many times. Pure electric, not hybrid, but quite impressive range, and a bargain here when the provincial government was kicking in $1

4K CAD subsidy and more for the charging station- recently cancelled by the Progressive Conservative party gov't.

y LG

.

f the

gh there is still the range anxiety issue - so better as a 2nd or 3rd car.

st

ne.

They make a profit by selling ICEs. I would think a smart feller like your self would know that. Actually, they aren't staying in business, they are getting out. That's the whole point of this thread. Didn't you read the s ubject?

You seem to have goofed up the attribution here. This is my post.

th GM's attitude toward them they won't be selling very fast even if they m ade them faster. GM just doesn't want to be in that business yet. Likely they don't want to play second fiddle to Tesla.. or third to Nissan... or f ourth to Jag... Well, you get the idea.

!

No, that technology didn't exist until Elon Musk invented it... er, will in vent. ;)

You would expect a company as big as GM to have a few smart fellers who wou ld know not to sell a car they have no hope of making money from... oh, yea h, they did know that, but they wanted to make California happy.

Rick C.

Tesla referral code ---

Yeah! It's surprising that if you only spend a little in development you end up with a car few people want. Oh, wait, that's *not* surprising I guess.

Well, good thing for the Tesla investors that they spent so much money developing a car that they can't sell them fast enough.

Rick C.

Tesla referral code --+

Not that Musk isn't an even bigger rent seeker. He's just better at it, is all.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

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ElectroOptical Innovations LLC 
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics 

160 North State Road #203 
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hobbs at electrooptical dot net 
http://electrooptical.net

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    - Win

Don't know what evidence you have that GM hasn't turned a profit on 'em, isn't consistent with what they've said themselves

Then I wonder why there are all those small cars in our neighborhood. Toyota Corolla (we've got one as well), VW Jetta, various small Subaru, Nissan Sentra, Fiat 500, and so on. Heck, even little Smart cars.

Americans like big trucks. Bigger is better. However, that's not so much the case anymore for sedans. Even the last hold-out family (they had a beautiful full-size Cadillac sedan in pearl-white) has now switched to a small Japanese car. This is a normal middle-class neighborhood, almost suburban.

I think the Chinese don't like us much right now :-)

--
Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

They're still fulfilling years worth of pre-orders last I looked, those cars were already sold.