I am not a pessimist, but I have a hard time with this one... VOLT is innovative?
Big GAV from accross the pond had a great month talking about innovation, but when I read about the Chevy VOLT over the last year. Innovation was NOT in the context.
I have drove, worked on and helped on some amazing vehicles over the last 20 years. 200 mpg fuel sippers, 7 passenger clean 2 cycle CNG's, a garage full of long range electric... I see innovation coming and it is not from volt.
The volts looks just like it the cars it copies (see photos here) .
Is innovation taking other ideas and selling them under different brands?
My 93' GEO (Chevy/Toyota car) gets between 38-44mpg* all the time, regardless of how I treat it.
Before that, I drove a 85 Renault alliance that averaged over 45 mpg*, but sacrificed mpg for the safety and reliability of the GEO due to having a couple kids (they do that to you).
I waited the last decade with dreams, there would be another Chevy that would replace my GEO. Or just a GEO with a 1.2L turbo clean diesel engine running CNG/Biogas... like Top Gear's $7,000 70mpg VW.
And yes, it is healthy to dream, but when people force their dreams into reality it is called a delusion...
The VOLT is the last shred of hope... Did G.M. watch the Top Gear 70mpg VW or hear about GS and Nissan Motors?
Nissan has a 'ready for primetime full long range electric' - I think will rock the world in 2011.
VW and BMW have a glutton of 45mpg safe + family cars on the table... Even in my budget... there are now full electric and hybrid cars coming to WalMart between $1,000-$5,000 But, a VOLT $40,000+ 'copy car' that shows less innovation than the 1905 Pieper.
We also have to equate lifetime environmental and 'true ownership costs'...
The 'Dust to Dust' cost to operate a Prius is still $2.191 per mile.
What will the VOLT be? At least $4 per mile... at $40K (In my lifetime, I have not spent a total of $40,000 on ALL my daily driven cars...)
‘Earth to G.M., Time to get in the game!’
Your recent bailout cash could have bought the companies that make better technology and secured a stable future in the global auto market for decades while saving it at the same time !
Seriously, I have purchased great Chevy's in the past, but I am keeping the GEO or buying Foreign until I see affordable, clean innovation in U.S. show rooms.
*Yes I did 'tweak' the cars for mpg using EPA rated rim fires, hard rubber skinny tires, light oils and free flow intake/exhaust for 15% better mpg.