General Motors’ much-hyped Chevy Volt has yet another distinction to add to its long list of commendations. We had all heard repeatedly about Motor Trends’ Car of the Year award, Consumer Reports’ recommendation and Jay Leno’s love affair with the car, but the Volt now gets a less publicized, more deserved distinction from Yahoo Finance’s 24/7 Wall Street site. The Volt has made the list of “The Worst Product Flops of 2011” and apologists for the vehicle are sure to, once again, attack the credibility of those issuing the opinion.
The Obama Administrations’ favorite car has had a rough time of late with sales goals not being met, exploding cars at NHTSA and media exposure of the high cost to taxpayers regarding Chevy Volt subsidies and federal funding of township purchases. Considering all the money spent by GM to hype the vehicle, the Worst Flop award is well-deserved. The piece made mention of the GM deception that Volt supply could not keep up with demand (something I disproved months ago) stating, “GM spokeswoman Michelle Bunker was quoted as saying that the Volt was “virtually sold out” due to its popularity – a statement later shown to be misguided.”
The link’s article has an internal link to a six-week old story that is even worse.
http://nlpc.org/stories/2011/11/10/deland-fl-buy-chevy-volts-taxpayers%E2%80%99-expense-gm-tries-meet-goals
Town Uses Federal Funds to Buy Chevy Volts
Not just that one town, either!
Many towns and also utility companies.
Most Volts just sit on dealers’ lots as a very expensive lure to get folks in.
The dealers are not encouraged to ever sell their one Volt demo.
Yikes!
My 4+ year-old Mini Cooper still gets 37 mpg on the freeways and 27 in town!
(It got 41-31 when new)
Those numbers beat the brand new Chevy Volt!
In my town, the money-strapped town is profiting FREE charging stations for electric cars…
AmZing!
I wonder how many millons 0-bama wasted on this loser?
Ooops.
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/01/03/honda-sued-over-hybrid-mileage-claims/
Hybrids aren’t even remotely green. I already knew about the dirtiness of battery manufacturing. Turns out the electric motors are just as bad. They’re made with rare earth metals from China…. The mining and refining process is very dirty. The surrounding area is a huge cancer spike. I guess the greenies don’t care if hundreds of poor Chinese die if they can pose as “environmental”. Personally I think the Prius should drop the “r” and become the “Pious”.
@jim s:
Pious
South Park had the same idea for it’s name. Quite a funny episode.
@Nan G:
I don’t understand how the Volt could fail! If Obama and the unions are for it, isn’t that an automatic success story?
I just bought me a new pickup because I need a way to haul my new ATV. I never looked at GM or Chrysler. It was narrowed down to Toyota or Ford. Ford has two things going for it I like: (1) They have made it in the top ten list for quality, and the model I bought is rated high in Consumer Reports. Normally, when I buy a vehicle, I keep it until it NEEDS to be replaced. (2) It is still an American company.
I always wanted a pickup but never NEEDED one. Now I do.
I’ve never had a favorable opinion of the primarily Chinese bourgeois marketed Chevy Volt. It’s too expensive for the majority of Americans—and with all the bail-out money spend on it, it should represent an American product for Americans.
I do like what Tesla Motors has done… followed one of their cars down the road the other day… beautiful… quiet…. and quick… very very quick… Don’t know the price… I’m sure I can’t afford one… but it works… people are buying them and they aren’t Government Motors or Chrysler… although I really really like Chrysler’s styling options.
GM reported today that it sold 7,671 Chevy Volts in 2011.
The Volt price starts at $39,145…..unless you are the government.
Then the price is only $29,500 each.
Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] refuses to release monthly sales figures as real carmakers do.
However, now that Tesla Motors is a publicly traded company, it is subject to Securities and Exchange Commission regulation. This includes being forced to report its financial outlooks to shareholders in gory details via a quarterly document called the 10-Q, which outlines the negative and positives for the company in the near future.
Looking at the company’s first 10-Q, it’s hard not to feel that the negatives seem more abundant than the positives for Tesla. First and foremost the company is facing the dilemma of seeing its sales dry up, even as it hemorrhages money to try to design future vehicles.
As of June 30, 2010 it delivered a total of 1,200 Roadsters and only has 130 orders left to fill. Unless Tesla can find a way to generate new sales, the company will be in serious trouble.
The Tesla retails for $57,400.
The Tesla Roadster retailed for $109,000 and production ended on that sweet puppy in April 2011 with only a total of 1,650 ever made.
The two Teslas were test-driven on the UK’s Top Gear where both Teslas broke down before either one finished the standard test drive.
One of the drivers said you’d need two Teslas.
One to drive today, the other to be in the shop so it could be ready to drive the next day.
The Telsa I saw… was looking good… and going down the road… If I could afford one… I’d consider it.. but as with anything that spendy… it isn’t about practicality…
@Liberal1 (objectivity): #8
Since the government (the taxpayer) paid for the car, should we get them for free?
@Hard Right: `*
Hmm…. Never watch South Park… I guess the Pious thing is an obvious joke. 😉