Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid priced at $40,000
By Joshua Fruhlinger 
posted Jun 19th 2008 1:35PM
posted Jun 19th 2008 1:35PM
[Via Autoblog]
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What to chose..... what to chose... .this car.. or the Sony Projector presented earlyer? they both got the same price... hmm.. what to choose...
I choose you pikachu!
pika... pika... piiiikkkkaaaccchuuuu...!
I will buy this car.
This car is a FAIL @ $40k
You can buy a Honda Fit for $12k and save $400 a month in car payment. So, any gas money you save with this car is a moot point.
A $40k hybrid is not the answer. We need a sub $20k all electric or plugin hybrid.
I was really excited about this car until now. With this car all your doing is moving your gas expense to you car payment - unless your already driving a $40 - $50k car in which case you prolly could give 2 sh@@s about gas prices.
hahah
you are so right!
40,000 is an atrocity! people driving lexus and caddy could care less if gas hits 7bux, unless they are phonies...
20,000 for a plugin/high mileage car would make a whole lot of sense for the average joes
*sighs* And once again people don't get it. Jason. Grow a clue. These cars are designed to remove our dependency on foreign fuel and to transfer carbon emissions from the pipe to a centralized location like a plant that can with time be cleaned up. Its a hell of a lot easier to upgrade the tech at a single point like a nuke plant or whatnot vs. 1 million cars.
this isn't about saving you money...yes it ISN'T ABOUT YOU....Sorry I know the American occupation is ME ME ME ME ME....but sorry in this case it isn't.
I don't think the point is spending the same amount on fuel versus car payment, It's more of a were running out of resources so we need a option other then gas.
jason51873, there is $25,000 all-electric car. Google "Think electric car" and click the first link on search results' list. They are expanding to North America too.
What to chose..... what to chose... .this car.. or the Sony Projector presented earlyer? they both got the same price... hmm.. what to choose...
How bout this save your money and buy a Fisker Karma.
Choose one of your comments, the one you dont choose....will die.
How about donating money to charity? They'll find a better way to use it rather than buying 10k-40k overpriced stuff.
will it really look like that when it come's out?
Who cares?
NO ABSURD GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES!!! WHOOOOHOOOOO!!!
I'm guessing it will look like the cobalt...
Cavalier -> Cobalt -> Volt....
end the end it is the same crap.... a Cavalier...
sign me up!
Fail.
GM = t3h sux0rz.
Toyota, will you just Buy General Motors already? Please?
Not happening. If GM and Toyota merge, they would have half the car market. Also, Toyota wouldn't want to deal with the train wreck known as the UAW, that GM has to deal with.
If you really want the US economy to take another serious hit.
If you really want the US economy to take another serious hit.
Exactly. The reason Toyota can actually sell cars for a decent price is the fact they didn't dig themselves into a hole by getting locked into bad deals with the worthless unions.
I know, Toyota are genius. First they don't deal with the UAW. Second, they sell the prius giving themselves a reputation of being green and responsible. Third, they make all their profits on gas-guzzling SUVs and pickup trucks without anyone thinking of it since only American car makers are dumb and evil enough to make gas-guzzling SUVs.
Yea, it would be so much better if those worthless unions weren't around so GM could bully its workers into accepting a barely living wage. Who do those workers think they are, expecting to work 60 hours a week and live a comfortable, middle-class lifestyle. They should be forced to work three jobs to support a family, and never see their kids, that'll show em. That's the American way!
First of all, the American car companies are not in the position they're in because of unions, it is largely because they have to pay healthcare costs for everyone and their brothers retired brother. Toyota is in a country that has nationalized medicine, and therefore does not have to provide healthcare for the vast majority of their employees. This puts them at a major advantage when building their costs into the price of cars.
And the other commenter is absolutely correct, Toyota makes most of their money off of their own gas guzzling SUVs. While I do own a Prius, I am not naive enough to think that Toyota gives any more a crap about the Planet than GM et al. do. Toyota saw a trend towards environmentalism and took advantage of it. Had they not seen this opportunity, you would never have heard of the Prius.
Toyota sends just as many lobbyists to DC to argue AGAINST environmental regulation as GM does. That is fact.
@0megapart!cle - Right, like those poor suckers that work at the Toyota plants in the US.
Like a lot of the unions the airlines are dealing with the UAW are shooting themselves in the foot by asking for so much that the companies can't afford to do business and have to lay their employees off.
@J
damn... now how can i rail against nationalized health care with an argument like that? hmm... what does my ideology tell me to hate more: unions or state health care?
Japan is a special case--the immediate greater good of society is understood, hence major urban service projects, nationalized healthcare, above average waste management and recycling programs, and all sorts of other nationwide services. They are a budding example of the benefits of socialism mixed in with the hard realities of a semi-free global market.
We, on the other hand, don't give a crap about our fellow man and it's all about me me me.
^^^^ garbage. Japan is what it is because the people are intelligent by nature. God it has nothing to do with that awful socialism religion. In fact Japanese people are so smart that the liberal conservative party currently in power has been in this position almost constantly since 1955.
Major urban projects have nothing to do with socialism, and while their health system is administered by the government, you still actually have to pay via your employer's mandatory health insurance scheme or some other method, and the hospitals are mainly private. In fact, the Japanese government spends 7.6% of GDP on healthcare, while the USA spends 13.1%.
Get your facts straight and find a better religion.
Losing money. That's so typical of GM. Its even worse when they lose money on a $40,000 car.
BE SURE to read about the "tax credit" which is pretty much a load of crap. You need to earn less them 40K or more then 1 million to even get it.
I bought a hybrid and got zippo for a tax credit even though the car qualified for over $2500.
Just check your taxes from last year...unless they change something this year.
Yes, and a lot of people don't realize that if you do get a tax credit of, say $7000, it doesn't mean you'll pay $7000 less in taxes. If you're in a 30% tax bracket, that amounts to 30% of the $7000, or $2100. They need to lower the price significantly if they want to sell these things. Right now a lot of people are stuck with their SUVs anyway, owing much more than they could trade or sell them for. I predict the price of gas will come down significantly right before the November elections, and people who were contemplating purchasing a small car will go out and buy a big car anyway. Fools.
If a company is going to lose money producing something...they will NOT produce it.
"...Chevrolet would be losing money on the first-generation Volt..."
^^That statement is 100% BS.^^
You fail at business.
Loss Leading is a common practice in business, many companies will take a loss on one product and make it up later on. In this case, GM hopes to make it up in the second generation of the Volt, and in increased traffic to the GM dealerships if nothing else.
The technology to make this car feasible simply hadn't been invented yet, the batteries to meet their goals is/was the main holding factor in the production time line, and even then they had to push just to meet 2010.
Lastly, how in the hell is the volt a 'luxury sports car"?
Detroit makes plenty of cars to just get around in, that get fantastic millage, you just never bothered looking.
That is not true... you are forget about HALO cars that are produced in small numbers and used as advertising vehicles to project an image over the entire product line...
Dodge uses the VIPER, and then that gets people into the dealership, and then they go well i cant get the viper, but i can get the charger etc...
Dodge did loose $$ on ever viper sold in the first generation cars...
Wrong. VW Auto Group made the Bugatti Veyron as an engineering "look what we can do" and lost about a million bucks on every one they sold.
I think at $40,000 GM will sell as many Volts as Bugatti sold Veyrons. I don't know a ton of people who would pay $40,000 for a car with a re-hashed Saturn Aura interior, Cavalier steering wheel, and a big gold bow tie on the front. If they load it full of luxury equipment it'll be too heavy to be an economical car, and if they don't (at $40,000) it'll be too economical for a luxury car... knowing GM the later will probably be the case, since I can go spend $40,000 on a Buick and not even get Bluetooth or navigation as an available option.
I think this thing will be an epic fail.
Bugatti Veyron anyone? Its estimated they cost about 5M to produce and they are sold for around 1.5m. Its a halo car in limited numbers.
by produce I mean MASS MANUFACTURE...not "show off" cars like the Veyron or the Aero TT...obviously they cost a sh*t-load, but they are not produced in significant numbers, so it doesn't matter if the company losses some extra $$ on them.
My statement is correct when applied in the correct way...sorry I didn't specify more clearly...my bad :)
well, it depends on what company we are talking about...
when ps3 was released...sony was selling each ps3 at a loss of about $300 each...and that doesn't include marketing cost...
selling a new product/technology at a loss is a marketing strategy often used by many big companies to gain time advantage and market share...
in addition, as a new product is being mass produced, the manufacture cost will go down, so they will benefit in the long run, on the premise that the market and consumers accept it, otherwise you lost everything, like hddvd.
meesa no likey you comment danny!
messa think you only half right. If beep beep car come out and lose money, nobody produce!
BUT, thees car company say "hey, meesa lose money on FIRST production."
Meesa think they make money if first run is success, cheaper cost for them, cheaper cost for jar jar. And cheaper cost for you danny YAY!
Ani lose $5m on C3PO and he broke, so he never makey more! Poor C3PO, so lonely...meesa be his friend.
Danakin, you are wrong. The old Ford Escort was sold at a loss back in the 80's and 90's. And Ford sold hundreds of thousands of them.
Ford sold them to meet CAFE standards.
In fact, most small economy cars are break even at best.
I would like the sources to back up your claims and I will revoke my statement...but for now
The Veyron isn't mass produced, so it does not apply.
The Dodge Viper (my dream car, btw) was sold for a solid $50k for the first generation RT/10s...manufacturing cost was $43,xxx...so a profit of +$6,xxx is not a loss.
Okay, PS3 is legit if you are talking about the first couple made, (and I literally mean couple, once they started the production lines, this is nolonger true) BD player is what did that, & that is only true for the first few consoles...they still made money after they were all sold!
C3PO was also not mass produced...don't even bring up the action figures ;)
Idk about the Escort...would you care to site your sources? What is CAFE? Again...small economy cars break even sources please.
...it's simply not in the interest to the company to do it.
Danakin, there is this great product. It's called Google. You should try it. But hey, here you go:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FWH/is_n2_v109/ai_19525580
CAFE is the US federal mandated fuel economy standards. Companies selling cars in the US had to have a certain average fuel economy. The Escort sales offset sales of other cars.
There are many reasons for a company to sell at a loss. Gillette gives razors away. They make it up in blades.
HP practically gives printers away. They make it back in toner.
IBM basically NEVER made money selling PC computers. They sold them to provide a complete line of products for corporate customers. Eventually they sold the division to Lenovo.
Microsoft sells a lot of things at a loss to build market.
And FYI, CAFE standards are coming back. Which means GM needs to move vehicles like the Volt to offset guzzlers like the Camaro, SUVs, etc. Not to mention that the Volt is already being used as a halo vehicle for things like flexfuel engines.
@jar jar
i never cease to be amazed at how others get off on being total fuckwads.
@ Danakin
You are totally wrong about the PS3. Sony continues to lose money on every PS3 sold and is expected to lose money throughout this year until 2009.
The Xbox 360 is in a similair situation, and Microsoft does not expect to profit off the Xbox 360 until this year.
Since you do not know how to use Google, I have provided you with sources. Some are missing, because I am only allowed to post 3 URLs.
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/746/746482p1.html
http://uk.reuters.com/article/technology-media-telco-SP/idUKN0737530820080107?feedType=RSS&feedName=technology-media-telco-SP
http://www.joystiq.com/2005/12/28/xbox-360-costs-715-to-make/
Alright, alright, I concede...you got me.
First, @rip...Google is not a product and I use it quite often. Thanks for the article, I did not know that, but it is good to now know. The article did not mention anything about selling vehicles at a loss though, it said that the profit margin of vehicles sold was decreased due to CAFE, but it is still a profit.
Second, @Tony...Thanks for the articles, they prove me wrong. I guess Sony makes their lost PS3 $ up in games and peripherals?
Third, @SSC...I do suck at business...that is why I do not manage, market, or own one.
Fourth, @...wtf, just wtf
Final Thoughts, @everyone...I think everyone will at least agree with me that on the surface, the concept of a company selling a product and losing money on purpose is just an absurd thing to do. But thanks for correcting my misunderstanding, I appreciate it!
...oops, fourth is supposed to be @ jar jar
Nice. Plus think of all the petrol money you will save. Hope it hits in the UK shortly after 2010, branded as a Vauxhall
Epic fail. This car gets WAY too much press. Leave it to Chevy to produce a damn supped up luxury sports car that no one can afford for their first run at a "mainstream" electric car. God forbid they make something a bit more modest & cost effective for normal people to just get around in.
Detroit, you suck at making cars these days.
It's really not possible right now for any company to make a decent, affordable electric car that actually makes them money. I think this will be huge for GM, assuming that Li-Ion battery prices drop as much as they expect them to. They're not going to make money on these for several years, but they're putting themselves ahead of the curve by investing in R&D now. When battery prices drop, every other company is going to be scrambling to keep up. Toyota and Nissan might also have plug-in hybrids, but only GM is producing a serial hybrid right now.
I'm no fan of the US auto industry, but this is one of the few steps in the right direction that they've taken lately.
@ Howard
I call BS on that. There is a guy in Kansas that will convert an S-10 pickup to all electric (WARP motor, sealed lead batteries) for $11,000 plus a donor vehicle. While it might not be the most elegant or advanced technology, it IS possible. This is just some guy in his shop. There's no reason for a multi-billion dollar company to make an electric car for $20,000
Wenke: What kind of range does that guy's modded S10 get? What kind of warranty does it have? What kind of safety testing has he done? There are a lot more issues than just cost the base cost to the consumer.
A new S10 starts at $16,000, which added to $11,000 isn't cheap either. Plus, it probably has a minimal or nonexistent warranty. It also can't carry as many passengers as comfortably and probably has a pretty crappy range without a gasoline engine available to extend it.
@Wenke
I bet that guy didn't spend billions on R&D which is also factored into the car's price. R&D makes up a HUGE chunk of the cost.
Now I doubt "the guy"'s tech matches that of a Volt . The Volt, supposedly, can run off batteries alone for the first 40miles, and seats 5, and has a backup gasoline engine. No other vehicle can do that.
WOW!!! What a steal (from our wallets). X years in the making and still over priced. If the goverment stepped in today and said that no new passenger vehicles that run on gasoline are allowed to be made, How long do you think it would take for the automakers to switch to alternative fuels? I have a feeling it would only be months before they had a vehicle rolling off the line in mass production mode.
Although we are talking about an industry that didnt see the sharp decline in SUV and Truck sales coming, and consequently also reduced the number of small economy vehicles they produced.
The government (California's CARB specifically) has demonstrated that legislative fiat will not force the makers to do anything. CARB consistently pushed back their requirements as it became clear that the auto manufacturers would not/could not meet the artificial deadlines. The market (price of gas, desire to be "green") has done more to ensure the popularity of hybrids than any legislation.
http://www.altfuels.org/misc/callegis.html
@ letstakeawalk
CARB was controlled by Detroit automaker lobbyists when those artificle time tables were could not be met. They were making the deadlines, they HAD cars out already. They just did the same stupid thing as with the Volt and sold some overpriced sports car and then said there was no interest.
The Prius is sold as a family car, that is why it sells. Not to mention its also reasonably priced. The plug-in prius will kick the Volt's ass in sales.
Well it _looks_ hot, and the plug in aspect's definitely a bonus. But I have such a hard time taking a chance on GM's reliability.
Oh, and it costs more than twice what my loaded Civic did. That's a factor.
You bought a Civic.
'Nuff said.
@Low Ranked
You tried to imply there's something wrong with buying a Civic
'Nuff said
@r3loaded:
You bought one too.
Way to spread some mid 90's FUD. All car manufacturers have good reliability now. GM has a 10 year 100k warranty.
The big deal about the Volt is that it is a true Hybrid instead of a retrofit like all current hybrids. The gas motor is only used to make electricity never for direct drive to the wheels. Driving is entirely through electric motors.
If you believe that GM's reliability is so bad then you haven't seen the numbers from JD Power. GM is building many models which meet or exceed the long term reliability of Toyota and Honda. Same goes for Ford and even Chrysler which has long been considered the worst. The differences are negligible. Buick shares the #1 spot with Lexus for 2007.
http://www.jdpower.com/reports/buick07/default.aspx
GM/Ford do NOT have the resale value of Toyota/Honda has. It's not even close & thats a fact. Reliability is negligible.
Happy_penguin: did you even look at the chart you link to. It is true that Buick is sharing the top spot, but from the list, the only other US cars that even get into the top half are Caddy's, Mercs and Lincolns. The whole bottom half of that list (which they don't list) includes Ford, Dodge, Jeep and Chevy. Chevy still rates as one of lower ranks for reliability, which this Volt will surely follow in their footsteps.
Resale value is market driven. Demand determines price. Demand for American cars is lower because of misinformation perpetuated by the biased media and people such as some people here. One good thing about that is I can buy a used American car and save a lot of money. Give me a used American car and I'll pocket the savings.
Yes, Steve A I did read the chart. And as you go down lower below you will still find that even the lower quality vehicles are still quite reliable not the POSs that people keep saying they are. Toyota may still be higher than Chevy but as they push for world domination they are slipping. It's just a matter of time.
http://money.cnn.com/2007/10/16/autos/cr_reliability/index.htm
Keep in mind the oil companies still want their billions of dollars in profits, even with cars like this.
Most likely the price increase is due to their mandatory 'take'.
Are you implying part of the sale of this vehicle will go directly to oil companies? This seems unlikely to me, is there something I don't know?
PopsG: Yes. Yes there is.
I'd settle for an electric bike maybe like the Brammo electric http://www.livegrids.net/?p=110 . They seem to be a lot cheaper, and pretty easy to get around the town too.
We have to wait a whole 2 years? I like Chevy, but honestly, they probably won't even exist in 2 years, or at least not have the control that they have now.
lol I liked the story that came up on the Volt tag here on Engadget
http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/31/create-your-own-miniature-electric-chair/
Anyway, this won't have speakers and fake car noise crap with it, will it?
Yeah $40k on a Chevy? No....
It does look nice, and it is a plug-in hyrbid that will go nicely from home to work.
My commuter car right now is a 2007 Acura TSX. I LOVE it. For the 16 - 20 minutes a day I drive to and from work, its GREAT. Leather, Navi, 6spd Manual, Bluetooth, voice recognition, XM radio, its got some balls and it gets 24 - 35MPG. I average switching between highway and local roads at 28MPG. All highway I can get around 35 with a max of 38MPG.
And it was $29,000.
I want a plug-in hybrid version of the Acura TSX. Oh and he new Acura's are built in the United States. Chevy's? Built in Mexico or Guam. Soon to be China.
I'm sure the technology is expensive. But honestly, its artificially expensive. And all the other electric cars are FUGLY. I don;'t want a TOYBOX euro-trash style commuter car.
What I really want is a plug-in hybrid convertible sports car. I'd pay $45,000 for that. Too bad Tesla wants $108,000. If the Tesla was 1/2 of what they are charging, I would literally buy one right now without a second thought.
I second that notion!
Here in Houston, TX I'm starting to see the stupid little Smart For Two cars on the road. They scare me. I fear for the driver when i see them on the freeway.
All this car does is shift you gas bill from a gas station to now having a hugely inflated electric bill.
We have more oil on this planet than we know what to do with. There isn't a good reason to stop using. What are we saving it for? And global warming is not a reason! It needs to be based in real scientific and economic terms.
Way to justify your own failed purchase decision dude!
I also have an 07 TSX 6MT and I love it as well, but you're off on a few points.
The TSX is made in Japan. As long as it remains the Euro/Japanese market Accord (which is what it is), it always will be made in Japan.
The TL is made in the US because it's the same platform as the US market Accord. The MDX is the same (Pilot), and the RDX too (CRV).
The RL is also made in Japan.
All of that being said, GM will probably produce the Volt in Mexico and call it American... the same way they do 80% of the rest of their engines/platforms/transmissions.
@kjb: the Smart is not electric. It's not even a hybrid. It's a gasoline powered vehicle, albeit a very, very tiny one.
I'm starting to see a bunch of them zipping around here in Dallas as well.
Wrong.
All you would have to do is go to Google News and type "chevy volt assembly" to learn the volt will be made in Hamtramck, in Detroit, MI.
Your TSX is a nice car but as someone already pointed out is NOT made in the US.
The misinformation here is very impressive.
And you act like Tesla prices their car artificially high. Why would any company want to do that?? To sell less cars??
Your "plug-in TSX" would probably be $50,000+
1.) The NEW Acura's are being split from Honda.
I know my 2007 Acura TSX was built in Japan, I ordered it and had to wait for it to be delivered from Japan. However in a few years, if not sooner you will see them being made in the USA.
2.) If they made a plug-in electric TSX, it would be a LOT more than $50,000 - what I said was I WANTED a car that wasn't that expensive unless it was a convertible sports car like the Tesla.
3.) I didn't say Tesla was keeping the prices high. Its the battery manufacturers and even the Lithium Ore mining companies. The MARKET is keeping the technology high. Take a look at computers. When they come out they are obscenely expensive, then they come down in price.
"We have more oil on this planet than we know what to do with"
Yeah, that's why gas is so cheap! I can't pay people to get rid of it! And it's not like Saudi Arabia isn't pumping out maximum output or anything either. Fuel economy makes baby jesus cry!
$40,000 on a Chevy?
Try $70,000 Plus... People pay that all the time for the Corvette.
Some of those cars have GREAT resale value (Given enough time).
The new Acuras are not being "split from Honda." The new 09 TSX just came out and will likely run through 2013 if the 1st gen TSX's run is any indication. The "TSX" in the US, as I'm sure you know, is the Honda Accord in Europe and Japan. As long as the TSX remains a re-badge (albeit nicer) Jap/Euro market Honda Accord, it will continue to be made in Japan. Honda doesn't sell enough of them for it to make sense that they set up a factory in the US to make TSX's. Unlike the TL, RDX, and MDX, the TSX doesn't share a platform with any US-built Honda.
The RL is the Honda Legend in the rest of the world. It's a Honda, they bring it over here and stick an Acura badge on it. That's the only difference. That car doesn't share a platform with any American built Honda either, and it'll never be made in the US.
Acura's forthcoming NSX replacement will be built in Japan no matter what. All of Honda's high performance vehicles (No, the Civic Si isn't a high performance vehicle) have always been built in Japan. The S2000, the NSX, all of the sport bikes, etc. etc.
The TL shares a platform with a US Accord and was designed in the US, so building that here is no big deal. Same with the RDX and the MDX, as I said before.
Only HALF of the Acuras sold here are built here, and it's going to stay that way. As much as many Acura owners would like to think, Acura isn't a different company as Honda. All of the Acuras have Honda engines in them... and are in most cases just Hondas with different badges on them and nicer interiors. Acura was only created because in 1989 nobody was going to pay $80K for a "Honda" NSX.
Acura is marketing, that's all it is. Your TSX is an Accord to the rest of the world, and it was built in Japan.
So in 2 years the gas will be what, $25/gallon?
i prefer the fisker ... though it cost 2x this volt. and the Tesla performs way better but that about 3x this volt ... hmm .. and seriously 40k is not that much .. i know its not within everyone's needs but it isn't by any means exhuberant.
-sun
Please show me a break down of why this costs 40,000.00 It seems like a marketing skeem. Is it just impossible to produce a plugin hybrid for 20,000.00???
Because all the market research shows that people who buy hybrids aren't buying them to save gas. They are buying them for the show off factor. They want people to think they care about the environment. As South Park put it "SMUG FACTOR."
Hybrids are all based in a marketing concept and not concept for environmental concerns. If it was build for environmental concerns, they wouldn't used the batteries they use.
It is a luxury sports car, just like a BMW....no one cries "why is it $40K" for one of those, what is the difference here?
Way to compare Chevrolet to BMW in the luxury category.
People expect a BMW to be around $40,000 when it's new... not a Chevrolet. When people (ones who know jack about cars and aren't biased rednecks who've only owned full sized pickup trucks) think about BMW they think about their rich heritage, luxurious interiors, smooth engines, sporty feel vs other companies in the same grain (Benz, Audi, etc.) and pride.
When people think of GM they think of pickup trucks and Cavaliers. GM has a history of shoddy interiors, cars that are designed to fail to generate dealer revenue, auctioning off component manufacture to the lowest bidder, and HORRID resale value.
Ask me how I know, I live in Michigan and most of my friends and family are in the industry.
@jason: I bet you feel good rolling through Detroit in your import.
Ah, so most of your friends and family are the one's in unions causing GM to spend an insane amount on fees and steward salaries? Unions above all else are killing American industry. Putting a communist ideology into a capitalist economy where you can't be fired for not doing your job.
Hey jackasses, thanks for assuming tons of stuff.
First off I don't live in Detroit, or anywhere near it. Detroit is a toilet and I would never live there.
Second off, no - my friends and families aren't the ones forcing the unions to do anything. Every family member of mine who is in any manufacturing industry is CONSTANTLY complaining about the unions. The unions protect lazy people who don't want to work and they all know that. Here's the problem - if you work in a "union shop" (be it the UAW, the steel workers union, etc - not all of them work for car companies) you are either in the union, or you don't have a job. You can't work at a place like that and not be in the union, or you get fired because the places have contracts with the unions who say that with the exception of management they can't hire or keep non-union employees, unless they're temps.
On top of that, some of my family and friends work for independent third party companies who are contracted to do work for the "big 3," so they have nothing to do with unions.
Maybe you should both do a little research in to how things work in the manufacturing sector before you go making more asinine assumptions and accusations, so you both don't come off looking like fools next time.
Besides excellent fuel economy, wasn't one of the reasons for the Prius' success that it was/is cheap enough to be affordable by most people? Even assuming that $7,000 tax credit appears, the $33,000 end cost would still put it firmly in the low end luxury side of things and probably more expensive than most families will want to spend.
You mean "Besides the excellent, but bogus, fuel economy that they could tout only thanks to unrealistic EPA test procedures for hybrid cars" don't you?
GM suits bought into the hype spouted by their oil buddies on the golf course (“if you build it they will come”, “don’t sell what they need, tell them what they need”, “for every 1 fuel efficient car ad, spam 20 gas guzzler ads”, “come on, help a brother out, now watch this shot, foooouur”).
One major problem, unlike Big Oil the Car biz is not a monopoly! This car should have been made 4 years ago. Way to let Toyota (using American workers) dole out the P0WNAGE! Your Oil Pals are all about self. They pimped you and left you azz out (literally) and naked behind a dumpster on 26th street. They don’t love you auto HOs!
http://www.amazon.com/Who-Killed-Electric-Martin-Sheen/dp/B000I5Y8FU/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1213900227&sr=8-1
They didn't get that idea from their "oil buddies" they took that right from Toyota's playbook.
Yea, it would be so much better if those worthless unions weren't around so GM could bully its workers into accepting a barely living wage. Who do those workers think they are, expecting to work 60 hours a week and live a comfortable, middle-class lifestyle. They should be forced to work three jobs to support a family, and never see their kids, that'll show em. That's the American way!
SIGN ME UP. I'm getting on the waiting list TODAY. I currently have a 2006 Lexus GS300 and have said the only way I'm buying another car is if it runs on Hydrogen or Electric.
This is exactly what I'm looking for.
$40,000 is something the whole world can afford!
:P
Why cant they make a car that is priced for people who actually are having trouble with high gas prices. The only people who will buy the volt will then park it right next to their Hybrid Tahoe. Not concered with saving gas, rather just concered with the trendy Hybrid/Electric logo.