Barack Obama wants to buy a Chevy Volt when he leaves office. If they’re still making them.
The announcement late last week that Chevy was suspending Volt sales for lack of demand (conveniently timed after the Michigan primary was over, because laying off 1,300 UAW workers would have clashed with Obama’s Election Day, anti-Romney UAW Convention speech boasting that he had saved Detroit jobs) was a huge embarrassment for a president who in part rescued GM in order to make what the president claims is the Car of the Future (no doubt, it’s his vast experience in the car market that convinced him).
But it’s not just the president with egg on his face. The Volt is more than an overhyped car — it is a piece of state propaganda sold by politicians, industry, and the media alike.
On the same day Obama singled out the Volt’s Detroit production facility in 2010 to showcase the company he had saved, GM flattered the boss with an announcement that it was increasing Volt production by 50 percent to 45,000 cars for 2012 — up from 11,000 for 21011 and 30,000 in 2012. “GM says strong public interest in the vehicle led it to increase production targets for the Volt,” reported a credulous CNN.
Because it was the Car of the Future. Because Obama said so. No matter that the market for hybrid electrics was in decline.
The hype machine continued through 2011 even as monthly sales dragged. With notable exceptions like Planet Gore, the MSM salivated over a niche vehicle pitched to a narrow demographic of wealthy greens, and costing double — double — its stable-mate Chevy Cruze, a gas-powered compact that gets 35 mpg mpg.
“GM has nailed it, creating a hatchback that feels peppy and mainstream yet can sip less fuel than any gas- or diesel-powered car sold in America,” thrilled New York Times auto critic Lawrence Ulrich after driving the Obamacar. “The Volt leaves you grinning with its driving-the-future vibe. Yet the car operates so seamlessly that owners need not think about the planetary gear sets, the liquid-cooled electrons and all that digital magic taking place below.”
Yeesh, get a room.
Pooh-poohing concern over the car’s Tiffany price tag, Ulrich concluded: “Poised to sell in the tens of thousands, the Volt (is) the first car in a century to make Big Oil sweat, if only a little#…#it’s an economical car that Americans will buy for its cache, not a cut-rate payment.”
Stunned by GM’s announcement last Friday, Volt cheerleaders are scrambling to explain its lack of appeal (the Volt has as many excuses as Obama’s economic policy). Its infamous tendency to catch on fire? Yes, that surely took the shine off a car that is bought for its social caché (who wants to be the butt of a fire joke at the Art Institute fundraiser?). Its price tag? Yes, although the Leo DiCaprios of the world, who buy it to bolster their green credentials, are hardly comparison shoppers. Because Rush Limbaugh ragged on it? Um, shouldn’t this have boosted sales among the environmental Left?
But the Volt’s biggest problem is that consumers found it too complicated. After charging it overnight, you also want to fill it with gas, because like a hybrid it can run on gas to maintain the battery’s charge, and . . . am I losing you yet?
Jack Domaldson of Davis, Calif., told the Wall Street Journal that he thought of buying a Volt but found it impractical and settled for a much cheaper Toyota Prius instead. Why? “Short range, expensive, no infrastructure support, and the element of uncertainty with performance,” he said.
Yes, those damn customers. Despite the Volt’s impressive DNA (GM design legend Bob Lutz was its father) and undeniable engineering wow-factor, it still needs a market.
And like solar panels and wind turbines and other green desiderata that Obama has poured your tax dollars into, that market is not ready for prime time. In the next five weeks, GM will lower expectations, roll out a new marketing strategy, and hope for a better future.
Who knows, maybe Obama will just mandate everyone buys a Chevy Volt.
Henry....do you know how many Volts were purchased by federal or state governments?
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Pete
The Toyota Prius C is what the Chevy Volt should have been, if only it could have been. But of course it couldn’t, because General Motors is not Toyota.
The Chevy Volt has only mediocre mileage after you’ve used up its electric range. And its electric range is quite short, especially in a cold climate, or when you want air conditioning. Assuming one could expect a reasonably long and trouble-free life from it, which is questionable.
In short, there’s no way to make a rational financial case for owning a Chevy Volt, even with the government’s $7,500. subsidy. The Prius C costs about $20,000. and at that price and with its mpg one can at least make a rational case for buying it if one expects fuel to stay at or above $4..
Which is to say, the Prius C is a real product in that it (unlike the Chevy Volt) will lileky survive in the marketplace without subsidies.
But I'm sure it would be unreasonable to ask a Car Czar why Toyota is successful in making a real high-mpg car, and General Motors is not.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI really don't think the Volt's operation is that hard to understand: keep it fueled up with gas for those unexpected longer trips...but you may not use the gas much if you just use it back & forth to work.
The concept & the engineering seem like they make a lot of sense. The price, however, leaves a lot to be desired...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNot a good idea. Gasoline goes stale if it sits too long. You will find that when you need it, the gasoline engine won't work.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"The Volt is more than an overhyped car — it is a piece of state propaganda sold by politicians, industry, and the media alike."
See External Link
and External Link 
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBetter yet, he should mandate that GM provide one free to everyone who wants one.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe $40,000 Volt gets 36 miles to a charge and 36 mpg after that.
The $19,800 Cruze Eco (the gas only version), gets 42 mpg.
So each day driven, the Volt saves a maximum of 3.5 quarts of gasoline.
And EVERY mile you drive past 36 costs you MORE for gas than the cheaper Cruze.
Less than one gallon per day for $20,200 upfront.
The interest ALONE on $20,200 is $2 per day.
There just aren't enough idiots (outside of government) to support this deal.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMaybe Obama can mandate that the Volt run on water instead of gasoline to boost its non-electric mpg? After all, it's just an internal combustion engine, a pile of bolts and grease, right? Couldn't be that hard to reinvent if Obama wishes it done.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseObama could just mandate that it run on carbon dioxide. That way, he could cure global warming by fiat, er Chevy, you know what I mean.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abusewaste water
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThere just aren't enough idiots (outside of government and GE) to support this deal.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOne thing that most everyone can agree on, Obama has no future in venture capital investing.
Let’s hope he has no future as our president.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe Volt project was started and the federal development subsidies and the EV purchaser tax credit were passed two years before George W Bush left office. President Obama is supporting an existing program.
You don't have to understand exactly how the Volt works to drive it. It uses the battery with a $1.40 charge for about 35 miles and the gasoline engine at 35mpg thereafter.
The biggest reason for buying the Chevy Volt is that oil prices support America's biggest enemies including Iran, Al Qaeda, Hugo Chavez, etc. OPEC responds to increased US oil production by reducing OPEC pumping. Fracking oil is an expensive technique that cannot survive $10 oil. Cutting consumption is non-polluting, OPEC-proof, and disarms our enemies without firing a bullet. If China and Europe go along, Al Qaeda and Khamenei are out of the terrorism business.
Support our troops - Buy a Volt!
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Fracking oil is an expensive technique that cannot survive $10 oil."
If that's our biggest problem, we are in great, great, wonderful shape. Wow.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSince Brent crude is about $120 a barrel right now, I don't think we need to worry too much about whether fracking can compete at $10. And electric cars still need to get their energy from somewhere -- electricity doesn't just magically appear in your wall socket.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMy family owns a Volt and we have been quite pleased. My wife's round trip commute is about 30 miles so she uses ZERO gas to commute to work. Just gotta plug the car in at night and that's it. We've spent less than $200 in gas and we've had the car for about 9 months. We decided against the Nissan Leaf because once that car runs out of juice you're stuck dead on the road. At least with the Volt you can go another 300 miles driving on gas. The Prius was an option but we wanted to get something made in America. It's a great car if you actually need a car that has the POTENTIAL for not using any gas at all if your daily commute is less than 40 miles but is flexible if you want to go for say a 200+ mile trip.. Yeah, it's pricey but we are leasing and it doesn't cost any more to lease than our other car.
As for Obama - well, the Volt was conceived and designed prior to him taking office so that's one thing I can't blame him for. George W initiated the original auto bailout. And plus, at least the thing is built here, by Americans in America and it is a technological wonder.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt was Obama who came up with the idea of subsidizing your little toy. As for Bush starting the bailout, yes he did, then Obama came along and supersized it.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt was also Obama who told the bondholders that unless they surrendered their property rights, he'd sic the IRS on them.
Folks who condemn the Chevy Volt are misinformed. The car was promoted by Bob Lutz and had been approved for production before Obama came on the scene. The idea of tax incentives for hybrid cars is a good one-subsidize goals and outcomes rather than individual companies. (Of course, this isn't what Bush did with GM.) Gas has to sit for a long time to become "stale" - I've let gas sit in lawn mowers and motorcycles over the winter and they have started the next spring- and anyway, fuel stabilizer is cheap and is available at Walmart. Sure, the Volt is pricy, but new things always are. The Prius is still expensive if you compare it to a Corolla or even a Camry bought at a high volume dealership.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI don't quite understand the lay offs. I read somewhere- I believe Motor Trend- that Volts were being produced on a production line with similar Chevys and Buicks. I wonder if GM wanted to get rid of a few guys and used the slowdown as an excuse.
The Volt, like the Prius, is a credible first step and should be encouraged. It's biggest problem is a total lack of marketing, but a decent ad has appeared here in DFW so maybe GM is getting it's act together. It is a boutique car,but then so is the BMW.
"Folks who condemn the Chevy Volt are misinformed. The car was promoted by Bob Lutz and had been approved for production before Obama came on the scene." Well, that makes it better then. /s
What are the odds that your average Volt buyer - for their second car yet - are going to be going to Walmart for their stabilizer?
First step? Try 1891. The Post Office also tried some from AMC in 1975. Chevy tried this in 1988. So far, they're still good for the same thing they were at the turn of the century - short distances and small vehicles. I've seen a few marketing-based promoters claiming this thing a techonological milestone. Let's see: battery and gas. Nope, not such a huge achievement.
Go stroke your ego with your own money. And let us develop our resources freely so the markets can do their job. The electricity only seems cheap while coal and fracking reign anyway. But yeah, it's partially dependent on the marketing - like that for pet rocks.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhere to begin?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI wasn't aware rich people didn't go to Walmart. Maybe that is why the store in Plano (a upper crust suburb in Dallas County) is about to close down. As is the Sam's and the Costco.
Electric cars failed in the 20th century because of cheap gas. Perhaps the coach hasn't noticed but cheap gas has pretty much disappeared. It's not coming back, no matter what Newt says. Times change and so must people's minds. The conservative idea that it is unAmerican or unmanly or ever so slightly fey to try to keep things clean or use fewer resources or be efficient has run it's course.
The Chevy in 1988, the EVO 1, was not a failure. The folks that drove it loved it and rich people were standing in line to buy them. The beancounters, always GM's curse, talked management into not spending the money that it would take to perfect it. Had they, GM and not Toyota would now be the technology leader.
The personal invective in the last paragraph was cute. I drove semi over the road for forty years and can't afford a Volt, but I recognize it for what it is: a car of the future. Flawed perhaps, but still the future.
Finally, I got to give a shoutout to sales people. Marketing is the backbone of this country. No matter how good a product or service is, it has to be marketed. Nothing sells itself. Folks got to get down in the trenches and move that iron. A good marketing effort, one that empathizes the car and not some airy-fairy green tree-hugger ethic will go a long way towards making the Volt a success.