Chevrolet Volt:

20,000 members on Volt’s waiting list

Over 20,000 people have expressed interest in buying a Chevy Volt when it arrives by signing up on GMVolt’s virtual waiting list. It still isn’t clear how much the Volt will cost, although most estimates put it around $35,000. Also not clear is how many Volts will be produced in the first model year, estimates put that at at least 10,000.

There are about 4000 Chevy dealerships, so if only 10,000 cars should be made, how will they be distributed? GM vice-chair Bob Lutz has mentioned the possibility of early distribution to “smile states” such as California, New York, Washington D.C., and Florida, but also indicates that final plans haven’t been made yet.

GM Volt will be powered by a 160-hp electric motor that will allow it run on electricity for up to 40 miles. Recently Bob Lutz was reported saying that the price of the Chevrolet Volt could reach about $48,000. Lutz said that $40,00 would be possible only if GM doesn’t make a dime on the car.

Chevrolet Volt Concept

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Chevrolet Volt Mule Underhood Shot

Lately a spy shot with a supposed Chevy Volt mule with li-ion pack started to circulate on the internet. But what’s the real deal with the car in that picture? It is true that GM is testing E-Flex mule vehicles for a few month now, but this is not one of them.

According to GM EFlex spokesman Rob Peterson: "We have had E-Flex mule vehicles testing components on our test tracks in Milford for over five months. However, the one being shown is not one of them. The photo circulating on the web is a Volt ride and handling test vehicle. It does not include E-Flex propulsion components - specifically, it does not include the li-ion t-pack."

So, what you see in this pictures is a real E-Flex mule with the E-Flex drivetrain, but no li-ion pack.

Would you pay $48,000 for a Chevrolet Volt?

In an interview with the BusinessWeek magazine, Bob Lutz said that the price for the production version of the electric Volt could reach about $48,000. He said that $40,000 is possible only if GM doesn’t make a penny on the car. Only if the government throws on tax incentives for purchasing a Volt, could only take the price close to the $30,000 mark.

And he continued that the Volt is the next big step for GM. Well, yes you know that already, but are you ready to pay that price for an electric car? This is the price tag for most of the luxury-cars available on the market at the moment. So, what will Volt bring that important to worth the price? Well, we will see, won’t we?

Chevrolet Volt Concept was unveiled last year at the Detroit Auto Show. It is powered by the E-flex System – GM’s next-generation electric propulsion system. The Volt is also designed to run on E85, a fuel blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

2007 Chevrolet Volt Picture Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Bob Lutz and the Chevy Volt: price doesn’t count?

Sometimes, you get the impression that Bob Lutz is the John McCain of General Motors. You know, says things “from the hip,” stuff that comes across as being revolutionary because people in his position aren’t supposed to talk that way. Stuff that, when you start thinking about it a bit more, makes no sense.

The latest comes from comments Lutz, product boss at GM, made to Wired magazine during the North American International Auto Show. According to Wired, Lutz said that the forthcoming Chevy Volt might not meet its target price of $30,000 and might, in fact, actually come in at $40,000. According to Wired, Lutz says the car’s not about sales, but prestige: “If it doesn’t work, it’s not fatal. But if it does work, it’ll be sensational.” Lutz portrayed the car as nothing technologically revolutionary – “[t]here is nothing magic about the technology” - and says that others will be doing the same three years after the Volt is introduced. “But there is no doubt you’d like to be able to leapfrog Toyota and come out with a car they aren’t ready to do.”

It brought to mind TopSpeed.com’s own questions to Lutz about the effect of price increases due to the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, which Lutz projects at between $5,000 and $6,000 per car, possibly more. Asked during NAIAS if that wouldn’t make people want to keep their older cars and, thereby, drive down demand for new cars, Lutz seemed unprepared to answer the question, struggled for a while, and then said that higher new car prices would just increase the prices for used cars, narrowing the margin between new and used. Even though the predicted CAFE-caused price increase amounts to raising the real cost of a new car by 20%, Lutz expressed no worry over the effect of that increase, either on the company’s fortunes or that of the overall economy.

>> read

Volt still on target for 2010

Every now and then, you get the impression that Bob Lutz and Rick Wagoner don’t often compare notes. This past Thursday, General Motors Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner told the press that the Chevy Volt couldn’t be guaranteed for 2010. But today, in a posting on GM’s FastLane blog, Vice-Chairman Robert Lutz says the company is “holding tight” to the 2010 target date. Perhaps there is no more to this than a difference in emphasis. The two comments are (...)
>> read

Chevrolet Volt might not come in 2010

Everyone hopes that the Volt will be launched in 2010. Including GM. But there are big possibilities for this not to happen. Reason? Battery! GM is still making big efforst to develop the technology required to produce a battery-powered car for the masses. "We continue to put massive resources into production as soon as possible."
>> read

Chevrolet Volt production version - teaser image

he massive fan in GM’s aero lab wind tunnel has been cranked up to full blast as GM’s designers and engineers work to optimize the aerodynamics of the Chevrolet Volt as part of the quest to make the breakthrough concept car a production reality. Aerodynamic improvement is a critical step in meeting the range targets necessary for moving the vehicle to a final production decision.
>> read

60,000 Volts

That is the production targeted by General Motors for the introductory year of the Chevrolet Volt, according to Bloomberg News. Bloomberg said the information came from a GM insider. GM’s Robert Lutz has predicted the Volt’s introduction by late 2010. At that production level, GM would be building four times as many Volts in the introductory year as Toyota did of the Prius in its first year on the market. Putting that into perspective, Chevrolet plans to produce as many Volts (..
>> read

Chevrolet Volt will get Lithium-Ion Battery Cell

General Motors Corp. and A123Systems, Inc. will co-develop cells with A123System’s nanophosphate battery chemistry for a long-lasting, safe and powerful battery for use in GM’s electric drive E-Flex system. The agreement is expected to expedite the development of the batteries for both electric plug-in vehicles and fuel cell variants of the E-Flex architecture. "Breakthrough battery technology will drive future automotive propulsion, and the company that aligns with the best (...)
>> read

Chevy Volt hits the road

According to a report in the Detroit Free Press, engineers developing a lithium ion battery system for the car have been driving a rough prototype models as part of the development program. The disclosure came in testimony before a Congressional committee last week by David Vieau, chief executive officer of A123 Systems. His company is developing lithium ion batteries designed to be used in the Volt. A General Motors spokesman, Brian Corbett, stated that the Volts currently being (...)
>> read