Comments on: Can Chevrolet's Volt Help Win The War On Terror?

By: Yegor T

Yegor T — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 04:49:12 +0000

Finally!

By: Logical_Thinker

Logical_Thinker — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:25:07 +0000

I totally agree.

By: Logical_Thinker

Logical_Thinker — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:22:19 +0000

The base Volt costs under 32K after tax rebates. So @Van, you can return to reality: the Volt is right about where you want it to be.

Compare the Volt, with its amazingly advanced technology, ability to consistently return the equivalent of 100 miles per gallon (literally) while using domestic energy sources, TO the Honda Accord.

The Accord is a plain (though reliable) internal combustion engine car that gives good average fuel economy.
It also costs about 32K. No tax credit, because it's not a nascent technology it's old hat and nothing needing incentivization per our elected representatives.

Ok. So the base Volt, not only has triple the fuel economy, AND the ability to support American jobs in its sales AND its fuel (electricity), it ALSO has better torque at zero MPH (273 lb-ft to be exact) and compared with the base model 2011 Honda Accord SE whose 0-60 mph is 9.0 sec, the Volt's 0-60 of about 8.5 seconds fares very favorably.

The Volt may be the first of its breed, and may have some room to improve, but it clearly is a game-changer and vastly better than all other cars on the market. It's no wonder it is the most highly awared car of all time and has the highest owner satisfaction for any car on the market.

By: John Smith

John Smith — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 04:38:52 +0000

I really like the Prius. It is an awesome car. But you need to drive the Volt and you will see how it worth an extra $20K to some people. It really is an apples and oranges comparison. I compare my Volt to our Audi A4 and it compares favorably. Also we can a rip on elements of the Fox video but it appears to signify a major shift from the Volt sucks to the Volt is great despite Obama. In reality the Left, Right and Center should agree that weaning ourselves off oil is a good goal.

By: Van

Van — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 02:40:09 +0000

Lets return to reality, the Volt was a great concept but GM brought it in for $42,000, about $12,000 too high. So like the EV1, it is long on concept and short on market value. The Prius PHV, apparently due in June, not March as I had previously thought, will sell for about $10,000 less. And even if we factor in the rebate, the initial price differential will be over $5000, and the differential will grow if we factor in trade in value.

The question we must ask is how much of that differential is due to Union contracts where workers total compensation package is more costly? The bankruptcy "quick rinse" was supposed to eliminate nearly 20% of embedded costs, but the Volt price did not drop one thin dime.

The Fox news story was exactly right, but it missed the cost factor. 30 million plug-ins over the next 10 years will not happen with $42,000 cars, but could happen with $22,000 cars. And how many government regulations would need to be eliminated in order to make that possible? It is like the folks in Washington are actually trying to loose the war on terror.

By: Capt. Concernicus

Capt. Concernicus — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:30:11 +0000

I wasn't aware of Obama's anti-American energy campaign. Would that include his funding of alternative energy sources that are anti-American?

If the Volt was 20% lower wouldn't that make it about $32,000 (excl. rebate)? I must not know the price of the Chevy Cruze because I thought those cars ran around $22,000 or so?

By: MrEnergyCzar

MrEnergyCzar — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 23:27:06 +0000

Bashing an American made car can only backfire on you during high unemployment. Bashing a fuel efficient car with many awards during $4 gas makes you look like you don't know what the real news is....

MrEnergyCzar

By: Capt. Concernicus

Capt. Concernicus — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:50:09 +0000

I'm winning the war on terror also. I bought a 2nd gen Prius back when prices for gas were low and prices for the Prii weren't being driven up by high gas prices.

I guess you can say I've been kicking butt on the war on terror for a while now. Although our friends at Fox probably wouldn't say that because my car is a Toyota.