GM Volt's price induces some sticker shock (the ObamaVolt Car)

Washington Compost ^ | 28 July 2010 | Peter Whoriskey

[SkyPilot]

The long-anticipated Chevrolet Volt, General Motors' electric car, will cost $41,000, the company announced Tuesday, leaving consumers to decide whether its environmental appeal is worth a price far above that of similarly sized conventional autos.

Electric-car technology has been around for years, but the high cost to make the vehicles has prevented automakers from producing them for the mass market. The price announcements for the Volt and its electric rival, the Nissan Leaf, have been highly anticipated as a result. Nissan, the only other major manufacturer expected to bring such a vehicle to market this year, said the Leaf will cost $32,780.

GM and Nissan are relying on a $7,500 federal tax credit for buyers of electric vehicles to offset some of the added cost, and they're hoping that the allure of their novel power source will make up the rest.

"The Volt is a game-changing product," said Tony Posawatz, GM's vehicle line director for the Volt, which is expected to hit showrooms in November 2011.

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During the 2008 presidential campaign, then-Sen. Barack Obama pledged to put 1 million plug-in vehicles on the road by 2015.

But some analysts said they doubt that electric cars can reach a broad audience in the near term. Hybrid cars took about eight years to reach the million-unit sales mark in the United States, according to Energy Department figures.

"I'm not sure the Volt is going to be a volume vehicle," said George Magliano, director of automotive industry forecasting for North America at IHS Global Insight. "The technology still isn't there to make them cheap. At the end of the day, the consumer pays a hefty premium to make a statement."

[SkyPilot]

Ah, the joys of Soviet style Central Planning! Give the consumers what the Government dictates they should buy, not what they like.

Obama, Pelosi, and Reid are throwing more "tax credits" at this problem in the hopes of duping consumers into buying this piece of garbage. Here is a question: if taxes are so harmful to consumer's spending habits, but cutting them so beneficial (as the Democrats now acknowledge with home buyer tax credits, car tax credits, etc), why do the Democrats constantly raise taxes?

Here are some suggested ways that Democrats can get the American people to purchase these worthless "green" cars:

1. If you buy one, an erect Al Gore promises not to show up in a bathrobe outside your bedroom door

2. A union thug brick in the window "if youse don't kooperates!"

3. Buy two Volts, and get a free vacation to Spain with Michelle Obama, her daughter, and 300 of her "closests friends" in a 5-star hotel

4. Make Volts mandatory purchases when you are forced to sign up for Obama-Care

5. Buy a Volt, and you can dock it next to John Kerry's new yacht and avoid Massachusettes taxes

[pnh102]

During the 2008 presidential campaign, then-Sen. Barack Obama pledged to put 1 million plug-in vehicles on the road by 2015.

The problem is they will stay there.

[pepsionice]

Maybe if you live in a Metropolitan area...it might make sense...and you make $80k a year on salary.

But here’s the key thing...once you drive this to work...where will you recharge? Your boss...once he figures out that you plug in the cord and perhaps take $100 a month of power from him...isn’t going to hand it over freely. I suspect that you will find few if any takers on the car.

[SkyPilot]

[Paladin2]

Batteries have a long way to go, even after centuries of development.

[SkyPilot]

I don't know whether or not this ad is serious, or a parody.

It looks like Robert Gibbs' cousin is trying to convince you to purchase one.

[gusopol3]

I’ll stick with my Segway

[SECURE AMERICA]

$40,000 for a car you can not even take a small trip in without having to stop for hours to charge it up. These people are NUTS.

[tacticalogic]

I think there’s probably 5-10K of profit built into the price. I doubt they expect to sell very many in the private sector, but I expect the federal government to buy a bunch of them at full price. UAW and the DNC wins, taxpayers lose. Again.

[Mere Survival]

Buy a Volt and we’ll let you have a car!
Buy a Volt because for walking it’s far!

Government Motors Jingle in 2013

[SkyPilot]

But here’s the key thing...once you drive this to work...where will you recharge?

Oh, I am sure! Haven't you seen those huge electric plugs that are outside every parking place in every city? No? Well......er....give it time.

When you drive around for an hour to find that parking place in the airport, I am sure there will be these huge, new electrical outlets adjacent to every space; waiting for all of us.

Cars of the Soviet Union:

[Mere Survival]

You’re a doll SkyPilot!

[DManA]

[SkyPilot]

but I expect the federal government to buy a bunch of them at full price.

Yup - just like the Government K-Cars.

[element92]

really?

batteries warrantied for,
8 years, 100K miles

[Sooth2222]

$40,000 for a car you can not even take a small trip in without having to stop for hours to charge it up. These people are NUTS.

The market is libs! (Much the same thing as "nuts"! They'll all want to buy one to park in the driveway next to their H-1 Hummers to show the neighbors how environmentally conscious they are.)

[stevem]

I’m sure John Kerry will want one. He has proven recently that money has no appeal and cost is no object.

[RayChuang88]

US$41,000? Ah, no thank you!

At that price I could buy a well-equipped version of the 2010 Toyota Prius AND a 2010 Honda Fit Sport automatic hatchback.

[BuffaloJack]

Like everything else, I’m sure that Obama’s socialists truly believe that even the most indigent of welfare Mom’s can affort this.

[Yo-Yo]

once you drive this to work...where will you recharge?

Part of the reason why the Volt is higher priced than the Nissan Leaf is because the Volt has an onboard gasoline engine powered generator that kicks in when the batteries are low. The Nissan Leaf does not have an onboard gasoline motor.

Part of the reason why the Volt costs twice as much as the Toyota Prius is because the Volt has much more onboard lithium battery storage than the Prius, which is currently very expensive.

When Zero gets his cap-and-tax rammed through congress and gasoline hits $8 per gallon, the $41,000 price will quickly pay for itself in gasoline savings.

Without gasoline at $8 per gallon, this is just an expensive toy.