Posted on 04/17/2012 9:20:26 AM PDT by kcvl
He makes no bones about being a Republican. Yet Bob Lutz, even though he might not work for General Motors anymore, still has plenty of choice words for some fellow Republicans, specifically “the right wing talk show guys,” whom he feels helped put a real kink in the Chevy Volt’s sales curve.
During an interview with Plug In America’s Jeff U’Ren, Lutz gave his two cents on a number of Volt related subjects, saying that in his eyes, early marketing was a bit tepid, which reflected in early sales numbers, though he did say that even then, demand was on a steep upward curve.
But that was until the NHTSA crash test and subsequent probe, which saw, as Lutz mentioned, “the likes of Lou Dobbs, Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh even the beloved Reverend Huckabee, all talking about the highly flammable Chevrolet Volt.”
However, despite the aftermath of all this, namely a shutdown of Volt production to balance output with inventory, Lutz said that based on information from GM, March is expected to have been a record sales month.
He also said that earning European Car of the Year honors was the first time an American designed, and built car has ever won the prestigious accolade.
“You would think that would get a little attention in the media,” he joked, “but don’t wait for O’Reilly to say it.”
(Excerpt) Read more at hybridcars.com ...
The Volt is a Chevy, a GM product. GM took the bailout. If the Volt was the best thing since sliced bread I wouldn’t have one.
My last couple of cars were Jeeps, a Chrysler product. Chrysler took the bailout. No more Jeeps.
That leaves Ford. I have one of their products now and am satisfied. If they build an acceptable electric, maybe I’ll consider one. But they probably won’t for a long time. Nobody will with current battery tech.
I’m curious enough to take a test drive in one sometime.
If the CVT diminishes the perceived “seat of the pants” throttle response, then I can see them being rejected, especially in any car with “sport” performance orientation.
Let's not beat up on the Cavalier. Mine went 140,000 miles before it croaked. It also absorbed a rear end impact that totaled the other guys car and my Cavalier was still driveable. ;)
If you follow a Camaro long enough, you’ll end up in a trailer park surrounded by people wearing mullets and smoking Virginia Slims.
I remember reading about CVTs in Popular Mechanics magazine many years before one ever saw the light of day in a production automobile. It all sounded great on paper, but they never mentioned the disconcerting "slipping clutch" sensation as the engine revs and the vehicle speed gathers more slowly.
If the things offer maintenance advantages and are more rugged, then I suppose they have a place in utilitarian vehicles.
Ulp......That reply was meant for Liberty Valance’s post #30....
So, for how long does Bob Lutz plug in his Russian Jet to get a full charge to go for a spinner-rooni?
Had one myself and loved it....as a Cavelier. As a Cadillac, I would have felt it was a Cavelier with too much make-up on.
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