Quote:
Originally Posted by Ming
I was really hoping for the Volt to be loudly applauded as a GM first.
Remember Displacement-on-Demand aka Active Fuel Management, and how it was trumped quietly by Honda a couple of years ago when they dropped it in their Odyssey after GM had been talking loudly about it for some time?
I fear that the Prius plug-in hype may similarly eclipse the Volt. Not to mention the "proven" Toyota Prius nameplate vs. a revolutionary Chevy.
I do think it is important to note that the Volt is a very different car (I actually know little about the Plug-In Prius, so I'm not qualified to say just how different it is), but I hope that the media and public realize this, and that GM effectively advertises the difference and the economic or other benefits of the Volt.
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Lutz is right in one regard that it doesn't really matter who's first and who's second,but actually this whole technology is in it's infancy at best.
Both 'first' vehicles are going to be very very very minor symbols, nothing more. The Volt is not a savior vehicle, it's far too expensive to be a mass marketed vehicle for the general population. It and the PHEV Prius are going to be niche vehicles for a limited well-to-do demographic. Neither are going to generate much in the way of profits.
Both have to be put on the streets as a first step toward future technologies. Hoping for some miraculous bonanza is just not going to occur.