Chevy Volt's Pricing Could Provide Sticker Shock

[logansowner]

As for the price of electricity to charge these cars.. well duh. Nobody expected to buy the car and have no expenses after that.

And the thing that nobody really seems to get is that is is NOT about what it costs to charge the car, it's about where that money is going.

Everyone I talk cars with agrees that they would rather pay more for a fuel that keeps the money in Canada/US that pay a little less for it from a country that hates us.

Most people would be fine with 120/bl oil if it all came from North America and kept the money here.

Bring on higher power bills, until they make a power line from here to the Middle East, it's gonna be damn hard to outsource our electricity.

[logansowner]

Originally Posted by member12

Thank you.


I also anticipate this Volt to be in the $28K-$30K to start if GM sells it at a loss, so it will be a niche car.
The Li-Ion battery will probably cost $4,000, and the two mode hybrid system will probably cost another $4500 over a regular car....so...what would otherwise be a $22,000 car will now be $30,000. I'd hope that it at least seats 4 people.

My understanding is that the gas engine never drives the car, no connection to the wheels. It's sole purpose is to charge the battery, that means no 2 mode system, which saves that 4 grand you're talking about.

GM will sell this at a loss. THey may be talking about charging more to cover warrenty, but that doesn't mean they wont take a loss, it means they wont take as big a loss.

This car will soley be a marketing tool, at least for a while.

I just hope the battery wont have a memory, like old RC car batteries. It will be nice to jsut be able to plug it in for maybe an hour, and have enough juice to go to the store and back. Not every trip will be the max-40~ miles.

[sigma]

If it is going to start at a price considered to be too expensive to be a Chevy, just give the car to Cadillac. GM's image will still get a fantastic boost, it would do great things in the battle against Lexus and the Lexus green image, and they could demand the price necessary to break even on it.

[fastball]

Originally Posted by member12

Toyota sold the first generation Prius at a loss.

GM should do the same for the Volt. It's an emerging technology that will dominate the market. Experience should be what should try to attain now.

And no, I don't think it should be a Cadillac.

Toyota had the capital to selectively sell certain products at a loss. They make enough on their other products to cover it.

GM does not.

If you make an average of, say, $2,000/car you sell, then you bring out another product and sell it for a loss of $1,000/car, you're still making money overall.

Not to mention the fact Toyota is securely in the black in the bank. GM, again, not so much.

[stevecmh]

i hope it wont be much higher than 30 grand
that would still be reasonable

[Z28x]

Take the loss GM, Volt will be great press.

[PontiacBixler]

I'm really disappointed by the amount of people on here that obviously base their "knowledge" of Oil, the Middle East and "Republican Red White and Blue" on the scant fake emails out there created solely to generate a fervor about hating the oil tycoons in the desert.....

If you don't want to give your money to "Terrorists in the Desert", then don't..... But that is not where the bulk of your money is going to when you buy gasoline for $3.50 a gallon.

Try looking to the North and to the South to see where your money is REALLY going to.

Don't believe me? Have a read:
http://www.autoblog.com/2005/09/07/c...il-to-the-u-s/

And I also agree, the Volt should be a loss in the first couple years. How do you think Blu-Ray beat out HD-DVD? The PS3 has been a financial burden on Sony, but it's been the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market for a year and a half now!

[Lunden]

From the start, this should have been a Cadillac and a Buick. Or a better system for the SUVs. GM should relent on using older batteries like those found in the Prius for smaller Cheaper cars.

[Al465]

Originally Posted by member12

Toyota sold the first generation Prius at a loss.

GM should do the same for the Volt. It's an emerging technology that will dominate the market. Experience should be what should try to attain now.

And no, I don't think it should be a Cadillac.

GM can not afford to sell anything at a loss at this time. Toyoota could afford it with the Prius because they are rolling in money. We can only blame ourselves for the domestics not doing so well. I think, now, GM cars are just as good and in many cases are better than the competition, but in this country we like to put ourselves down. Consumer Report does a good job at that. We will self destruct if continue on this path. Losing the auto industry is not like losing the TV industry.

[jkennedy293]

Originally Posted by Lunden

From the start, this should have been a Cadillac and a Buick. Or a better system for the SUVs. GM should relent on using older batteries like those found in the Prius for smaller Cheaper cars.

The serial hybrid system will not work with NiMh batteries, they are too heavy and cannot store enough energy to provide the vehicle range GM wants. For comparison, the plug-in Prius Toyota is testing can only go 8 miles on electric alone.

[GM lover]

Instead of the Chevrolet Volt being sold a a Chevrolet is should be sold with the GM badge on it and be availiable through all dealerships.

[CrunkedRL]

Originally Posted by fastball

Toyota had the capital to selectively sell certain products at a loss. They make enough on their other products to cover it.

GM does not.

If you make an average of, say, $2,000/car you sell, then you bring out another product and sell it for a loss of $1,000/car, you're still making money overall.

Not to mention the fact Toyota is securely in the black in the bank. GM, again, not so much.

Agreed yota was in a lot better financial condition when they intoduced the first gen Prius then GM is right now. The prudent thing I think for GM to do is to sell the Volt in a range in which they will at least break even. This may mean a higher price tag for consumers but lower risks for the company. I just hope it's not too far north of 30k because one would have to then consider the extensive length of time it would take to begin earning a return on their initial investment. Like others have said this is going to be a niche vehicle initially as the technology becomes more readily available the price will undoubtedly be reduced.

[WishIhadatruck]

I hope it isn't much over $30k (for a fully loaded vehicle) or there will be some sticker shock. It is a revolutionary vehicle so they can demand a premium but if it hits $40k then I think it could end up being a dud if they can't bring the price down quickly within a few years.

PontiacBlixer, we may import most of our oil from Canada but the sheer abundance of oil we buy has a huge affect on the world markets and allows those that hate us to sell their oil at higher prices to others. It is a world market and it hardly matters who buys from who unless the entire world would stop buying from a particular country.

[CJ Thunder]

Originally Posted by PontiacBixler

You really think your employer is going to soak up the cost of recharging your car for you to come to work and go home??? You really think malls and stores are going to make outlets available for people to recharge their cars on the mall's dime?
.

Why not? Its a small business. Don't just jump on me. I said I would meaning I can. I will.

[YupYupYup]

The Prius was like $40K and cost Toyota a heck of a lot more to build it...Toyota just started making money off recently!

I love how the press is going after GM for building a green car. They never went at Toyota, even though the Prius mileage ratings were over-estimated, it cost more to build than they could sell it for, and it wasn't overly useable as an only car. They just do not want GM to succeed. They would have no stories left to recycle about evil GM and how great Toyota is for pushing the technology...!!!

Important to note, Lutz did NOT say it was going to be expensive...He and GM have been throwing a lot of misinformation around to keep the competition off track. They are also being conservative on all new vehicle sales number, etc. so the bias press doesn't hammer them. And it is also important to note that early adopters wil pay more for a game-changing product. So why not recoup some investment and then lower the price in 3-6 months for everyone else? That way you don't go bankrupt and you still push the "green envelope" in regards to technology and spirit. Of course, we would not hear any sort of analysis in the media like this.

I do notice Toyota has backed off chastizing the Volt. Where is their so humble chairman?