A look at the new GM Volt with designer Bob Lutz (video)

[tgagneguam]

Pretty balanced report on the [very exciting] Volt. When GM does nice work, the US press will sing the praises of our home team, just like they have with the Malibu, the CTS, and the Enclave.

Wait till this car arrives in 2010; I bet every major publication, from the New York Times through USA Today and the WSJ, and news outlet, both local and cable news, will be blasting the airways with positive reviews of this car. It will be nonstop free advertising for GM, and every single Volt will have multiple consumers clamoring for the product.

In other words, this video nicely demonstrates that there is no grand conspiracy to bring down Detroit. Detroit simply needs to build a better mousetrap.

[jbernie]

Originally Posted by elderon

Good watch. I thought the bringing up again of their financial woes in his closing comments was unnecessary though.

Won't disagree with you on this, but maybe another way to look at it is, GM is in financial trouble, yet they are in effect betting the company on this product, they believe in the product so much that the risk is one they cannot take.

It was a great video to watch, impressive to see the size difference between the Volt & EV1 battery packs. It doesn't necessarily make the product, but you can see progress made in the technology.

Also good to see Lutz one on one with sensible questioning not media hacks looking for the one line quote that is taken way out of context. Doesn't matter if Lutz believes in global warming or not, he knows his job is to make the Volt happen and even if he may think things are being done the wrong way (his analogy about Govt. fixing obesity by legislating you can't make clothes greater than a certain size).

I believe that Lutz wants to make the Volt a reality because he sees it as a challenge, to prove the disbelievers wrong that GM can produce such a vehicle and be the first to do it. If they get it right, they are correct, it is a game changer, the car runs on electric power, the ICE is only there to charge the generator to provide electric power.

As batteries improve, as they shrink the battery packs, you quickly approach a hybrid tech that can work for at least most cars if not smaller suvs and such. At Gen2 they will hopefully have same size battery pack but increased range and much smaller battery pack with the current 40mile range.

[dindak]

I love Bob, just an amazing car guy.

Volt will be a big hit, I am sure of it.

[GM Loyal]

Who said the future was gloom and doom?
Can not wait till GM recaptures the "True American Spirit"
I can see the return of the '55 chevy concept.

[Wolfman01]

Awesome interview. I just hope that GM is able to finally shed their stigmata

[rlchv70]

Originally Posted by Wolfman01

Awesome interview. I just hope that GM is able to finally shed their stigmata

I think you meant "stigma".

From Wikipedia:

Stigmata are bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus.

[PocoToro]

Originally Posted by rsbaker

Extraordinary interview by Charlie Rhodes and answers given by Mr. Lutz. Volt is a 99% sure thing! I'll take those odds. Drivable preproduction models by summer 2009! Still no discussion of Volt Pricing. $30K will be the magic number for success IMO. Hopefully congress and a new President will help out with some tax incitives for consumers and GM as well.

As for price IMO GM cold get $40k if they do the advertising right. Just imagine the ad "I haven't been near a gas station in six months and my neighbor who has a Prius goes to one every two weeks"

[nikivee]

Originally Posted by GMC-70

WOW---Lutz is pretty with it for a 76 year old. He knows the issues that GM faces and how to handle them from a product perspective. I think there's alot of Lutz bashing that goes on here that is unjustified. I don't think you can find a better man for the job and watching this interview proves that GM knows what its problems are (from the publics point of view) and what needs to be accomplished in order to resolve them.

Why is that some people ASSUME that after some certain age you loose your mind or become a babling idiot? My Father is 82 and is still sharp as a tack.

[uboys]

Originally Posted by GMC-70

WOW---Lutz is pretty with it for a 76 year old. He knows the issues that GM faces and how to handle them from a product perspective. I think there's alot of Lutz bashing that goes on here that is unjustified. I don't think you can find a better man for the job and watching this interview proves that GM knows what its problems are (from the publics point of view) and what needs to be accomplished in order to resolve them.

Exactly. Anybody who is even half-awake--and who was seriously aware of how bad GM has been doing car-wise over the last few decades; would see that Lutz saved GM form earlier doom.
It's just that simple.
A regular car cycle is 4 years. The Lutzmobiles are just now coming out in full (2 generations). Real car guys know that.

[uboys]

Originally Posted by cad1cts

What is that red car in the photo thing behind Charlie Rose when he's interviewing Bob Lutz?

More exciting: Did you see the rear lights of the Volt over Lutz's right shoulder?!

[uboys]

Originally Posted by johnstarnes

I'm glad that they announced the 0.27-0.28 CD of the production Volt...quite good though not the 0.26 of the hybrid Camry. Maybe I missed it, but I did not see the CD of the concept. From what I can see I really like the nose...am dying to see the profile to see if they tried to in some way ape the radical windows of the concept that I don't how could ever be rolled up or down.

Drag is a function of more than CD you know. Just because something has a low CD does not mean it will be "efficient".

[johnstarnes]

Originally Posted by uboys

Drag is a function of more than CD you know. Just because something has a low CD does not mean it will be "efficient".

CD is short for "co-efficient of drag", not a total measure of a car's efficiency. But aerodynamic drag very much influences a car's mileage capabilites, hence the controversial shapes of the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius.

[Chaz_23]

Hell, even Ricky is actually answering questions directly instead of spouting empty political platitudes like he always does. Great program.

[hrcslam]

Sweet yet another good review of an American Car company by an American news company. That is three just this week.

[Wolfman01]

Originally Posted by hrcslam

Sweet yet another good review of an American Car company by an American news company. That is three just this week.

Isn't it amazing what happens when domestic car companies actually try to build a better product?