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Jalopnik: The Chevy Volt Won't Save GM, But The Chevy Cruze Might

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#1 ·
New editorial piece:

The Chevy Volt Won't Save GM, But The Chevy Cruze Might

If you're a GM fan-boy, you're probably a pretty happy camper this week. GM's celebrating its centennial and you've seen the live reveals of both the upcoming Chevy Cruze, the 40 MPG+ econobox you can't ignore yesterday, and today, the Chevy Volt, GM's resuscitation of the electric car. One of these two will save GM, the other will not. If you can't tell from the headline, let's make it clear again: Keep your fancy-pants electric cars, GM — you won't be saved by the Chevy Volt. No, instead, it's the little Chevy Cruze that should get the savior-like halo.
 
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#2 ·
Volt is 100% perception changer. It is probably the most needed car at GM now.

Cruze will the car that "regular" people buy. It will be the pure volume seller at GM. It won't "save" GM because GM just doesn't make money off small cars built in the US -- not without significant cost cutting of some sort. And GM can't afford to do that because the competition is pouring on the heat in this segment.
So in order to make money, Cruze will need to sell in extreme high volumes.

Volt is the savior.
Cruze is the volume behind the image.
 
#3 ·
Yup, but I'd redefine it as:

Volt is the "image savior"
Cruze is the "corporate savior"

The Cruze is a much more important product to the masses no doubt --- but GM's image will be GOLDEN if they can pull off the Volt and change a lot of minds out there.
 
#54 ·
they have the car already in the Astra, it just needs to be advertised/promoted and the right engine/tranny line-up for it. that car should be getting 40+mpg
 
#5 ·
If it looked like the Volt and kept the name Cobalt I would agree.
However, sadly, I predict that the next gen Focus is going to eat GM's lunch.
The Cruze is a mess of a design with a horrid name. Horrid front end with a boring rear end. Just a mess of different design elements with none of them flowing organically like a great design should-namely like the Volt, which is designed properly, IMO.
The Koreans should not have been let within 10 feet of designing anything but the Aveo.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Well, I am going to buy a volt for the following reasons:

1. I am a fan of GM cars and Trucks
2. Volt is a game changer!
3. I am tired of people who's mission is to wipe me off the map receive my hard earned money through the purchase of oil, hence a Volt will be sitting in my driveway as soon as there is one to purchase
4. I am a lifetime member of the I will never buy an import for life CLUB!
 
#11 ·
Crack pipe. The Volt will change nothing. America will not run to GM's "me too" car.
Interesting quote especially considering Washington DC had Marion Barry as Mayor! As for the Volt, just wait to you see the Government install charging stations in their parking lots...."Me too Car" my ass!
 
#10 · (Edited)
The Volt is a game changer. I don't think it will sell in amazing numbers, but it will generate buzz...and you can bet that it will help with Chevrolet's and GM's image. I don't even think GM will make money on this car, at least not this generation. The first 5 or 6 years the Prius was out, Toyota actually lost money.
This car is going to out-hybrid the Prius, and it should free up some CAFE credits (provided the EPA stops being stupid) so GM can get away with selling cars like the Camaro, Corvette, and Cadillacs.

I think the Cruze should sell well, but I'd like to see the comfort, quality, and interior quietness that is with the Malibu.

Essentially, it needs to be a baby Malibu. I'd also like to see a 200 horsepower 2.4L engine with an optional 5 speed manual....like a poor man's Acura TSX.

It could work.

I'm not sure if I like Pontiac getting a version, but I definately would like to see either the new Astra (Americanized version) or a new Saturn Ion sedan to go along side the Astra. Maybe this chassis can support that.
As long as they don't dumb down the Chevrolet version....
 
#98 · (Edited)
The Volt is a game changer. I don't think it will sell in amazing numbers, but it will generate buzz...and you can bet that it will help with Chevrolet's and GM's image. I don't even think GM will make money on this car, at least not this generation. The first 5 or 6 years the Prius was out, Toyota actually lost money.
This car is going to out-hybrid the Prius, and it should free up some CAFE credits (provided the EPA stops being stupid) so GM can get away with selling cars like the Camaro, Corvette, and Cadillacs.
STOP right there, the CAFE has NOTHING to do with the EPA at all, Zero, Nada, Nothing. It was and is an initiative of the Executive Office, specifically GW Bush..

I think the Cruze should sell well, but I'd like to see the comfort, quality, and interior quietness that is with the Malibu.

Essentially, it needs to be a baby Malibu. I'd also like to see a 200 horsepower 2.4L engine with an optional 5 speed manual....like a poor man's Acura TSX.

It could work.

I'm not sure if I like Pontiac getting a version, but I definately would like to see either the new Astra (Americanized version) or a new Saturn Ion sedan to go along side the Astra. Maybe this chassis can support that.
As long as they don't dumb down the Chevrolet version....
I've been saying here for a while that neither the Volt nor the Prius PHEV will have any impact on the total sales nor the financial well-being of either company. Both will be niche vehicles for a very limited clientele. The Volt however make make GM its 'bones' in the greenie segment but that's about it.

The Cruze and the next 5 products out of the design studios better exceed every other offering on the market for GM ( or Ford ) to gain widespread acceptance in the bulk of the population.
 
#21 ·
the Volt is all image, just like the Prius. it's not going to be a money maker, it's going to be a car that Chevy can hang the rest of their image on. the Cruze is the car that should fill some volume, but it's not going to make much money because Americans tend to put small cars and cheap together. the car that will put GM back on line is in showrooms now, and that's the Malibu. some volume midsizers from Pontiac and Saturn are also necessary to make the turnaround. i just can't see a compact that goes for relatively small profit making a huge impact in GM's bottom line, especially when GM couldn't even seem to get it turned around with big profit trucks.
 
#24 ·
I agree.the Volt will bring GM much need good PR,but the Cruze will pay the bills. One question though,GM why let the competition know what you are planning two years out?!!!! GM,you just gave Honda a 40 mpg goal to beat for their next gen Civic that will debut in 2010. MAN!!!
 
#33 ·
I have already seen one news item on today's Volt intro and it was very positive. The Volt is all about image,just like the Prius and Insight. It is extremely important for GM to get the Volt out there at a reasonable price and within the 2010 time frame.The Cruze, terrible name that it is, will not be able to compete agaist the European designed and engineered Focus, however, I believe it will sell better than the Cobalt.
 
#36 ·
I think they are both big, but I think the Cruze will be the segment buster! It is a shame they are going to wait an extra 15 months to introduce it in the U.S. because the competition is getting pretty lame, including the balt.
 
#38 ·
Based on what I see, the Volt is a Cruze (sic) with different trim.

I think the Volt interior is a disaster that was rescued from a potential winner. Either GM should have eschewed the dark segments at the top of the dashboard and made the look clean, or it should have integrated the dark portion into the slick silver area to create a harmonious look. The overall effect of the interior of the Volt is a complete mishmash - nothing flows and what does is destroyed by the huge gap in the middle. It looks better than most GM dashboards, but so would a nice piece of black plastic.

GM tired way too hard with the Volt to make it look different, but instead of creating a real eye-catching design, it added stuff and created weird angles and disturbing treatments like the gill and the simply awful side mirrors. The back end doesn't go with the rest of the car and the front could have been stolen form a Civic. This design has no presence - the beltline should have been upswept to the back and the tail lights not wrapped around up so high.

If GM wanted bold, it half-stepped its way through it. I was so hoping, just this once, GM would do something the right way. The Volt and the Cruze (sic) are proof that there is no longer any design talent at GM - just amateurs and doodlers who have no sense of design presence. The designs are cold and stale without a hint of talent.
 
#79 ·
The Volt has game changer technology but it also has GM's perceived reliability problems, bland styling, and an outrageous price tag to contend with.
Am I the only one who thinks it's reasonable for GM to price the Volt at $40K? It's a technological tour de force, and sure to be THE status symbol for the early part of the next decade. The next cheapest electric car on the market is the Tesla, and that's $100K to seat 2 people. The Volt not only is a real family car, it comes with its own automatic generator!

On to design: even in its most dismal days, GM styling blew Toyota's out of the water, but GM was mainly lacking in execution; now that GM Design is truly back in form and the fit and finish are world class, it's no contest whatsoever. When I look at most of Toyota's cars, I see "pagoda." Asian people look right at home driving Toyotas, and good for them; westerners, not so much. Then when they paste the American flag in the window, my first reaction is to look for the phaser button on my steering wheel.

Anyway, the Volt is leaps and bounds better looking to me than the current Prius or the just-announced Insight, and it's really hard for me to get inside the minds of people who think otherwise. I would bet real money that if the Volt came out with an "H" or a "T" on the front, instead of a bowtie, all of its current critics would instead be haiing it as the second coming of the automobile, and bidding 60-80 grand on ebay for first dibs to buy one.

That leaves "perceived reliability problems." That's probably true, but mainly because you included the word "perceived."
 
#43 · (Edited)
my new silverado saved me!
________________________________________________________________
My trucks: 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD black, 2003 Gmc Sierra pewter.
Dead: 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT Blue, 2000 Chevrolet S-10 ZR2 black
 
#50 ·
I don't see how the Cruze will be any sort of "game changer." There's not a SINGLE thing about the car that beats the competition. It's a very attractive also-ran.

By the time Cruze hits the market, there'll be a new Civic, Hyundai's Elantra replacement, and the next Focus will be just around the corner, which I'm betting will once again be class leader.

That's not saying the Cruze won't be a hit. Even if fuel prices stabilise, the economy's going to be tight for some time to come. The credit crunch will force Americans to live within their means, meaning when it comes to new car buying time, many families will be foregoing a Tahoe or Traverse or Malibu, and opting for a Cruze.

What's going to be important for the Cruze to be a hit will be equipment-for-the-money, refinement, build quality, and a top-notch interior, the latter feature it seems to have!

A success it may be, but a game changer? Never.
 
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