I wish car makers would get serious about electric cars. The Volt is the size of a Cruze. They are on the same platform. So it's a $40,000 economy car? At least it has a generator on board, because my wife's commute is 45 miles round trip. If we bought one she'd still use gas every day. In my line of work inspecting houses I might drive 10 or 250 miles in a day, plus I have my ladders and equipment to carry. Right now our 2002 Cavalier that gets 32 mpg and 2002 S-10 that gets 22 are they way to go. We bought them both used for under $3300 each and they have been great cars.
When electric cars have a 300 mile range and are priced like a gas car, then they will be actually viable for every day users. They have to do the same job of a conventional car. Until then they are novelties.
I don't disagree. Unfortunately, the cost of building these cars is high, and the automakers aren't willing to take a huge hit on them and sell, for instance, the Volt at the same or close to the same price as the Cruze. (It's interesting that they're willing to take a hit and lose money on luxury models though, to build interest in a brand like Toyota did with Lexus.) I'm not suggesting that the Volt is a worthy replacement for a reasonably economical used car that costs under $5,000. But I would like to see more people that are shopping $35,000-$40,000 new luxury cars considering vehicles like the Volt. To your point, I'd love to see automakers "get serious" about EVs by subsidizing lower sale prices. I know competition is a concern. Maybe they could get together and agree to each build a certain number of EVs per year. I guess right now they're just trying to survive in a tough economy.
I think that there is no reason the companies should take a loss or subsidize the price. Automakers are not charities, they are for profit enterprises. They need to profit off the cars, and when the technology gets to the point where a Volt and a Cruze are both in the same price point, then the EV will be viable. Assuming that it has a reasonable range. 40 miles isn't a reasonable range.
I'm not saying that GM should make the Volt for $5K. I think that they shouldn't make it at all until they can make it cheap enough to compete with other cars in it's class. That means they have to figure out how to make it for 1/2 what it costs now AND profit. Right now if I were in the market, and I could get a $40K economy car sized EV or a Cadillac CTS, I'd buy the Cadillac. As it stands, The Volt and the Cruze are in the same category, and the Volt costs twice as much as the Cruze and GM still takes a loss on every Volt it makes. That makes no sense at all.
I'm not suggesting they do it for charity. Just like Lexus for Toyota, it'd be a business decision that would pay off in the long run. The Volt and the Cruze may be the same size, but they're definitely not in the same category. In terms of equipment, a Volt is in a class that's more similar to a Cadillac. But still, I agree it's pricey for a small car. I just feel like bigger isn't always better. And I find the driving experience in the Volt to be very satisfying, much more so than the Cruze and more on par with the CTS (although very different from the Cadillac, of course.)
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57plymouth 12 years, 2 months ago
I wish car makers would get serious about electric cars. The Volt is the size of a Cruze. They are on the same platform. So it's a $40,000 economy car? At least it has a generator on board, because my wife's commute is 45 miles round trip. If we bought one she'd still use gas every day. In my line of work inspecting houses I might drive 10 or 250 miles in a day, plus I have my ladders and equipment to carry. Right now our 2002 Cavalier that gets 32 mpg and 2002 S-10 that gets 22 are they way to go. We bought them both used for under $3300 each and they have been great cars.
When electric cars have a 300 mile range and are priced like a gas car, then they will be actually viable for every day users. They have to do the same job of a conventional car. Until then they are novelties.
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AutoPalermo 12 years, 2 months ago
I don't disagree. Unfortunately, the cost of building these cars is high, and the automakers aren't willing to take a huge hit on them and sell, for instance, the Volt at the same or close to the same price as the Cruze. (It's interesting that they're willing to take a hit and lose money on luxury models though, to build interest in a brand like Toyota did with Lexus.) I'm not suggesting that the Volt is a worthy replacement for a reasonably economical used car that costs under $5,000. But I would like to see more people that are shopping $35,000-$40,000 new luxury cars considering vehicles like the Volt. To your point, I'd love to see automakers "get serious" about EVs by subsidizing lower sale prices. I know competition is a concern. Maybe they could get together and agree to each build a certain number of EVs per year. I guess right now they're just trying to survive in a tough economy.
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57plymouth 12 years, 2 months ago
I think that there is no reason the companies should take a loss or subsidize the price. Automakers are not charities, they are for profit enterprises. They need to profit off the cars, and when the technology gets to the point where a Volt and a Cruze are both in the same price point, then the EV will be viable. Assuming that it has a reasonable range. 40 miles isn't a reasonable range.
I'm not saying that GM should make the Volt for $5K. I think that they shouldn't make it at all until they can make it cheap enough to compete with other cars in it's class. That means they have to figure out how to make it for 1/2 what it costs now AND profit. Right now if I were in the market, and I could get a $40K economy car sized EV or a Cadillac CTS, I'd buy the Cadillac. As it stands, The Volt and the Cruze are in the same category, and the Volt costs twice as much as the Cruze and GM still takes a loss on every Volt it makes. That makes no sense at all.
Reply
AutoPalermo 12 years, 2 months ago
I'm not suggesting they do it for charity. Just like Lexus for Toyota, it'd be a business decision that would pay off in the long run.
The Volt and the Cruze may be the same size, but they're definitely not in the same category. In terms of equipment, a Volt is in a class that's more similar to a Cadillac. But still, I agree it's pricey for a small car. I just feel like bigger isn't always better. And I find the driving experience in the Volt to be very satisfying, much more so than the Cruze and more on par with the CTS (although very different from the Cadillac, of course.)
Reply