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Posted (edited)

So their making a Cadillac with a fireball feature.What else would you expect from Government Motors?

Edited by Austin T
Posted

I wonder if the reason for the caddy, isn't all the Chevy parts on the shelves not selling. Maybe they think a caddy would apeal to a few more buyers ?

Well, it does help spread the costs, but I've read the ELR has been under development since before the Volt launched. Similar idea that Toyota had w/ the HS (and now the CT) using Prius technology.

Posted

Well, it does help spread the costs, but I've read the ELR has been under development since before the Volt launched. Similar idea that Toyota had w/ the HS (and now the CT) using Prius technology.

That is correct. The reason the Volt got the production nod first is due to the higher exposure that using the Chevrolet nameplate would offer. There are man differences between the 2 vehicles, only the basic mechanicals of the driveline are the same.
Posted

Well, "ugly" can be argued, but too expensive? I'd say so. Priced out of the range of the typical car buyer.

You can add reason #3: a laughable 30-40 mile range on electricity. Some "hybrid"...

Here in the Chicago area--population 9 million or so--I have NEVER seen one on the road.

Is that a sign of good old-fashioned midwest common sense? :D

Too expensive, definately! Ugly, no way! I actually like how it looks, it's just to bad it doesn't seem to be catching on. Number of miles on a charge isn't that bad. If we were still in our old location, I could drive to and from work on one charge, even at our current location, I still probably could with some effort. I am surprised you haven't seen any, I have seen around 6 around here including a dark blue one in the parking lot of the Costco on Army Trail yesterday!

Posted

I wonder if the government will offer an incentive to buy one like they do with the Volt.

Don't see why not, it's available on all hybrids and factory electric cars, Illinois even offers tax credits for the first year or so if you are using E-85 for a certain length of time.

Posted

I've seen more and more Volts on the road in the last few months because they dropped the lease rate below $300.00 p/mo. Otherwise as Harry said, they were non-existent here. I like the Caddy version, Volt ... looks pathetic to me.

Posted

The whole problem with hybrids is the cost!

If you "do the math," as they say, you figure in the initial price premium you have to pay up front for a hybrid (about 10K over the price of a comparable "regular" car), and work in the amount of $$$ you'll save on gas and add the cost of the electricity you'll use to charge it up and it winds up that it will take the average owner anywhere from 8-10 years before they actually begin to see any savings vs. buying a "regular" gas-burning car. And that's not even taking into account the $5-6-7,000 or more replacement battery pack you'll eventually need.

So if you buy a hybrid with the intention of saving money, the joke's on you!

Posted

It might, Lexus has made quite a few hybrids based off the Prius tech, and I don't think it's near as good as what GM puts in the Volt. GM really needs to start making this stuff available in all of it's front drive models if they want it to go somewhere. Sadly, after seeing an article in which their Ethanol projects guy seemed disinterested at best, I fear the Volt may get a similar treatment Ethanol seems to be getting over there.

thing is you wont lose out on resale on one of those like GM appliance car
Posted

They should install gas burning engines that are converted to run on biodiesl to run a generator to make electricity to run the car and everybody will feel like they are doing something really green and you won't need to plug them in to charge them.

Rube Goldberg

Posted

They should install gas burning engines that are converted to run on biodiesl to run a generator to make electricity to run the car and everybody will feel like they are doing something really green and you won't need to plug them in to charge them.

Rube Goldberg

They already work like that if needed, minus the diesel part, they aren't even flex fuel compatable :(

Posted (edited)

The whole problem with hybrids is the cost!

If you "do the math," as they say, you figure in the initial price premium you have to pay up front for a hybrid (about 10K over the price of a comparable "regular" car), and work in the amount of $$$ you'll save on gas and add the cost of the electricity you'll use to charge it up and it winds up that it will take the average owner anywhere from 8-10 years before they actually begin to see any savings vs. buying a "regular" gas-burning car. And that's not even taking into account the $5-6-7,000 or more replacement battery pack you'll eventually need.

So if you buy a hybrid with the intention of saving money, the joke's on you!

I've heard this argument before, but I've never heard of anyone replacing a battery pack on a hybrid car. I know people that have 10 yr old Priuses that still have their original battery. And that is the unusual case, since most people that have them I know trade after 4-5 years on a new one.

(I know a lot of Prius owners--Priuses and Toyotas in general are popular w/ software engineers, not unlike how Apple products are).

Edited by Rob Hall
Posted

They should install gas burning engines that are converted to run on biodiesl to run a generator to make electricity to run the car and everybody will feel like they are doing something really green and you won't need to plug them in to charge them.

Rube Goldberg

I think people who by these things for short trips that say "I didn't use any gas" should like .... Walk or something....

Everyone I know who owns a Prius or volt, live less then 5 miles away from work, down town.

But the suburban gets them out of town, because , you know it's just so much more comfy and roomy.. Lol

Posted

Probably better to stick w/ articles from automotive websites like Autoblog, Jalopnik, Autoweek, etc. I wouldn't believe much from articles from Faux News..

faux-vi.jpg

It's limping along for two reasons IMO............

#1 It's too dang expensive.

#2 It's Ugly!

That, and I'm not sure people are really ready to trust a GM vehicle with a hybrid powertrain, when GM has barely figured out how to build a decent vehicle with a conventional powertrain. Bazinga.

Posted

Also consider this, until people buy into and have faith in the "electric" option, it is a way off. Myself, unless the govt said I HAD to have one, I would never own on, they simply do not appeal to me, and I work for Toyota. Several reasons, people think using electric is sooo much better, but not yet really. A large percentage of electricity is still generated from the burning of coal, another commodity that will go away some day. Also, When I hit the gas, I like the runble, the sound, etc., It is so visceral, but not at all with electric. Now, with ethanol or some variant, we can grow it, and burn it. Other countries like Brazil have a GREAT infrastructure to support the new technoilogies, but we have not made the investment.

Most automobiles in Brazil run either on hydrous alcohol (E100) or on gasohol (E25 blend), as the mixture of 25% anhydrous ethanol with gasoline is mandatory in the entire country.

Posted

I just have to say. Why design a whole new car to sell a concept. Instead of creating the Volt they should have developed the technology and adapted it to existing products. I can't stand the look of a Prius and the Volt isn't much better. Put that technology in a Mustang or Camaro and ill be more likely to buy it.

Posted

I just have to say. Why design a whole new car to sell a concept. Instead of creating the Volt they should have developed the technology and adapted it to existing products. I can't stand the look of a Prius and the Volt isn't much better. Put that technology in a Mustang or Camaro and ill be more likely to buy it.

I had thought that if they were to make a mid motored coupe with the Volt's drivetrain mounted in the back could be pretty neat......problem is that it could be seen as the return of the Fiero or Corvair and I honestly don't know if that would help or hurt GM..........

Posted

I just have to say. Why design a whole new car to sell a concept. Instead of creating the Volt they should have developed the technology and adapted it to existing products. I can't stand the look of a Prius and the Volt isn't much better. Put that technology in a Mustang or Camaro and ill be more likely to buy it.

Studies show that the kind of people who want to buy a hybrid want it to 'look like' a hybrid, not just a standard car with hybrid badges. At this point it seems like hybrids are more about making a statement than anything else.

Posted

Studies show that the kind of people who want to buy a hybrid want it to 'look like' a hybrid, not just a standard car with hybrid badges. At this point it seems like hybrids are more about making a statement than anything else.

I think the word is trendy, this whole green movement is about selling things and being trendy, so people want hybrids to be trendy :lol:

Posted

I think the word is trendy, this whole green movement is about selling things and being trendy, so people want hybrids to be trendy :lol:

Exactly. Now toss in what cachet the Cadillac name still has left and you'll have the only two factors that'll sell this car.

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