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Another Electric Car Bites The Dust: Current Chevy Volt To Go The Way Of The Aztek Due To Plunging Sales
A week ago when observing the latest GM deliveries, we noticed something troubling:
Chevy Volt deliveries -56.8% Y/Y
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) April 1, 2015
Here is the unpleasant detail for a car that five years ago was among the biggest hopes for the recently bankrupt auto maker:
It was thus inevitable that the car which first went on sale in 2010 amid very high expectations, and whose lackluster sales of 70,000 to date, far below initial company forecasts amid low gasoline prices and the release of more capable electric models from competitors, was about to be mothballed. Today Reuters confirmed as much when it reported that GM will "halt production of the Chevrolet Volt electric car for the summer to whittle down about seven months of unsold inventory and smooth the way for the next generation of the plug-in hybrid sedan."
Production of the current model, which costs $34,000 and up before federal tax credits, will halt early next month, the Detroit auto maker has said. It will be replaced by a 2016 model with a sleeker design and up to 50 miles range on an electric charge. That second generation Volt will go into production at the end of the summer.
Alas, absent a surge in the price of gasoline back into the high $3 range, the prospects of this "upgrade" will hardly be any better.
From Reuters:
The production hiatus comes after a first quarter in which sales fell well behind Nissan Motor Co.’s Leaf electric car in the U.S. GM sold 1,874 Volts during the three-month period, equivalent to the number of Silverado pickups sold in a day, and in contrast to Nissan’s 4,085 Leaf sales. Volt stocks are enough to last 210 days, or until November, at their March sales pace, according to researcher Autodata Corp. Car makers generally like to have about 60 days of inventory at dealers.
Reinvigorating consumer interest in the Volt, a car that has a battery and a small gasoline motor, is a top priority for GM as it prepares to release its fully-electric Bolt sedan, say analysts. Volt development consumed more than a billion dollars but has failed to generate a fraction of the buzz that Tesla Motors Inc. has with its pricier Model S luxury electric car or Toyota Motor Corp. with its Prius family.
According to Pam Fletcher, GM’s chief electric-vehicle engineer, Chevrolet executives have kept in close contact with initial Volt buyers, polling them on issues spanning quality to performance to design. One key thing it learned, “People said they didn’t want a science experiment,” Ms. Fletcher said.
That's odd because the buyers of Tesla's own electric car have no problem with that particular science experiment. Then again, when it comes to electric cars, the Apple marketing scheme is far more applicable: the price should be higher, not lower, because a "science experiment" is acceptable as long as it also happens to be a status symbol, A very expensive one preferably, which is the primary reason why there is still any demand for Teslas around the globe.
That, however, has not dawned on GM's marketing department just yet, although there is hope: according to Reuters, the marketing plan for the next generation Volt is still coming together said Chevrolet Car Marketing Director Steve Majoros. GM plans to address the confusion around a battery-powered car that has a gasoline engine. Dealers will get “significant marketing support” for the 2016 model. “We will be out publicly and big,” he added.
Brett Hedrick, owner of Hedrick’s Chevrolet in Clovis, Calif., said he is in favor of greater support from GM for Volt sales, but said electric cars won’t catch on until they make financial sense. When gas prices went down consumers weren’t “as conscious about conserving,” he said.
Mr. Hedrick said his current challenge is selling the Volt inventory on his lot before the new model arrives—something he hopes GM will support.
Chelsea Sexton, a Los Angeles-based electric car advocate, said while GM made a lot of waves when it first launched Volt, it lost soon ground to other auto makers who released fully electric vehicles.
She said GM lately has reached out less often to enthusiasts, noting talks with herself and others “have largely fallen off…as those conversations fall off, it’s hard to tell where they stand in the long term.”
Dealers say GM has to regain mind share in electric cars. “We just don’t have presence in the space currently,” said Jamaal McCoy, general manager of Findlay Chevrolet in Las Vegas. “When someone thinks of an electric vehicle they don’t think of Chevrolet; they think Toyota or Tesla.”
... For now. Because Tesla's electric "supremacy" days may well be numbered with the arrival of the BMW i8 and other ultra high-end competition. Because when it comes to novelty electric cars which despite the best intentions and efforts of their makers simply refuse to become mainstream, one has to differentiate in other ways. For Tesla that something is appealing to the buyer's vanity and desire to show off their wallet. However, that success of such a strategy is limited as the recent drop in Tesla sales in China is confirming.
As for the current iteration of Chevy Volt, it has finally met its fate on the recycling lot, which as many had predicted long ago, will be right next to that other GM "shock and awe" concept: the infamous Pontiac Aztek.

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevrolet-Corvette-Split-Window-/181700330160?fo...
ahhh....a collector item....like a '63 split back vette.....
Thanks to the current trends, we are exploring many fuel-efficient and feature rich vehicles in market. Moreover they are giving the ulternate safe drive solution to us on road. Telsa has started this inevention of electric car and other's are following the rules. But you should have the details of these inevention so that only you can use all the features that will helpful to you by reducing the fuel-efficiency of car. Have a look on the Features of Volkswagen EV
Except I actually want a split window 'vette. Electric cars are mostly ego stroking and PR for the manufacturers since none of the cars make money.....
Knock 20k off the price and Ill buy one
Damn, I'm too late. And just when I finally got my credit score above 300.
Well, duh.
Gasoline-powered has always been cheaper.
Especially now...
Looks like the Cadillac ELR ain't exactly settin' the world on fire either.
But: THE ESCALADE.
Here in New Joisy the wives of the wealthy can't get enough of these gas guzzling luxury living rooms on wheels...
Needs a washing every week Porcelain White is the color of choice.
The suburban woman's status symbol probably equivalent of the suburban guy's Ford F-series pick up truck...
Shocker !
Lets see, lets make a car that cost almost $90,000 to produce and sell it for $40,000 and then make up the difference in volume !
http://theweek.com/articles/472473/chevy-volts-89000-production-cost-was...
"Because Tesla's electric "supremacy" days may well be numbered with the arrival of the BMW i8 and other ultra high-end competition."
If you're going to write a story about electric cars at least do some homework. First, both the Volt and the i8 are hybrids, not electric cars. They burn gas.
Second, the i8 costs more than the most expensive Tesla, the P85D, which blows the BMW's doors off. Second, even the i8's full, yet comparatively mediocre, acceleration is only available for a short distance before the batteries are out of juice and you are powered solely on the 3-cylinder (yes, I said 3 cylinder) engine. In all electric mode the i8 makes it all of 15 miles. 15 miles! Barely a hybrid, really. Despite all that, the i8 is still not a competitor to the Model S, they are completely different vehicles. The Model S is a large luxury sedan, with seating up to 7 and 2 trunks. The i8 is a small sports car and not practical.
The real competitors to the Model S are full size luxury vehicles like the S Class or the 7 series. The Tesla happens to be electric on top of that, but has so far competed on its own merits, not just appealing to people with environmental sensibility.
Hold the fucking Volt!
Earlier today driving home I was listening to the radio and an add said that the area Chevy dealers had great sales all set up for the Best Selling American Mileage Miracle of US Made Crap, Ever!
No wonder.
Another Free Market Obammie Triumph!
Now where the fuck are the senior bond payments still due?
Apparently not selling well in Europe either, see this link from 2014: http://europe.autonews.com/article/20140721/ANE/307259991/opel-will-disc...
See a lot of 'em in The Netherlands ("Holland") though, but those idiots always fall for the ecological and politically correct bullshit that the State media and government tells them.
Hahaha, first time I see and hear of a Pontiac Aztek. I first thought that picture was Photoshopped. Man...what were they thinking/smoking when they unleashed that car upon the public...?
It almost beats the Fiat Mutipla in an uglyness contest: https://www.google.com/search?q=pontiac+aztek&newwindow=1&biw=1702&bih=7...
No hills in Holland.
Funny Bok - I never heard of a Pontiac Aztek either. Until this article. Horrifying that it is no doubt linked to about a zillion dollars in taxpayer money going down the green drain.
"You think you hate it now, but wait till you drive it."
Add 10K government subsidy and the dealers add 10K to the price. THat's why this experiment failed.
Indeed.
Subsidies are the only reason Tesla is still in business.
If you let me lose $100,000.00 on every car I sell, I could build a pretty nice car too...
I'm fortunate to still have my Ford Pinto.
IF you know how to buy the right politicians you can get yourself paid handsomely to lose $100K a piece for each sport-electric-go-cart.
IF the .GOV subsidy were increased to $25K I'm sure there are some wealthy toy collectors that would buy two instead of just one at the $10K + priviledge/exclusion from the gas-levied taxes that everyone else has to pay at the pumps to maintain the roads...
I don't care how much they knock off...it's fucking Government Motors. I'll never buy from them for the rest of my life.
It was UAW motors before that. Never buy UAW.
That range is worse than an I Watch and a lot heavier
They already knocked off at least $20k through subsidies, bailouts etc.
If I had to keep and drive it (rather than flip it to another buyer) it would have to sell for $1000 for me to consider it. That 50 mile range just wouldnt cut it for me.
Right, 50 mi range is just super limp. Plus I reckon that it's underpowered, i.e. even if people in San Francisco wanted it, probably couldn't make it up the hills.
I'll say that this looks a lot better, even though it won't see the light of day in America:
http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/about-us/futures/xl1
Wait, isn't that the Breaking Bad Aztek. Maybe theirs something in the trunk!
Not true at all. All electric cars are "mandated ZEV" that generate emissions credits. 10% of Tesla's income comes from selling credits to rival automotive manufacturers. Chevy, BMW, Toyota, Honda and Fiat generate these credits for themselves with each electric car they sell. However, the later use these credits internally to offset their ICE vehicle sales, wherase Tesla only sells electric.
These cars don't "make money", but what little is lost after government subsidies of over $10k direct per car more than offsets potential fines for overselling ICE cars. The government fines auto mfg for overreaching their alotment of emissions producing vehicles.
The chevy volt is not an electic vehicle because it has an ICE also. It does not generate credits used to offset chevy Tahoe and Corvette sales. The government no longer subsidizes volt purchases to the extent it was 3 years ago. The volt has lost its utility as a government boondogle.
What's to be expected when a government manipulates the market either through direct subsides of consumer vehicle purchases or reduced gasoline producton costs through emperialism?
The federal central planners are literally fighting the state central planners. Cheap petro through military might (federal) vs alternative fuel through consumer subsidies (state). Dumm fucks all around.
I always thought that anyone who drove a Volt were screaming to the world: "I'm easily influenced."
Any down voters are probably owners who are bitter and angry.
Tats scream that too
+ 1000 That gave me a good laugh HardAssets.
Yeah, god forbid that you'd have an electric car that you can recharge at home, using your solar panels on the roof, and your gas bill goes to... Zero. God forbid!
PetroDollar, good. PetroVolt, bad.
PetroDollar, good. PetroVolt, bad.
PetroDollar, good. PetroVolt, bad.
Must.Keep.Big.Oil.In.Biz... To.Back.The.Petro.Dollar.
Must.Keep.Big.Oil.In.Biz... To.Back.The.Petro.Dollar.
Must.Keep.Big.Oil.In.Biz... To.Back.The.Petro.Dollar.
p.s. Keep chasing those red herring arguments, little fishes. LOL.
That's from a time when Chevy knew how to build a car.
Let's not overlook the fact that the split window coupe was ridiculed so badly that the following year saw the advent of a regular rear window. It wasn't until a few years later that people wanted the '63 model. I drove one, and the rear vision was horrible (especially if a motorcycle was directly in back). The only car with worse rear visibility I've driven was a '71 Mustang fastback with a rear wing.
Who would order a '63 split-window with a powerglide... sheesh!
"Volt development consumed more than a billion dollars but has failed"
Keywords: 'consumed' 'billion dollars' 'FAILED'.
The ony two words missing were, 'taxpayers' money'.
I'm making over $7k a month working part time. I kept hearing other people tell me how much money they can make online so I decided to look into it. Well, it was all true and has totally changed my life. This is what I do... www.globe-report.com
Well, oil and gas being so cheap after all...
financialization and laissez faire government fascism strike again...
The Japs are selling hybrids hand over fist, making more and more models every year and routinely converting older established models to the hybrid tech as well.
A car company or model failing in that context does not mean or imply the technology is failing, it means the car company or its products are relatively uncompetitive or not an elegant or attractive implementation.
Electric cars are great!
On a flat golf course...
Actually, electric cars were sold during the very beginning of the automotive industry in the USA, right up to and through the Depression.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Electric
They were never a big hit. They were short commute cars for women. Men in the early 1900's drove steam cars - Stanleys, Whites, Dobles, before internal combustion engines took over in 1920's. Electric cars were considered safer in the age before electric starters were invented. Mechanical monsters required real muscle to get going and left many operators with injuries, which at the time was simply considered a normal part of life.
Look up Hybrid drive-trains, they are NOT "electric cars". People all over Asia have known this for over ten years now. Hybrids are vastly cheaper to operate, day to day, just as reliable, and generally LONGER RANGE than conventional drive-train cars, and lack nothing for power compared to same sized conventional cars.
It's only backwards USA, full of boneheads, which still struggles with that reality, which is more a comment on the nature of US society's deep insecurities and immaturity than anything else.
I've got an electic car. And if you're a taxpayer you contributed to the $10600 subsidy that paid for it and continue to pay for my reduced electric utilty rate.
You're great! Thanks!
Well when you live in a society that is about as homogenized as an ant colony.... When I think of the Borg the Japanese usually come to mind.
That doesn't necessarily mean or imply the tech is winning either when taken into context outside said society at the same time.
When I think of the Borg, I think of 7 of 9.
I'll go long crude oil as soon as they close those factories down.
Brick-lin
Where is Dcfusor to regail us with tails about how great a vehicle the DOLT was?
How about an Electric Aztec?? It has better styling than the Dolt.
The Aztek did great on the resale market. It was voted the ugliest car ever made, but it had a cult following. That would not have occured were it an electric vehicle.
Electric cars actual value is calculated as Estimated Resale Value -minus- Cost of Battery Replacement. Which is to say, virtually nothing.
Hey, if it was good enough for Walter White....
I call BS. Show me the numbers, or I'll say you're "full of it".
I can buy a Toyota* Prius Plug-in for $29k, and have ZERO maintenance costs for 3 years. Won't need new brakes until it's > 100k miles. The car requires practically No maintenance. The battery (a Gen5, not like the Gen 3 from Honda or Ford) is guaranteed for 150,000 miles. IF you did replace it, it'd be $3k.
You have to look at the ONLY number that matters: TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP (TCO), over the product life. Calculated on a 10 year product life.
If I were to put on a "CPA hat" and put aside personal or emotional bias, I'd argue that it's the ONLY car to buy, if you're looking for a sedan.
* http://www.toyota.com/efc/#!/build/step/model/year/2015/series/priusplugin/model/1235
Where were you when the gubbermint needed someone to sell Obamacare?
And yet with all their global production assets, they can't get a friggin' economical small 4 cylinder diesel into the US market.
Why? Because our Diesel fuels contain crap Ethanol subsidized by .gov and they cannot figure out how to refine higher grade and less emission Diesel.
Other than Corvettes and Caddies, the GM brand of cars is garbage anyway.
Chevy Cruze Diesel. Some are reporting 55 mpg highway.
That Aztek would have been rejected by any other car maker. I wonder, does this thing float or something?
It's ugly, but it has a following:
http://www.aztekfanclub.com/
so does Charles Manson..
just shows that the sheep are stupid
build it and they will come or build it and they will drive it... except for a Volt because driving an electric car is too complicated for the masses and too much of an effort for .gov
That's really sad.
Isn't that the car driven by the meth guy in 'Breaking Bad'?
But but bu tthey said oil will never go down?
Even when oil was higher the Dolt didn't make economic sense. The cost of the car plus the maintenance priced the people who worry about gas prices out of the market.
I didn't read the article, but wasn't the Volt still being heavily subsidized with tax payer $'s?
Well. It costs like 35k, which is expensive as hell for that class. But you can get a tax credit of like 7k. But to get the tax credit, you need to have a friggen job. So that ends that dream. It costs too much. For 35K you can get a two year old well maintained BMW 3 series, and laid. No contest.
I used to get laid driving a rusted out 69 Ford Ltd. Big back seat and a front bench. Totally underated engineering.
Are you saying the panties don't drop for the Chevy Volt? Lol.
Oh, I'm sure the panties drop, just a different demographic (said with a feminine voice by a hormonally challenged male)
Taxpayer pants drop every time he's expected to subsidize someone else's EV purchase.
"Excuse me, is that a Chevy Volt, the only electric car approved by the United States Government?"
"Yeah baby. And I haven't had any (gasoline) in 12 weeks."
*Panties drop.*
Look here, I know how this shit works. Just raise the Volt's price $20,000 dollars or so. Use bright white lights and white walls in your showrooms. And stop calling your sales people "sales people"; call them geniuses...er, I mean very intellegent savants. Hire some employees to camp out front the night before the new Volts are released. And tell your CEO to wear t-shirts! And when the Volt breaks down, tell the customer it is their fault...they should have bought insurance.
Your stock will go through the roof and the Volt will become a status symbol and shit. You're welcome, bitchez.
here in atlanta you see craptons of leafs - it's kind of hard to overstate how common there are her! if I were to take a shot every time one passed my office window I'd be dead by cob (I've counted 4 in time it's taken to type these two sentences). I know at least three on my street at home.
volts? I know one person w/one...
Planned Obsolescence (from the very beginning) by those who designed and financed these particular vehicles: The Oil Cartel.
epic article fail in not including this picture:
http://images.politico.com/global/politico44/100730_obama_volt_ap_522_re...
how much was each unit subsidized by the taxpayer again? It was like $40k IIRC
And this little video:
Chevy Volt - Building a Better Tomorrow
Fuck ZH is such BULL SHIT sometimes...
Another Electric Car Bites The Dust: Current Chevy Volt To Go The Way Of The Aztek Due To Plunging SalesNo,
"Production of the current model will halt early next month, the Detroit auto maker has said. It will be replaced by a 2016 model with a sleeker design and up to 50 miles range on an electric charge. That second generation Volt will go into production at the end of the summer."
Provacative headline gets us to read the story.
> Provacative headline gets us to read the story.
It worked! I read the story.
"a 2016 model with a sleeker design and up to 50 miles range on an electric charge- and still a total piece of crap Gubmint Motors product"
FIFY
Turd Version 1 meet Turd Version 2
We click-baited some folks
I want a indestructable Hemp-mobile ...
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53fb9896e4b0cf1a1bc90a8c/t/540ff4b...
44_shooter - Respectfully, the point appeared to be that the car didn't sell near as much as we were lied to. It failed in sales and so the company will tap into the spigot of government (Read: US Taxpayer) money and make another one.
Welp, that didn't work. Let's do it again!
electric cars failed by the 1940s
doing the same thing over and over ...
natgas and diesel are the future - very efficient and inexpensive
Electric is cheaper than natural gas - I own both - crown vic CNG and toyota rav4EV. I pay about $15 a week in electricity for my wife to drive the electric vehicle 60 miles round trip to work everyday. The CNG runs me around $25 a week for ust under 60 miles round trip a day.
No shit, an ICE rav4 gets 25mpg and an ICE CV gets 19mpg. Try comparing apples to apples instead of two dissimilar chassis.
Also, consider your fuel rate. I "pump" CNG from my garage so its less expensive than retail or local municipality.
My last CNG CV went 450k miles on odometer before I sold it with a failed rear differntial. How many miles will the RAV4 go? What about maintenance costs?
If you actually work out the math (which wiki already has) and compare gge - you are correct -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_gallon_equivalent
1 gge CNG from a station = $2.47
1 gge kWh from my home = $3.67
However - you don't "pump" from your home without equipment, and the last time I checked for one of those units it ran around $6000, not including installation.
That said - I have a solar system (that cost $13k) and I produce more electricity than I consume - whcih offsets all that electric car charging. My average electricity bill (including charging the car 5 days a week) is only $20.
My Phil (CNG pump) cost $4500 - $3000 in federal tax incentives. Another boondongle I took advantage of. My CNG CV was a used police interceptor, so my costs were indirectly subsidized by purchasing government surplus. (probably same as yours).
Electric vs CNG efficiency is dependent on vehicle weight. The extremes being electric golf carts and natural gas buses.
As an owner of several "alt cars" you know as I know that arguing one alternative is better than the other alternative is never black and white. However, both alternatives are almost always better than the ICE... in general.
The goal should be a reduction in single occupant trips (ie mass transport) and a reduction in travel (telecomuting). If energy costs in the US weren't subsidized, then higher energy prices would result in less energy being purchased for transportation.
Electric IS natural gas.
Electric is cheaper than natural gas - I own both - crown vic CNG and toyota rav4EV. I pay about $15 a week in electricity for my wife to drive the electric vehicle 60 miles round trip to work everyday. The CNG runs me around $25 a week for ust under 60 miles round trip a day.
> natgas and diesel are the future - very efficient and inexpensive
I haven't seen any crash test videos of natural gas vehicles. Wonder why?
Could it be that the test destroyed the entire test facility complex?
I have researched NGV collisions and I used to manufacture CNG and H2 fuel tanks. Both are federally regulated by the DOT and NFPA. The tanks are literally the strongest part of the vehicle and improve crash test results by providing an additional barrier.
The ONLY injuries, which are less than you have fingers, resulted by mishandling of tanks or using expired 20+ year old salvaged tanks.
Typically some asshole will store used leaking acid batteries on top of 20 year old tanks in his POS truck while intentionally over pressurize a used tank bypassing the safety nozzle.
Shit, cops have been rear ended at 80+ MPH while parked in CNG crown vics and live to talk about it.
My test facility performs burst tests, life cycle tests and even a ballistics test... literally fire a round into the pressurized tanks. They pass getting shot at and over pressured 3x past working pressure.
You are a big dummy.
I learned in public school that natural gas is flammable and explosive. So much so that it is used in internal combustion engines.
About once a week, some government housing project somewhere diasappears in a mushroom cloud due to a "gas leak". I assume they weren't talking about fart gas.
Nonetheless, you sound extremely intelligent, so I must have been misinformed.
Will they work on Mars?
One other small detail. BMW sells a similar car that is superior in every way, is a fucking BMW and costs the same. Good luck selling those turds.
why would anyone buy a hybrid, either have a straight electric vehicle or gas engine, with a hybird your stuck with both types of repair bills.
One word, vanity. Take the Toyota Pious for example....
Sometimes has nothing to do with vanity.
The only reason we purchased a prius, crown vic CNG and a RAV4-ev were to to get in the carpool lane in California. All three cars a fugly, but I laugh at all those cool BMW's and Mercedes sitting in traffic on the 405 every day.
Why are American cars so ugly? They have always been so as far as I can remember. I don't think I have ever seen an American car and thought "my, that looks great". Why is there such a difference between Europoean cars and American cars? Is it a cultural thing? Why do American cars have such large engines when you have 55mph speed limits? European cars have, in relative terms, much smaller engines with respectively larger power outputs and in some countries no speed limit. It makes no sense. And what the hell is drag racing all about? Its a parody of a joke wrapped up in a fairy tale.
Germany is the size of Ohio and PA, try driving one of those little shit cars around America, further then the grocery store and back, and you will understand.
A lot of the Euro vehicles look like shit too.
LOL, my shit car gets 100 miles. Lucky my daily commute is only 80 miles round trip. 20k miles so far and zero maintenace. Not even an oil change.
But what I like best is never making a trip to the gas station. Nope, what I like best is that you helped pay for my car. Shit car that you are paying me to drive.
Proud of handouts eh, well next time a burly guy drives around your neighborhood in a van, take the candy.
Not so much proud, just not stupid. I can't stand subsidies, but I didn't make the rules, so I'll play the game to win.
I suppose a stupid guy would pass up $10000 free money. Would you pass $10k?
The FSA is not just black and white. There are grey soldiers, too.
You don't know jack shit about cars. German cars made for US market are DE tuned and softly sprung for you shitty roads and low speed limits. Fucktards like you think 80mph is fast. LOL. You need to come here and do some motoring.,dipshit., And Americunts AND their cars are UGLY. NOw fuck off,.asswipe.
Headhunt , your head is up your ass. SUV's are UGLY and gas guzzlers. BTW,do you drive coast to coast on a regular basis? The USA is actually a relatively small country with BIG cities. thats all. and lots of FATASS fucktards who don't know how to drive. The entire lower 48 states can fit into the Sahara desert.
American cars USED to be good in the mid 60's . Thats all.
Evidently YOU have never been to Germany.
I don't see where European cars are better looking than a Corvette or Mustang.
And you think most Americans actually drive 55? Most states now have 65-75 mph speed "limits".
Regardless of the speed "limit" most drive well in excess of that.
65-75mph? LOL. Germans cruise on the autobahn safely at 120mph+
Maybe Gernams don't have to worry about illegal immigrants who learned to drive last week and are going 80 mph in a 20-year-old beater they borrowed. Driving on certain US highways can be terrifying because of the poor driving skills.
Europeans also PREFER manual transmissions. They enjoy driving the car, not the car driving them. Many Americans can't even drive a stick.
I've driven on the Autobahns for many years. Most don't drive anywhere near that fast.
Only on rare occasion have I been passed on the Autobahn.
The same is true here in the US- most travel at 60-80 mph (100-130 kph), about the same as they do in Germany.
How dare you mock our 'Murican customs! And by the way, we've also been conditioned not to like diesel, it's "dirty". And don't you know that SPEED KILLS? The TEEVEE told me that.
> Why are American cars so ugly?
I'VE GOT IT!
A Ferrari hybrid!!!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. The ideas just keep coming.
You're too late. http://money.cnn.com/2013/03/05/autos/ferrari-hybrid/index.html
Good grief!
The doofus who built this thing is unclear on the idea hybrid car. Maybe he plans on using it as an emergency mobile electric power plant.
I have to wonder if Diplodicus Rex has been asleep for the last several decades. 55mph limits disappeared decades ago, at least on highways. And ugly is in the mind of the beholder. Did you fall in love with the 2CV? Or the Ford Anglia? http://bringatrailer.com/2011/04/18/1966-ford-anglia-105e-project/ If I wanted a reverse slant to the rear window I could have bought a Mercury.
Yes, the difference between European cars and American cars was cultural. Small minds, small cars; expansive minds (and waistlines), expansive cars (with big back seats, unlike the Simca I drove in the mid-1960s). Personally, I always wondered back then why anyone would spend so much money on a Porsche 356 that would lose a drag race to a Nash Rambler, or prefer a BMW 2002 to a Chevy SS. But then I always wanted to go fast in a straight line. At least now all those Eoropean supercars have recognized the benefit of high acceleration, something Americans knew about long ago.
I say this all in fun. Cars provide one place where I can cherish diversity. If everyone drove 300SL Gullwings it would be very boring.
European cars have, in relative terms, much smaller engines...
Well, for starters, many of your countries are the size of many of our states. From what I understand, your tax laws penalized the individual cylinder volume resulting in smaller cc / ci displacements and your governments tacked on gasoline taxes early on that we in the US are only now having to suffer from.
I don't expect you to understand drag racing, but it's a little like condensing the Isle of Man motorcycle race into 5-6 seconds.
jmo.
You know it's bad when they're giving them away to the winners on Wheel of Fortune.......,
and the losers get two.
Do y'all bitchez remember this? "I forget how to put gas in my car!"
~From a Chevy Volt commercial.
Typical low-information driver.
Gee... I wonder why GM went bankrupt?
Had more to do with playing on the Casino with GMAC "re-branded" as Ally Bank
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/6-cars-that-will-save-gm-chevrolet-volt/
"It's not a copy of the Prius" (which was practically a copy of the Insight)
"Okay it is a copy of the Prius, but it does things that the Prius doesn't."
The Volt was too late to the show because GM is most of a model cycle behind everyone else, it had to overcome the gravitas that GM and the press put on it, and now gas prices are going down. Greenies are going to go to pure EVs (Nissan Leaf outselling the Volt) and the Prius has 3 different variants to better serve people who don't want to deal with range anxiety. The Volt is an also ran in a saturated market.
tl;dr- GM a shit that hasn't learned from past mistakes, and probably never will as long as daddy warbux keeps supporting their bad habits.
Y'know, the Volt was never as bad as made out.
But the line forms now for those hybrid Azteks!
So, everyone remembers that the Volt was released way ahead of schedule, right? Obama just had to have that car for sale, right at the cusp of the government backed re-org. Toss on top a nice amount of tax payer subsidy for the thing and I can hardly talk about it without getting a little vomit in the back of my throat.
GOOD NEWS FOR TESLA BERRY GOOD NEWS!
Teslaberry
Delorean was an exquisite vehicle. Hudson and packard were also sexy.
Better than volgas anyway.....
Make your own car.
Salt water batteries.
Screw this shit.
1) Electric cars generally have the aesthetic appeal of what I leave floating in a toilet bowl after eating one too many burritos.
2) "and up to 50 miles range on an electric charge." which to me is the equivalent of a horse and buggy... This is progress? 50 fucking miles? Brainwash people long enough and they'll believe just about anything...
How many fingers am I holding up?
Americunt cars are FAT ugly pieces of crap like Americans., who can't even fit into a normal sized car.
Everything you think you know about Americans you "learned" on the Mass Media.
And as far as Germans not having a "weight problem" look in the mirror:
http://pardonmeforasking.blogspot.com/2007/04/germany-another-fat-nation...
buh-bye
GM is still the same shit company it always was. Nothing has changed. Same shithead MBA management, same idiotic entitlement culture. This time, hopefully no bailouts when they go broke. I remember in 2009 dealing with GM executives building mansions while people were losing their homes. The executives knew they were getting bailed out. Grrrr...
the worst is seeing late model GM vehicles exhibiting rust. NOT Acceptable
I know several people here in Northern europe that have full EV vehicles and their whole home on solar. They pay Zero to charge their car and electric bikes.
Did the government pay for the solar setup? THE ROI is terrible for solar here in the States.
All you clowns ever think of is ROI. We pay for quality here and I spent 400 euros doing my whole home in LED. I didn't think of how many years it wouodl take to make back my investment.
I can see now why the USA is light years behind Europe in many ways. If you don't think so , come here for a month and let me dispel your myths.
No one pays "zero" to get electricity.
You either paid for all, or a portion of, the Solar or Wind power installation, or you paid for it through excessive taxes.
Fail.
the shithead who FAILS is YOU, clownboy.
They invested 30k into their home system and rolled it into the mortgage.
So fuck off, Mr, FAILURE.,
No wonder the USA is so archaic (and it is). Do some travelling over here for a month and I will show you that we are light years ahead in most everything.
So, they borrowed Euros, pay back Euros plus interest for decades, while the Solar panels & batteries degrade, need maintenance, etc.
That is not FREE. They are PAYING for their ELECTRICITY.
What’s worse is that they’re paying for an immature technology (like paying for a 286 processor in the 1980s expecting it to last 20 to 30 years). Early adopters of technology always get the short end of the stick.
How’s it feel being a failure at both technology and math?
Stick to riding your scooter, Dummkopf
Hey clownboy,. ''Coming from Northern Europe back to the USA is like leaving the Jetsons and returning to the Flintstones'' -NYT reporter in 2011.
The Shithead is YOU, clownboy.
I guess you never heard of the Delta project of the Channel tunnel.. Do you think they thought about return on investment?
I bet you live in a fucking 8x40 trailer.
My home has teak, tile, and marble. . costs more but my home will be standing in a 1000 yrs.
You are just another clueless idiot. Thats why the USA is going down the tubes.
Slow broadband, and EXPENSIVE. crap roads, crap schools and very expensive CRAP health care. (rankted 37th in the world).
Again, you don't have a clue and to stupid to actually go travel and LEARN some real things., instead of listening to the voices in your head.
You assume way too much.
Now get back to your scooter, Dummkopf.
Hey clownboy,. ''Coming from Northern Europe back to the USA is like leaving the Jetsons and returning to the Flintstones'' -NYT reporter in 2011.
The Shithead is YOU, clownboy.
I guess you never heard of the Delta project of the Channel tunnel.. Do you think they thought about return on investment?
I bet you live in a fucking 8x40 trailer.
My home has teak, tile, and marble. . costs more but my home will be standing in a 1000 yrs.
You are just another clueless idiot. Thats why the USA is going down the tubes.
Slow broadband, and EXPENSIVE. crap roads, crap schools and very expensive CRAP health care. (rankted 37th in the world).
Again, you don't have a clue and to stupid to actually go travel and LEARN some real things., instead of listening to the voices in your head.
The latest Tesla gets 275 miles on a charge and 20 minutes to recharge. 0-100 MPH in under 8 second.
It'll also stop functioning in 4-5 years unless you buy a new $40,000 battery.
It uses the same batteries as regular notebooks, which fail pretty quickly.
pure horseshit, NOT the same as laptop batteries you goddam moron
I see you don't know jack shit about the latest battery tech. Let me guess, you are a shit for brains Americunt. KNOW NOTHING jackoffs.
It uses standard 18650 batteries Made by Panasonic. But numerous other companies produce billions of these batteries.
Now, tell us about your latest battery tech.
18650's is passe. Google is your friend.
LiPO4 are NOT 18650's neither is LiFE or LiMNG.
I have 3 eletric scooters I modded from SLA to LiFE .
These aren't 18650
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlxyzYr97JU