GM Volt will retail ~$40,000

[stopcrazypp]

Link:
GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site » Blog Archive » Lutz: $40,000 is Breakeven Price for the Chevy Volt and First Generation Will Not Make Money For GM

Choice quote from the original Seattle Times source:
"Lutz said the first-generation Volt will retail for about $40,000 and generate no profit for GM. The company hopes to make money as it rolls out later versions of the vehicle and other plug-in models."

Of course, none of this is set in stone, and it's unclear if R&D is included, but you see lots of people offput by this, some exclaiming Toyota's victory.

But if it does come out at exactly $40k or more, then it's quite true it's going to be out of price range for a lot of people. People seemed to be a lot more comfortable with the $35k estimate. But GM might be pulling the same thing they did for the ZR1 where the actual price when it came out was thousands less than the estimated price.

But with GM not doing financially well (so they can't take too much of a loss on the Volt), and knowing GM is using very advanced (& expensive) batteries, it's kind of expected the first gen Volt will be more expensive.

I guess we can expect a similar more expensive than anticipated price on the Whitestar (it inched up in the price estimates just like the Volt did).

 

[Cobos]

The last I heard on the Whitestar from one of the Tesla employees at the Oslo event, was $75k, 0-62 in 6 secs and same range as Roadster. Which except for the higher price estimate fits with everything else that's been said.
At least the Volt edging up in price makes people less hostile to Tesla's price increases I suppose. Though for the Volt that wanted to reach a very different market a 33% price increase from the original $30k might a bit more dramatic.

Cobos

 

[Iz]

Cobos

The last I heard on the Whitestar from one of the Tesla employees at the Oslo event, was $75k

Quite a large jump from the original $50k. By the time it is ready for production it may be as expensive as Roadster. So fades Iz's dream of having a WhiteStar plugged in the garage...Think! Ox?

 

[Cobos]

Cobos


Quite a large jump from the original $50k. By the time it is ready for production it may be as expensive as Roadster. So fades Iz's dream of having a WhiteStar plugged in the garage...Think! Ox?

I doubt it will climb much higher than that, since it was always intended to be barely above half of the roadster price, $50k vs $92, and now $75 vs $109. I think what we are seeing is increasing costs and a bit higher profit margins. But the interesting thing is he said the Whitestar will have the same range as the Roadster. I beleive the earlier messages said it should be shorter. So I'm hoping they will make 2 versions, one with half that range and perhaps a bit less luxury items which is priced in the range of us public servants
I really really like the idea of the Whitestar, but that might be MY idea not necissarily TM's idea, in theory we'll see in another 1.5 weeks.

Cobos

 

[Kardax]

Even at $40k, with gas prices the way they are, the Volt could still be a good value over the life of the vehicle if you remember to plug it in every night.

The WhiteStar cost increases are totally expected, at least to me. Over a year ago I posted in these forums that I couldn't understand how they were going to make the WhiteStar cheaper than the Roadster... it requires more of everything due to its larger size. You only get so far with higher-volume efficiency gains.

In spite of that, if they make it luxurious enough, it can compete effectively against other luxury sedans. It's too high for mainstream customers, obviously.

-Ryan

 

[deenko]

When you think about it, the new price starts to make sense. Boiled down, the Volt is a hybrid (like the prius) except with a better battery and electric drive train. So take the base price of a prius, add a bit for the extra stuff, and $40k does not sound all that unreasonable.

The only problem is that at this price, the Volt might not become the revolution that we all are hoping for.

 

[doug]

Not sure what "luxury" features GM intended to include in the Volt, but at that price buyers may expect them. I'm just talking about the sort or creature comforts and techie stuff one might expect as high end options in say a Honda Accord.

 

[doug]

Volt Birth Watch 59: Stretched Thin | The Truth About Cars

Electro-Shock Therapy

 

[vfx]

Ten Days!

Plug-In Hybrid From G.M. Is Nearly Ready for Testing - NYTimes.com


Plug-In Hybrid From G.M. Is Nearly Ready for Testing


[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]By NICK BUNKLEY
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Published: August 14, 2008[/FONT]
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — General Motors said Thursday that it had “essentially finished” designing its first plug-in hybrid car, the Chevrolet Volt, and would have production-ready prototypes within 10 days.
The automaker still has considerable work to do on the car’s lithium-ion battery and other technology in the two years before the Volt is scheduled to go on sale, but completing the design is a milestone for what is arguably the most crucial car in decades for G.M.
The Volt would be able to travel at least 40 miles on battery power alone, G.M. said. The battery is recharged by plugging a cord into a household outlet.
Bob Boniface, the director of design for the Volt, showed sketches of the car and photos of its front and rear corners at an industry conference in northern Michigan. He said G.M. had made the Volt more aerodynamic and attractive since displaying it as a concept car at the Detroit auto show in January 2007.
The changes, including a shorter hood and more rounded front end, have increased the car’s battery range by about 6 or 7 miles, Mr. Boniface said. By year’s end, G.M. expects to have 50 prototypes for testing.
The Detroit automakers have been criticized for making gas-thirsty vehicles, and the Volt has gained interest from consumers who see it as a way to save on gasoline.
As of Thursday afternoon, 35,750 people from all 50 states and 63 countries had signed up on an unofficial waiting list for the car at GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site, a Web site run by a neurologist in New Jersey who is not affiliated with G.M. The doctor, Lyle Dennis, started the site as a fan when G.M. announced the car.
G.M. has said it will charge $30,000 to $40,000 for the four-door Volt. Frank Weber, G.M.’s vehicle line executive for the Volt, said that the company did not expect to make money in the near term but that the “E-flex” battery technology will ultimately allow G.M. to sell a profitable line of ultrafuel-efficient vehicles.
G.M. aims to be the first automaker to sell a plug-in hybrid, but Toyota Motor also says it plans to introduce such a vehicle in 2010.

[/FONT]

 

[TEG]

a Web site run by a neurologist in New Jersey who is not affiliated with G.M. The doctor, Lyle Dennis, started the site as a fan when G.M. announced the car.

Lyle sure has gotten a lot of attention since starting that site. He seems to have gone beyond being just a blogger, and turned into a spokesman of sorts.

Meet the Blogger Who's Got GM's Ear | Autopia from Wired.com

New York Auto Show: Volt Nation - Video

 

[vfx]

15 minutes

 

[Martin]

I guess we can expect a similar more expensive than anticipated price on the Whitestar (it inched up in the price estimates just like the Volt did).

Guess what? Making a decent, production electric car is REALLY HARD. Although $40K will push the Volt out of the price range for many consumers, it is still a major, major advance for electric cars and will drive the auto industry in the direction it desperately needs to go.

Even at $40K, I will buy a Volt. (Assuming Carolyn lets me)

 

[DaveD]

Even at $40K, I will buy a Volt. (Assuming Carolyn lets me)

I expect an answer from her shortly. The gauntlet has been thrown! :wink:

 

[Kevin Harney]

Martin,

This is slightly off topic here but I was wondering if you would be good enough to write a thread on actual miles per charge under different circustances based on your reality of driving. Specifically what I am interested in is slightly spirited highway driving. Like is it reasonable for me to expect to be able to take a 200 mile highway trip @ say 70 mph. For me the city driving range is not an issue as it is ample for my needs the highway driving is the one in question. Any insight would be greatly appreciated now that you have over 1000 miles under your belt Lucky you !!!!

Thanks.

 

[DDB]

15 minutes

Got to give the guy some credit. He sure works hard at his hobby. I'd also sure appreciate it if his "list" is honored by GM. Right now the Volt is looking like my #1 option.

 

[vfx]

Got to give the guy some credit.

Absolutely!

14...

 

[SByer]

I have to second Martin's comment. I think what GM had done with the Volt is absolutely amazing. Here is a company that has, in the past, shown a consistent bad habit of ruining most of their cars by raiding the parts bin to save costs.

And here they have a car that can't really share many parts, if any, and they're moving it towards production at a remarkable speed for a large behemoth. And while we may quibble about it being a REEV, the fact still is that it will mostly drive only electric, unlike the plug-in Prius, which still turns the engine on all too frequently.

 

[Kevin Harney]

That is strange SByer. When I first saw the redesign I thought they redesigned it to look like the Cobalt and the Malibu so that they could use many of the same parts and seem VERY mainstream and "normal". I also thought that is was quick way to move the design along rapidly in the public's eye so they could say they were getting prototypes out this year. Total opposite of what you said ...

 

[stopcrazypp]

Guess what? Making a decent, production electric car is REALLY HARD. Although $40K will push the Volt out of the price range for many consumers, it is still a major, major advance for electric cars and will drive the auto industry in the direction it desperately needs to go.

Even at $40K, I will buy a Volt. (Assuming Carolyn lets me)

Don't get me wrong, I'm also a Volt fan, and at $40k I'm sure they will find plenty of early adopters who are willing to buy one. It's just that $40k is too high for most consumers as you mentioned. Hopefully as they increase volume they can get the price down to near the $30k mark.

 

[TEG]

When I first saw the redesign I thought they redesigned it to look like the Cobalt and the Malibu so that they could use many of the same parts...

I didn't take the styling update to mean it would share more parts. It is just a normal part of new product development to update the prototypes to fit the latest styling direction. Just because it looks more like the new Malibu doesn't mean it is going to share more parts.