Take that Toyota! Not only is GM going to bring us a lithium-ion-powered plug-in hybrid by 2010, but they're going to produce an entire family of electric vehicles. So sayeth GM Car Czar "Maximum" Bob Lutz in Frankfurt. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) described Lutz' remarks as "the latest salvo in a combined product-development and public-relations campaign… to dispel the image that it has its corporate head in the sand when it comes to advanced vehicle technology, oil prices and concerns about greenhouse-gas emissions." Lutz also said GM wants to build its E-Flex vehicles alongside mainstream models; a common chassis would accommodate either a conventional or alternative-propulsion powertrain. The WSJ cautions that the Volt– and any other electric vehicles in GM's future– depend on battery suppliers, and "it isn't yet certain the suppliers will come through." OK, Toyota– your turn!
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Let’s take a closer look at this press release:
Maximum Bob Putz (a guy famous for talking rubbish and generally being senile) says that GM (a company recently exposed as being “economical with the truth” with regards to their “we’re reducing our fleets sales”, then increasing their fleet sales to bump up their sales figures) are going to bring lithium ion batteries to their hybrids (a powertrain which GM has consistently said it’d “bring to the market” for the last 10 years)
Pardon my cynicism, but GM can’t even produce a regular car that people wants to buy, what chance do they have producing a hybrid that people want to buy?!
KatiePuckrick:
Should they not invent the battery technology soon, perhaps they should sell their designs to Toyota or Honda? If a Prius or Insight (or Civic Hybrid, for that matter) didn’t look like some hideous combination of a space rover and an invertabrate, I would be more apt to be able to get excited about one. The Volt is a good looking car, even if it is technically a paperweight.
The Volt is a good looking car, even if it is technically a paperweight.
Okay let’s say for a minute that the Volt is a good looking car (it’s absolutely disgusting IMO), it says it all about GM – all appearance with little substance. Looks great on a rotating stage under camera lights with old Bob in his gray suit flapping away about how great GM is (or will be!) but nothing underneath. But GM has the chutzpah to claim that this er paperweight will beat all others. Just you wait n’ see! As they say in Ireland, Bob has a neck like a jockey’s Bo**ocks!
but they’re going to produce an entire family of electric vehicles.
Sort of like how Toyota already has a family of hybrid vehicles, and how it wants
to make a family of Prius models.
Lutz also said GM wants to build its E-Flex vehicles alongside mainstream models
Amazing idea Lutz! There is already a company out there making hybrid models alongside
it’s mainstream models on the same assembly lines. You may have heard of them, the company
goes by the name of Toyota.
“it isn’t yet certain the suppliers will come through.”
So after all that hype and hot-air, GM isn’t certain that suppliers will deliver? Lutz, you never change.
Does anyone else remember the GM HI Wire concept? Or how about the Auto-nomy? My prediction is the Volt will be relegated to the same ill fate as those vehicles, although it does stand a bit better chance being that it is based off (theoretical) batteries and not Hydrogen.
GM does have one thriving vertical – Empty Promises. Ford does contest them in cornering this important market.
I had forgotten all about that stupid and ugly as sin GM Hi wire. Funny how no one mentions that one anymore and it hasn’t been that long.
More smoke and mirrors from the General Magician.
They haven’t been able to build a simple, basic and reliable car for the last 30 years or a proper 4 cylinder engine on there own, and this would be the most complex car ever mass marketed. People are insane if they think the Volt(if it even appears) or any of the rest of it’s imaginary plug-in’s will be as reliable or more reliable than Toyota and Honda. Imagine bringing your 30,000 mile Volt to the dealer for battery or driveline issues to have them make excuses about it “being normal”.
Is this the same GM that, at the conclusion of the promising, if not ready for primetime EV1, canned its electric-car development team with unseemly haste?
Color me skeptical.
This falls into the “I’ll believe it when I see it” category.
I still love Bob. He is a great guy. Don’t think that I will buy any of their cars, but Bob is great. You can’t beat this stuff.
Somehow, we Americans love these blustering, hard headed, and pathologically optimistic nutballs. We can’t help it. Just so long as I don’t have to business with him, I will continue to enjoy the whole shtick.