The Detroit Free Press reports GM's Vice Chairman of Global Product Development's most recent product prognostication: the Chevy Volt wil be "on the road" by November 2010. The comments came after the usual Lutz blusterfest, during which GM's Car Czar trash-talked Toyota. Or was it TTAC? Anyway, Bob promised that his employer will have a test Volt on the road in early '08, and then couldn't resist adding "About Easter, we'll find out who's right and whose credibility takes a hit." Yes, well, there's a big difference between getting a hand-built prototype on the road and producing said vehicle. Considering Chevy's just taken delivery on experimental battery packs from A123 and LG Chem, considering how long it will take to gear up production of thousands of said battery packs, considering that GM has had to totally redesign the car, and considering how long it'll take to gear up for production and train the line crew how to assemble a radically different drivetrain, you might think Lutz would reel back the rhetoric a bit. Or not. After all, spin doctors have families to feed too.
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Wouldn’t a redesign be a “ReVolt?”
Of course we may need something revolutionary:
“We think we’re in a different era with relatively higher real oil prices going out through 2030. Rising demand coupled with ‘insufficient’ investment, lack of access to resource bases in the U.S. and elsewhere, and a ‘dramatic rise in the cost of doing business’ are boosting prices.” – Guy Caruso, Energy Information Administration
http://www.fcnp.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2089&Itemid=35
So 3 years from now I can buy one? That sounds splendid. However, I don’t see it happening, mostly because it’s GM. If it does actually happen, I’ll be very surprised if it’s both reliable and well built. I think Toyota or Honda have a better chance of building a Volt-like car before the Volt ever appears. Prove me wrong, Bob!
Donal, a re-design would actually be re-volting I think.
The other mfgs have to be laughing at this point.
I found the linked Edmunds article to be interesting:
“The final version of the Volt won’t look like the concept,” General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told reporters.
Well, thank God for that. Will still make that new Saab look like the Volt? Please say ‘no.’
“In the wind tunnel it was a cruel disappointment. We probably would’ve gotten better drag coefficient if we put it in the wind tunnel backwards. ”
Ummm… They dragged that thing all around the country and never took 10 minutes to put it in a wind tunnel? How smart is that? That’s “GM-Smart!”
Every time I read something about Lutz, I feel a real pang of sympathy for the ordinary working people whose lives depend on decisions made in GM’s executive suites.
Who ever holds GM accountable for…really anything? Seems the the majority of consumers and press believe what they say carte blanche. Then GM becomes quiet by the time their promises should have been renedered and no one ever holds them accountable.
GM is way behind the times in fuel cell development. Recall the Hywire and their intention of having a fuel cell vehicle on the road by today? Never happened except a one off concept car strictly controlled. I see the usual – GM innovates to make a press release, rather than innovate to make a great car. The former is just much easier to do and with GM’s lazy approach to everything as of late – no one holds their management of empty promises accountable.
KixStart :
November 15th, 2007 at 10:25 am
“In the wind tunnel it was a cruel disappointment. We probably would’ve gotten better drag coefficient if we put it in the wind tunnel backwards. ”
Ummm… They dragged that thing all around the country and never took 10 minutes to put it in a wind tunnel? How smart is that? That’s “GM-Smart!”
Ummm…the Volt was a concept car that was made to turn heads, not as a production car that would need aerodynamic and crash testing. Aerodynamics is complicated and drag doesn’t always correlate with appearance. Cars like the Countach have very high drag, and then cars like the Mercedes Bionic Concept (modeled after the boxfish) has a drag coefficient of only 0.19.
Meanwhile Honda leased out it’s first fuel cell powered cars yesterday in California:
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8STQLN80.htm
And at Penn State they figured out a more efficient way to produce hydrogen:
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/13/2052249
Around the turn of the century GM was bragging about how they were going to be producing their own fuel cell cars in 2010. Now they just brag about finally releasing their own version of the Prius by then.
The Big 2.8 is so far behind the curve it’s not even funny anymore.
radimus, have you done any research on what car companies other than Honda/Toyota are doing? I guess GM is so far behind the curve they are ahead.
GM has ‘Project Driveway’ where 100+ Fuel Cell Equinoxes are being tested by normal people. Since this is free, it is a better deal than leasing the Honda.
GM’s 2-mode hybrid system is actually more advanced than Toyota’s Synergy drive (well at least Chrysler, Mercedes and BMW think so). They just need to tool up a lot faster to get it into more vehicles.
The Volt is not the same as the Prius and it will be interesting to see what will sell better in 2010 and on timeframe, a plug in hybrid or a range extended electric vehicle.
then cars like the Mercedes Bionic Concept (modeled after the boxfish) has a drag coefficient of only 0.19.
not to mention Cd doesn’t mean terribly much without A ;)
Has GM released any product on time in the last 20 years? Seriously, what evidence is there that there’s been any substantive change within the GM culture? The well discussed issue of the new Malibu supply chain problem is further proof that no one is steering the ship. Bob is bragging about what they’ll do in 3 years, but GM can’t seem to get what is clearly their most important car in years in dealers hands.
The waste (verbal and otherwise) emanating from Bob and all of GM is putrid.
HOWEVER, I can’t wait to check out the G8!
At age 75 waking up in the morning makes it a good day. Bob Lutz will be 78 (DOB 2-12-32) if and when the Volt hits the road.
Previously Exide Technologies CEO, the second-largest automotive and industrial lead acid battery producer, he knows more than most about battery technology.
In my view Lutz has earned the benefit of the doubt.
That dumbass has the same birthday as me. I feel like something has been stolen from me. Lincoln has to be as pissed as me.
The real issue is not Lutz and his rhetoric, it is that GM has promised to put a REVOLUTIONARY vehicle on the road in 2010.
I can’t wait to see what happens.
How long from proto to dealer for the Solstice?
A conventional car with a new platform.
How fast is the Camaro coming?
Ditto.
How long have we been waiting for the two-mode tech?
Conventional trucks, new drivetrain.
Easter ’08 (if the proto DOES roll then) to Thanksgiving ’10? 2.5 years with a new platform and a new (in many senses) drivetrain?
Aparrently they don’t plan to spend much time doing DURABILITY TESTING! Apparently they do not expect any major problems to crop up in their voyage into the unknown.
Has Bob ever been involved in the development of a motor vehicle before?
Just curious.
Bunter
GM prefers for customers to do the durability testing.
GM faithful said the car would be out early 2010. Already Lutz is saying late 2010. My guess is the car likely won’t be out until 2011.
SkiD666:
radimus, have you done any research on what car companies other than Honda/Toyota are doing? I guess GM is so far behind the curve they are ahead.
GM has ‘Project Driveway’ where 100+ Fuel Cell Equinoxes are being tested by normal people. Since this is free, it is a better deal than leasing the Honda.
GM’s 2-mode hybrid system is actually more advanced than Toyota’s Synergy drive (well at least Chrysler, Mercedes and BMW think so). They just need to tool up a lot faster to get it into more vehicles.
The Volt is not the same as the Prius and it will be interesting to see what will sell better in 2010 and on timeframe, a plug in hybrid or a range extended electric vehicle.
On the contrary, you need to brush up on your research.
GM’s fuel cell vehicles are being tested, while Honda is leasing vehicles with no restrictions as they are practically production vehicles. BMW is also leasing production 7 Series hydrogen vehicles.
Mercedes is actually moving away from the Two-Mode system with their own hybrid system. And using that logic, Toyota’s Synergy Drive is more advanced because Nissan and Subaru seem to think so. Even Porsche was interested in Synergy Drive.
Yes the Volt is not the same, in more ways than one. The Prius has been on the road for a decade now. Toyota has huge real-world data and experience with the Prius. GM has NEVER made a vehicle like the Volt before. The timeframe to get the Volt to market is very short and there are still many unanswered questions regarding the Volt project. The entire concept of the Volt still hangs on development of batteries which don’t exist yet. Meanwhile, a 3rd gen Prius using tried, tested NiMH batteries (and likely plug-in capability) will be out in 2009. Late 2010/2011 Toyota will likely bring out a Prius with Li-ion batteries.
The Prius already has a great reputation among hundreds of thousands of owners. The Volt has no reputation to speak of. It only has hype.
Has Bob ever been involved in the development of a motor vehicle before? Just curious. – Bunter 1
Lutz has an impressive automotive résumé.