The Chevy Volt...a car for idiots

[Zef]

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/09/03/are-chevy-volt-buyers-idiots-audis-american-president-thinks-so/

[legion]

I would have never thought there would have been enough idiots to pay the premium on a Prius. (The price difference almost never works out economically.)

I was wrong about that.

[island911]

Oh geez, dd74 is going to be completely insufferable now.

[Gogar]

Here's a link with more story:

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/autosblogpost.aspx?post=1247701

“They’re for the intellectual elite who want to show what enlightened souls they are,” he said.

I like that...

[cantdrv55]

Diesels produce only 25% less CO2 than gas vehicles? Aren't hybrids and EVs much cleaner?

[Jims5543]

I cannot even begin to tell you all how hard I am laughing at this.

I personally think anyone who owns an Audi is an idiot (no offence to any Audi owners here) their cars are crap as far as I am concerned.

If Audi built an electric car with would burn to the ground. Here is a tip for Johan de Nyssche, why not try to get your cars right, then train your service dept. to the level of being competent THEN throw daggers at other car companies.

[island911]

I wonder if we would be cleaner if we followed Cheryl Crow's advice of wiping our asses with no more than 2 squares of TP. --these green people are so . . ..uhm ...something.

[Zef]

Originally Posted by island911

I wonder if we would be cleaner if we followed Cheryl Crow's advice of wiping our asses with no more than 2 squares of TP. --these green people are so . . ..uhm ...something.

It all depend of the ass's size...

[cantdrv55]

Did Cheryl really say that? I'd expect something like it to come from BO's administration.

Audis are crap, I agree with that.

[Looking_for_911]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

Did Cheryl really say that? I'd expect something like it to come from BO's administration.

Audis are crap, I agree with that.

Yes she said it and many more Green things, too. She stumped for "O" with Larry David's (the Seinfeld creator among others) wife, or ex-wife during the campaign!

I had the "pleasure" of covering the event.... of course, I did get to see Cheryl's butt up close, and yes, two squares of TP would work for her.

[teenerted1]

she said that years ago must have been rehashing the same ***** for BO

[RWebb]

back to the Volt -- at what $/gal. gas price will it make economic sense?

[RedBaron]

I wonder what he thinks of people who spend $47,000 for a car with a jetta 2.0l engine...

[1967 R50/2]

Quick comments:

1. Johan de Nyssche sounds like a man who is bitter that he doesn't have a hybrid in his own showrooms.
2. Attacking another make this way sounds catty and petty.
3. As a result he basically gave the Volt free press and made himself seem small.

At least that is how I percieve it.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by RWebb

back to the Volt -- at what $/gal. gas price will it make economic sense?

Considering that the govt owns GM, we will probably find out.

[jyl]

The Volt gets appx 4 miles per kWH for the first 40 miles, then appx 40 mpg until the battery is recharged. At 11 cents/kWH the first 40 miles will cost appx 3 cents a mile. At $4 per gallon the subsequent miles will cost appx 10 cents a mile. Meanwhile a conventional Audi that gets 25 miles per gallon will cost appx 16 cents per gallon.

So, in one scenario, suppose you drive 40 miles per day, all on battery. In the Volt it will cost $1.20. In the Audi it will cost $6.40. Over 365 days/year for 8 years, that is about $15,200 difference.

In another, suppose you drive 100 miles per day. In the Volt it costs $7.20, in the Audi it costs $16.00. Over 8 years, appx $27,000 difference.

Ignoring maintenance costs. The Volt is a Chevy, the Audi is an Audi, neither is a reassuring nameplate in that regard. Also ignoring the longevity of the battery because I don't know what it is - note though that after 8 years an Audi is likely to have some significant needed work too.

So, plug in your own driving habits and the MPG of your Audi/whatever to see what the economics are.

Obviously if you are comparing the Volt to a Yaris (cheap car with good MPG) the economics will never favor the Volt. If you are comparing it to a mid size Audi (expensive car with so-so MPG) then the economics may well favor the Volt. I don't know for sure which I'd compare it to, as I've never seen a Volt.

My gut feeling, from the *vague* impression I have of the Volt's performance, amenities, styling, etc, is that at $40,000, the Volt would be overpriced. $30,000 to $35,000 would make more sense. Basically I don't see why a Volt should be priced higher than a plug-in Prius which is likely to be in the $30,000 range.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by jyl

snip
Ignoring maintenance costs. The Volt is a Chevy, the Audi is an Audi, neither is a reassuring nameplate in that regard. Also ignoring the longevity of the battery because I don't know what it is - note though that after 8 years an Audi is likely to have some significant needed work too. snip...

This whole paragraphs is so funny to me I choked on my beer.

I would buy a plug in prius if the price was right. Won't be buying a government motors car

[jyl]

The plug in prius could be a great car. The aftermarket lithium ion plug in battery mods work very well, despite not being that well integrated into the Prius' software (for example, the added battery can't be charged by the Prius during braking etc as the OE battery is). People report at least 40 miles battery range. And the $10k aftermarket price would be much lower if it were an OE system. However, the aftermarket mods have not been proven to the extent required by an OE system. Toyota can't offer the plug in feature until and unless they know it will be troublefree for well over 100k miles. Will lithium ion batteries last that long? GM appears to think so but I suspect Toyota is going to be more stringent than GM is. So, when it comes out, I'll be willing to buy one. But I might not be willing to buy Volt 1.0.

[911boost]

I wouldn't buy a Volt or a Prius.

I need a bumper sticker that says "You can have my keys to my oil burner when you pry them from my cold dead fingers"

Bill