2 reasons Chevy Volt is toast

rcjordan · January 31, 2011, 05:31:53 PM

Cause of death #1: "After a big federal tax rebate, it costs about 35 grand, bottom line"

35 grand!! For a (high maintenance) golf cart with doors?

#2: See the end of the article

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/21/AR2011012105347.html

Brad · January 31, 2011, 07:01:00 PM

Yeah, get it down to about 17 grand and I'll consider it for going to the grocery and liquor stores. 35 grand is a non-starter.

littleman · January 31, 2011, 07:27:20 PM

I think the price for electric technology will come down eventually. The Prius sells like mad here in California.

Rumbas · January 31, 2011, 10:57:25 PM

Listen, let's not have that discussion again RC.. you know, cars, taxes and prices.

My best bet is that a Volt will run you $60-70K here. At least.

Funny thing is that eco cars are still a LOT more expensive here that regulars. As I just read on a Danish car blog; we love the "green" cars, but we just talk and talk and talk..

rcjordan · January 31, 2011, 11:23:28 PM

>taxes, prices

Eat your heart out, Rumbas. hhh

http://www.edmunds.com/hyundai/sonata/2011/features-specs.html?style=101364777

I rented one of the 2009 models while out in Arizona & New Mexico. It was a good car. It's listed as one of the top mid-sized cars this year. I can get the 2011 model shown at a local dealership for $18k.

DrCool · February 01, 2011, 12:11:19 AM

Quote from: Rumbas on January 31, 2011, 10:57:25 PM
Listen, let's not have that discussion again RC.. you know, cars, taxes and prices.

My best bet is that a Volt will run you $60-70K here. At least.

I remember you lusting over the Hummer when we were in Orlando a few years back saying it would run about $120K or so in Denmark and it was only $40K or so here in the States.

rcjordan · February 01, 2011, 01:45:43 AM

Yeah, Denmark has a 150% excise tax on vehicles if I recall correctly. Makes for a helluva repair parts market.

bill · February 02, 2011, 06:55:18 AM

Full electric vehicles are just a fad for people with money to waste. There's still no infrastructure to support them and the big manufacturers are just putting them out there to appease the tree-huggers. The reality is that major manufacturers are betting their money on the Hybrid market, not full EV. Even if every manufacturer were to pull its gas and hybrid lines in favor of full EV, there simply aren't enough of the metals used in the batteries to supply even a fraction of the market.

Gurtie · February 02, 2011, 09:13:20 AM

I'd love a PHEV hybrid, but it makes no sense financially at the moment - things are moving so quickly with hybrids at the moment that old style models will be absolute dinosaurs with no residual value at all when you come to sell them, and its also a bit of a betamax issue for me - if you buy what you think is the best early system the risk of it ending up being almost unusuable in a couple of years because no one supports it are very real.

I am a bit of a tree hugger, but I'm a fairly practical one and its just too much of a leap of faith at the moment unfortunately.

Rumbas · February 02, 2011, 09:42:10 AM

>150%

180% afaik.

>Makes for a helluva repair parts market

Yeah, if they didn't tax that fiercely as well.

>Hummer

Nah, my choice would be an Escalade. Period.