Jay Leno: "I think you'll find that the Volt will be a superior package to the Prius"

[Intrepidation]

The battle for Jay Leno's approval has been won. Sure, it's an apples-to-oranges comparison, but Leno recently told Reuters that he's excited about the upcoming Chevy Volt and that, "I think it will be great. I think you'll find that the Volt will be a superior package to the Prius." Leno also said he's in line to give the Volt a test drive when that option becomes available.

In other news, Leno recommends bringing a book with you if you're filling up a hydrogen vehicle. Leno has been driving a fuel cell Chevy Equinox for about a year and said that, "The only downside is that it's about a 20 minute wait for a fill-up, so bring a book. But that's only because the infrastructure is not here yet so it takes a little longer to fill."

Autoblog Green

[Satty]

He brings up the biggest problem with hydrogen. The infrastructure isn't there and it will take a lot of time and money to put it in place.

[FAPTurbo]

He brings up the biggest problem with hydrogen. The infrastructure isn't there and it will take a lot of time and money to put it in place.

I wonder how many AIG bonuses it would take to make a fueling station.

[Satty]

I wonder how many AIG bonuses it would take to make a fueling station.

But they need those bonuses in order to keep and attract the best and brightest. You know, the people who got us into this mess.

[balthazar]

I wonder how many congressional salaries and PAC contributions it would take to build a filling station. You know- the people who passed the laws to allow & then rubber stamped the mess we're in, then lied about being part of it.

[loki]

But they need those bonuses in order to keep and attract the best and brightest. You know, the people who got us into this mess.

both you and and the capt. know that topic does nothing about the topic at hand. besides, if the fed didn't exist people would have to pay much more attention to their money.

anyway. Leno... the guy with more cars than....99.9999% of the people around and "oddities" like the steamers... i think he should know what he's talking about

[GXT]

anyway. Leno... the guy with more cars than....99.9999% of the people around and "oddities" like the steamers... i think he should know what he's talking about

He's also rich and famous enough not to worry about the downsides of the Volt that will likely make it inferior for most people... cost and availability. Plus GM hasn't yet come clean about the fuel economy on the ICE.

Man that Prius is one ugly car.

[Camino LS6]

He's also rich and famous enough not to worry about the downsides of the Volt that will likely make it inferior for most people... cost and availability. Plus GM hasn't yet come clean about the fuel economy on the ICE.

Man that Prius is one ugly car.

Inferior?

Inferior to what,exactly?

It has no competition

[siegen]

Inferior?

Inferior to what,exactly?

It has no competition

It has no competition because it doesn't exist yet.

When it does, it will have plenty of competition. The plug-in Prius will be available by the time the Volt comes out. And yes, it will be competition. Just because the Volt's drivetrain works differently and it's technically a 'range-extended' EV car doesn't mean it's in a league of its own. Consumers will compare the vehicles themselves; their usability, fuel economy, and price. They will compare it to the plug-in Prius; they will compare it to the regular Prius; they may even compare it to the Insight.

The 40 miles on electric only will be GM's main selling point to get buyers to consider the Volt over less expensive hybrids. How well they can market that point will likely decide how successful the Volt will be. I think it is a pretty impressive advantage over other hybrid vehicles. Running on electric-only for an entire commute then charging overnight when the demand on the electricity grid is the lowest. Is it worth the price though? It will never pay for itself compared to cars like the Insight, even if you ran it electric-only its entire life. There will be consumers who look at that and choose an Insight or Prius instead.

[deftonesfan867]

If I'm able to, I'm getting a Volt.

[Camino LS6]

It has no competition because it doesn't exist yet.

When it does, it will have plenty of competition. The plug-in Prius will be available by the time the Volt comes out. And yes, it will be competition. Just because the Volt's drivetrain works differently and it's technically a 'range-extended' EV car doesn't mean it's in a league of its own. Consumers will compare the vehicles themselves; their usability, fuel economy, and price. They will compare it to the plug-in Prius; they will compare it to the regular Prius; they may even compare it to the Insight.

The 40 miles on electric only will be GM's main selling point to get buyers to consider the Volt over less expensive hybrids. How well they can market that point will likely decide how successful the Volt will be. I think it is a pretty impressive advantage over other hybrid vehicles. Running on electric-only for an entire commute then charging overnight when the demand on the electricity grid is the lowest. Is it worth the price though? It will never pay for itself compared to cars like the Insight, even if you ran it electric-only its entire life. There will be consumers who look at that and choose an Insight or Prius instead.

I'll just say two things.

The first: We disagree on the overwhelming majority of your statements in the quoted post - beginning with the first line.

The second: We shall see.

[pow]

No actual Volts exist yet - they only have Cruze powertrain mules - but the first "genuine integration" Volt should be completed by June 1, 2009.

http://gm-volt.com/2009/03/25/first-genuin...by-june-1-2009/

The "production" Volt released a few months ago was a hand-built prototype; the actual car will have smaller wheels and a different interior.

Edited April 1, 2009 by empowah

[GXT]

Inferior?

Inferior to what,exactly?

It has no competition

While it may be "catchy" to claim the Volt has no competition, it isn't true at all. It competes with every other car on the market.

The Volt has some design decisions that have relatively high tradeoffs. That will make it an inferior choice to a lot of people in the same way that a Corvette is an inferior choice for the vast majority of people (even if it is a very fine sports car).

Here are a list of the reasons why the Volt may be an inferior choice for someone:

Anyone who drives significantly more than 40 miles per day

Anyone who drives significantly less than 40 miles per day

Anyone looking for really good highway fuel economy

Anyone who doesn't have a place to plug in

Anyone who doesn't want to spend $35,000-$45,000 on a car

Anyone who doesn't live within the limited markets in which the Volt will sell

Anyone beyond the first few thousand people that will get one

Anyone who doesn't want to be a beta tester for GM

Anyone looking for 5 seater

Anyone looking for cost effectiveness

Anyone looking for performance

Anyone looking for a really good looking car

Anyone who doesn't believe in taking government incentives

etc.

[Intrepidation]

While it may be "catchy" to claim the Volt has no competition, it isn't true at all. It competes with every other car on the market.

This is a highly inaccurate statement. By this logic, a Accent and a 7Series compete with each other because they both have 4 doors, can seat more than 2 people, an engine, a transmission, brakes, wipers, lights, and 4 wheels.

The Volt's competition is alternative powertrain cars dedicated to maximum fuel economy and making a statement about it. That's as far as I would go.

[FAPTurbo]

Anyone looking for a really good looking car

I don't think the competition is much better in that department.

[carman21]

I wonder how many AIG bonuses it would take to make a fueling station.

If we took back the whole AIG bailout we could pay cash to build a national Hydrogen refueling network.

[PurdueGuy]

If we took back the whole AIG bailout we could pay cash to build a national Hydrogen refueling network.

Ah, another of the usual "we could've just used that money to buy/build X, Y, or Z" comments. Nevermind that the bailout money was LOANED.

[GXT]

This is a highly inaccurate statement. By this logic, a Accent and a 7Series compete with each other because they both have 4 doors, can seat more than 2 people, an engine, a transmission, brakes, wipers, lights, and 4 wheels.

The Volt's competition is alternative powertrain cars dedicated to maximum fuel economy and making a statement about it. That's as far as I would go.

I see what you are saying, but the spirit of what I wrote still stands. The Volt is going to compete with with most compact cars for fuel efficiency, most midsize cars for size, most hybrids for fuel efficiency, and many entry luxury cars because of price. To take your example, if I am going to spend $35,000-$40,000 on a Volt, I could buy a nicely equipped 3 series for that much money. Or I could buy an Accent for 10,000 and save $25,000-$30,000. These are the real-world choices that people will make.

[GXT]

I don't think the competition is much better in that department.

The Prius is ugly, but what I am getting at is that I could buy an Infiniti G37 for less $$$ than the Volt... or CTS for about the same amount of money. Those are good looking cars.

[FAPTurbo]

The Prius is ugly, but what I am getting at is that I could buy an Infiniti G37 for less $$$ than the Volt... or CTS for about the same amount of money. Those are good looking cars.

No disagreement there, but I'm not sure the crowd who'd opt for vehicles like the Prius would cross-shop a CTS or G37 in the first place; at least I don't think they do. :/

[Camino LS6]

The point is that the Volt ups the ante, and GM deserves the accolades for it.

[GXT]

No disagreement there, but I'm not sure the crowd who'd opt for vehicles like the Prius would cross-shop a CTS or G37 in the first place; at least I don't think they do. :/

There's a dark side to me that wonders about getting an Insight for my next car rather than something like a TL, G37, or 335. I would save a lot of cash and be doing something good for the environment. Especially now that my commute is realtively short and straight (boring). So I would consider it. But the Volt doesn't offer the same value proposition because the cost is too high and the range too long for my short commute.

I think the Volt just expects too many compromises from the buyer. It will be too easy to by a near luxury sedan instead, or if they drive a lot they will be able to buy another car saving tens of thousands of dollars and get better fuel economy, or if they don't drive much (say 5,000 miles/year) they could buy another car and save tens of thousands of dollars and use only 100 gallons more fuel/year anyways (assuming the Volt is never driven more than 40 miles between charges).

There is a very limited sweet spot, and I don't know how many environmental nuts there will be that fall into that sweet spot and are willing/have 35,000-40,000 to spend on a Volt, especially given the more cost-effective and still very fuel efficient alternatives.

Edited April 2, 2009 by GXT

[GXT]

The point is that the Volt ups the ante, and GM deserves the accolades for it.

It is certainly creating a buzz. I'm not quite sure that it makes up for the damage that GM has done to hybrids over the years with their FUD campaign or the fact that they still don't have a good hybrid on sale. Plus I'm still pretty sure it isn't the RIGHT solution overall, so I'm not convinced that it is a good thing that some of the more weak-kneed automakers are feeling compelled to play "me too".

[siegen]

This is a highly inaccurate statement. By this logic, a Accent and a 7Series compete with each other because they both have 4 doors, can seat more than 2 people, an engine, a transmission, brakes, wipers, lights, and 4 wheels.

The Volt's competition is alternative powertrain cars dedicated to maximum fuel economy and making a statement about it. That's as far as I would go.

While highly unlikely, it is possible that someone could be cross-shopping the Accent and 7-series. They both have trade-offs when compared. The Aveo is less expensive and gets better mileage, while the Bimmer is better in just about every other way. Just because two cars aren't in the same segment doesn't mean they don't compete. The Bimmer example is sort of out there though, but do you think someone would compare the Volt to a Sonata? I think it is definitely possible. Similar room and size. It's just a matter of paying more for gas mileage, and prestige.

I agree on your description of the Volt's competition. Consumers will cross-shop it with the Prius, Insight, Camry hybrid, Fusion hybrid, etc etc etc. GM's media department will try their hardest to make it stand out as too much better to be compared to hybrids, and consumers will likely be awed by the 40 mile electric only range and not making any pollution (directly at least). GM can make it happen if they market it well.

I intend to go to my local Chevy dealership (6 blocks away or so) when it comes out, and see how the salesperson responds when I ask: "Why should I buy this over an Insight?"

[Satty]

The Volt is going to be cross-shopped with the Prius and Insight and HS250, as well as anything else in the $40k price range.

[gm4life]

The Volt is going to be cross-shopped with the Prius and Insight and HS250, as well as anything else in the $40k price range.

Yup at least hopefully they give the Volt a chance, there is a 7,500 tax rebate on her tho!

[Satty]

Buyers still have to finance that $7,500 and chip away at that $7,500 (plus the interest on it) with every payment.

[balthazar]

Isn't that what prius drivers did when there was a tax credit on it ?

[Satty]

$25-$28k is a different story than $40k.

[Intrepidation]

Can you imagine someone walking into a BMW dealership and tell the sales guy he can't decide if he wants an Accent or a 7 Series?