GM News: Rumorpile: General Motors Reaches 200,000 EV Sales Milestone, Credit Begins To Be Cut In April

[William Maley]

We've known for some time that both Tesla and General Motors would soon be reaching the 200,000 sales mark for electrics, meaning that $7,500 tax credit would begin phasing out. Yesterday, we reported Tesla cut prices on their 2019 model year vehicles to soften the blow. But what about GM?

A source told Reuters that GM hit the 200,000 model milestone during the fourth quarter of last year - most likely happening in December. This begins the 15-month phase-out which will see the credit drop to $3,750 in April, $1,875 in October, and then disappear next April. GM declined to comment about this, but we're likely to find out later this morning as the company will be announcing fourth-quarter sales.

Source: Reuters

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[Drew Dowdell]

Maybe part of the reason the Volt is getting dropped. 

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Maybe part of the reason the Volt is getting dropped. 

Plus the BOLT is just so much more roomy inside over the VOLT. Volt Powertrain should have been as we have stated before in a CUV 3-4 years ago or at least when the Volt 2.0 came out should have had a Volt 2.0 CUV.

[Suaviloquent]

Yeah, government incentives should end as intended makes reach 200,000 unit sales. I was always skeptical of EVs in that regard. Yes it does say much about incentives, but these affordable EVs, is a problem for GM.

This puts even higher pricing pressure on say, a Cadillac EV. Audi, Porsche, Mercedes can have a higher income bracket demographic buy their new EVs and they get the tax rebate at tax time. 

Hyundai, Kia eating you from the bottom, Ford and FCA yet to dip into EVs, Toyota and Honda into the hybrid incremental game..

I think there's a real chance that if the Bolt doesn't get a price cut in 2019 or another refresh it might see a big drop. 

We've seen GM make incredibly competent cars, heck all of Detroit, and they've just cancelled them left and right.  What is the secret sauce that makes GM electric cars immune from short-term product cycles?

Maybe they're just leaders, I'm seeing Lexus for example killing the IS and GS, for example...

[balthazar]

Bolt did have it's best month ever in November, but I would also welcome another variant and a power upgrade ('Bolt RS'?).

[G. David Felt]

13 hours ago, balthazar said:

Bolt did have it's best month ever in November, but I would also welcome another variant and a power upgrade ('Bolt RS'?).

Totally agree, I think they need a Bolt RS and BOLT RS AWD.

[ccap41]

RS is just an interior/visual package. 

[G. David Felt]

10 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

RS is just an interior/visual package. 

True it has been, but it can be more as the electric motor in the Bolt is programmable and has the ability to put out more HP and Torque. A different controller programming could really change the way it drives. 

If you ever do try a test drive of the bolt, click on the Sport button, and then hit the accelerator. Big difference, they could just make an RS Bolt in Sport mode all the time. Yes lower battery range but wow, so much fun factor.

[Suaviloquent]

I don’t really want a faster Bolt as much as I want maybe better interior materials, maybe a lower but wider body...like a true compact hatch not this class of FWD boxoids , and the infrastructure now to be able to charge in a reasonable time like 20 minutes to full, not 85%, full and more wide spread. Price be damned anyone doing the math knows that as long as electricity rates are cheap enough and public charge point have reasonable markup rates, the Bolt and others like it will sell like lightning.

[Robert Hall]

A full EV version of the Volt would be nice to see.  I don't care for the monospace styling of the Bolt, but a full EV Volt would be a neat little car.. maybe GM will eventually get past the 'EVs have to be weird to sell' phase and start mainstreaming them. 

Edited January 4, 2019 by Robert Hall

[ocnblu]

1 hour ago, Robert Hall said:

maybe GM will eventually get past the 'EVs have to be weird to sell' phase and start mainstreaming them

...except there is no getting around the fact that EVs are, essentially, weird.  No matter what sort of cloak you wrap it in.

[Robert Hall]

1 minute ago, ocnblu said:

...except there is no getting around the fact that EVs are, essentially, weird.  No matter what sort of cloak you wrap it in.

Weird to you maybe, but aren't ICE vehicles also weird to the Amish? 

[ocnblu]

7 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Weird to you maybe, but aren't ICE vehicles also weird to the Amish? 

You don't even know what the Amish drive.

[Robert Hall]

2 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

You don't even know what the Amish drive.

Horse and buggies... (remember, I grew up in Ohio Amish country--saw them all the time).   Some of them rent 16 passenger vans w/ drivers to go shopping.

[ocnblu]

54 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Horse and buggies... (remember, I grew up in Ohio Amish country--saw them all the time).   Some of them rent 16 passenger vans w/ drivers to go shopping.

OK, you asked the question, here is the answer:  no.  ICE vehicles are not weird to the Amish.

[daves87rs]

It’s cute that you all are talking about the Amish and EVs, but I think there is a much bigger problem for GM and Tesla....

It’s called the Chinese. I feel they are much farther ahead in the EV game than the US is, and  can be made much cheaper as well.

 

A plug in that goes the distance and costs the same as a Chevy Spark?

 

Yeah, I see some sales there......

[balthazar]

^ You mean in China?

[Robert Hall]

7 hours ago, balthazar said:

^ You mean in China?

Yeah, I can't imagine anything from a Chinese company will be sold in the US for anytime soon...