I decided to put this article in the madness forum due to the politics surrounding GM's govt. takeover and the utter political foolishness involved
in the development of the Chevy Volt.
This is just more evidence that our Govt. will certainly screw up just about everything that they seek to manage.
This article paints an interesting perspective of the much anticipated and sour Chevy Volt.
GENERAL MOTORS introduced America to the Chevrolet Volt at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show as a low-slung concept car that would someday be the future
of motorized transportation. It would go 40 miles on battery power alone, promised G.M., after which it would create its own electricity with a gas
engine. Three and a half years — and one government-assisted bankruptcy later — G.M. is bringing a Volt to market that makes good on those two
promises. The problem is, well, everything else.
So now we have a $41,000 car that looks nothing like the sleek prototype that was presented to the world. According to this article it looks like a
Prius and I would have to agree.
Furthermore, Chevy is not employing the sales strategy that made the Prius so successful. Toyota sold the Prius initially at a loss for a couple of
years to gain market share and has maintained a market stronghold ever since.
So, why the strategy to unveil a $41,000 electric Cobalt??
In the industry, some suspect that G.M. and the Obama administration decided against selling the Volt at a loss because they want the company to
appear profitable before its long-awaited initial stock offering, which is likely to take place next month. For taxpayers, that approach might have
made sense if the government planned on selling its entire 61 percent stake in G.M. But the administration has said it will sell only enough equity in
the public offering to relinquish its controlling stake in G.M. Thus the government will remain exposed to the company’s (and the Volt’s)
long-term fate.
We now have the $41,000 Volt which is really has the same performance and interior space of a $15,000 P.O.S. GM is already planning the second
generation of the Volt due to the extreme flaws of the first generation. Wait, it was just released after 3 years of development.
In truth, the first-generation Volt was as good as written off inside G.M., which decided to cut its 2011 production volume to a mere 10,000 units
rather than the initial plan for 60,000.
Here's the kicker to put it all into perspective. Yes, we all paid for this new vehicle in more ways than one.
Quantifying just how much taxpayer money will have been wasted on the hastily developed Volt is no easy feat. Start with the $50 billion bailout
(without which none of this would have been necessary), add $240 million in Energy Department grants doled out to G.M. last summer, $150 million in
federal money to the Volt’s Korean battery supplier, up to $1.5 billion in tax breaks for purchasers and other consumer incentives, and some
significant portion of the $14 billion loan G.M. got in 2008 for “retooling” its plants, and you’ve got some idea of how much taxpayer cash is
built into every Volt.
www.nytimes.com...
Allow me to share just a fundamental lesson to GM and to our govt. P.P.P.P.P.P
P roper
P lanning
P revents
P iss
P oor
P erformance
One more thing, GM perhaps someday you will learn something from the extreme successes of your competitors!!! It is ok to model after them. Take a
look at how Hyundai has turned themselves around based on this simple lesson.
Interesting read:
Years ago Toyota used to say that Hyundai was
the company it feared most. Today those fears have grown into a nightmare.
[edit on 30-7-2010 by jibeho]
[edit on 30-7-2010 by jibeho]
at least for the next few years..... 
