Quote Of The Day: Gordian Knot 2.0
“It may be electric, but new Chevrolet Volt doesn’t scrimp on features”
Headline of the Charleston, SC, Post and Courier’s review of the Chevy Volt. Written by Dr. George G. Spaulding, “a retired General Motors executive and distinguished executive-in-residence emeritus at the School of Business at the College of Charleston.”
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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Yesterday was my first encounter with a Volt on the road, he was behind me on the Henry Hudson Pkwy, all I could see is something that look like an impatient Acura driver (that's what it looked like), only when I moved to the right to let him pass me, I saw it's a Volt ! WOW, first time for me! Please, it's not even close to something I would ever buy, for this they want 37k ? And it seems like they started from the front and by the time they passed the B pillar, they run out of ideas of how to finish it, to me it looks like half baked.
Uh, the Volt isn't an electric car. Unless you never put any gas in it. And for him to express surprise that the Volt is feature-filled is like marvelling that a drive in Honda's hydrogen-powered Clarity didn't result in explosion.
So after all the hype they're finally on the roads. Over the next year or so the truth will come out, good or bad. I'm looking forward to the 2012 New Car edition of Lemon Aid.
GM have a huge disadvantage to overcome with their intended purchasers, especially if Toyota have a plug-in Prius and/or the Leaf is a reality; The intended market (well educated, high income, environmentally aware) absolutely despise GM and their truckification of everything.