Volt Birth Watch 6: Alt. Prop. Smackdown Part II
Take that Toyota! Not only is GM going to bring us a lithium-ion-powered plug-in hybrid by 2010, but they're going to produce an entire family of electric vehicles. So sayeth GM Car Czar "Maximum" Bob Lutz in Frankfurt. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) described Lutz' remarks as "the latest salvo in a combined product-development and public-relations campaign… to dispel the image that it has its corporate head in the sand when it comes to advanced vehicle technology, oil prices and concerns about greenhouse-gas emissions." Lutz also said GM wants to build its E-Flex vehicles alongside mainstream models; a common chassis would accommodate either a conventional or alternative-propulsion powertrain. The WSJ cautions that the Volt– and any other electric vehicles in GM's future– depend on battery suppliers, and "it isn't yet certain the suppliers will come through." OK, Toyota– your turn!
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I had forgotten all about that stupid and ugly as sin GM Hi wire. Funny how no one mentions that one anymore and it hasn't been that long. More smoke and mirrors from the General Magician. They haven't been able to build a simple, basic and reliable car for the last 30 years or a proper 4 cylinder engine on there own, and this would be the most complex car ever mass marketed. People are insane if they think the Volt(if it even appears) or any of the rest of it's imaginary plug-in's will be as reliable or more reliable than Toyota and Honda. Imagine bringing your 30,000 mile Volt to the dealer for battery or driveline issues to have them make excuses about it "being normal".
Is this the same GM that, at the conclusion of the promising, if not ready for primetime EV1, canned its electric-car development team with unseemly haste? Color me skeptical.
This falls into the "I'll believe it when I see it" category.
I still love Bob. He is a great guy. Don't think that I will buy any of their cars, but Bob is great. You can't beat this stuff. Somehow, we Americans love these blustering, hard headed, and pathologically optimistic nutballs. We can't help it. Just so long as I don't have to business with him, I will continue to enjoy the whole shtick.