General Motors Braced for Possible Lack of Chevrolet Volt Luvin'

With all the hype surrounding the Chevrolet Volt, it’s like General Motors is walking into showrooms wearing a golden suit proclaiming victory.

But what happens if they fail?

Normally information surrounding a new car is kept hush-hush until GM is ready to dazzle (or attempt to dazzle). Their strategy for the Volt has been a marked departure from the norm, keeping the public well informed of the development and progress of the Volt.

General Motor’s Bob Lultz admitted that the reason GM was being fairly open on the developmental process of the Chevy Volt was because they couldn’t discount the possibility of failure. Therefore, they had to at least maintain the façade of credibility.

Our take? A great deal of enthusiasm from sites like GM-Volt.com is awaiting the arrival of the Volt. Nonetheless, nothing is set in stone and will not be until the Volt hits the markets and is subject to the stricter scrutiny of the consumer. Will it be a flop or a hit? That will come with the future.


via Tech.Blorge

Auto Sales Drop 10th Month In Row

We guess you can list this post under “Duh!”

GM CEO Says Credit Crunch Hurting September Sales

Reuters reports that Rick Wagoner, Chief Executive Officer of General Motors, went out on a limb and said that the current credit crunch is affecting vehicle sales. You think so?

August was the 10th straight month in which auto sales dropped. It is said that this is the longest decline since the recession of 2001. Wagoner, ever the optimist, expressed hope that the new and approved low interest loan for the domestic auto makers passed by Congress last week will help to open the credit market. He also had hopes for the $700 billion bailout...er...excuse use, "recovery" for Wall Street but that's been squashed for the moment.

All kidding -- an GM bashing aside -- no one expects any type of recovery in 2009. At best, reports say, auto sales will be flat. We might not see a recovery until the next decade.

GM had previously announced a plan to cut $10 billion in costs. Now it says that it will speed up the plan.

Our take? Unlike many of our peers, we think General Motors doing a credible job with limited resources and a failing economy. Sure, we have some issues (rebadging the gorgeous Buick Enclave to create the Chevrolet Traverse? GM, what were you thinking?), but we honestly felt good times were coming for the world's largest automaker. Thus we're rooting for you, GM! Besides, we want you to at least stick around for us to test-drive the Volt (hint, hint).

Chevrolet Orlando to debut in Europe, stay in Europe

Cnet provided some additional details on the Chevrolet Orlando crossover.

Set to be released at the Paris Auto Show next month, the Chevrolet Orlando concept is a crossover like vehicle based on the same platform as the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze.

The Orlando sports a large split bar grill, and similarly crisp, clean detailing that has recently become part of the brand's aesthetic. The interior too, benefits from the company's latest styling direction looking to of high quality materials and featuring a large, water fall like center stack.

Full details have yet to be released, but considering the car's European unveiling, look for production derivatives to feature a mix of small gas and diesel motors and for much of the styling to stay intact.

Our take? Looks good. Sad to hear GM's keeping it overseas at this time.

EPA confounded by Chevrolet Volt's Electricity

Whenever new technology is introduced, it tends to shake things up. Take the Chevrolet Volt and the Environmental Protection Energy (EPA).

It is the responsibility of the EPA to come up with the fuel economy ratings for new cars. They have been making their estimates on gasoline engine vehicles for years.

But with the Chevrolet Volt, which runs on electricity, how do you determine miles per gallon when per gallon isn’t really an issue?

Determining the mpg of hybrids could fit the old standards because ultimately a gasoline engine is used in the powering of a hybrid vehicle. So per gallon has a meaning.

Not so for an electric car. Although it is true that the Volt includes a gasoline engine along with a battery, the gas engine is used to recharge the battery when it has reached its limit. So whether the gasoline engine is even used depends on how far the car is driven.

The long and short of it is that the Volt travels 40 miles before any gasoline is burned. So let’s say that the ratings test is based on traveling 50 miles. That means 40 of the 50 miles is traveled via electricity only and 10 miles involves the use of gasoline. That could allow a rating of 250 miles per gallon. If the car is driven for another 80 miles, more gas is consumed and fuel economy could drop to about 100 mpg. And if the car is driven an additional 300 miles, then the fuel economy rating would be 62.5 mpg.

The EPA finds itself with the need to create new standards, something the conservative agency is reluctant to do.

Our take? Sort of like a Rubex Cube, isn’t it?

via CNN

2010 Chevrolet Cruze goes Up in Price, Quality versus Cobalt Predecessor

We already know that the Chevrolet Volt will most likely not only be overpriced, but still selling at a loss. Is the same thing happening with the Chevrolet Cruze?

GM is replacing the Chevrolet Cobalt with the significantly improved, or so we’re led to believe, Chevrolet Cruze. The small car is expected to be bigger than its direct competitors (Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Ford Focus) but still get better gas mileage. As a downside, the Cruze is also expected to be a fair bit more costly than the Cobalt.

Which makes sense. General Motors definitely needs the higher profit margin if it wish to stay competitive in the long term. The automaker has yet to put a price tag to the Cruze but have already stated that they wish to charge as much as people are willing to pay. This is common sense, but just how far can GM stretch this? The Cobalt might be cheaper than its competitors, but is it actually outselling them?

Well the car won’t be out till 2010, so the verdict is still a ways off. Maybe this car will actually be worth the higher cost. Fingers crossed here.