Chevy Volt hated by bipolar America
Too Prius like?As if that's a bad thing. Yet, the Internet and the Chevy Volt Nation are up in arms. This is not the Chevy Volt that debuted at NAIAS in 2007.
"Huge disappointment," and an "unlikely love child of a one-nighter involving GM's concept and the Prius" are some of the criticisms that AutoObserver reported.
For many of these critics the Volt was the anti-Prius, an American-made bad ass electric muscle car that would put America back on top of the auto world. A vehicle that would allow Americans to continue to act like Americans, but without the guilt. We'd no longer waste gas, instead we'd waste electricity, which is so much more 21st century.
But, now the Volt looks too much like the Prius. Well, some times intelligence needs to trump vanity. Finish: Chevy Volt hated by bipolar America
Labels: Chevy Volt electric vehicle concept, fuel economy, honda insight hybrid, toyota prius
posted by Dahcredyns at
9:10 AM
20 Comments:
FULL STORY
As if that's a bad thing. Yet, the Internet and the Chevy Volt Nation are up in arms. This is not the Chevy Volt that debuted at NAIAS in 2007.
"Huge disappointment," and an "unlikely love child of a one-nighter involving GM's concept and the Prius" are some of the criticisms that AutoObserver reported.
For many of these critics the Volt was the anti-Prius, an American-made bad ass electric muscle car that would put America back on top of the auto world. A vehicle that would allow Americans to continue to act like Americans, but without the guilt. We'd no longer waste gas, instead we'd waste electricity, which is so much more 21st century.
But now the damn thing looks a fricken Prius.
And as hard is it might be to believe, there is a reason the Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight, the Honda Clarity and the Chevy Volt share many design cues, line and angles.
No, it's not because Toyota came up with the coolest car design ever in the Prius.
Toyota just did what it always does. Toyota makes sense. It seeks efficiency - the antithesis of American auto design. Thus, Toyota came up with the most comfortable, 4-door aerodynamic design for a passenger vehicle that it could. It acted, dare I say, logically, which is so damn illogical to American design.
Americans are simply bipolar when it comes to the automobile. We're driving contradictions, which probably explains why the Big 3 are so screwed up.
Americans don't buy cars for transportation. That makes too much sense.
We buy cars to look cool. Our cars present us to the world, even if they tell lies. And we love telling lies, especially when those lies can make others think we're actually better, more than what we really are. It's NOT about what's inside. It's about what I drive and how I look.
Even more important, your ride can be the greatest babe magnet in the world. And there is no doubt the Volt was going to be a better babe magnet than the Prius. The Prius is for smart chicks, for crying out loud, and everyone knows they don't put out on the first date.
Yet, when we go to the gas station we complain endlessly about the high cost of gas - still half the price of Europe's gas. We just can't understand why it so expensive to fill up a SUV that is only a little bigger than our apartment. It just doesn't make sense. We just can't reconcile the obvious fact that gas guzzling wastes gas. We're so damn bipolar.
Hence, America now hates the Volt. It makes sense, and making logical sense is just too complicated for our bipolar condition.
While some say GM over-promised and under-delivered, the goal was ALWAYS a 4 door, 5 passenger vehicle that could achieve 40 miles of electricity per charge. ALWAYS.
The original design couldn't meet that goal, and GM chose function over form, or at least the perfect balance of form and function. Same performance as the original concept, just not as much bling. Sometimes, intelligence has to trump vanity.
Nonetheless, I'm glad there are so many Volt haters, now I probably have a legitimate chance of getting my hands on one much sooner.
Yes. Americans as a whole...we suck it.
Is the current Volt still running on the 16kWh pack? If they retain the 40 miles range and cut the pack size from the aerodynamic gains, then we have an issue. They would be trading off the style to lower cost.
We are Americans, why can't we build a 40+ MPG car AND have it look good?
Anonymous Anonymous said...
We are Americans, why can't we build a 40+ MPG car AND have it look good?
12:39 PM
Quite obviously not. I don't praise the Prius but I can't say that I'm completely blown away by the Volt.
In many respects, it does look more normal than a Pruis but let's be honest....given the absolutely incredible hype around this car for such a long time, people were expecting more. Much more in terms of looks and standing out.
I think GM is afraid of taking too may risks with the design. Can you blame them? Not really...because they are so far into the hole, they are taking it cautiously. But on the other hand, you could argue that they already have some much better looking designs overseas and BUT Americans don't like those designs, so GM won't risk bringing them here.
It's not 40 mpg +. It's 40 miles of electricity. There's a HUGE difference, as you don't burn any gas until after the first 40 miles.
What I know is this. Several months after GM showed the original Volt, tests in the wind tunnel coupled with battery data and computer modeling made it obvious that the Volt would not achieve 40 miles of electricity.
That left GM with a choice: an extreme weight reduction or a significant decrease in aerodynamic drag, or some combination of both.
The necessary weight reduction would have required all kinds of carbon fiber, for instance, and other advanced materials - very expensive materials that would have pushed the costs of this vehicle up significantly.
Ultimately, the design, until batteries become more powerful and lighter, just doesn't work if your main goal is a 40 mile electric vehicle with gasoline range extension.
As I stated in my post, there is a reason the Prius, Insight, Clarity and Volt share a similar look - they are all extremely areodynamic.
If efficiency is going to be a prime driver of the future of the auto industry, then we should probably get used to this new direction in design.
Well said! Cheers!
I love the Volt concept and would love to have one...
I am not so sure I love the final production look of the Volt but it is what is under the hood that matters most.
What I am struggling with is the 35 to 40K price tag. Apparently, the Honda Insight will be for sale this comong spring at a cost of 18K and great mpg rating. I can buy a new Honda Civix GX CNG car brand new for about 21K after tax rebates. Finally, I can buy a used Chevy Cavalier CNG bi fuel vehicle for anywhere between 6 and 12K.
Obviously, I can make a difference in this world with a lot less cash outlay than the expensive Volt. Having said all that, I still would PREFER the Volt over all the other choices! :)
The problem is the production Volt looks like more like 2010 Malibu. I seen news that volt was using Malibu for test bed. Given the short time that GM has; I bet they decided to use the Malibu platform as base for the Volt. All the engineering done on that test bed can transfer over to the volt quickly to save time. Volt only has like 2 year development time whereas 2010 Camaro has 5 to 6 years to reach production. It's only logical that GM use a existing platform to reduce the engineering time. Overall the volt does not look that bad. Let's hope that future iteration of the Volt has more of the styling like the concept.
so GM showed the world a flawed concept?
It would be like showing the new mustang concept claiming to get 200 MPH top speed (based on hp) without testing or taking into account of aerodynamics.
What happened to the lessons learned from GM Precept that got the aero down to 0.163? I am assuming they end up the same way as the EV1 (crashed).
The current Volt does not get 40 EV miles on the EPA test cycles, just 37.3 miles. They still have to lower aero drag or weight a bit more. They have already cut down the size of the gas tank reducing range and made styling compromises. What's left? Increase the battery capacity and increase the price? I hope not. What a concept.
Oops, typo. Should be (crushed).
indigo incarnates
The Volt likes like it does because it HAS TO. there are certain shapes a car has to have in order to be as aerodynamic as possible. It's just how it is.
I'd buy a Volt if I can afford one when it becomes available.
If it can work as purely electric vehicle and as a long range hybrid vehicle, then these things are going to sell like hotcakes.
Just get it done, GM!
Marcel Williams
This whole conversation pisses me off.
WHY the hell can't manufacturers like Renault, Peugeot, Ford, Opel (Saturn here now) bring their small cars here like the Clio, Euro Focus, Corsa etc..and make them hybrids or have concepts like the Volt?
I freaking hard can it be for them?
Let's cut through bullshit....if it was asked of any of these companies to make a new SUV, it'd have been done 3 months ago.
How cool would it be to have an OPC style hybrid of the Corsa or the Clio Cup hybrid?
I truly believe one of the biggest hurdles is perception. None of these manufacturers can understand the concept that some people like to have a nice looking car even if it doesn't rocket to 60 in 3 seconds.
If these companies (and people in general) stopped thinking in the ALL OR NOTHING mode, more would get done.
Dennis-
I don't agree with your post. Many concepts shown at auto shows never become production vehicles. Many concepts at auto shows are about showing a design direction for the future.
In the last two years Toyota has shown multiple hybrid concepts that might or might not become production vehicles. Both concepts however will lead to real production vehicles.
New concepts, when first shown at auto shows, are often designed to be consumer barometers.
When GM showed the Volt the E Flex wasn't even available. GM had to test batteries for instance to see if manufacturer claims actually lived up to expectations.
The truth is, for the type of concept that the Volt was, most automakers wouldn't have dared to try to bring it to market by 2010. The Volt is going from pure concept to production far faster than the conventional concept, and its doing so with what will be one of the most advanced powertrains.
I gotta agree, the production vehicle is nothing like what I was expecting with the Volt. Now it looks just like every other ordinary car out there. Nobody will give it a separate look. Which is fine, but if GM is looking to compete with Toyota, they have to set themselves apart. This is not the way.
I understand this point of separating yourself from your competitors, but is Honda, for example?
All of these next gen cars are starting to look more and more alike. And until battery technology enables automakers to utilize less aerodynamic and less efficient designs, similarity might be inevitable.
It takes a long time for people to change their perceptions. My cousin was complaining about the price of gas last summer (about $4.45 where we were) and I mentioned I had driven my Prius across the country, averaging 53 mpg. She was very impressed, but said she could never buy one, "because I don't like the look".
It's taken about 10 years for 'hybrid' to seep into peoples consciousness. As oil prices continue 'climbing the mountain' (up, down, up more, down, up more...) people will first start ditching the big SUV's, then start hearing about hybrids, then plug-in hybrids (and the EV range extender is a type plugin hybrid, that will take even more time to seep into the general consciousness). When gasoline is $5 and $6, I think we will see a mass shift to aerodynamic hybrid/EV cars.
I'm not sure what the big truckers will do - maybe extreme aerodynamics and some battery assist for crawling in traffic jams...
boone pickens, for one, has suggested natural gas for big rigs.
no doubt, however, that consumer acceptance of change isn't very accepted. and if gas prices stay low for a few years before the next big oil crisis, consumers will be even far less willing to change, especially when these vehicles cost more up front.
superb post Dahcredyns. GM can also bank on the loyalty of american customers to buy the Volt which is an american car instead of the prius(japanese).
Its a good thing that people are finally thinking about the environment and finding good, creative ways to save it.
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