Chevy Volt

NY Times Chevy Volt Criticism Confounds Proponents

Submitted by Mark Modica on Mon, 04/09/2012 - 10:10

Volt photo The report by the NY Times that it would take up to 27 years for Chevy Volt buyers to save enough money in gas costs to make up for the high price of the car must be very confusing for apologists of the vehicle. The normal defense for any criticism is to accuse sources of having a right wing hate of the car. But the NY Times? The very vocal Volt defenders, who are quick to attack anyone who doesn't agree that the car is a technological marvel worthy of billions of dollars of taxpayer largess, will have to attribute the left-leaning Times' criticism to something other than a political agenda.

Taxpayers' $1.4B 'Investment' in Nissan EV May Make Volt Look Good by Comparison

Submitted by Paul Chesser on Fri, 04/06/2012 - 14:00

Ghosn photo While General Motors’ Chevy Volt assembly workers are sidelined for five weeks (and more this summer) because demand for its strongly hyped electric car is weak, the prospects for its chief rival – Nissan’s Leaf – are shaky at best.

Which Pays Fair Share of Taxes, ExxonMobil or GM?

Submitted by Mark Modica on Tue, 04/03/2012 - 01:38

One thing that I have realized about the rhetoric surrounding green energy initiatives and the proclamations by Team Obama glorifying companies like General Motors while vilifying others like ExxonMobil is that the claims and the facts are worlds apart. Voters are led to believe that evil oil companies like ExxonMobil are getting a free pass and not paying their fair share while the supposedly patriotic GM is an American success story which now contributes to society and builds miracle cars like the Chevy Volt which will free the US from foreign oil dependence. One set of facts that is very easy to check on is the amount of taxes each of these companies pays. Following are the facts from the SEC annual financial reports (10Ks) of GM and ExxonMobil.

GM Blames Chevy Volt Owners for Power Cord Problems

Submitted by Mark Modica on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 07:42

Volt power cord photo Being a politician means never having to say you're sorry. It now seems that the same philosophy holds true with government-owned General Motors. About eight months ago some owners of Chevy Volts complained that charging cords were overheating, sometimes to the point of melting. At the time, GM blamed owners, saying the wall outlets were the culprits. We now finally have GM addressing the safety concerns and agreeing to replace charging cords for all 9,500 Volts that have been sold since production began. But in what is becoming a new public relations precedent, the move is not being called a "recall."

Ally Financial Failure Jeopardizes Auto Bailout 'Success'

Submitted by Mark Modica on Mon, 03/19/2012 - 01:20

Ally ad image Ally Financial seldom gets mentioned when the auto bailouts are discussed. The company was formerly known as GMAC and the 17 billion dollars that taxpayers sunk into the company was crucial for the perceived success at both General Motors and Chrysler. We now learn that Ally Financial has failed a government stress test and, according to Reuters, "fared by far the worst of 19 banks examined."

Chevy Volt – The Prize-Winning Pig

Submitted by Mark Modica on Thu, 03/15/2012 - 09:37

pig image Fresh off the heels of its European Car of the Year award, the Chevy Volt has been named "Vincentric Best Value in America." You just can't make this stuff up. I didn't know that there were so many awards in the auto industry, but the less that the Volt sells, the more awards it seems to win. After this latest award, it dawned on me that the Chevy Volt is eerily like Wilbur, the prize-winning pig from the classic children's tale, Charlotte's Web.

10 Reasons Why Fisker May Be Worse Than Solyndra

Submitted by Paul Chesser on Thu, 03/15/2012 - 09:25

Chu photo

This story has been updated below.

Automotive and green technology advocacy Web sites are abuzz with a story about a former employee of Fisker Automotive who claims the company released its $102,000-plus Karma electric sport sedan prematurely, in order to meet targets set forth by the Department of Energy so Fisker could access funds from a $529 million loan award.

Crotchety Bob Lutz Leads GM’s Defense of the Chevy Volt

Submitted by Mark Modica on Wed, 03/14/2012 - 09:37

Bob Lutz photo Anyone following the Chevy Volt story has seen the internet headlines trumpeting the blog by General Motors' Bob Lutz in which he blasts Bill O'Reilly, Fox News and what he calls, "the rabid, sadly misinformed right." It remains a mystery as to why GM would take a political stance, and seek to identify with one ideological faction over another. It's ridiculous to blame poor Volt sales on a Republican conspiracy. It is also pretty stupid. After all, some of the people who buy cars are Republicans.

More Taxpayer Largess for Chevy Volt— on Leases

Submitted by Mark Modica on Mon, 03/12/2012 - 11:03

The recent lowering of lease costs for the Chevy Volt led me to think about the amount of money General Motors or Ally Financial (also taxpayer-owned) was going to lose when the quickly depreciating leased vehicles begin to be returned. I then recognized another egregious waste of taxpayer money being spent to support the struggling car. Taxpayers are paying the tax credits, which go to the lessor of the Volt (most likely Ally Financial), to place Volts on the road for a limited period of time.

GM's Latest 'Crapload' of Chevy Volt Nonsense

Submitted by Mark Modica on Fri, 03/09/2012 - 08:17

These guys at Government Motors just continue to outdo themselves. Just as Chevy Volt owners are getting over being called idiots by the head of Audi, GM comes up with an ad that lends credence to the accusation. A supposed Volt owner tells how she loves her car because her friends think it looks like a spaceship and it saves a "crapload" of money.