# Chevy Volt Will Rock the Electric Car Industry



## dimitri (May 16, 2008)

> General Motors Corp is one step away from introducing the 2011 Chevy Volt to the market.


I love this one, GM is one step away from bankrupcy, but still 2 years away from selling Volt. What a bunch of crap...

Just saw on the news today that 500,000 retirees collect GM pension, and they wonder why they go under.... because one worker feeds 10 retired workers, doh..... unions sucked all the blood from the company and now they wonder why it went bankrupt... sheesh...


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## Guest (May 23, 2009)

It was not the Union's fault. The Union is for the Worker not the management. Management is not union. So it is far from the unions fault.


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## jlsawell (Apr 4, 2008)

Mehh... I don't think anyone is to blame except capitalism. This is just an example of the problems with capitalism. Everything has problems, from Buddhism to socialism to capitalism - nothing's perfect...

Once those 500,000 retirees wake up from their hologram existence in mediafied America and say to themselves "Gee, nobody's going to look after me like they were supposed to, I better get off my can and look after myself by growing some food or cultivating some network relationships" they might survive. If they don't, they will find their matrix-coccoon-style nutrients cut off and they will starve to death wondering why the hologram isn't matching reality.

When the Soviet Union collapsed there was a massive realignment of the economy and society, but most people survived and the country is now doing better. It turns out there was a massive effect on 45-55 year old men when the USSR collapsed. Unable to provide and unable to adapt, they either drank themselves to death or committed suicide. It was the younger people who were more adaptable and were able to set up farmer's markets and co-operatives to sell & trade things locally and keep the society going.

Same thing will happen in the USA.


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## david85 (Nov 12, 2007)

dimitri said:


> I love this one, GM is one step away from bankrupcy, but still 2 years away from selling Volt. What a bunch of crap...


I think that says it all right there. Vaporware or not, the volt is taking too long and time is running out. Shouda broght back the EV1 instead.


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## Technologic (Jul 20, 2008)

jlsawell said:


> Mehh... I don't think anyone is to blame except capitalism. This is just an example of the problems with capitalism. Everything has problems, from Buddhism to socialism to capitalism - nothing's perfect...
> 
> Once those 500,000 retirees wake up from their hologram existence in mediafied America and say to themselves "Gee, nobody's going to look after me like they were supposed to, I better get off my can and look after myself by growing some food or cultivating some network relationships" they might survive. If they don't, they will find their matrix-coccoon-style nutrients cut off and they will starve to death wondering why the hologram isn't matching reality.


How are unions, auto bailouts, massive amounts of regulations on car manufacturing, etc capitalism?

Maybe you're the one missing something here.

Your entire point about "getting up off their butts" is the capitalistic way... I think you're very confused.

GM and Ford etc are failures of socialistic policies... those companies should have died out in the 70s when they were bailed out the first time.


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## Jason Lattimer (Dec 27, 2008)

jlsawell said:


> Mehh... I don't think anyone is to blame except capitalism. This is just an example of the problems with capitalism. Everything has problems, from Buddhism to socialism to capitalism - nothing's perfect...
> 
> Once those 500,000 retirees wake up from their hologram existence in mediafied America and say to themselves "Gee, nobody's going to look after me like they were supposed to, I better get off my can and look after myself by growing some food or cultivating some network relationships" they might survive. If they don't, they will find their matrix-coccoon-style nutrients cut off and they will starve to death wondering why the hologram isn't matching reality.
> 
> ...


O.K.
First of all lets set two things straight. Buddhism has nothing to do with this article so don't start stepping on it when you obviously no nothing about it. 

Second of all, capitalism is not to blame. Bad management maybe but the only time capitalism fails in some way shape or form is from bad management or usually from government intervention.

Third, the U.S.S.R. failed because it was a socialist economy, nothing more. It was designed to fail, 

as Margaret Thatcher once said," The only problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other peoples money."


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## xrotaryguy (Jul 26, 2007)

The unions definitely crushed the big three. Then again, the big three didn't have the competition in the 70's (the era that produced most of GM's current retirees back when GM held 50% market share) that it has now. If Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Kia, Hyundai, and so many other auto manufacturers had never come along, GM would still be able to support its retirees. Leading up to now though, GM had been spending as much on retiree health care as Toyota did on new product development. That didn't work out well.


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## Guest (May 25, 2009)

xrotaryguy said:


> The unions definitely crushed the big three.


Sorry but it is not the UNION that is the problem.

Pete


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## david85 (Nov 12, 2007)

Not the only problem at least. Its like a house thats on fire in a hurricane when an earth quake is about to strike. The termites in the wall aren't making the house stronger, but its probably done for even if they never existed.

The big three are broken, ford is still hanging on for now, but this has been a long time coming.


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## Jason Lattimer (Dec 27, 2008)

I don't know why all you guys seem to hate the big three. All American cars are where its at. They have a long and storied history and if you look at what they have accomplished, the imports do not hold a candle. Besides if it were not for Ford, cars would still be made by hand.

When was the last time someone saw a cherry 57 Fiat and said, whoa thats a sweet car, wish I had one of those.


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## Technologic (Jul 20, 2008)

Jason Lattimer said:


> When was the last time someone saw a cherry 57 Fiat and said, whoa thats a sweet car, wish I had one of those.


You're talking about 50 years ago...

Sorry I don't like to live in the past 

Honda and Toyota own the industry... GM and Ford are completely dead and talentless.


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## Jason Lattimer (Dec 27, 2008)

Technologic said:


> You're talking about 50 years ago...
> 
> Sorry I don't like to live in the past
> 
> Honda and Toyota own the industry... GM and Ford are completely dead and talentless.



I don't live in the past either, but GM I grant you is killing my favorite car nameplate "Pontiac", but the style of the American cars are much cooler than anything Honda or Toyota has. Both of those companies make great reliable cars, but they are blandly styled and do not evoke passion like Mustang, Camaro, or Challanger do. 

I just like my cars with style, not cookie cutter shapes. My neighbor bought a Honda Civic a few months ago and I had to read the nameplate just to see which Honda it was.


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## Technologic (Jul 20, 2008)

Jason Lattimer said:


> I don't live in the past either, but GM I grant you is killing my favorite car nameplate "Pontiac", but the style of the American cars are much cooler than anything Honda or Toyota has. Both of those companies make great reliable cars, but they are blandly styled and do not evoke passion like Mustang, Camaro, or Challanger do.
> 
> I just like my cars with style, not cookie cutter shapes. My neighbor bought a Honda Civic a few months ago and I had to read the nameplate just to see which Honda it was.


Cool can't compete with reliability, value, gas mileage etc.

Now that Honda and Toyota have replaced the American psyche as "the brands" there's really not a lot Ford and GM can do.

They keep trying to play catch up. What they need to do is part off their assets and hire a fresh, young, ambitious and extremely talented CEO to come in and revamp everything (I mean someone like a 23-25 yr old prodigy engineer with actual ambition)... start beating the Japanese not just following in their footsteps 15 years too late . The Volt is just a catch up (albeit 7 years late) to the Hybrids... and it sucks, is about twice the price, etc.

Someone could say the same about how any Ford/GM/etc etc SUV looks... they are all the same.

Oh and the above suggestion about hiring fresh, wide-eyed blood into the company will never ever ever ever ever happen. Ever.


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## Jason Lattimer (Dec 27, 2008)

Technologic said:


> Cool can't compete with reliability, value, gas mileage etc.
> 
> Now that Honda and Toyota have replaced the American psyche as "the brands" there's really not a lot Ford and GM can do.



There is still a lot of people like me who would consider buying a new car if it had some character to it. I don't understand why people think cool has to compete with reliability or gas milage. The Tesla and Aptera both are very cool cars and coexist with reliability and efficiency as well. Granted the Tesla is way to expensive, but it is built off a 60,000 dollar car anyways.


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## david85 (Nov 12, 2007)

Honda has earned a good reputation for cars that simply work and do their job properly over the last 20 years. I don't care much for the look (I think the ridgline is an abomination), but I didn't like the look of the EV1 when I first saw it either. Never cared much for saturn now that I think about it, but it was indeed a more novel car than most give credit for even if it does look a little quirky.

For the record, my commentary on the auto industry is more or less worthless, because I have never, nor will I ever buy a new car off the show room floor. Too expensive, and they don't last long enough for me to spend more than $10 000 on a new car. Make it out of aluminum, stainless steel, and composite, then power it with a lithium battery and I'll not only consider buying it, but I might even go as high as $10 995

Otherwise, I will continue buying used vehicles and rebuilding them to my standards. Some one on another forum said something that stuck with me:



> you never really own a car until you take it apart, make it better, then drive it!


He owned an older diesel pickup like me, but I think it applies rather well to EV conversions like what we try to do here. New car warranties just get in my way LOL.


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