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Though it recently halted Chevy Volt production, GM says it will launch a new marketing campaign...

  • Thursday, March 8, 2012, 9:19 AM ET
    Though it recently halted Chevy Volt production, GM says it will launch a new marketing campaign for the struggling plug-in hybrid in the next 30 to 60 days. CEO Dan Akerson says the new campaign will focus on customer testimonials and the Volt's safety record.
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This news story has 33 comments:

  •  
    Yeah danny boy! Tell us about its' EXPLOSIVE growth potential!
    8 Mar 2012, 09:20 AM Reply Like
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    Government Motors - throw good money after bad.
    8 Mar 2012, 09:26 AM Reply Like
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    Electricity is not free and is usually genrated from fossil fuels. So how does this help the environment and where are the cost savings? Smoke and mirrors?
    8 Mar 2012, 09:32 AM Reply Like
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    Because that power is usually a mix of hydroelectric, wind, solar, coal, nuclear, natural gas, geothermal...in other words you get your fuel from half a dozen sources--some green, some not-- as opposed to using petroleum exclusively. Btw, maybe you should diversify your media consumption beyond Fox News...if you have not heard, GM is making record profits. Can't wait for them to start paying dividends, the public will be the beneficiary.
    8 Mar 2012, 11:32 AM Reply Like
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    Maybe they should pay back those billions of dollars they owe us first.
    8 Mar 2012, 03:27 PM Reply Like
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    Maybe throwing in a free government approved fire extinguisher with each Volt would help sales
    8 Mar 2012, 09:33 AM Reply Like
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    True, electricity is not free but most EV's are charged overnight when electrical consumption is down and in some places it's even cheaper during those times because there is more electrical capacity generated than is being used. The big question you have to ask yourself is which generates more environmental emission damage to support a specific number of EV cars? Let's say 10,000 just as an example. What do you think puts out more emissions: 10,000 gasoline-burning cars or a modern electrical-generation plant producing electricity to support the charging of 10,000 electric cars? And don't forget, there is significant electrical power required to produce every gallon of gasoline from oil. So add that in too.
    8 Mar 2012, 09:47 AM Reply Like
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    George, good points. If only electricity was consistently genreated by natural gas or nuclear, then maybe the overall numbers would make sense.
    8 Mar 2012, 02:18 PM Reply Like
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    The first testimonial should be " yeah, it caught my house on fire, but I didn't die in the fire and my insurance covered it"
    The president says he's going to buy one when he's out of office, so they have at least one confirmed sale for January 2013.
    8 Mar 2012, 09:50 AM Reply Like
  •  
    it was highly suggested by the feds that gm get into
    electric vehicles. that, or no bailout.
    when you make a deal with the devil, guess who
    is the "junior" partner.
    8 Mar 2012, 09:58 AM Reply Like
  •  
    The Volt would be an awesome car for say 20K$, only trouble is, it costs more like 40K....
    8 Mar 2012, 10:38 AM Reply Like
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    They need to find a way to get this car cost competitive with the Prius, i.e. under $30K. The next generation of batteries could have twice the energy density and get them much closer to this price point.
    8 Mar 2012, 11:36 AM Reply Like
  •  
    Yeah, the Volt needs to be about $15k cheaper to compete with the Prius and most other hybrids.
    8 Mar 2012, 12:38 PM Reply Like
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    Let's not forget the depreciation of the battery over the first few years of the car's life. Nothing like having to blow another several thousand dollars after 5 to 10 years, after having already paid twice as much for a car that costs several times as much per mile to drive. Gee, I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that they're only selling a few thousand of these to rich people? Never mind, keep those subsidies coming so the "millionaires and billionaires" and "1%" can afford their government motors feel-good-mobile!
    8 Mar 2012, 03:29 PM Reply Like
  •  
    When I bought my Leaf, which costs me less to operate each month, including bank payments, than it did to drive my ridiculous nearly 80 mile round trip commute to work each day than it did driving my Jeep 4-door Wrangler Unlimited, I never imagined I was rich. Cool!

    p.s. I'm also factoring in taking the kids to various rinks for practices and games an average of 6 times per week + tournaments for 6 months of the year. I charge overnight. The reality is, after months of ownership, I save nearly $100 per month on what I used to be paying (I also include oil changes, tuneups, etc that I no longer need). If the batteries need replacing (likely with more technically-advanced and longer-range ones) in 8 years, I'll have saved around $9600 for them. Anyone driving a big gas-guzzling truck, suv or 4x4 long commutes that don't actually need such a vehicle for daily use can make this math work. I already do.
    9 Mar 2012, 08:47 AM Reply Like
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    Comparing an old Jeep to a brand new small sedan is absurd.
    14 Mar 2012, 08:46 PM Reply Like
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    GM takes its orders from the White House a/k/a Central Planning Venture Fund. Its motto: "We don't need no frigging return. We've got a printing press and the Unions."
    8 Mar 2012, 10:38 AM Reply Like
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    You still waiting for a MSFT bounce? Wanna buy some gold? Get misinformed about business, watch more Fox News.
    8 Mar 2012, 11:35 AM Reply Like
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    Efrain, put the Kool-Aid down. Maybe you should expand your knowledge and start watching Fox News. I might not like what I see on Fox, but at least I get to see all what's newsworthy and not just what MSNBC and CNN think I should see.
    8 Mar 2012, 11:49 AM Reply Like
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    People don't want to buy a $40K car which requires ten hours to recharge, unless you fork over an estimated $2000 to have a 240-volt charging station installed in your home? I'm shocked.
    8 Mar 2012, 11:16 AM Reply Like
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    Although over 10,000 Nissan Leafs (Leaves?) have been sold in the U.S. to-date...........and require buyers to use an online reservation system and there is huge delays waiting for product to arrive and yet people still wait to get their Leaf delivery. So I'm guessing that yes, people are buying a $40k car (or nearly $40k, anyway) that requires many hours to recharge and yes, many of them are buying the 240v charging system to bring that charging time down significantly. The Ford Focus Electric supposedly can do a full charge in a couple of hours, and that's from a nearly fully depleted battery. Ok, ok, I'll try and get off my EV podium now.
    8 Mar 2012, 02:18 PM Reply Like
  •  
    And the average income for people who bought Volts last year was something like $175,000. That just about tells you everything you need to know.
    8 Mar 2012, 03:31 PM Reply Like
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    I hope GM is smart enough to keep this in their back pocket for when gas hits $5 or $6 a gallon. Funny how everyone has forgotten the squeeze on energy prices as the housing bubble was breaking. I suspect those days will return - just don't know how long it will take.
    8 Mar 2012, 12:08 PM Reply Like
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    If gas hits 6 a gallon, it will take a decade for the premium of a volt to balance out fuel cost of a civic(I didn't bother using the cost of elec. and assumed no use of the gas engine, and if the battery craps out and needs replaced, then figure on a decade and a half to recoup) I am amazed at the amount of people on an investment site not bothering with simple math.
    8 Mar 2012, 01:01 PM Reply Like
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    Like I've said to others, I'll think of that every time I drive by a gas station. Sometimes the math doesn't matter.
    8 Mar 2012, 01:43 PM Reply Like
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    Yep, fantasy land is in fact an easier and nicer place to live than the real world, where spending more $$$ on a car actually saves money and entire sectors of industry (healthcare) are "free". I'll look you up next time I am there.
    8 Mar 2012, 02:17 PM Reply Like
  •  
    You assume everyone buying a new car is logical. I have repeatedly watched people make bad decisions buying a new car where the cost of the car is way ahead of the fuel savings differential. I watch smart people pile on credit card debt. That industry would shrink 80% if everyone did the "simple math" on the cost of interest. If you read some of my other posts you MIGHT see that I do my homework. It's not always about the math, it's about fear.

    Furthermore there was a lot of fear when gas reached $4 the first time and so when I said $6 I was looking for a number that could create that fear again.

    I am amazed at the amount of people on an investment site that don't realize that emotions drive decisions as much as "simple math"
    9 Mar 2012, 08:28 AM Reply Like
  •  
    While Prez O & the Feds went "green electric" (or no bailout), fracking produced a SUPERabundance of natural gas in this country. THAT is the "green" direction they should have promoted. Finally now that very few Volts are sold (G Q Public is not stupid) they are waking up to the LNG and CNG vehicles future (at least until hydrogen vehicles get here). Natural gas vehicles won't be cheap either (+ $10,000 for a GM natural gas dual fuel pickup truck), at least not until maybe a zillion are in production. BTW, how much gasoline could I buy for $10,000?
    8 Mar 2012, 12:16 PM Reply Like
  •  
    The Honda Civic sedan is based at $22,455, the CNG version is $26,155. $3700 to go CNG, That's a pretty quick payback if you drive a fair distance. 860 gallons of 87 octane at $4.30 or 1,850 gallons of CNG. Here's an idea for Toyota or whomever, how about a CNG Hybrid.
    9 Mar 2012, 10:45 PM Reply Like
  •  
    hey, what's with the negativity on the Volt, their Feb sales nearly doubled from January (1023 in feb vs 603 in jan !)
    http://bit.ly/xEVYFc

    since the 2012 sales target was 45,000 (revised down from the original 60,000) American Leland must be using the same rosy scenario forecasting that has worked so well with the greek deficit.
    8 Mar 2012, 12:54 PM Reply Like
  •  
    Chevy is killing the Volt themselves, the Cruze is an almost identical car at half the price, it seats 1 more person and get 40mpg on the highway. The Volt will only run about 35 minutes on a full charge and then you switch to running on gasoline.
    8 Mar 2012, 01:07 PM Reply Like
  •  
    Just a comment on technology(s) - anyone remember pricing early HDTVs? $10K a pop. I don't expect the Volt to be a success, but I do expect an electric car to be a success.
    8 Mar 2012, 02:04 PM Reply Like
  •  
    "the new campaign will focus on ...the Volt's safety record. "

    This vehicle has not been around long enough in sufficient quantity to have a safety record.
    8 Mar 2012, 02:04 PM Reply Like
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