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Originally Posted by The_Bishop
Will there be a diesel option for the new Colorado/Canyon platform? Will there be more diesel powertrains in general, across all the vehicle lines?
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We asked this, but to a Vehicle Engineer. It seems that a lot is riding on the Cruze diesel. Internally, GM North America thinks diesel sucks and they don't want any of that...unless it makes money.
Now, many people instantly go, "BUT LOOK AT VW! JETTA IS LIKE 25% DIESEL!!"
Well...the wagon is actually 40% diesel, but the sedan is less than 10%. And guess which body style the Cruze is available here in the US? So, prepare for a self-inflicted disaster. The old "it won't sell, just look at our poorly thought out attempt of putting together a car in the segment" trick.
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Originally Posted by 1320B4U
Great find.. i read over it quickly but will dive into it deeper tonight! Its all about public perception though is my main argument. If the oil companies killed the ev1 or if the volt's unsuccessful release was due to the marketing aspect of it then the car was never was truely bad to begin with, however its the publics perception that gm couldn't get a vehicle successfully launched and into mass production on the long haul. Possible suitors to this new vehicle may just see it as another failed gm attempt and this could limit them to other new gm vehicles entirely. Perception is everything in this world.
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EV1 was expensive to produce and was only built to keep Cali happy. There were some true-believers that were put together to make the car, but it failed. Lease rates were high, original lead-acid batteries had no range, all sorts of failure.
Now, Volt is different in that Lutz supported the program 100%. Not because he believes in saving the polar bears or is the head of greenpeace. No, he did it because he wanted to gain the technological edge over everyone else by making a vehicle that doesn't exist. Something that would, overnight, render the Prius technologically inferior.
And it did.
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Another aspect of the volt is its price. You get a lot of technology for the money but when you pair it up to its competitor the prius, the price is quite a bit higher, even w/the government incentives. If i was to by a hybrid of sorts, i expect it to do 1 thing, get me to my job and back. Its not for leisurely or spirited drives, if your a car guy like us. It can't tow, haul, is real great in the snow nor fun to drive, its a point a to b commuter car...so i wouldn't want to shell out more than 20-22k for the car. 40k for a volt minus incentives still make it top out at over 30k new...the price of a new camaro, ats etc. Cost is still too high imo for a small car...thats why i'd go cruze eco and bank that extra money.
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You could say that about every single hybrid/electric vehicle, but you can snag a Volt lease for $250 a month now a days, so it's really not that expensive to own one, considering that if your commute is less than 35 miles every day, you don't have to spend money on a gas which can save you $130 bucks a month.
Cost is high, but we are looking at the first generation of this technology. As time goes on, battery tech improves and becomes cheaper, cars like this will be much more affordable.