December 24, 2010
"But if the Volt appeals to you, my hunch is that you’re going to love it more than any car you’ve driven in years."
From the enigmatically written NYT rave review of the Chevy Volt. So... it's the kind of thing that people who like that kind of thing like.
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44 comments:
Is this another post about fashion? The Chevy Volt will be a collectors item some day. For now it is a fashion statement that shows one is submissive to the State.
I have it on good authority that Volt appeals to the few unshaved women left in America.
Peter
The price tag doesn't appeal to me.
I've now seen more than half a dozen Teslas driving around.
The Teslas seem more appealing than the volts, assuming you care about not polluting, i.e. assuming you're car modifications haven't included removing cats so you can run leaded fuel to run more boost w/o detonation.
your or you're
They get around to mentioning at the end that the $33K Volt is really just a $20K Cruze with a huge battery under the hood and that it doesn't really make economic sense. But it does make yuppies feel good about themselves, so there's that.
Who would've ever thought that the AGW cult would've thrown their lot behind a coal-powered car? Or maybe they're all too stupid to realize where all that magical electricity comes from? Nah, that couldn't be it.
They're all wicked smart, just ask them.
Irony: The New York Times is writing about a car that would be useless to many people in New York City, because they don't have a garage to plug the car in to recharge in the first place. (Yes, I did notice that the byline was "DETROIT.")
It's so hard to read anything positive about the Volt without assuming there's some government propaganda involved.
Sorry, I am all about German cars. Specifically, BMW-always have had one and won't let go.
Plus they are so much more fab.
Citizen Ulrich of the Green Brigade (NY Times Division), Dear Leader Obama salutes you!
You will be granted (O)ne naive intern to be enthralled by your car knowledge, dedicated concern for the planet and supple prose.
This Obama salutation may also be traded in for (65(0) carbon credits....or
(O)ne luncheon to attended by Al Gore or similar figure...or
possible promotion to continued GM coverage at the Green Brigade (NY Times Division).
To the light! To the Earth! To the Future...
And Beyond!
Assuming you don't mind paying a small fortune to keep it in replacement parts.
So, it's impractical for New Yorkers. And it be downright absurd for me.
We're subsidizing cars for suburban yuppies?
1jpb,
Well, of course the Tesla is "more appealing" than the Volt; it kicks ass performance-wise and looks bloody cool, which the Volt does not. (It's also more than twice the price, but no one who buys a Tesla is worrying about price.)
wv: scroityl. I kid you not.
"In other words, the Volt is a car that will make fans feel good about driving and about themselves. "
Boy, I feel GREAT about giving buyers/GM a $7500 tax credit so they can feel GOOD about driving (and about themselves).
(The Crypto Jew)
Someone else alluded to it, but why waste the coal, in the conversion from coal to electricity and then the coal(electricity) lost in transmission? Why not just burn the coal in the car? Wouldn't that be easier and cleaner?
Possibly you could have Jesus or Consuela go out and fire up the coal-fired car before you need to leave the house, and before they start the yard/house work/nanny duties?
Eh, useless during the upcoming Zombie Apocalypse. I can scavenge for gasoline or diesel, but when the power goes out all those libs are screwed.
Course they are screwed anyway since they don't like guns.
(The Crypto Jew)
The CEZA, still people? Zombies are not going to end Civilization! Just ask the Dervishes at Omdurman….I STILL haven’t figured out how a zombie horde knocked out ONE tank, much less the US Army, a la The Walking Dead.
I do wonder if the zombies can be trained to do yard work and roofing? If so, I see an even cheaper source of good help…do you think a zombie could fire up my coal-powered car?
"I STILL haven’t figured out how a zombie horde knocked out ONE tank, much less the US Army, a la The Walking Dead."
I recommend you read World War Z to see just how quickly the US Army can fall to our soon to be Zombie Overlords. Also, Day by Day Armageddon is a great and frightening primer.
40 miles on a charge for $41,000.
I'd rather take the high-speed train
A small solar thingy keeps the battery charged on my '88 car, which is probably itself worth dozens of dollars.
Althouse, you might want to be careful about channeling Miss Jean Brodie. (Just sayin', as our favorite Trooper would say.)
Joe,
I assume you're just being facetious, but in case someone doesn't get it--a coal-powered automobile cannot possibly be as efficient as a coal-powered electrical plant, due to factors of weight, variability of load, etc.
(The Crypto Jew)
Kirby I guess I was be facetious…you don’t really think the Volt is green, though, do you? It IS a coal-powered car.
"I STILL haven’t figured out how a zombie horde knocked out ONE tank, much less the US Army, a la The Walking Dead."
Keep a bunch of dogs with you at all times, and you won't have to worry much about the zombies.
(The Crypto Jew)
I recommend you read World War Z to see just how quickly the US Army can fall to our soon to be Zombie Overlords. Also, Day by Day Armageddon is a great and frightening primer.
The only problem is, of course, that World War Z, must assume that no one has ever watched a ZOMBIE MOVIE! I see the Undead shuffling down the street, I’m not trying to shoot them centre of mass, I’m popping them in the head, with the ACOG it’s not that hard….open up with the .50 Caliber and/or the Vulcan PIVAD…sure they’ll be zombie parts strewn about, some of them still “combat effective” but that’s what the flame throwers are for, in the second wave (For Yhwh’s sake, don’t open up with the flame throwers, flaming zombies walking down the street s(m)pells Doooooom)….Zombie movies work because none of the characters ever watch zombie movies, just like horror movies, none of the characters ever has read the Horror Movie Character Survival Guide. Only have seen two “horror” movies where the characters behaved half-way smart, Scott Carpenter’s The Thing and Tremors.
I've been following the Volt development since day one and it has changed drastically since its original inception and frankly I'm sorely disappointed with its outcome and even more so with it's price. Essentially what we are being told is that in order to join the cool kids club of environmental hubris you are going to have to cough up a nice chunk of change for very very little and you effectively have done nearly nothing to effect any part of the environment other than ausaging your ego to make yourself look to others like you care and they don't. Volt had so much potential until the government stuck their hands into it.
My hunch is that you will be sorely disappointed. The carbon footprint of producing this car will require you to drive it for fifty years should you care about such things.
Nothing GM will ever make is going to appeal to a TT diver!
Joe,
No, of course it's not green.
Whether it's coal-powered depends on your location. Out here, you might call it water-powered, which would be cool in a way, but still not green--if you haven't noticed, they aren't putting up any more hydro dams.
If being screwed sideways by a bunch of science-denying "scientists" appeals to you, my hunch is that you're a fucking idiot.
I have it on good authority that Volt appeals to the few unshaved women left in America.
Wrong.
That would be the new 5.0 Mustang. or the 2011 Camero (even though I swore I wouldn't buy a GM car after Obama....but you have to admit. That car is HOT)
The money (taxpayer money) quote:
Certainly, you could buy a conventional Chevy Cruze for $20,000, get respectable mileage and save thousands. But the Volt isn’t for people looking for the lowest possible price or operating costs — it is designed for those willing to spend extra for new technology that can wean them off gas and cut pollution.
I don't know, David. It was the next lines that caught my attention.
"The achievement can’t be overstated. Poised to sell in the tens of thousands, the Volt (and Leaf) are the first cars in a century to make Big Oil sweat, if only a little. More will follow. And in a first for G.M., it’s an economical car that Americans will buy for its cachet, not a cut-rate payment. "
Competition leads to creative shifts in thinking. All in all I'd say that consumers usually come out on top.
Sorry, I am all about German cars. Specifically, BMW-always have had one and won't let go.
Yeh, those Beemer guys never give up.
Ran into some guy last weekend who works for BMW in LA. I told him I preferred my Audis on snow. He asked about maintenance problems. I said, no. Have been driving them since 1987, and never had that many problems, and ditto with my next brother and my parents.
But I also told him some of my BMW stories, where, even though I wasn't driving, we were moving way too fast.
For example, for a number of years, BMW did deals with the Vail Resort ski areas. They would let you check out one of their cars for a couple of hours, or if you were the last one of the day, maybe over night. And, they gave you a tank of gas.
So, one day we were moving a bit fast south of Fairplay, in South Park, Co, and saw a couple of state troopers going the other way. We thought that we had slowed sufficiently. Turns out, several of them clocked us north of 100, but were on their way to dinner, so didn't turn around to catch us. But they did call the people we had borrowed the car from, and pointed out that the only reason we (or at least the driver) weren't in jail was the time of day. That one was a 3 something IX.
In another story, one of the attorneys I worked with in SLC made the trip from SLC to LAS or back in just under 4 hours in his 5 series BMW. Right at 400 miles, and you do have to slow up for the Virgin Canyon.
Yes, Titus, BMWs are fast, and fun to drive. But I also know that if I owned one, I wouldn't have a license. So, I will continue to drive my white Tahoe, which blends right into most of the rest of the vehicles here in N. Nevada, unless the roads are bad, then I will drive my Audi A6. They aren't nearly as much fun, but I will survive...
"The achievement can’t be overstated. Poised to sell in the tens of thousands, the Volt (and Leaf) are the first cars in a century to make Big Oil sweat, if only a little. More will follow. And in a first for G.M., it’s an economical car that Americans will buy for its cachet, not a cut-rate payment. "
Actually, I think that the achievement is being greatly overstated.
Penny:
The Volt is not an economical car. It is very expensive and not very fuel efficient. It costs $41k with or without the subsidy. Its 93 mpg equivalent is bogus because the calculation is based on the equivalent kwh in a gallon of gas except it takes two more equivalent gallons of gas to deliver the one to the battery.
The most economical car from a real mpg measure is the Prius followed by the VW Jetta TDI. From a total cost point of view the most economical cars on the road are the Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris and the Hyundai Accent
"Actually, I think that the achievement is being greatly overstated."
So what? Like this is the first time something like that happened in marketing a new product?
Look, I've never been happy with GM for a host of reasons which I won't begin to get into right now, but is there anyone here who doesn't believe that a revitalized GM wouldn't eventually be a big boon to our economy? Why on god's little green earth would we want to bet against ourselves?
Secondly, is there anyone here who doesn't believe we would all be better off with less dependence on foreign oil?
Whew! Thought not!
Look, I really could care less what car anyone drives, or why they bought it in the first place. That's a decision between the person, their pocketbook, and in some cases, their conscience.
There are a few things we all know, however. This country will be better off with a thriving and competitive American car industry, and also better off if we are less dependent on foreign oil.
How about we show some collective HEFT on that.
I had a Plymouth Duster in the 70's, Now there was a bad car. It once just stopped working in the middle of thr road. But I long for it now when thinking of these electric cars (coal-fired - great comment).
@ Dust Bunny Queen
The new Camaro does look cool. I like the venom green ones I've seen.
It's the ultimate "stuff white people like" product, by the sound of the excerpt Althouse posted.
I test drove the new Camaro about a month ago. Loved the price: Low 20's for 300+ horse power. It handles well, the manual shifter works smoothly and the thing looks fantastic. It is supposed to get like 29 mpg on the highway on regular octane.
My only gripes with it was the ergonomics--I could adjust the seat to be comfortable, reach all the controls and pedals but the windows are narrow and the roof pillar is huge and kind of forward of where it usually is, so it blocks the view. Also, it only holds 4 and I have a wife and three kids, so it could end-up being inconvenient sometimes.
Honest, prof? Is it really so hard for you to take from that "it is good of its kind?" A wonderful phrase comes to mind, one of many from the mind and pen of the late Patrick O'Brian:
'He was a bastard, and bastards, as no doubt you have observed, are often more touchy than ordinary beings; one sometimes offends them without meaning to; and sometimes indeed they seem to trail their coats.'
Are you leaving a trail, Frau Dr Professor Althaus?
Admittedly it is tautological as written, but since you still read them over at Timesworld, oughtn't you be armored against that sort of thing by now?
TW: badjem. Heh. Indeed.
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