With the Nissan Leaf beginning to outsell the Chevrolet Volt, the competition between the two is heating up, and General Motors North America President Mark Reuss had some not-so-nice things to say about the car when asked for his thoughts. Reuss said that the Leaf was “…has a finite range and requires infrastructure and charging...
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General Motors had limited the sales of the Chevrolet Volt for April as the brand is bumping up supplies of demonstration models. Cristi Landy, Chevrolet marketing director said in a statement “It’s tough to limit the number of Volts for sale to potential customers when demand is so strong, but the Volt has value to the Chevrolet...
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The Nissan Leaf outsold the Chevrolet Volt in April, reversing March’s sales numbers where the Volt handily outsold the Leaf. Nissan moved 573 Leaf EVs in April, while 493 Volts found a home amongst buyers. Whie the Volt has been leading in total sales with (2,029 sold, compared to 1,044 for the Leaf), if April’s...
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A program initiated by General Motors CEO Dan Akerson meant to cut $10,000 from the cost of the Chevrolet Volt is well under way, according to a report by the Detroit News. “We have a cost reduction plan all the way through 2020 and Generation 3,” said Alan Taub, vice president for global research and...
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The Chevrolet Volt has been reported as averaging fuel economy high enough to see 1,000 miles between trips to the gas station. “A sample of our early Volt customers suggest that they drive 1,000 miles before they fill up the gas tank,” said vehicle line director for the Chevrolet Volt, Tony Posawatz, at a conference...
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Has BMW, the maker of the ultimate (electric) driving machines decided to follow Chevrolet’s example? Word from Munich today is that BMW’s head of electrical components, Dr. Christian Schmidt, said it is weighing the possibility of a range-extended engine to pair to electric vehicles. For some time now BMW has said it would consider an...
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The initial slow start to the Chevrolet Volt rollout sped up in March with sales of more than twice the number than were sold in January and February combined. Sales of 608 Volts plus 321 in January and 281 in February now make 1,210 total. This is not a lot compared to 18,018 Cruzes sold...
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Word was leaked yesterday about a Buick version of the Chevrolet Volt being developed by GM. The vehicle would be a more luxurious version of the already fairly upscale Volt, according to a report by Bloomberg. This would make a fourth nameplate to carry a very similar platform. Already in Germany, Opel is showing its...
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An expected announcement today by President Barack Obama will outline the federal government’s commitment to buy only advanced technology vehicles by 2015. Only hybrids, plug-in electrics, and flex-fuel vehicles will be allowed into its present fleet of 600,000 vehicles. The government has already doubled its number of hybrids in keeping with existing mandates. Full-size SUVs...
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A Japanese factory that makes batteries for the Chevrolet Volt is back online today after being temporarily shut down since the March 11th earthquake. Hitachi Automotive operates the three plants, one of which produces batteries for the Volt. GM has apparently ordered 100,000 battery packs for the Volt. The other two produce various vehicle components,...
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The ongoing crisis in Japan is continuing to impact automakers and the entire industry, even American companies. Japanese suppliers of the Chevrolet Volt’s transmission have been disrupted by the nuclear situation, which has a chance to delay production of the hot-selling electric car. The Japanese plant that builds the high-tech transmission has been shut down...
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For all the dismissive attitudes surrounding GM CEO Dan Akerson, his latest machinations seem particularly astute, even if they don’t quite jibe with the tastes of “car guys”. For months, Akerson has been creating a contingency plan for when oil prices rise to $120 per barrel. Akerson is on record stating that “I don’t think...
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GM’s MyLink, available starting with the 2012 Chevrolet Volt and Equinox, will offer smartphone charging, Pandora radio streaming, GraceNote music identification, Bluetooth, XM satellite radio, voice activation, OnStar, and USB inputs, in case listening to drive-time radio is too crushing for commuters. The MyLink comes hot on the heels of Ford’s SYNC as an inevitable...
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The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a non-profit group sponsored by foundations, electric utilities and government agencies, released its list of the Greenest Vehicles, and the Honda Civic GX, a perennial favorite, continued to come out on top for the 8th consecutive year. In second place was the all-electric Nissan Leaf, while the much...
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Any time a hot new car is released, the inevitable race to squeeze every last dollar from consumers starts almost immediately, and the Chevrolet Volt is no exception. With supply extremely limited and demand strong, Chevrolet dealers seem to be taking advantage of market conditions. An investigation found that prices ranged from $46,923 in Michigan...
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An estimated 14,000 taxpayers claimed $37 million in tax credits meant for buyers of plug-in or electric vehicles, while attempting to pass of vehicles like the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Camaro and “golf cart” as worthy of the credit. Among the most ignominous offenders were 88 prisoners and IRS employees who attempted to claim the credits....
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Finalists for the North American Car and Truck of the Year have been announced, with Chrysler dominating the truck field, and electric vehicles comprising 2/3rds of the car category. The Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee, both built on the same platform, were nominated in the truck category, as well as the re-designed Ford Explorer....
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With limited supplies and swelling demand, General Motors is looking for ways to double or even triple the production figures of the Chevrolet Volt. While GM plans to build 10,000 Volts in 2011 and 45,000 in 2012, an estimated 240,000 potential customers have expressed their interest in the vehicle, leaving dealers woefully short of vehicles...
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General Motors has announced that it’s hiring 1,000 people over the next couple years to help improve electric vehicle related infastructure, as well as charging, motor and battery technology. While the jobs aren’t as glamorous as developing the next generation of electric vehicles, there’s no question that without any of the above, EVs will forever...
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Steven Rattner, the man appointed by President Obama to oversee the auto industry bailout, claims that internal GM documents that were analyzed in the early days of the bailout pegged the cost of producing a Chevrolet Volt at $40,000 per car. “At least in the early years, each Volt would cost around $40,000 to manufacture...
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The Buick Regal will get GM’s eAssist mild hybrid system next year, according to rumors on GM Inside News. The eAssist system will debut on the Buick Lacrosse 4-cylinder, an engine shared with the Regal. It is also expected to appear on thew upcoming Chevrolet Malibu, though eAssist is expected to remain exclusive on Buick...
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Today at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, the group that hands out its Green Car of the Year award handed it over to Chevrolet for their Volt, which only made its official world premiere at the show the day before. The Green Car of the Year is awarded by the Green Car Journal which...
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The Chevrolet Volt has won two major magazine awards, becoming Automobile Magazine’s Automobile Of The Year and Motor Trend’s Car Of The Year. Automobile called the Volt a “game changer”, and said that the car endured more scrutiny than any entry in recent memory, even devoting a ten page article to the car. The Volt’s...
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Chevrolet debuted three new compact cars, as part of its new Z-Spec factory upgrades lineup, with the new Cruze and Volt, as well as the upcoming Spark subcompact rounding out the lineup. While the concepts modifications are cosmetic in nature, the upgrades really elevate the conservative lines of the Cruze, with an orange paint job,...
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