Chevy Volt: A Car for the Firebug’s Amongst Us
Only Government Motors (GM) could design a car that needs its very own personal firefighter to accompany the vehicle.
Low sales (6,200 vehicles sold through December 2011) and a recall of the entire fleet due to fire dangers have resulted in Chevy suspending production of the Volt for at least a month.
GM’s claim that the Volt doesn’t pose an abnormal fire danger, seems contradicted by the fact that the Obama administration wants to give fire departments across the country $4.4 million to train firefighters in how to handle a Volt aflame. $4.4 million divided by, let’s charitably say 9,000 vehicles sold, equals $488 dollar spent on fire training per vehicle. Anybody up for a fire sale?!*
And to top it off, Obama wants to increase the amount of subsidies it gives to buyers of a Volt from $7,500 per firetrap – I mean vehicle — to $10,000 per vehicle. Let’s call that a fires, I mean buyers, premium.
In 2011, just a year after the bailout, GM declared record profits – yet it needs more taxpayer money to push it’s “greenest” product. What does that say about the administration’s green job agenda. I’d say it’s up in flames!
*All poorly carried out puns and quips fully intended.
On the contrary, this sounds like a good idea. Other drivers tend to get out of the way of a flaming car driving down the road, which will decrease my commute time to work.
Aside from the fact that GM has not been able to deliver the Volt since late last year and the concerns about the Volt batteries, the car buying public does not seem to want the Volt.
Could it be that GM and Obama have bet millions or billions of our tax dollars on a product for which there is no market?
I have nothing against the concept of the Volt per se, but if market research did not indate that the car could be built and sold at a profit, why was it built at all?
It just amazes me how much misinformation concerning the Volt is out there. There have been no reports of Volts catching fire in the real world. The two fires where the result of a government agency running extreme tests and not draining the battery or gas tank after the test. So 3 weeks later the batter caught fire. It took 3 months for them to duplicate the test. I have been driving one for 6 months and it costs me 2.7 cents a mile in energy. The is not an econo box. It compares more with a 3 series BMW. If it is such a bad idea somebody better call BMW and several other car manufactures as they have stated they will have their versions ready for sale in 2 years.