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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Chevrolet , GM Things are moving along quite nicely with the development of the Chevy Volt. According to Bob Lutz, test mules of the extended-range electric vehicle are now being built atop the soon-to-be-released Chevy Cruze. This is a logical progression since the production Volt will share its Delta underpinnings with the new compact from General Motors when it finally goes on sale in 2010. Prior to these latest mules, the test cars used last-gen Malibu shells that Lutz and the team affectionately referred to as "MaliVolts." Predictably, Mr. Lutz praises the new Delta platform, and we have every reason to believe that it will be leaps and bounds better than its Cobalt forebear, just as that model is light-years ahead of the Cavalier it replaced. Lutz goes on to say that the battery pack, motor and internal combustion engine are all working very well together, even in the freezing cold temperatures around Detroit these days. It all...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Plants/Manufacturing , Crossovers/CUVs , Chevrolet , GM , GMC , HUMMER , Pontiac , Saturn , Opel , Vauxhall General Motor's car czar, Bob Lutz, sat down with the little people of the blogosphere after GM's announcement that it would be reducing white collar expenditures by 20-percent, cutting truck production and eliminating retired health care for salaried workers over 65, all in an effort to boost its liquidity by $15 billion by the end of 2009. Maximum Bob addressed questions about GM's entire brand portfolio, saying, "Pontiac will be nourished with products" and confirming that GM is in talks with financial institutions about HUMMER, and that, "If we could sell the brand, we'd be interested in doing that." Predictably, much of the conversation centered on fuel efficiency and the General's plans to address the growing demand for miserly transport in the U.S. Lutz made it clear that "as...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Economy , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet , GM , Opinion/Editorial In the wake of the Chevy Beat news that started pounding the wires before the 4th of July weekend, the Wall Street Journal reached out to Bob Lutz for some commentary on the topic. Lutz, in an email to the Journal, said, "We always thought we'd do it at some point, but now it obviously enjoys a much higher priority." Based on what the Journal says, this loosely translates to "the 2012 timeframe." Unfortunately for GM, this is a car that its U.S. operation needs approximately yesterday. It would behoove the brain trust in the RenCen to stop debating this and simply end all the speculation by formally announcing a U.S. Beat and attaching a timetable, already (as in, now). We think that the car's appearance as an Autobot in next summer's Transformers follow-up will help create enough public interest for that GM will be forced to make some sort declaration if they haven't...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , Green , Chevrolet , GM Bob Lutz revealed to the Seattle Times that the price point for his company's Chevy Volt series hybrid electric vehicle will be $40,000, or around $10,000 more than originally estimated. Lutz also told the paper that the first-generation of the Volt would generate no profit for General Motors. There's still hope for buyers who were hoping to snag a Volt closer to $30,000, as potential tax incentives on state and federal levels could trim the price substantially. Congress is currently considering proposed legislation for plug-in hybrid tax credits on the order of around $7,000. Still, there's no telling what demand there will be for the Volt, and if it's higher than the supply, we could see markups on GM's high-tech hybrid from dealers who are trying to survive this transition from a market dominated by profitable trucks and SUVs to smaller, fuel-efficient vehicles. According to Lutz...
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Filed under: Coupes , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Paris Motor Show , Chevrolet , GM Bob Lutz has come out and said it again: " I would say there's almost no reasonable doubt in our minds anymore that this is going to work. " And that isn't just that the Chevy Volt will work -- it's that it will work on time and as promised. In spite of the difficulties GM has had getting Volt technology up-to-speed within its timeframes, the man upstairs is apparently as confident as ever. Lutz said that engineers have driven the car to and above its 40-mile pure electric range already. Two companies are still trying to win the lithium-ion battery pack contract, although LG Chem says it has a 3rd-gen unit that's ready to go. Another hurdle is the car's internal combustion range extender starting up, which Lutz described as "noisy and still a little rough." And of course, it wouldn't be a Lutz piece without him taking a shot at something. Speaking of Toyota's...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Coupes , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Chevrolet , GM An article in the Atlantic Monthly examines the genesis and gestation of the Chevy Volt, and concludes with an intriguing mix of potential hits and misses. Calling the Volt "the Barack Obama of automobiles-everyone's hope for change," even the Atlantic Monthly knows that this car currently means more to GM and perhaps the U.S. car buying public than anything else. There is a huge amount of emotion behind the Volt, and not all of it is supportive. The article is just as much about GM and how the company operates as it is about the car. The case is put forward that this is less about the viability of the Volt and more about whether GM can finally execute a proper long term follow through. GM has had brilliant ideas before, but its commitment and track record of seeing them through to successful ends isn't so great. GM CEO Rick Wagoner said, " If I've learned anything over the past...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Chevrolet Bob Lutz has gotten behind the wheel of a Chevy Volt mule, and he seems rather impressed -- both by the performance of its electric drivetrain's instant torque capabilities and the far-reaching impact that the electric vehicle could have on the marketplace. Of course, we are all familiar by now with the wallet-killing gas prices that are commonplace at our nation's stations, and Lutz was struck with just how important the Volt project truly is as he drove around and saw gas hovering around (and over) $4 bucks a gallon. Although the vehicle that Lutz drove is still very much an engineering mule , the battery pack installed in the electric car was a lithium ion unit which has already been tested in the lab. Apparently, this first test-pack was delivered back in April, which marks a bit of a watershed moment in the development of the Volt. It's way too early in the development of the E-Flex platform to get your checkbooks out...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Chevrolet , GM According to Bob Lutz, the first Chevy Volt powertrain mule has just passed a major milestone. After several weeks of testing in the lab with a battery pack installed, the Malibu based pre-prototype has rolled out into the fresh air. In fact, according to Lutz, the car has even rolled passed past the security gates of the Milford Proving Ground to drive around on public roads. Even in this early, very rough, form, Lutz says the car is meeting and exceeding the goal of 40 miles of driving without running the engine. With this, the E-Flex engineers have demonstrated the performance viability of this concept. However, they still have a long way to go in validating the robustness of the system in different operating environments as well as the long-term durability of the powertrain as a whole. Perhaps the biggest issue to address is the cost of the system, particularly the battery pack. For GM to sell the Volt at an affordable price...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Tech , Chevrolet , GM The hopes and dreams of electric car aficionados for a purely battery powered successor to the late, lamented EV1 may soon be satisfied. Or not. It all depends on ... you guessed it, the battery. However, the latest utterings from Maximum Bob have people buzzing again. Mr. Lutz spoke to EV site PetroZero the other day and intimated that a purely battery-powered variant of the upcoming Volt is a possibility, leaving the range extender on the cutting room floor. This is actually not a new idea and dates back to the earliest dates of the Volt program. During a media briefing back in December 2006 several weeks before the Volt's public release, the Volt team showed us images like the one above that included several different powertrain configurations. The premise was to demonstrate the flexibility part of E-Flex. This included a variant with a larger battery and no engine to charge it . This pure EV was described as something...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Chevrolet , GM You might recall a quote exchange that took place last November between Toyota exec Kazuo Okamoto and the General's own Bob "Maximus" Lutz. The verbal barbs began with Okamoto calling the Volt "completely wacky" and "nonsense," to which Mr. Lutz responded, "Let's wait until the Easter Bunny. Somebody's going to have egg on their face. And I don't like having egg on my face." Hey Bob, you've got a little something yellow on your cheek. During a recent interview with Reuters, Lutz revealed that road tests of the Chevy Volt wouldn't be happening until sometime in July, versus the expected test dates we were expecting later this month. Lutz didn't expand on the reason behind the delay, but he did confirm that GM wouldn't name a battery supplier until the second half of the year, saying, "That may also be a little bit longer now, as we need a better handle on...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Coupes , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Chevrolet , GM Wired magazine got in the queue for some face time with Bob Lutz at the Detroit Auto Show, and came back with a quote that's raised a few brows. When asked what the target market for the car would be, Lutz said "I don't know. You'd like to have it at about $30,000 for the customer, but what I'm hearing from the team is we're not going to get there.... f it costs closer to 40 than 30, well, that's too bad." The issue is the timeline. His engineering team said that if they had more time they could cost-optimize the car, but Lutz doesn't want to wait for that. As for the recent go-round about when the Volt would appear , November 2010 is such a firm deadline in his mind that when it comes to the internal team, his only question is: "What is there about November 2010 that you don't understand?" Lutz must know how important it will be to price this car competitively...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Sedans/Saloons , Government/Legal , Green , Chevrolet , GMC , Pontiac , Holden It's finally (semi) official: RWD cars like a new Pontiac GTO (and Holden Monaro) and Impala are "gone for now." Bob Lutz has been making noises about it for a while, and every announcement gets more and more certain that the front wheels will be pulling more GM cars. Just a month ago, Lutz told Forbes "That's where the internal debate [on the Impala] is now -- no firm decision at this point, but my guess is that we will come down on the side of the front-drive car." By the time of last week's Detroit Auto Show, Lutz was telling GoAuto "I think the (Monaro/Pontiac GTO) is gone for now.... [T]hat's not the end of the market where we want to stimulate demand. We have to find ways to stimulate demand and desirability in cars that will get us closer to the 35 MPG average." How will that be done? Perhaps by using the Alpha midsize platform...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Convertibles , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Chevrolet , GM General Motors, which has been blasted for having too many fuel-thirsty trucks and SUVs in the past, has recognized that the Chevy Volt has some serious momentum, and the Detroit automaker is redoubling its efforts to make the series hybrid a reality on time. Bob Lutz told us that the Volt would begin production by the end of decade, and despite Rick Wagoner preparing us for a missed deadline , Maximum Bob is reiterating his original 2010 deadline. Lutz points out that 400 advanced fuel scientists, 200 dedicated engineers and 40 designers are pumping heart and soul into the project, and we get the feeling failure is not an option. With skyrocketing fuel prices continuing to gradually increase and real consumer demand for a high mileage production vehicle growing, we're looking forward to Bob being right. [Source: GM Fast Lane Blog] Gallery: Chevy Volt Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Coupes , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Chevrolet Bob Lutz has staked a fair amount of his and GM's reputation on the Volt. Even though he has said since the beginning that the Volt needs battery technology that isn't ready for the mass market yet, he also said that the Volt would go on sale by the end of 2010 . Rick Wagoner, though, in a 50-minute Q&A session with journos and bloggers, said that the Volt launch date is "fluid." Citing, again, the lack of battery technology that the Volt would need, he said, "We continue to put massive resources into production as soon as possible. 2010 would be great, but (we) can't guarantee that at this time. We'll keep you posted regularly on our progress." GM critics -- like the Toyota rep who called the Volt "vaporware" -- will take this as a sign that GM is waffling. GM supporters will say, correctly, that this doesn't mean the Volt won't come out in 2010 -- it simply...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Chevrolet , GM Speaking at the Reuters Auto Summit in Detroit today, Bob Lutz stated that the Chevrolet Volt series hybrid will be in production by the end of 2010. What's more interesting is that he told reporters employees working on the Volt "are becoming increasingly nervous" about meeting that deadline. According to Lutz, however, GM leaders are insisting it be done, so the families of those on the Volt team shouldn't expect to see their loved ones much until after Dick Clark drops the ball on 2010. As we mentioned yesterday, the first test of the Volt's viability will be working prototypes demonstrating the car's capabilities by Easter of 2008. Earlier guesstimates had the Volt entering production and going on sale sometime in 2010, so today's clarification appears to give the General a little breathing room by only promising production to start by the end of the decade. More after the jump . [Source: Just-Auto...
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