[Jim-Bob]

Originally Posted by autoteach

The leaf with limited range is msrp at $32,780. Limited range, probably going to tank and be the most unsuccessful ever, ever, ever. Just saying. Seriously, would anyone be willing to pay $8,000 more and have an engine and unlimited driving range? Nope, that is why the cruze, I mean volt, will be unsuccessful. And, after all these downfalls, the volt shares a platform with another vehicle, damn those profit (or limited loss) mongers. I am sure that the Leaf is a completely unique platform, along with the prius, the insight, and all the other vehicles on the market. My thoughts, they should have let the companies tank. Chrysler, tank (the first time), Chevrolet, tank. We definitely dont need insolvent companies sucking off the gov teet.

The original Prius shared it's platform with the Echo and the new Insight shares it's platform with the Fit. Platform sharing is to be expected for a niche product like the Volt. It is a way to test the waters with a new technology without having to engineer everything from whole cloth. If it succeeds, then the subsequent generations will likely evolve to be on their own unique platforms.

As for success or failure, I don't think it will be a commercial success. However, I don't think it is intended to be. It's a halo car like the Corvette. It exists to bring good press to the parent company and as such it has succeeded. Will it sell by the hundreds of thousands and supplant the Camry at the top of the US market? No. The Sonata has a better shot at doing that ( and it's very efficient in it's own right!). Then again, the Volt's technology may well find its way into future, cheaper cars and bring up fleet fuel economy. However, that will all depend on battery technology and bringing the price down on better batteries. That is, after all, the whole reason why hybrids remain such a niche product today some 11 or 12 years after they first were introduced to the US market.