Volt may become a parallel hybrid

[RobertSmalls]

Originally Posted by dcb

They still have not accounted for the transmission losses. Looks like folks are guessing it is from %75 to %86 efficient. The BSFC argument has been analyzed also and does not conclusively make up for those losses, especially on the hiway.

But not calling it a hybrid is also deceitful, the prius can also move on electric power only too. Plus all the other deceitful stuff (i.e. 230 mpg)

I would have been a happy US consumer with an electric car, not a hybrid. Electric is simple, could have been to market long ago with more room for batteries for less cost and development/certification time. Don't know why they didn't release an electric only car and sort out the fartbox as an option later. Opportunity lost.

Signed,
very disappointed in the states.

I share your disappointment. I'm allergic to hype, and there is plenty of that surrounding the Volt. The product launch is scheduled for this winter, and lots of people have been led to have very high expectations of the car.

GM will deliver a 300 mi gasoline range. No word yet on how large the fuel tank will be, but that will be the number to watch. The rumor mill says to expect 8 gallons. I hope, for the Volt's sake, that the rumor mill is very wrong.

[RobertSmalls]

Originally Posted by basslover911

...or a minivan!

They're thinking about it, and it MIGHT be a nice minivan, at that.

voltec orlando - Google Search

[gone-ot]

...if GM is so enamored with the rest of the globe ahead of it's local (USA) customers, then MAYBE they should individually renounce their citizenships and move the whole she-bang to China?

...and be closer to their Buick customer-base.

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

...if GM is so enamored with the rest of the globe ahead of it's local (USA) customers, then MAYBE they should individually renounce their citizenships and move the whole she-bang to China?

...and be closer to their Buick customer-base.

Hello from the world outside North America.

You remember us don't you ?

Shockingly the internet makes it here too.

The US car market dictates very little about what may sell in the rest of the world. The US market is big enough to have its own models, but that is the extent of the influence it has.

Actually lets be honest, very little sold firstly in the US makes it abroad at all. This has been the situation since WW2, apart from 'world cars' like the early 80s Ford Escort or late 90s Ford Focus.

We have a different range of Ford and GM models. We have a different range of Honda, Toyota and Nissan too. Our Subaru models are different too. Same for Suzuki and Daihatsu.

But GM is a world wide brand, so its kind of local to us all really. GM Asia is Isuzu and Daewoo amongst others, GM Europe is Opel/Vauxhall and so on. Chevrolet in the US is US and overseas made, here its actually just the brand name for Daewoo and made in the far east, nothing of it is made here.

The Volt is a Cruze. The Cruze is a Daewoo.

Which is made in Asia.

And sold all over the world.

Especially in China - the only market which is expanding, unlike Europe and the US where you take only market share from the competition.

So, TBH, if I was GM. I would look where I sell the most cars.

And it may not be North America.

And they probably have dual citizenship anyway.

[cfg83]

Arragonis -

Originally Posted by Arragonis

...

Actually lets be honest, very little sold firstly in the US makes it abroad at all. This has been the situation since WW2, apart from 'world cars' like the early 80s Ford Escort or late 90s Ford Focus.

...

I was under the impression that the Escort and Focus came *from* Ford-Europe to the US.

CarloSW2

[gone-ot]

...I was bad-mouthing the "...delay..." it takes for GM to finally get around to importing decent vehicle bodies to USA, but seemingly forgeting about the decent engines too, ie: if there's an EPA-blessed 1.0L engine, *why* can't it be obtained in USA cars? etc.

...seems like GM is fixated on USA = HP (and nothing else), while the rest of the world has a much, much wider "pick list" of available engines, transmissions and combinations there of.

...some USA models cannot be had with anything BUT an automatic transmission!

[NeilBlanchard]

The Chevy Cruze that will be sold in the US is going to be built in Lordstown, Ohio.




It's a damn big building!

[gone-ot]

...I'm aware of that. It's shown in the 2011 GM VIN-table that I posted earlier for the Cruze.

...but, we (USA) only get a 1.8L or 1.4L/T engine, while the rest of the world market has something like four or five different (one a Diesel) engines and drive-train combinations available to select from.

[kltron]

Yep, frustrated about GM.

When I was looking for a car a few years ago, I noticed the Saturns. GM took Opels with good fuel economy, brought them to the US, slammed bigger engines in them, and made fuel economy suck.

I bought a Honda.

The GMC Terrain piqued my interest recently. Motorweek liked it. AWD is good for where I go in the winter. And I could finally cart a kayak around. 32mpg highway? Eh, not bad for what it is. Just get the manual transmission, and maybe hypermile a little. What? No manual transmission in a GMC AWD SUV!!!?!?!?!!!?!?! Huh?

For whom does GM build cars in the US anyway? It's probably for the guys who whined about slow acceleration and low HP of the diminutive T.25 City Car (see recent article on Wired).

...kl...

[cfg83]

kltron -

When I was looking for a car a few years ago, I noticed the Saturns. GM took Opels with good fuel economy, brought them to the US, slammed bigger engines in them, and made fuel economy suck.

Those Saturn Astra/Opels were built in Belgium. The 1.8 was one of engine options offered to Europeans :

Opel Astra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Engine(s) 1.4L Family 0 I4
1.6L Family I I4
1.8L Family I I4
2.0L Turbo Family II I4
2.2L Family II I4 (Australia)
1.3L CDTi Diesel I4
1.7L CDTi Diesel I4
1.9L CDTi Diesel I4
2.0L Flexpower I4 (Brazil)

But I agree that we didn't get the 1.4 gasser or 1.3 CDTi that we would have wanted.

CarloSW2