Bye bye Prius? Volt is all that.

This presumes that GM will survive to 2010, of course, which is far from a certainty at this point.  It appears that without a government bailout, the company is headed under very soon.

I don't think the Prius is going anywhere anyway.  I suspect Toyota will be able to keep the cost lower than GM will price the Volt.

Hah well I'm just repeating what I've heard.  GM's stock value is in the toilet right now because everyone is afraid they're going bankrupt.  But whenever there's news of a possible bailout, it rebounds a bit.

Are they saying Toyota won't have a competing product to the Volt?  They already do, just not in the USA yet.

No, I think that was just Lola saying the fuel efficiency rating will be significantly higher for the Volt than the plug-in Prius.

 I agree with Dana,the Toyota isnt going anywhere. They are just having a problem with supply and demand right now, cant make enough.

I think eventually they are going to make an all electric car along with the Prius for the US market.

So the volt, I hope they are priced more reasonably than priced now.

And with that, not everyone can purchase an all electric car. I live in an apartment complex, where am I going to plug the car in. 

Hey look what the futures going to bring!  Maybe yes maybe no.  All I know is I have a PHEV right now that is great, gets 100mpg and the kit only cost me 5000!  The entire car cost under 26000.  How much is that Chevy Volt going to cost!  I am hearing very high numbers!

Volt is sounding like $35-40k.

We get Government rebates here for buying a Prius, which makes them more affordable to the general public....I wonder if they will do this for the Volt as well.  Regardless it is definitely a smart move on GM's part.  They need to clean up their act and make cars that are more progressive if they want to get any sort of bail out.

I don't know about Canada, but in the US we've got a $7500 tax credit which was designed specifically with the Volt in mind.  So that will help, but it will still be pretty pricey.

 I don't think GM have much of a choice in the matter.  Hybrid, electric or sink.  I'm still very skeptical on the success of the Volt.  With a starting price tag of $40,000, I doubt people are going to trade-in their Lexus, BMW, or Mercedes for one.  Especially with a similar body style as the Charger.  My outlook on the Volt is grime...  With the ecomonic in the tank, I doubt that 90% of the population looking for a car will fork over $45,000 - $ 50,000 for a Volt with options, even with a tax free break.

I hear all the time that GM or Chrysler are "going bankrupt"... they are, but how they file for bankruptcy is the key.  Let them go under - they will very likely declare "Chapter 11" which is legal protection during reorganization.  (Chapter 7 is liquidation - Chrysler seems to be the most dire and in need of avoiding this one).  Under Chapter 11, they can cancel and renegotiate labor contracts (why the UAW was soooo supportive of a bailout instead!).  This would also protect them from creditors - which may put some suppliers out of business, unfortunately.  ...it would be their chance to get their acts together and start making the line of cars we think they need.

I have a brother who is a pilot for Delta Airlines.  They declared Chapter 11 - the results:  Pilot pay was slashed by nearly 50%, benefits reduced, and retirement cancelled.  Yep, their company "pension" offered a one-time payout for the employees which most of them took... a lump sum offer.  Those that did not (took a multi-year payout) lost everything down the road as the federal bankruptcy judge approved liquidation of the pension accounts to reduce the airline's financial obligations and to support company solvency - those that did not take the lump sum offer lost all their retirement $$$...

The UAW fears Chapter 11 - it might destroy them if 2 of the "Big 3" go there as the third - likely Ford - would possibly be able to adopt any new contracts as well.

Now - in light of all that - the Volt has great potential of getting to market.  Will it sell?  I don't think the price-point they are throwing around will work so good for them.  One key question - How much is the 2010 Prius going to cost?  I have a 2005, and out the door was close to $30k (tax, lic, ext warranty, etc.)... I wish I could trade it in for the 2010, but likely need to work on the other family vehicle first, which needs to be a tad larger.  If the new Prius is significantly more expensive, the Volt has a fighting chance.  If the Prius is $8k or even $10k cheaper than GMs PHEV - the Volt may be burnt toast.  I like the Volt - hope it does well!  ...but only time will tell - and if our economy worsens, a $40k mid-sized car will have trouble selling no matter what the power train.

Yeah it will definitely be interesting to see how much the 2011 plug-in Prius goes for.  And also, when BYD brings their plug-in hybrid to the US in 2011 how much it will go for as well.