GM says California gets first Volts

Yeah, I read this in several articles about a week ago. I think people in L.A. are much more likely to buy a Volt than in the rest of the country. At the same time, maybe GM has a motive to this: maybe it has something to do with the mild climate here. hmmm. makes you wonder.

Speaking of GM's market share in SoCal (since you mentioned it), there was a list of all auto sales in the Orange County Business Journal yesterday. Here are the statistics:

Number of vehicles sold in OC in Oct.
Toyota/Scion: 1,578
Honda: 1,094
Mercedes: 610
Ford: 598
BMW: 448
Lexus: 430
Hyundai: 351
Kia: 134 (131% increase from last year)
Mini: 123
Subaru: 109
Cadillac: 98
GM: 86
Porsche: 54
Land Rover: 43
Chrysler: 21


(Very interesting. Chrysler looks like it's going out of business around here, and GM isn't too far behind (looks like Cadillac might help save them). I hope GM survives long enough to introduce the Volt. They might barely make it.
A measure of Toyota's dominance? If you combine the Toyota and Lexus sales, it exceeds 2,000 - now compare that to Chrysler or GM)

 

GM will certainly make it to market with the Volt* but over on the GM fan sites they're raving about how this will change perception of GM and generate huge amounts of new customers. I strongly disagree. From Lutz' own words at LAIAS they are going to make the rollout slow and careful at 5000 to 10000 units.

All of these units will be sold on the coasts but focusing on SoCal and NorCal plus probably DC/NoVA. The rest of the country will never even get to see a Volt much less drive one and certainly not buy one.

Then there's the pricing. At $40000 plus taxes and probably some dealer added markups I wouldn't be surprised to see the pricing approach $50,000 (!) for a commuter about the size of a Corolla. This is not a formula for success IMO.

*GM has a huge horde of cash sitting in the banks. It can be a huge money maker if the market share stays in the 20% range. If there was an IPO next fall and overall economy recovers enough I don't see any reason that GM might not become a cash machine.

 

Toyota's green image helps to drive sales of similarly green cars, such as the Yaris, Corolla, Camry, Camry Hybrid (all of which get good gas mileage). What will a green image of GM drive sales of? SUVs? Perhaps the Malibu, but the Malibu only gets 22/30mpg. Compare that to a Yaris which gets 29/36mpg. In all fairness, the Camry gets 22/32mpg and the Corolla gets 26/35mpg. But did you just notice something? Toyota has built a whole lineup of good MPG cars. GM has the Aveo, which gets a very impressive 27/34mpg (better than the Corolla). The Cobalt gets 25/35mpg (about the same as the Corolla).
But what about styling? I don't see very many Chevrolets on the road. Well, at least not here in Southern California. Maybe it's different in the rest of the country. But then again, the Volt "green image" is supposed to be starting in Los Angeles, isn't it? We will see what happens. I think GM needs to hire some better designers to style the exteriors of their smaller passenger cars so they can actually try to compete with Toyota. Rational or not (the latter), the general public is influenced in their buying decision A LOT by the exterior looks of a vehicle.

 

Why is Cadillac broken out as a separate catagory?

GM = Chev,Buick, Olds (RIP),Pontiac (RIP), Cadillac, GMC trucks in the US.

 

Don't forget Saab (RIP), Hummer (RIP), and Saturn (RIP)

 

I don't know. The author of the print version of the article listed them that way.

 

In the fuel efficient vehicle segments Chevy vs Toyota.
Aveo --> Scions/Yaris The Scions/Yaris clearly spank the very mundane Aveo day-in and day-out. A new Aveo is due soon, to be revisited. Toyota is cutting back on the supplies of these models due to currency issues.

Cobalt--> Corolla There is no comparison here. The Corolla is even more iconic than the Prius. The Corolla continues to grow and grow and grow..it's ahead of the Accord through 11 months for the #2 sales slot behind the Camry. The Cobalt disappears in 10 months!

Chevy Cruze--> Corolla This could be a very solid competitor. In the most efficient trim level XFE it's supposed to get 40 mpg!! To be revisited in 10 months.

Malibu--> Camry Another No Contest. While the Malibu is a solid competitor from GM ( finally ) it is competing in the most competitive segment where every maker has a good solid entry ( except Chrysler ).

nothing--> Prius Walkover here at present. Will the Volt be anything more than a curiosity for the next several years?

Equinox--> RAV4/CR-V/Escape The Chevy does beat all three of the top entries in this segment in terms of fuel economy. Otherwise it's right in the mix in other respects. As in the other segments the Equinox has a tough row to hoe in breaking the hold of at least three very solid competitors.