Volt is "obsolete" Compared to Prius Say CNN

definitively... and thats probably why they are not producing more of them? because they say they upped capacity to 1300 per month but sell only less than 600.

 

I will give American vehicle serious consideration (first choice) if it is basically equivalent for what I want. I presume Ford may give me tough choices vs. Prius if I get new car in 2016-18 time frame. If what someone wants is oil-free driving with long range option, Volt is it. It's not what I want, but for some.

 

GM probably positions the Volt as its halo car, to give itself some eco cred.

 

Nissan is selling the Leaf at a loss in the US. The rest of the world is being charged the equivalent of $40-50k for it, even Japan. They're gambling that the money they lose now will be more than made up for in the coming years if they can force Chevy to drop out of the plug-in market, leaving Nissan as the most recognized name there. There are reasons to produce & sell a car that isn't profitable.

 

Not just eco, but also technical credibility.

 

Unfortunately, that's turning out to be the case... which is kind of ironic based on their own ridicule of "halo" in the past. Heck, they did the same with "stop gap" then to, yet here comes eAssist in that very role.

Prius was very well timed. Advancements were funded by profits available from strong sales of guzzlers. Toyota's immediate reinvestment really paid off. GM didn't do that, funding is a big problem in this market. Reacting is much more costly than being proactive...
.

 

How did the prices match up based on the exchange rates at the time the they were set?

 

I saw couple of Volts on the freeway last week. These are newly purchased one not the demo ones with the VOLT paint on both sides. I guess people are starting to buy them once the dealers are not asking premiums above MSRP.

 

WHAT ARE THE NEW HOT DETAILS ABOUT ARE THE Volt is "obsolete" Compared to Prius Say CNN..............?

 

If production capacity increases for next year, imagine what kind of numbers Nissan can put when the Leaf becomes available in all 50 states,

Nissan Leaf sales surpass 4,000 in U.S. — Autoblog Green

 

That's pretty much sums it up. $10k plus dismal MPG in gas mode.

I see quite a few hybrid taxis and when compared to Crown Vic at 2-300mi a day the gas savings alone pay for the new Prius. Economically speaking at $4/gal you have to drive 2-3,000mi a month to benefit from Prius MPG.

 

How is the economics related to distance per month? There are few month based expenses. Most of the Prius savings come in distance traveled, and it doesn't matter how long it takes.

Total cost of ownership = Price + (Maintenance * miles) + (Insurance * months) + Disposal + (Gas * miles)

 

Most buyers look at monthly payments; with 5 year loan the 2-3000mi a month generate enough gas saving to offset higher price tag. For example comparing Prius to Corolla and Yaris with current prices Prius will save ~1500$/year in fuel with 3k mi/mo. (using fueleconomy.gov), or 127$/mo

with 60mo loan (Auto Loan Calculator at Edmunds.com) the payments come to
Prius - $517 for Prius II and $489 for Prius I
Corolla - $352
Yaris - $317

 

And after the loan is paid off, the $127 / month is gravy.

If you are saying that most people can't do the math, I have precious little sympathy.

 

you are completely ignoring other costs of ownership as well as used car value at the end...
not to mention more advanced and expensive vehicle.

if you just took cost of fuel, nobody in europe would ever buy diesels, because they are usually $3k more expensive than similar petrol engine, but around 45% of sales are diesels, not just because of better mpg, but because of recouping those higher costs when it comes to selling the car later on.

 

Fixed costs are mostly insurance and depreciation, and depreciation is not linear. I calculate savings from fuel economy exactly like you do because I plan to keep the car for its lifetime, but fuel savings is a smaller fraction of cost/time for those people who dump the car earlier.

It is irony that the people whining about inadequate fuel savings are the ones throwing money away through premature car exchanges.

 

Yes it does - unless you ignore time value of money.

Anyway all these calclations are worthless - since nobody knows what oil will cost 3 years down the road (I've seen some calculations use a ridiculous 3% a year increase in fuel prices, for eg).

 

Well if you think that general inflation is going to be greater than fuel inflation, I suppose. Doesn't seem likely to me.

'Worthless' seems a bit harsh just because it has an unknown. ALL predictions are worthless by that measure.

 

If you don't value "fake money" can you withdraw some from the bank and send them to me ?

This kind of reasoning is something only Beck fans would fall for.

Ofcourse there is time value of money. That is why there is a non-zero interest rate when you get a loan or lease a car.

Not a question of "exact value" - but what is the range and confidence interval. While everyone knows the general trend is up - we can't figure out the actual trajectory with enough accuracy to make a worthwhile comparison of various opearting costs.

My crib really is esp. those who low ball oil prices ... like assuming 3% increase year over year, even though it has gone up 400% in the last decade.