GM: "We didn't kill the electric car"

Now that is the funniest site i've ever seen. Sad, but funny.

and how are GM sales these days? Talk out one side, and advertise concepts out the other. SALES is what keeps a company afloat, although I'll admit the GM marketing team is working overtime, ha, ha.

Wake me when the vapor volt gets sold.

 

2 mistakes

first : GM did kill the EV-1 almost literally
and second the ev1 is not the first modern car all electric in 1994 there where already EV only cars on the EU market made by the french
maybe even sooner because if i am not mistaken Audi did a Nikkelcad EV car before 1994 but not sure.

 

Mmmmm, recalling and smashing cars did not help the EV-1. While almost all of Toyota's RAV4 EVs are still running strong and many, including Toyota, benefit from the continuing experience.

 

Yes, the GM executives are boneheads and they aren't honest enough about their mistakes, but at least they're taking positive steps with the Vue plug-in/Volt.

 

I will not give them credit for this YET.
I will give them full credit for this IF they actually deliver a product.

 

What a load of horses***. "Whine whine whine we didn't kill the electric car whine whine whine"

This Jill Banaszynski should be careful what she says, seems I recall people signing petitions to SAVE their EV-1. She also didn't state the reason for crushing all of them. Nor did she state the incredible hoops you had to go through just to lease the damn thing

I'm not dumping on this broad, I'm sure she's just a paid shrill for GM. If GM really didn't do all those bad things - as jil claims - then perhaps GM should launch a lawsuit against "Who Killed The ELectric Car?"

After all, sounds like they would win hands down. Apparently the documentary was a 100% fabrication, which soiled the good GM brand name

 

True. True. GM could file a defamation claim. Even assuming GM could show the company was defamed and suffered a real loss (??), they could not win. The reason? Truth is an absolute defense to a claim for libel (or slander).

 

whinging poms...

 

The problem is the way the question is worded:

"Aren't you guys the ones that killed the electric car?"

should be worded:

"Aren't you guys the ones that crushed all of your electric cars?"

and to be really complete:

"Aren't you guys the ones that developed an electric car kicking and screaming all the way, tried to talk customers out of leasing it, sued the CARB to eliminate the ZEV standard in California, and then crushed all of the electric cars even though the customers wanted to purchase and keep them?"

Just answer yes or no, please.

 

Blah, Blah Blah.... :blah:

<!politically correct>

Is it just me, or does this remind you of a guy who feels compelled to constantly remind everyone thats he's not gay.

</!politically correct>

Pictures are worth a thousand press releases.

EV1 Crushed

Crushing the EV1s was almost a crime against humanity in my book. Right up there with those guys who bought up public rail systems and closed them down. Oh yeah, that was GM too. How eerily similar is this pic to the ones above?

Pacific Electric Railway - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It took Toyota almost 10 years from the introduction of the Prius for it to become a commercial success. GM built two batches of EV1s in 1997 and 1999, then dismantled the production line while still claiming they were trying to make them successful for several more years. They are very quick to remind everyone that they spent $1B developing the EV1, but usually forget to mention that US taxpayers picked up a big chunk of that under the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles program.

Given that GM history has already repeated itself once, its not super surprising that a number of us are pretty concerned that it will happen again. Particularly when you see stuff like this coming out of GM.

2003:
Along with there being no customer demand for EVs, one of GMs main reasons for canceling the EV1 was that the "expected breakthrough in battery technology did not take place."
2007:
Al Weverstad quoted Bob Lutz, chairman of GM North America, who remarked in August that "breakthrough battery technology will drive future automotive propulsion, and the company that aligns with the best strategic partners will win."

I guess this all explains part of the reason Toyota posted $14B in net profits last year, while GM lost $39B. It worries me greatly that many American companies seem to have no sense of long range development at this time. They're all scrambling around looking for the next get rich quick scheme. Toyota certainly isn't perfect, but they've obviously done a much better job of covering their bases financially.

Rob

 

miscrms -

Good post... and...

While I almost always agree to it - I do like to be asked before my images are hot-linked on a discussion board. I do have to pay for my bandwidth. Thanks.

 

Sorry, didn't realize this was your page! If you would like me to pull the photo just say the word! Nice page BTW. Were you part of the AZ EAA contingent that chased the EV1s to their final resting place in Mesa?

Rob

 

No worries. I just like to know when my stuff is posted on public forums. It can generate hundreds of MB's of bandwidth in short order. I've had to take videos down for this very reason. Links are great - hot-linking means that everybody who surfs to this page loads the image. PC is one of the few major forums I know of that still allows hot linking. It is something I'd like to address in the near future.

Thanks. Plenty more where that came from!

Physically, no. More of a supporting role.

 

Us? Them?

What, the Brits have taken over GM? Or is it just the rush of blue blood through the veins of the GM hierarchy that produces such fluff?

 

"unparalleled marketing efforts" Where ? How? *insert sarcasm here*

Only 800 ... It was all they produced. So it's not "only 800" it's EVERY single one they produced. Plus some 4000 more on the waiting list.

 

Ah, you may want to withhold judgement on that puppy until it at least barks. GM is as GM does.

... Brad

 

One of the most vile / disgusting things about GM is that they're still stinking ~ ongong liars. If they'd just come clean, it would wash a lot of their image, and maybe many folks might eventually buy GM again. BUT ... since they ARE ongoing liars, I'd rather bike 19miles to work every day, or sell our home & move to a worse neighborhood close to work,
before I'd ever buy GM again. They remind me of Nixon, "I am not a crook".

Oh, and the very 1st sentence out of their mouth on that article, "We are the ones that launched / developed the ev1" ?? No, they were FORCED to build it, all the while fighting to NOT develope it, and as soon as GM bought off all the politicians, they began crushing 'em. "It's timing wasn't right" ?? Really GM?? Well how many of the EV1's sat on the lot? None? They were all snapped up you'd say? Than I guess that's another lie, GM. But then again, their lips WERE moving.

How DARE they try to use their lie about the EV1, for p.r. mileage. The Volt isn't even designed, yet these glowing ads run daily. Unlike the EV1, which had 1 or 2 piss poor ads. Why would ongoing liars be telling the truth about the Volt?

 

Speaking of GM, whatever happened to their biggest cheerleader who was on this board?