Quote:
Originally Posted by Amputate Your Head
GM sets $41,000 price for electric Chevy Volt - Jul 2010
Sticker price is $5,000 higher than the top-selling Cadillac sedan
[LINKHOTTED]
GM said Tuesday it has begun taking orders for the electric-powered Chevrolet Volt at a $41,000 starting price before tax credits.
DETROIT ? General Motors Co said Tuesday it has begun taking orders for the electric-powered Chevrolet Volt at a $41,000 starting price before tax credits, a sticker price $5,000 higher than the top-selling sedan from its luxury Cadillac brand. GM also said it would lease the much-anticipated Volt at $350 per month for three years with $2,500 as a down payment and promote that lease rate as the vehicle launches in a handful of U.S. markets starting with California. GM launched the Volt development project four years ago, in part to shake an association with gas-guzzling trucks and to show it could compete with the likes of Toyota Motor Corp on hybrid technology.
LINK
 More catering to the rich. A $41k electric car does absolutely fucking nothing for the average person, who won't be buying it. Way to go GM.
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I think you'd better do some homework:
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/...00/#more-63774
"General Motors began taking orders for the long-awaited Chevrolet Volt on Tuesday, pricing the plug-in hybrid car at $41,000.
A federal tax credit can reduce the net cost of the Volt to $33,500, and a 36-month lease will be available for $350 a month with $2,500 due at the signing.
Production of the Volt will begin in September, and the car will initially be sold in California, New York, Michigan, Connecticut, Texas, New Jersey and the nation?s capital, G.M. said.
The car?s suggested starting price is $8,220 higher than that of the all-electric Nissan Leaf, which will also go on sale this year.
With the Volt ready for the assembly line, executives began a full-court press to persuade consumers that the car?s cutting-edge technology and features are worth a BMW price tag.
?It?s a real car ? it just happens to be electric,? Joel Ewanick, G.M.?s vice president for North America marketing, said at a dinner Monday night at the Plug-In 2010 conference in San Jose, Calif. ?This car is designed for the majority of Americans. This is a car that the average person can drive on a daily basis. It?s not something that?s a unique little niche vehicle.?
?The marketing challenge is communicating how different this is than what they?re used to,? he added.
The Volt?s lithium-ion battery pack gives the car an emissions-free range of 40 miles. When the battery is depleted, a small gasoline engine kicks in to run a generator that supplies electricity to the motor, extending the Volt?s range by 300 miles.
Mr. Ewanick said that a Volt driven 15,000 miles a year would use 550 fewer gallons of gasoline than a comparable gas-only car.
G.M. executives, however, insist on calling the Volt an ?extended range electric vehicle,? underscoring the balancing act between promoting its green credibility and its utility as competitors roll out all-electric cars.
The Leaf will go up to 100 miles on a charge, according to Nissan, which has been touting the car as ?100 percent electric, zero emissions.? During a test drive in San Jose on Monday, a Nissan representative pointed out that the car?s interior is made of recycled water bottles and cited the availability of a solar panel that serves as a spoiler.
If Nissan appears to be targeting the Prius set, G.M. is emphasizing that the Volt comes packed with whiz bang technology that lets drivers use their smartphones to do things like turn on the car?s air-conditioner or control when the vehicle is charged. As a sweetener, OnStar, the G.M. subscription service that provides driving directions and allows cars to be remotely controlled, will be included free with the Volt for five years.
A fully loaded Volt, with specialized wheels, paint and other options, will cost $44,600 before tax credits.
Executives said the company plans to manufacture 10,000 Volts in the 2011 model year, with 30,000 cars produced the following year, when it will begin selling the plug-in hybrid nationwide.
G.M. chose the initial markets to show that the Volt can operate in a range of climates, from frigid Northeast winters to hot Texas summers, said Tony DiSalle, director of product marketing for the Volt.
In Texas, the Volt will first available only in Austin, and in New York, the car can only be bought in New York City for now, Mr. DiSalle said.
Beginning Tuesday, buyers can go to a Web site, getmyvolt.com, to find Volt dealers who can take orders. Those 600 dealers have received special training on handling Volt orders and customers.
?Lots of those will be people we haven?t seen in Chevrolet dealerships before,? Mr. DiSalle said."