 |
| Chevy Volt |
The Chevrolet Volt has won the prestigious top prize as European Car of the Year - but nobody is buying it.
Battery-operated cars are electrifying environmentalists, progressives and award-givers. The only ones who aren’t juiced about them, it seems, are autobuyers.
The ‘Best Car’ tag was awarded only days after General Motors said it has suspended production of its electric Chevy Volt for five weeks in order to match supply to weak demand.
"We're going to take five weeks of downtime at the plant as we are going to build to what the market demands," said apokeswoman Michelle Bunker Malcho.
"We had a great month in February (over 1,000 in sales) and are very pleased with what we see happening in the marketplace especially with Volt now being eligible for HOV lanes in California."
Despite the low volumes, the Volt has paid dividends in terms of helping the once-struggling automaker's attract new customers and burnishing its green credentials. The Volt was the first plug-in to reach the U.S. market.
Is the Volt headed for the scrap heap? No one is saying. GM's head of product planning said the automaker should know by May or June if the Volt has the "legs" to succeed in the market.
The big hurdle is the price premium on electric vehicles at a time when gas-powered cars are making big improvements on fuel efficiency.
The Volt shared the prize with its European U.S. cousin the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera, based on the Volt with both models sharing the same unique powertrain, which consists of an electric motor powered by a battery that can either be charged from an outlet or from an on-board generator which is powered by gasoline.
Consumer demand was undoubtedly stymied by a federal investigation into reports of battery fires in the Volts late last year, resulting in sales of 603 cars in January 2012 – the lowest in five months. After the government reported the Volt safe to buy and drive, sales recovered in February to 1,023 units, still well under projected sales.
It marks the second year in a row that a battery-powered model has won the award, as Nissan's Leaf was handed the gong in 2011.
The Ampera and Volt won out of a field of seven models, outstripping the Volkswagen Up! in second place by a considerable margin, with 330 points to 281.
The other cars in the running were the Citroën DS 5, Fiat Panda, Ford Focus, Range Rover Evoque and the Toyota Yaris.
The award for the Volt is a blow to Ford who recently announced that the Focus Electric will be the most efficient family car in America. The cars is setting a new benchmark for rivals such as the Nissan Leaf and the Volt.
Confirming the results of US Environmental Protection Agency testing, Ford said that the Focus Electric had earned a 110 miles per gallon (2.12 l/100km) equivalent rating in the city, higher than any other five-passenger vehicle.
On the highway, the Focus will offer 99 MPGe (2.37 l/100km), Ford said, giving the all-electric vehicle a rating of 105 MPGe (2.24 l/100km) combined.
But sales/lack of sales aren’t the only factor by which GM is gauging the Volt’s success or failure. Its mere existence has helped counteract GM’s reputation as an out-of-touch maker of shoddy, unimaginative cars no one wants to buy. Their Volt was the first plug-in car to be launched in the U.S. market, and it picked up the lion’s share of press and good will. Other battery-operated or electric vehicles soon followed here and in Europe, but none have the Volt’s instant recognizability.
Battery-operated cars are electrifying environmentalists, progressives and award-givers. The only ones who aren’t juiced about them, it seems, are autobuyers.
The ‘Best Car’ tag was awarded only days after General Motors said it has suspended production of its electric Chevy Volt for five weeks in order to match supply to weak demand.
"We're going to take five weeks of downtime at the plant as we are going to build to what the market demands," said apokeswoman Michelle Bunker Malcho.
"We had a great month in February (over 1,000 in sales) and are very pleased with what we see happening in the marketplace especially with Volt now being eligible for HOV lanes in California."
Despite the low volumes, the Volt has paid dividends in terms of helping the once-struggling automaker's attract new customers and burnishing its green credentials. The Volt was the first plug-in to reach the U.S. market.
Is the Volt headed for the scrap heap? No one is saying. GM's head of product planning said the automaker should know by May or June if the Volt has the "legs" to succeed in the market.
The big hurdle is the price premium on electric vehicles at a time when gas-powered cars are making big improvements on fuel efficiency.
The Volt shared the prize with its European U.S. cousin the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera, based on the Volt with both models sharing the same unique powertrain, which consists of an electric motor powered by a battery that can either be charged from an outlet or from an on-board generator which is powered by gasoline.
Consumer demand was undoubtedly stymied by a federal investigation into reports of battery fires in the Volts late last year, resulting in sales of 603 cars in January 2012 – the lowest in five months. After the government reported the Volt safe to buy and drive, sales recovered in February to 1,023 units, still well under projected sales.
It marks the second year in a row that a battery-powered model has won the award, as Nissan's Leaf was handed the gong in 2011.
The Ampera and Volt won out of a field of seven models, outstripping the Volkswagen Up! in second place by a considerable margin, with 330 points to 281.
The other cars in the running were the Citroën DS 5, Fiat Panda, Ford Focus, Range Rover Evoque and the Toyota Yaris.
The award for the Volt is a blow to Ford who recently announced that the Focus Electric will be the most efficient family car in America. The cars is setting a new benchmark for rivals such as the Nissan Leaf and the Volt.
Confirming the results of US Environmental Protection Agency testing, Ford said that the Focus Electric had earned a 110 miles per gallon (2.12 l/100km) equivalent rating in the city, higher than any other five-passenger vehicle.
On the highway, the Focus will offer 99 MPGe (2.37 l/100km), Ford said, giving the all-electric vehicle a rating of 105 MPGe (2.24 l/100km) combined.
But sales/lack of sales aren’t the only factor by which GM is gauging the Volt’s success or failure. Its mere existence has helped counteract GM’s reputation as an out-of-touch maker of shoddy, unimaginative cars no one wants to buy. Their Volt was the first plug-in car to be launched in the U.S. market, and it picked up the lion’s share of press and good will. Other battery-operated or electric vehicles soon followed here and in Europe, but none have the Volt’s instant recognizability.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/chevy-volt-wins-european-car-year-award-days-automaker-suspends-production-article-1.1033850#ixzz1oMT8mtZy
No comments:
Post a Comment