The reason the ELR didn't sell was because it was a PHEV for $75,000. If it had been an all electric with 200+ miles of range at that time, even for $75,000, GM would likely have been selling about 1,000 to 2,000 of them a month.Yes, they sold so many ELR's that I can see why they'd want to do that!
That said, in the past much development for new features was for high-end vehicles that later trickled down into their mainstream cars. Perhaps that is how mass electrification will play out.
Not necessarily.
... I have a feeling that's the aim rather than the US. China not only buys more cars than anyone in the world, but they are pretty much mandating the whole country convert to EVs in the near future unlike the US.
So name a GM brand which has a very good image for you?
Not without a charging network.
I think you're overstating where Tesla's network was at the time.
Don't know why this was a mystery to everyone but Elon. New tech is almost always the playthings of wealthy folks before it becomes mainstream. You don't build the cheapest car you can (Spark), then the next cheapest (Volt/Bolt) and then make an expensive car. If you're only going to be making a few things, it had better be luxury.
How does it matter that it was a PHEV? The Volt MSRP is $33,500, and the Bolt MSRP is $36,500. The Volt outsold the Bolt, in the US anyhow.
I couldn't agree more. I was a through-and-through Honda guy. But frankly was disappointed with my Civic Hybrid.
Perceptions and stigma, especially at the time. If it was going to run on gas, why bother with a plug in? Just get a hybrid or pure ICE anyway. It seemed like most people at that point in history were completely confused by the Volt (and consequently) the ELR.
I don't think GM has any intentions of exporting Cadillacs to China. I believe Cadillac will follow Buick and become primarily a Chinese brand that will be imported here. They will build the new generation of Cadillacs in China, for China and import them here if there is enough interest. It makes sense from a business perspective if you're selling more than double the Cadillacs in China than you are in North America.
I think one would have to be really naive and nuts to buy any consumer product like a car from a Chinese manufacturer. Warranty claims and quality aside, all Chinese companies are still partnered with the Chinese government/military. Besides helping to fund their plans for world domination, you are also opening yourself up to have you personal data and information stolen. There are good reasons that Chinese companies are being barred from some places.
Agreed. There is little reason to buy a Bolt other than you have an interest in BEVs and want the technology at a reasonable cost. Financially it doesn't pencil out and the Bolt will not impress your friends like a Tesla will. In China people are buying BEVs because they really aren't given any other good options if they want to own a new car.
More to the point - if they want to drive their new car more than a couple days out of the week. Air quality is so bad in their metropolitan areas that the only vehicles that can be driven every day are EVs. All other vehicles have days rationed to them.
Your first sentence while true, probably didn't have to be that way if things were different. If GM had no conflicts businesswise and could have gone all in on EV's as Tesla was able to do, I'm fairly certain that they could have doubled sales, easily. It was from lack of trying. Lack of advertising and begrudging acceptance of the COTY is the first clue that GM sold as many Bolts as they wanted/needed to.
Every car company has done at least one retro-fifties car. They get a lot of buzz when they come out. Imagine if they had put the Bolt drivetrain into a RWD, 60 kWh, 250 mile EPA range two seater that just happened to resemble this.
Darn. (first draft got censored.
) I had hoped for a small crossover variant of the Bolt priced at Chevrolet or at worst Buick price level. But now it seems that all EV effort will have Cadillac pricing. I'm not interested in paying the premium for a Cadillac badge.
