Chevy Volt to Debut $5,000 More Than Predicted

In order to meet its production deadline of 2010, Chevrolet’s highly anticipated Volt plug-in hybrid will debut at a cost of $35,000 — five grand more than expected.

GM chalks up the increase on the Volt’s price tag to electricity-hungry features like windshield wipers and a stereo system that drain power from the battery, which in the Volt’s case is doing double-duty by also driving the wheels. Most vehicles recharge their batteries through the alternator, but the Volt has no alternator. This has forced Chevy engineers to introduce expensive redundancy systems to keep the accessories powered.

GM says it will work these tricky engineering problems out, but not in time for the 2010 deadline. Rather than delay the Volt’s release, the company decided to go with those redundant systems to power the accessories, thus bumping the price up. Presumably, the next-generation Volt would have a slimmer price tag, although we’ve never heard an automaker quote prices this far in advance of a debut. Economic factors could still sway the price considerably over the next two years.

The question we want to ask our readers is how much of a difference this makes. Does a $5,000 price increase put the Volt out of reach for you? Would you have considered it at $30,000 but not at $35,000? Let us know what you think.

Wipers, Stereo Raise Price of Chevrolet Volt to $35,000 (Autopia)

Comments

It sucks when any car ends up costing more than you thought it would, however, I doubt that any of these will sell without markups for a while anyway- since most hotly anticipated cars are debuted with price gouging at the dealer level.

I believe that you get what you pay for- hopefully that is true here.

Broq

At $35K this car will be another GM flop. GM will pull all stops to release the car early, the price will be $5K higher than planned and becaused they rushed the quality will suffer (less R&D time). Toyota will then release their pulg in hybrid at a lower price than the Volt with proper R&D time spent with less quality issues.

Let's see - this will come out at $35k, and unproven reliability. Who in their right mind would trust a fresh from the ground up GM product? I suppose at least tax credits will be able to somewhat offset the cost, but still, it's highly suspect.

Toyota meanwhile, will probably release a 4th generation Prius (Gen 1 was not released in the US) with plug in capability in 2010 or 2011 with not only proven reliability, but economies of scale working in its favor and 5 seats. Perhaps the next Prius will start at around $25k due to the crappy dollar, but it will be a much safer bet.

Honda will most likely also introduce a high-efficiency hybrid, perhaps even with a diesel 4-cylinder.

Needless to say, 2010-2015 is going to be mighty interesting in the automotive world.

I don't think the extra 5k will sway anyone that already has their mind set on a next gen super green car. However I don't personally see this car leaving the lots for anything less than 40k at debut. I saw the volt concept in person and it does look interesting to say the least but just by a quick glimpse alone you can see the extreme cost cutting it will have to go through, not to mention the whole aerodynamic redesign. I dont know if is incredibly cost effective but what about a solar panel on the roof to charge the other electronics? Have it feed into a small battery and have it pull from there till used up, then after its drained,then pull from the primary power system. Kind of a hybrid...hybrid. Even some solar panels in the dash like the A-bat concept could work too. Change all interior lighting to low power LED's (here i go harping about LED's again)
In any case Im actually glad to see GM has reached this far in development. Quality being there or not I think this will sell well with some media buzz behind it. While I may not make this my next vehicle, depending upon its abilites I will definitely look forward to its second generation. Now, one can only wonder what the other automakers are whipping up cause im pretty sure by now most of them have taken notice. Although I do have a question for the car Gurus. Weve heard some buzz about a plug in Prius, and Honda is working heavy with Hydrogen, but do you think most of the big automakers will wait for the Volt to come out and observe how it does before releasing their own plug in's onto the market? Im curious to see what Ford may be working on if anything. I went ga ga over the volvo recharge concept and have been salivating over that ever since. I would hate to think that was just a flight of fancy.

Phaeton,
I read on here that Ford is testing plug in hybrid Escapes in California, averaging unbelievable mpg's.

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2008/01/escape-plugin-h.html

Broq

Honda is now offering the FCX Clarity for $600/month on a 3 year lease to So. Cali customers. It's a fuel cell hybrid vehicle.

You can't prove reliability or lack thereof until the vehicle has been released. For those who think that GM doesn't have proven reliability, you should inform yourself better.

So many people seem to have a crystal ball. Sigh.

People of the World - take a look at how Corporate America does business all the time:

"GM says it will work these tricky engineering problems out, but not in time for the 2010 deadline. Rather than delay the Volt’s release, the company decided to go with those redundant systems to power the accessories..."

Rather than releasing a truly good product, Americans (and companies) always set impossible short-term time constraint on products, just to satisfy its own reputation and to make investors/shareholders happy. Once they realized that they've made a poo-poo, then put some bandages on, and release a 2nd-rated product...again to satisfy its own reputation and to make investors/shareholders happy, instead of admitting mistakes and delaying the release so that a truly good product will become available at a latter time.

Hate to say it, but that's how the World views Americans and A. companies - always looking at the short-term yet "poor result" goal instead of the long-term benefits/accomplishments, and sadly, we keep doing this repeatedly rather than doing things the "right" way.

Amuro,
I spent 22 years working for IBM around the globe. I can say beyond a doubt that other countries look at US companies as the Tier 1 of the business world. My job was to translate the business process improvement plans of US companies to foreign ones. In all my years I have never come across any C level executive globally who does look at US companies as being the class leader. You may not like GM, but they are not the only US company. US companies are synonymous with "doing it right the first time". That's how they become and remain class leaders.
A little education goes a long way, and you really should lighten up on the self-hating America speach.

For a change, the market is competing in such a way that consumers might soon have more choices of cars than ever before possible with the potential of incredible leaps in mileage. GM, Toyota, Honda and others are currently in a footrace to see who can get the first, dependable, reliable "Mega-Efficiency" car to market straight from the factory.

The Prius and VW TDIs battle currently for top MPG ratings in the high 40s. Cars like the Chevy Volt and plugin hybrids hold the promise of the magic number--100 mpg. Yes, 60 is better than 50, 70 is better than 60, 80 is better than 70, and 90 is better than 80. But 100 mpg is a magic number. Hit that, or come close, and I suspect a lot of consumers are going to get extremely interested and remain interested, even if the price of gas falls to $1 a gallon.

Subtle changes don't generally get peoples attention the way a sudden change does. In the next few years, the car makers might suddenly deliver to dealer showrooms a vehicle that reaches or approaches the magic number--and a real car that seats 4-5 people as opposed to some sort of glorified golf cart.

A few years from now, if a Chevy Volt and plugin Toyota Prius are both sitting in the local dealership, both delivering the magic number, then I'm going to be highly motivated to trade in my 2000 Saturn. Which will I choose and would the $35K price tag of the Volt deter me? At this point, I honestly do not know. However, I'm inclined to say I'd go for the plugin Prius, even if the Prius were priced at $35K.

All else being equal, I'm going to go for the car with the greater reliability record and smaller "new technology pill" that I'm going to have to swallow. The Prius really exists today, now, and has for several years. The Volt is still a concept that hasn't yet been tested by consumers doing real driving, and sadly GM does not have a stellar record with first year model cars.

That said, I do not expect the Volt to flop. Even if it's the second Mega-Efficient car to market, the market demand is going to swallow up most everything in sight. "Martha, I just love that new plugin Prius, but I've had my people contact every dealer within 500 miles. They're all sold out. Let's go look at the Volt."

$30K is more then we have spent on any new car by a pretty long shot. I could justify it based on the fuel efficiency and the technology. To me $35K is too much to ask and I would be inclined to choose one of the other fuel efficient options first.

As far as I am concerned just because they still can "make the date" if it is not what was promised I don't consider the date really made and that is too bad.

This is getting to be a bit ridiculous. I think for 40k, I will get a Prius and bank the rest for the 2012 Chevy Volt after they have worked the kinks out.

Check out Volt pics, news and more @

http://www.chevy-volt.net

I agree that the new plug-in Prius will be a great car, but you really can't compare it to the Volt. The Prius is a parallel hybrid, able to propel itself with the gasoline engine or the electric motor, or a combination of the two. The Volt is a series hybrid and will be propelled at all times by an electric motor, with the internal combustion engine only serving to generate electricity to recharge the batteries. The Prius is expected to have an all electric range of 7 to 15 miles, and the Volt is expected to go 40 miles before the engine/genset kicks on. I think the Volt will be very reliable from the outset. Electric motors are reliable and relatively simple, and if the only purpose of the on-board internal combustion engine is to generate electricity, it can be tuned to maximum efficiency and will likely run at one steady speed as it spins the generator. The greater electric-only range of the Volt explains its higher price - advanced batteries are incredibly expensive at this point in history. The plug-in Prius might be a better financial decision if we have a steady supply of oil. If there's a supply disruption, folks who buy the Volt will feel pretty good about their purchase. Hats off to GM and Toyota...

All these cars will bought by the Hollywood cool, pc, crowd, so they will pay the big bill, and keep the Hummer in the garage, when the press is around, then, in a couple of years, the cars will be cheaper... as usual.

The real problem here is that not everyone that could benefit from a care like this can afford 35k or even 30k. Think about it.. rich ppl don’t care if they waste gas.. it’s the low to middle income families that need to save money on gas.. and WE can’t afford to pay for cars that cost 30k+

I've seen people Pay over $30K for lesser Hybrids available today?
I have bought many first year GMs and they all were very good. I'm glad GM is doing it right the first time ... unlike the over complicated, unreliable poor performance $30K+ hybrids available now with the exception of the Ford Escape Hybrid which is the best available to date. We are all waiting for the Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that will last 20 years that don't need huge batteries... but the Volt flex fuel system will at least have the reliability of the all electric drive.