General Motors has announced that it is increasing first-year production of the Chevrolet Volt by 50 per cent.
Only days after order books for the range-extender hybrid opened, GM said that “strong public interest” had persuaded it to raise the US production capacity for the car from 30,000 units in 2012 to 45,000.
Read the full story on the Chevrolet Volt going on sale
The announcement was timed to coincide with a visit by US president Barack Obama to the Volt’s production facility in Detroit. GM chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre said, “We are proud to host the president of the United States at this plant, where the future of the American automobile industry is being built today by the men and women of General Motors.”
Key to the Volt’s production figures will be its battery supply chain. GM’s cell supplier, LG Chem/Compact Power, recently started work on a 650,000sq ft factory in Holland, Michigan.
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Re: Chevy Volt production increased
Why single out climate change as the only justification for the Volt? Energy independence and rising fuel costs are also strong reasons for economical cars like the Volt. I do find it mildly amusing how cars such as the Volt seem to draw out equally fundamentalist bashers who appear to be far more enraged by the existence of the Volt than environmentalists are by the Hummer.
Re: Chevy Volt production increased
I do agree that the Volt is expensive, but some of the difference you are quoting will be made up by grants (or reductions of purchase tax), reduced road tax, massively reduced running costs when run of electricity (approx 20% of the cost per mile compared the the 520d) and possible local savings such as no London congestion charge. If you factor all these in over 3 years, the gap to the Mondeo in total cost of ownership will be small.
Re: Chevy Volt production increased
I don't know how anyone can yet have really strong feelings about whether this car will succeed or fail because there is not really a precedent for it, except for perhaps the Prius (which, of course, has been pretty damned popular). It's a new idea and like a lot of new ideas it is initially expensive, but the proof of the pudding will be about three years down the line when all the real world issues surrounding the car should have been worked out.