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Toyota Denies it Denigrated the Volt 2007-11-21 09:08:54 An article was just published in the New York Times about the green tint of the L.A. Auto Show. The article discusses comments Bob Lutz made about Toyota. He referred to “a showdown at the O.K. Corral”, referencing an “unnamed” Asian automaker’s presentation at the Tokyo auto show in which the Volt was dismissed as a PR scam, having lithium-ion batteries that won’t work, and being car that will never come to market. Now there is a new response from Toyota: “That never happened — it was never said,” responded Mike Michels, corporate manager for external communications at Toyota. “We aren’t trash-talking anyone.” Of course, since we have been following Volt news since the concept was first revealed, there is plenty of evidence of negative Toyota comments: Toyota Believes its Parallel Hybrid Approach is Better Than Volts Series Design Toyota Hybrid Manager Says Even His Wife Wouldn’t Plug-in Her Car Toyota President Claims We Must Go Be ...

Your Questions Answered by Top Chevy Volt Executives, Part 4 2007-11-20 07:04:36 Q: Will anyone have the chance to beta-test cars? A: “We have not finalized any official plans around that. We are looking at and investigating various types of demonstration opportunities whether they involve formal agencies or get direct to customers that has not been determined yet.”..”From a selfish perspective this vehicle will behave a little differently Project Driveway will be a great learning experiences, and getting that feedback earlier with a small sample size, it’s something that we’re looking at but no definitive plans have been made.” Q: Do you expect the Volt to be sold through conventional dealership channels, or could people buy it on the internet directly? A:(TP) “All of the Chevy dealers will have experience with our Malibu hybrid (mild) our 2-mode hybrid (Tahoe) and that great leverage for us to build upon rather than create something new. Selling through the conventional channels will be particularly important for the pea ...

Your Questions Answered by Top Chevy Volt Executives, Part 3 2007-11-19 07:10:55 Q: Are you on schedule with the mules? A: “Yes we’re on schedule.”…”The definition of what kind of mule is ready when I’m not going to define.”..(SF) “We will definitely let you know when its ready.” Q: Are you planning to lease the battery? Is it still on the table? A: (TP) “No decisions have been made one way or the other. Remember we have leased vehicles before, such as Project Driveway..There are all kinds of ways to make sure the technology works.”..”We are exploring a lot of different ideas and alternatives. That’s where we’re at in the program right now” ..”Were intrigued with the ideas of replaces a petroleum or gasoline bill with a different energy bill”..”How to transact that, it could get a little dicey or complicated.”..”Uncertainty around the battery itself, how much does it cost, how much is it worth, is there a secondary market around it”..&rdqu ...

Your Questions Answered by Top Chevy Volt Executives, Part 2 2007-11-17 23:00:04 Q: Are you going to use specialized lightweight materials? A: (TP) “Some. The car will be more conventional than it will be groundbreaking in mass”..“We will use selective items where we feel we can manage the risk.”..“it would be shame if the battery came in in time, but the…’aluminum hood’ was late” Q: So the car will have a steel frame then? A: (TP) “Yes” Q: Is there any possibility of this car coming our in 2009? A: (TP) “No.” A: (DG) There’s another factor when it comes to time frame. As Tony mentioned, this battery doesn’t exist. These battery suppliers have to build manufacturing capability. They have to build plants, they have to build equipment, and they have to go through their trial and error of tooling this battery as well, and that takes time.” Q: Will multiple range battery sizes be offered? A: (TP) “Not in the first version.”.. “We can imagine a day when the customer has a choice or check box..give me a 20 mile range ...

Your Questions Answered by Top Chevy Volt Executives, Part I 2007-11-17 06:48:07 I met with Tony Posawatz, GM’s E-Flex vehicle line director and Denise Gray, advanced battery director armed with >250 of your questions from our GM-Volt.com community. In more than 2 hours of discussion we covered a lot of ground, dozens were answered. Here is the first installment. Q: How will people in apartments deal with cars that have to be plugged in? A: (TP) “Our main focus is on the vehicle and getting it correct and running”. “We are beginning to do some work and discussions about electrical infrastructure” “We’re anticipating that’s going to be a help-required area, it’s not our business to do that” “Our studies show that 80% of people have relatively easy access (to the grid)” Q: Will GM also allow faster charging from a 220 v outlet, besides regular 110 v charging? A: (TP) “That’s our direction right now because we want to offer a choice to the customer” “We hope and e ...

More Bob Lutz Volt Q & A 2007-11-16 15:27:23 U.S. News and World Report got to ask a few more questions than I did of Bob Lutz at the L.A. Auto Show press day. Among other things, when asked if he thinks the Volt will work out, he said “There would have to be some horrible surprise for it not to work.” He talked about how the initial Volt plan intended a lot of batteries and 100 mile range, but was later changed to 40 miles and less batteries by VP Jon Lauckner. He is quoted as saying the Volt team said “2010 is an impossible target”. With respect to production numbers of 60,000 he says “Within a few years we hope to be producing hundreds of thousands. This is potentially the reinvention of the automobile.” He also addresses the risk of this program to GM. Our very extensive GM-Volt.com Q&A is coming shortly so stay tuned. Source (US News and World Report) ... Amp

The Chevy Volt’s Battery Has Been Born and Director Denise Gray Tells us About it 2007-11-16 07:15:17 Denise Gray I just completed two days of discussion with key Chevy Volt executives and brought with me the list of the questions you asked right here. Since at the time of the meetings, there were more than 250 questions, I had to boil them down a little. I got to spend a couple of hours with Tony Posawatz, Volt Vehicle Line Director, and Denise Gray, Battery Chief along with Rob Peterson and Scott Fosgard of GM public relations. Due to the sheer volume of questions, we couldn’t get to them all initially but did eventually get to most; I will break the answers up over a few posts. So check in daily for them all. First, I wanted to share with you firsthand information about the very first Chevy Volt lithium-ion battery pack which is now sitting in GMs advanced battery lab in Detroit. The pack is from LG Chem and Compact Power Inc. Denise also mentioned that the pack has fully integrated electronic control systems as well as a functioning liquid cooling system (contrary to prior r ...

Clarification: Chevy Volt Will Not be Based on Malibu 2007-11-15 07:00:47 Before we get on to the massive Q and As, I felt a need to clarify a certain point.  People might be getting the misconception the the Chevy Volt will be based on the Malibu.  See this article so titled: (LINK). This isn’t true.  Lutz said the concept’s aerodynamics were not good enough for the efficiencies required for the Volt to get a 40 mile range, and thus had to be re-designed.  This “production Volt” will still look like the concept in some ways.  GM is not releasing the design yet or saying much about it.  Per designer Bob Boniface he wants to keep it a surprise (see my interview). Lutz said old version Malibus will serve as Volt test mules, but will not have anything to do visually with the final design. Also, the plan is for the car to be available in November 2010, not 2011, it will just be known as a 2011 Chevy Volt. ...

Lutz: Chevy Volt Production to Begin November 2010 2007-11-14 17:50:57 I caught up to Bob Lutz again today at the L.A. Auto Show press day. After unveiling the new green series of Chevrolets including a new 2-mode hybrid Silverado pick-up truck and plans to produce one of the new mini cars called the Beat, with an expected 50 mpg highway mpg, Mr. Lutz was scrummed by reporters after his talk. This term scrum apparently means surrounded. I poked into the crowd and picked him up saying a few things. In particular he gave the first specific production date for the Volt, now more detailed than ever. It will be November 2010; and, per spokespersons, will be released as a 2011 model year. Further, Mr. Lutz went on to disclose some global production plans; indicating that Chevy Volts will be sold in multiple countries beyond the U.S., and as such, will be built in left and right side driver versions. He was also expressive about Toyota’s previous comments that the Volt would only get 10 miles of electric range (like their plug-in prototypes). Lutz said ...

My Chevy Volt Question to Bob Lutz 2007-11-14 07:56:22 Robert and Me I attended a blogger dinner at which GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz was the keynote speaker. (Full disclosure; GM paid for me to fly out and stay there.) During the event, I was one of a few people who had the opportunity to ask Mr. Lutz one question. His answer was rich and rewarding and covered some of the questions people asked on our previous post. My question was “In April you were quoted as saying you were 90% confident the Volt would be produced. Considering interval developments, has that number increased?” Mr. Lutz’ answer was a resounding “Yes”. He said GM is now “fully committed” to producing the car. He no longer considers the lithium-ion battery packs as the sticking point, the only issue now is systems integration. Mr. Lutz pointed out that the first of four battery packs has been delivered. One more from CPI and two from A123 will arrive by year end. He noted that initial bench tests of the first battery pack were ...

60% of New U.S. Car Buyers are Against Buying American Brands 2007-11-12 23:00:28 In an article in the Detroit Press, figures are given with respect to the 2.7 million Americans shopping for a new family sedan. According to GM research, 20% have an American brand in mind prior to purchase, and 20% are “import neutral”; they would buy either U.S. or foreign. However, the majority, a full 60% are against buying a U.S. brand car and those people vary from mild to severely averse. The point of this article was that the U.S. automakers despite now making great cars still struggle against their mistakes of the 80s and 90s. Bob Lutz sees recent declines in Toyota quality ratings as a window of opportunity for GM. Although the Chevy Volt was not mentioned by name, it’s introduction might just turn the tide. Source (Detroit Free Press) ...

GM-Volt Exclusive Feature: Ask the Chevy Volt Leadership Team Your Questions 2007-11-11 13:37:07 One of the most important things we are doing here at GM-Volt.com is building a community of people who are interested in owning and driving this groundbreaking new car. We are striving to keep the development of this car as transparent and accessible to the public as possible, and allow for public feedback to GM about the car and the process. We also help to educate one another and people new to the idea of the range-extended electric car. To these ends, I have been given the opportunity in the immediate future to sit down with the Volt’s top-tier executive management team to discuss the current state of Chevy Volt development and related issues. I wish we could all be there, but I am your willing representative. In keeping with that role I would really like to bring your questions to the table and get them answered individually. These are the General Motors executives with whom I’ll be speaking: Bob Lutz: GM Vice Chairman (buck stops there) Frank Weber: E-Flex Vehicl ...

Will There be an E-Flex Saturn? 2007-11-10 08:43:49 Recently we told you there was some information that GM was planning an E-Flex surprise for us in January at the Detroit Auto Show (prior post). This was not verified, but reliable. Yesterday the GMinsidenews forum published a brief interview with Jill Lajdiak who is GM’s Saturn brand manager. Among other points of discussion, this interchange took place: GMI: Fuel economy and alternative fuels are becoming a big factor in car buyers’ decisions. What direction is the Saturn Green Line going to take when it comes to future propulsion? JL: We currently offer our BAS hybrid system in the Aura and Vue Green Line models. We’ve announced that we’ll offer a full two-mode hybrid and plug-in in a future Vue model. And keep your eyes open at this year’s Detroit show for another surprise. So, you can see, green technologies are very important to our brand. So we have heard there will be an E-Flex surprise in January, and we now hear there will be a fuel economy Saturn surprise in ...

Introducing the 2-Mode Hybrid Cadillac Escalade 2007-11-09 10:25:59 GM has done it again. They have moved their groundbreaking 2-mode hybrid drivetrain into another very large vehicle, the luxury Cadillac Escalade. Using this drivetrain, the vehicles will get a 50% increase in city fuel economy. These new Cadillac models will premiere this Friday, November 9 at the South Florida International Auto Show in Miami. They will also appear at next week’s Los Angeles International Auto Show. The full press release is below: ESCALADE HYBRID: CADILLAC PREMIERES THE FIRST HYBRID IN A LARGE LUXURY SUV MIAMI – Cadillac announced the world premiere of the Escalade Hybrid, the world’s first fuel-saving hybrid applied to a large luxury SUV. Powered by an innovative, fuel-saving 2-Mode Hybrid system, Escalade Hybrid will deliver more than a 50-percent improvement in fuel economy in city driving – all while delivering the same distinctive style, segment-leading features and full-size capability that have made the Escalade an icon. “Escalade, already ... Hybrid

Toyota’s People Think the Volt Will Blow up in GM’s Face 2007-11-09 07:02:34 In the battle to be the world’s number one automaker, at times things get a little ugly. We have heard alot about how Toyota thinks the Prius’ conservative parallel design is superior to E-Flex, and how they conservatively believe lithium-ion isn’t ready for cars yet (although they have that little Vitz secret), or that maybe something better than lithium-ion batteries is need to power electric cars (previous post). Toyota is predicted to overtake GM in total vehicle sales for year 2007 for the first time in history. Their name has also become synonymous with “green car” due to the success of the Prius. With GM’s very public and transparent plans and process to bring the Volt to production, Toyota is feeling threatened. Furthermore, groups of environmentalists are lobbying against Toyota’s green cred, because for one thing they oppose CAFE limits and for another, build big gas guzzling Tundras.  In fact, a site about this has been created by ...