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Beware Chevy Volt price gouging

Some General Motors dealers across the U.S. have been attempting to profit from would-be early adopters of the Chevy Volt by tacking on high premiums.

In the last few days, car sites have become awash with anecdotal complaints about various dealerships telling interested buyers they will have to pay more than the price GM announced in July if they want one of the first run cars.

The most egregious example reportedly took place at one Southern California Chevy dealership, which unwittingly told an Edmunds.com staffer via e-mail that he would have to pay $20,000 in addition to … Read more

Minor differences aside, Leaf, Volt gird for grid battle

NASHVILLE--The Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf have less in common, aside from the hype behind them, than you might think. But marketers are preparing the two battery-powered cars for head-to-head battle for green-conscious American consumers, even though the two will compete head-on in just a handful of markets.

Last week, General Motors said it will price the Volt at $41,000, a stiff $8,220 above the Leaf's retail price, set in March, of $32,780. The Volt's price includes a shipping charge; Nissan hasn't set the Leaf's shipping charge. Also, a buyer of either car is eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit.

But backed by anticipated strong residual value from an aggressive eight-year/100,000-mile warranty on the Volt, GM said it also will offer a lease on the battery-driven Chevy of $350 a month for 36 months after a $2,500 down payment.

That plan clearly targets the Leaf's lease plan of $349 a month for 36 months after $1,999 down. And leasing likely will dominate electric-car transactions for the near future, said Mark Perry, Nissan North America's director of Leaf product planning.

"It doesn't matter," Perry said as he drove to an electric-vehicle conference in San Jose, Calif., last week. "We're still the most affordable electric vehicle."

Nissan immediately said it would offer an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty on the Leaf, citing "U.S. market competitive conditions." … Read more

GM invests in electric vehicle start-up Bright

General Motors has invested in electric vehicle company Bright Automotive, marking the first investment by the auto giant's venture-capital arm.

The companies said Tuesday that the investment by recently created GM Ventures for an undisclosed amount will give GM a minority stake in Anderson, Ind.-based Bright and accelerate Bright's plans to manufacture a plug-in hybrid van that can get up to 100 miles per gallon.

Bright designed the hybrid gas-electric utility van, called the Idea, specifically for fleet vehicle operators. The company was spun out of the Rocky Mountain Institute think tank and co-founded by John Waters, … Read more

How much does cost matter in first wave of EVs?

For the price of the Volt, you could buy almost two hybrids from competitors. But in these early days of electric vehicles, a cold economic analysis doesn't really apply.

Ending years of speculation, General Motors on Tuesday said the Chevy Volt will cost $41,000 or can be leased for $350 a month over three years with a $2,500 payment.

The price tag appeared to have surprised many people who wondered how a car with that price can be aimed at mainstream consumers, which is GM's intention in making an electric-gas hybrid with a longer range than … Read more

GM Chevy Volt on sale now for $41,000

Three and a half years after introducing the concept Chevy Volt electric car, General Motors is finally answering the question of its price: $41,000 before a federal tax credit.

GM disclosed the pricing and touted the 340-mile range of the Chevy Volt on Tuesday at a conference on plug-in vehicles in San Jose, Calif.

The cost of a lease is $350 a month for 36 months with a $2,500 down payment. The Volt, which has an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty, qualifies for a $7,500 federal tax credit, which brings the net purchase price to $33,500 after … Read more

Can't find your car? There's an app for that

Pretty soon, there will be an app for everything. And that trend is starting with your car.

OnStar released an app that works with almost the entire 2011 lineup of GM vehicles, and gives its subscribers remote access to many of the vehicle's key on and off functions, diagnostics, and vehicle information. With this app, you will never need to remember anything about your car.

So what can you do with this application?

Remotely lock and unlock the vehicle Honk the horn to locate your car Start the vehicle Turn car lights on and off Check the fuel tank … Read more

How Chevy's Volt keeps its cool

DETROIT--The long warranty--eight years or 100,000 miles--on the Chevrolet Volt battery got the headline last week. But the battery's liquid heating and cooling system helped make it possible.

Batteries last longer and perform better when they avoid extremes of hot and cold. And because liquid cooling systems are more compact than air-cooled systems, General Motors Co. engineers had room for more battery cells.

The Volt hybrid, which goes on sale late this year, can drive 40 miles on the battery. Then a gasoline engine kicks in to generate electricity for the motor.

Standard auto coolant circulates … Read more

2016 is showdown time for ethanol

Is ethanol for real as an automotive fuel? Or is it just a mirage propped up by the federal fuel economy credits that automakers get by building vehicles that can burn the stuff?

That issue will play out after 2016, as CAFE credits for ethanol phase out, says Mike Omotoso, an analyst at J.D. Power and Associates.

Speaking last week at a conference of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Omotoso said he expects production of so-called flex-fuel vehicles--capable of using either gasoline or E85 ethanol--to dwindle.

CAFE credits for flex-fuel vehicles will be allowed up to the … Read more

EPA negs Volt's 230 mpg fuel economy formula

How many miles a Chevrolet Volt can travel on a single gallon of gas is still up for debate. The EPA rejected the formula that General Motors used to calculate its 230 mpg estimate for the extended range vehicle. In GM's defense, it used a draft formula that the EPA developed for testing plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Using those calculations, GM has been promoting a 40-mile range on a single charge of the battery when driving the Volt in EV mode. Yet when using its gasoline-powered engine generator to propel the vehicle, the Volt would be able to extend its … Read more