http://money.cnn.com/2006/06/23/news...n=money_latest

 

great post


I hope GM turns it around and gets the first plug in. I suspect it will be toyota or honda though.

Regardless, I cant wait!!!!!

 

Being the cynic that I am (and with 60 years experience - god I'm getting old):

I don't suddenly believe that GM has figured out the market and will be the leader. History indicates that will not happen. I hope GM will do it but I agree with Tomdavie that it will probably be either Toyota or Honda.

In the event that GM is the first, I am of the opinion that they would do it the cheapest way with resulting customer dissatisfaction. They will never be the market leader due to the American auto maker philosophy.

 

I hope that GM is actually serious. But I'm afraid I won't believe it until I can walk into a dealership and test-drive a plug-in Pontiac. It just seems that GM's operating philosophy for the past ten years has been "We're Gonna..."

 

GM could dust-off their EV vehicles, force-fit a small engine and remove batteries as needed to adjust the weight and 'voila' - GM hybrid. They've already done it for a pickup. This really isn't rocket science. All it takes is swallowing a little pride and reversing a short-sighed decision made 10 years ago.

Bob Wilson

 

I think another manditory part of the equation is for GM to realize that the average driver really can live with 100-150 HP. Most of the GM vehicles these days are essentially civilian-grade tanks with huge V8 engines that produce 400 HP or more.

It would be a heck of a lot easier to produce a PHEV 4-door sedan with 130 HP than it would be to make a PHEV Escalade with 450 HP.

 

Amen. And it's not just GM. Why do we need 400 HP vehicles? Guess it's the macho thing. I suppose Freud was right...

 

You doubters! Don't you know they'll be among the first to get it out? They'll have great PHEV's, then, after 2 years, pull them all off the market and destroy them publicly, then release the SUPER HUMMER! Watch it pulverize the road!

 

IF GM does develop and market a plug-in hybrid, and IF enough consumers take notice of it (in terms of purchases or leasing, etc.) then it could possibly spur on other automakers to follow suit, and they would hopefully refine the concept GM started with. So for those of us who aren't especially enamored with GM as of late, we can still reap the benefits of their initial attempts with our favorite manufacturers.
Or they could make everyone happy and create a plug-in Hummer...

 

Gang


I have my doubts about GM actually coming thru on that. Remember that Bill Ford also 'promised' a boat load of hybrids to raise stock prices and peak public sediment. Now he pulled the plug.

I now suspect GM is in DEEP trouble and is trying a media trick here.