Mustang Parts
   Carrying Saleen wheels and Bullitt wheels.

Sunday, March 07, 2010

Volt Sighting: Detroit Zoo

I took the family to the Detroit Zoo today, to take advantage of the warm sunny weather, and here is what I spotted in the parking deck: a Volt powertrain calibration vehicle.


What surprised me the most about seeing the Volt up close was its size. This is a compact car, not much (if any) larger than a Prius. It was parked next to a current model Malibu, on one side, and a large crossover utility on the other, and it looked small. The GM employee who was driving the car had installed an infant seat in the back behind the driver, and it took up all the space, touching the driver's seat. The car also seemed noticeably short, and according to Edmunds, the Volt is 3" shorter than the Prius.

The volt is definitely going to be a technical triumph, but if it comes in at $35,000+ retail, I don't see how it will be a commercial success.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It has been awhile since I followed the Volt, but last I heard is the base price was ~$40k before taxes/fees. So you were talking $45k out of pocket and a ~10 year return of investment with $3 per gallon gasoline costs.

Too be honest while the tech is very cool, the Volt is only for fanatics who rather give their money away buying the car to be green than invest it and actual earn money.

Should have been a Caddy to support that price... or Porsche 918... :)