The Chevrolet Volt is not a sports car. It’s a compact car that shares a lot with the well-rounded 2018 Chevrolet Cruze on the D2XX platform. The problem? Cruze sales are not good, and the Cruze doesn’t have the added price of being a plug-in hybrid like the Volt does.
Add in the fact that the market has an unquenchable thirst for crossovers and SUVs, and the Volt’s future looks pretty dim. However, we’ve heard rumors General Motors may only abandon the Volt in body style only, and it could become a plug-in crossover.
If GM and Chevrolet don’t reincarnate the Volt as a plug-in CUV, it will be a seriously missed opportunity.
Let’s start with name recognition. Nearly everyone knows what the Volt is, and almost anyone asked can identify it as a Chevrolet. The brand made a pretty big splash when the car first debuted in production form years ago, and Chevy built admirable cache for the nameplate, despite its lackluster sales.
Tossing away the Volt altogether would be a misstep in my eyes, especially as the climate for plug-in hybrids warms and consumers cozy up to the idea of plugging their vehicles in rather than simply filling the tank.
Secondly, and this point is obvious, the crossover craze isn’t going away anytime soon. High fuel prices may have squashed the crossover and SUV market last decade, but now, CUVs and even some SUVs return respectable fuel economy not unlike mid-size sedans. There’s room for another crossover in Chevrolet’s lineup, and its (powerful) differentiator could be the Voltec powertrain. I own a Volt, it’s a marvelous testament to GM’s engineering team.
Lastly, it would be a shame to see GM go all in on purely electric cars without wiggle room for those who still want, or need, a gasoline backup. The Volt never exudes range anxiety, but offers 95 percent of a battery-electric car’s benefits in one package.
Even charging the Volt overnight in a standard outlet isn’t much of a compromise as it gives plenty of time for the slow trickle to fill the battery by dawn. No annoying scouting for public charging here. A plug-in crossover would court the mainstream consumer with a high seating position, abundant cargo space and the current Volt’s excellent fuel efficiency in one package.
It stumps me that GM hasn’t rolled out a plug-in crossover yet, and the Koreans are already working on cornering the market with the Kia Niro. But, no one knows what a Niro is. The majority know the Volt, and I think “CrossVolt” has a nice ring to it.
Comments
The real question is are sales down just because of the car sales being down or are they down because now the Bolt is here and sales are taking off?
I am getting a feeling that most people wanting any kind of EV are wanting a full EV model not a hybrid. The Prius is no longer the vehicle it was too. The Bolt and Leaf both are showing growth.
Take the Volt and make it a CUV like the one that was shown for China and make it a full up scaled Bolt system with a larger battery.
I know if I had to chose between the two and I wanted an EV it would be the bolt over the Volt for beating around town.
I think it has a lot to do with car sales in general and also a lack of clear marketing focus on what a Volt actually is / does. GM will never do it because of how much it would eat into profits but the perfect platform for the Volt drive-train is a pickup truck. Instant torque at zero RPM, improved economy, large, body on frame architecture which would make battery mounting & locations easier…just to name a few. Problem is, it would destroy multiples thousands of dollars in profits on each unit currently sold. It would be cool though…
i think people who want ev’s are 2+ car households whereas people with only one car would prefer the plugin hybrid over an ev.
This is true but most homes are 2+ car homes anymore.
The Volt did its job on range panic but now with cars over 300 miles that is gone.
Only trips need an ICE engine so you can keep on your way and not waste time in Bluefield WV for 8 hours.
From a linguistic and marketing point of view I wouldn’t put the name ‘Cruze’ on anything. It’s a fake word that sounds like a real word and conjures up the word ‘ooze’ as well. It rhymes with LOSE.
Names matter. Imagine renaming Camaro as ‘Phast’. Or ‘Mussle’. YUCK.
For many years smaller entry level cars from all sorts of companies have been given lame names. It’s like the car companies intentionally give it a semi-sucky name so that you unconsciously feel compelled to buy something with a better name. The Ford Aspire didn’t even bother to make this subliminal.
So (obviously) I believe Chevy has failed to give the Cruze an interesting name in the first place, which means, it’s got to go anyway.
But what of the Volt? I agree that the name is not only recognizable but solid in and of itself. But instead of naming a CUV after it I’d Denali Volt. The Trax Volt. The Malibu Volt. The Equinox Volt.
The name Volt needs not to be added to everything.
You want people to accept these vehicles as main stream then treat them as such. Add EV to the name at best.
Like Humner it would have been better as a GMC model vs division. Much easier to control and change with the market.
The Cruze problems are much deeper than a name. A highly competitive segment in a dying sedan market has all there is to do with it.
Many have yet to grasp names and numbers do not sell cars. The type of vehicle, compelling styling, safety, utility, performance, mpg, reputation and above all price.
Names hold so little drama in buying a car out side Corvette.
John Camry and Civc sell tons of cars on pointless names.
“The name Volt needs not to be added to everything.”
Never said everything.
“You want people to accept these vehicles as main stream then treat them as such. Add EV to the name at best.”
You don’t understand marketing. As the article points out the Volt name worked.
“The Cruze problems are much deeper than a name.”
Never said they weren’t.
“Many have yet to grasp names and numbers do not sell cars.”
a. Good luck selling the Ford 666 in Utah.
b. Guaranteed way to make Sonic sales plummet? Name it the Chevy Doosh.
c. Just because you don’t understand something doesn’t make it untrue
“The type of vehicle, compelling styling, safety, utility, performance, mpg, reputation and above all price.”
Also the name, the advertising, the dealer, and the sales person. Can’t pick and choose.
“Camry and Civic sell tons of cars on pointless names.”
Again, just because you don’t understand something doesn’t make it untrue. Camry and Civic aren’t pointless names. The word you were looking for was vague or bland.
Civic is easy. Civic is actually a word. Unlike Cruze it can’t be pointless because you can actually look ‘Civic’ up in a dictionary.
Civic is most often used in “your Civic duty”. Older generations experience something called ‘Civics class’. Both have smart connotations for a small car which is basic transportation.
You see a person who doesn’t understand this game would say, “Call it the Honda Basic and let it’s price and overall reputation sell it.” The thing you haven’t grasped is people don’t like being called ‘Basic’.
Civic, on the hand, means they are part of a community. A society. Something that is beyond you but not most people. So when a person buys a Civic they feel like they are part of something. Whether they want to or not.
Camry, on the other hand, isn’t an actual word. But it is an anagram of ‘my car’. That’s not an accident.
That’s marketing.
“Camry, on the other hand, isn’t an actual word. But it is an anagram of ‘my car’. That’s not an accident.”
To refer to wikipedia for this:
“The name “Camry” is an Anglicized phonetic transcription of the Japanese word kanmuri (ja:冠, かんむり), meaning “crown”. This follows Toyota’s naming tradition of using the crown name for primary models starting with the Toyota Crown (1955), continuing with the Toyota Corona (1957) and Corolla (1966); the Latin words for “crown” and “small crown”, respectively. Maintaining this theme was the Toyota Tiara (1960) named after the “tiara” form of crown. The Atara trim level name used on the Camry in Australia since 2011 means “crown” in Hebrew. The rebadged Camry variant for Japan, the Toyota Scepter (1991)—took its name from “scepter”, a royal accessory to a crown.”
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Camry#Etymology
That bit about the Camry name being an anagram is whats known as a ‘coincidence’, not clever marketing, and they happen more often than you think. ‘A Toyotas a toyota’ and ‘U r a bus’, but I’m not buying that nonsense about ‘my car’.
If you were correct about the ‘Camry anagram’ being the work of marketers, then the same must be said of the Toyota Corona being a clever anagram for Racoon.
I read the Wiki too. I didn’t say Toyota sat down and said, “Gee… we need an anagram to sell car.” What I’m saying is when Camry was presented for consideration, someone may have liked it for that reason.
Us Volt owners are puzzled (astounded) that this great car is not marketed. I have NEVER seen an ad for the car. Yes, other car batteries are improving and are great for intra city, but if I can’t drive my car to Vegas or Denver without stopping to charge, it is useless to me.
Most owners of Volts know much more about the car and it’s features than dealers and sales people.
Great car from Chev but failure on marketing.
I believe you’re absolutely right, GM should definitely make a 3rd generation Volt a crossover affair. I’m not a fan of the Crossvolt name though.
On my second Volt now, is a great car that would sell better with ads and discounts. No way would I kill the name, but have to agree with the trends towards crossovers and suv. Chevy needs a small BEV pickup but with a new name. I’d trade asap for a sporty AWD EV suv that can tow 2k lbs. In my opinion it would be ok to make a Voltec propulsion system an option across the lineup if the car doesn’t continue itself. Just do it.
For what it’s worth, I need a CUV with the Volt powertrain rather than a pure EV CUV.
An EV CUV would satisfy my day-to-day driving needs, but on weekends to cottage country, there is no easy way to recharge other than the long way — with 110V and a LONG extension cord. And the price of electricity is double in cottage country too thanks to huge delivery charges.
An EV CUV only becomes practical in non-urban areas when there is a network superchargers where you can get a quick charge while you’re stopping for lunch or even 10 minutes when you’re picking up a coffee and having a pee break.
In my mind, the Volt & Bolt would be off the same platform — two different body styles — and both powertrains could be offered — so that you can mix and match body styles and powertrains as you desire.
The volt is great the way it is! Crossovers are a fad! Have leased mine for 2 years and I think it’s great. No worries about running out of electric power. And you can select it when you want to use the electric as a reserve tank. And plenty of room for Stuff.
By offering a Volt Malibu you make the Volt a better car all around. I could barely get into the strange backseat of the Volt and I couldn’t get out without help. (It’s not ‘fad’ that sells CUVs.)
By offering a Volt Trax you take care of the people who’d rather not be contortionists.
Great idea, let’s take the efficient shape of the Volt and replace it with a less aerodynamic shape. The Volt is about efficiency, making it taller and more bulky defeats it’s main purpose and makes it less good at everything it exists for.
The Volt should definitely stick around. There are still far too many limitations to a pure EV at this point if you live outside of California. The best thing about the Volt (besides not being a chubby crossover), is that it can run on electricity for the commute during the week, and on gasoline for a roadtrip over the weekend.
I agree 100% that there needs to be a Volt SUV. I agree Volt and Bolt should and frankly can be on one basic car platform which all car companies know how to do. And given Bolt’s already 238 mile range, I can easily for see a Volt SUV over 100 miles on EV only. I also want a car I can drive ANYwhere; I live in Massachusetts and go to Vermont, Quebec City, and Florida. I require the ICE. Release new Volts and Bolts at the same time on the same basic platform to keep parts and software in common.
i don’t electric cars going anywhere + guess government subsidies are the only reason they even exist!!