As the 2017 Chevrolet Volt extended range EV begins to hit dealer lots nationwide, Steve Majoros, Chevrolet Marketing Director, sat down with Inside EVs to talk about how the team plans on pitching the new extended range electric vehicle to the public, which launched this past fall as a 2016 model.
“I think that we focused more on the architecture and the mechanics versus the promise of what Volt delivered, which was a cleaner, more environmentally friendly, more technologically advanced system with electrification at the heart of its propulsion system,” stated Majoros. “We would not be putting this product out there if we weren’t bullish on it and didn’t feel it was going to make a difference for us from a sales share, and dealers and customer standpoint.”
The first-generation Volt may not have met early sales goals (remember, a projected 60,000 annually?) and that may have been because customers may have had a hard time understanding how it works. With the all-new Chevrolet Volt, the marketing team has a chance to alleviate that.
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Will this car be marketed as an electric vehicle... or a gas vehicle? It's hard to do both well! Still to date, I have never figured out GM's point of view of this, for this car.
I think (and yes, my thought only) that the Volt should get the 200 electric miles per charge battery and a smaller sized gas tank, and be marketed as an electric vehicle only! But that's just me
And you are a bullshit!
Leave the Volt as it is: A electric vehicle with a gas engine assist.. It is a "hybrid" but it is the only one that can travel at 99 MPH as a full EV, and has the best extended range.
The Volt is a great "mixed use" vehicle; I own a 2015 model. For my daily commute the Volt runs as an EV, using virtually no gasoline. However, for longer weekend trips -- and my annual holiday sojourn up to Massachusetts (about 700 miles round trip) -- the Volt seamlessly switches to gas mode, still getting a respectable 37 mpg (after the first 38 miles gas-free).
An electric-only vehicle -- even ones like the Leaf with longer range -- would not work for me because of the long weekend and holiday treks. Unless I also had access to a second, gas-powered, vehicle for those trips, I would have to either rent a car, break the long trips into multi-day excursions (and pay for motel rooms and EV recharge stations), or skip those trips all together -- not what I want to do.
The Volt, however, lets me enjoy the eco-friendly experience of driving an EV for my daily commute without having to sacrifice those longer trips (or rent another car for them). It's the best of both worlds!
I don't understand why Chevrolet does not advertise this aspect of the product, as this is precisely what makes the Volt different from (I would say better than) other EVs and hybrids out there. In fact, I don't see any advertising for the Volt at all except for the literature I picked up in the showroom -- but by then I already knew what I was looking for. I don't think the sales people would have even pointed me in that direction if I hadn't asked specifically about the Volt. If Chevy wants to get close to their original sales goal set for the Volt (60,000 units per year), they really need to get the image of the product out there and sell its REAL advantages. Right now, the $7500 tax credit puts the Volt in the ballpark of similar vehicles; once that goes away, Chevy will have a much harder time selling the vehicle unless they drop the price correspondingly.
I've been ready to buy a 2017 Volt for months, but the dealer tells me every time I ask - "No ACC yet". It's not like Chevrolet has no experience with Advanced Cruise Control. So why the "delayed availability"? At least "Why not"?
The Tesla3 will be announced next week - maybe we don't want a Volt after all.
Because the Model 3 IS A BULLSHIT! I will buy the 2017 Volt AFTER ALL!!!!!