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GM CEO Mary Barra Says Customers ‘Aren’t Interested’ In Hybrids

General Motors CEO Mary Barra spoke at a conference hosted by British investment bank Barclays in New York this week, where she addressed a number of pertinent topics, including GM’s forthcoming new fully electric pickup truck and the automaker’s future strategy for electrified vehicles.

GM has already said that it is abandoning hybrids altogether, instead choosing to focus its electrified vehicle efforts entirely on full EVs. Barra elaborated on the topic when speaking in New York this week, though, saying that “customers aren’t interested in hybrids,” based on its findings. GM also sees hybrids as a stop-gap to fully electric vehicles – so instead of investing in the stepping stone, GM wants to puts its money toward the solution.

Not all automakers think this way, though. Electric vehicles are more expensive than hybrids and conventional gas or diesel vehicles, so some companies are hesitant to go all-in on a vehicle type that is bound to have a high price tag, limited demand and limited profit margins. Toyota, for example, isn’t going all-in on EVs and remains confident that cars like the Prius, Prius Prime, Corolla Hybrid and RAV4 Hybrid can put up strong sales numbers and deliver decent margins while also helping to reduce fuel consumption and vehicle emissions.

GM admits that EVs won’t be making a ton of profit for the company at first. The company’s Chief Financial Officer, Dhivya Suryadevara, also spoke at the Barclays conference this week and told investors in attendance that its early electric vehicles, like the forthcoming electric pickup truck, will be “margin dilutive.” Even when they do make money, they won’t be as profit-heavy as conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, she said.

GM discontinued the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid early this year and currently has no hybrid vehicles in its portfolio. The automaker is making major investments in electric vehicles, however, with plans to launch a fully electric pickup truck by fall 2021. It is also expected to launch the new Chevrolet Bolt EUV crossover sometime next year, which will compete with electric crossovers like the Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia Niro EV. It will also enter the luxury electric vehicle marketplace with a new Cadillac EV crossover, which it showed a design sketch of earlier this year.

GM seems to be covering lots of segments with its various upcoming electric vehicles, but it remains to be seen if it will be able to convert buyers of internal combustion vehicles over to electric, or if it will be able to attract those who have already made the switch away from Tesla.

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Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

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Comments

  1. I would be more intrested in a hybrid than ev,
    Not enough charging stations across the continent,

    Imho

    Reply
    1. I agree with you Scott. I just purchased a 2019 Malibu Premier. I was originally dead set on buying the hybrid trim, however, none of the dealerships in my area had any available to test drive. I wasn’t going to purchase a car that I could not drive first. Not only that, but the Hybrid trim level on the Malibu does not offer Adaptive Cruise Control, or the Bose Sounds System; two things I wanted for my new car. I will say I am more than happy with my purchase and 33mph average more than acceptable for a 250hp turbo engine.

      Reply
      1. NASA can bring back the all electric moon rover. Aka moon buggy ?

        I believe it was all solar….

        Reply
      2. Brandan, I fully understand your frustration with trying to buy a hybrid from GM; luckily when I went to buy my Volt they had one on the lot (probably the only dealer in town with any) so I did get a test drive which sold me on the Volt. Your report of lack of dealer interest in these hybrid cars has been repeated many times on this blog, again indicating GM’s total lack of interest in properly marketing them. Why, Mary, why?

        Reply
    2. Charging stations are not the issue, since every home has 120 VAC and 240 VAC outlets that can charge any EV or plug-in hybrid. The average trip is 30 miles, yet all manufactured EVs cover that easily. And the great majority of EV owners are intelligent and practice safe driving below the battery range, so there are no “EV out of energy” news at all, yet thousands run out of gas every day! Who is more foolish here?

      Reply
      1. Dealership should have charging stations available 24/7 to EV/Hybrid plug in. Owners. Most dealership are damn close to each other if that’s what this world is coming to in order to travel farther than grocery get and work..

        Just another idea ???

        Reply
        1. Instead of park and rides lots, have some with charging station that are somewhat secure. Make them ride share veh. Aka vanpool.

          Do you people know the carbon trail it take to make electricity, let alone the damn batteries,

          Have a great holiday season !!! I don’t do ho ho ho …

          Reply
      2. Ok I’ll race you from New York to Cali. I’ll drive my 2009 Malibu V6. You pick whatever EV you want. See you next month.

        Reply
        1. Careful, Scott ZL1 might choose a Volt EREV and you would have a real race on your hands.

          Reply
          1. @Suzy Q

            That’s a revolting thought, lol

            Just race GVD in my ZL1 and ???

            See who gets the checkered flag and sprays the champagne on who…

            Have a good day ???

            Reply
      3. Range is an issue. Yesterday we drove our Volt on a 314 mile trip. Not a single fast charger along our route here in Florida. Of course the Volt. Cant use a dc fast charger but had I bought the Bolt I was looking at, I could have been out of luck. Yes, I charge my Volt at home but taking an extended trip with a BEV requires DC fast chargers and they simply don’t exist in sufficient numbers to fill the void. California, yes, Florida, no way BTW,averaged 54.2 combined mpg on this trip

        Reply
        1. @John: Range is THE issue. We have taken our Volt on three cross country road trips for a total of about 10K miles on gas out of a total of about 26K miles. As we took those trips we made a point of looking for any convenient Fast Charger stations; we came across only one Tesla station. We would have been totally out of luck with a Bolt or other BEV; even if we had gone out of our way to find a Fast Charger, the still long charge times would have severely impacted our travels. If you want an around town vehicle, we go literally months without putting gas in our Volt, saves us over $100/month over our previous ICE vehicle, taking account of increased electric bill. Even including the long road trips, our lifetime average fuel economy is 56.7 mpg.

          Besides, we view the Volt as the best car we have ever owned, considering its comfort, handling, economy, and all around drive-ability. Why would GM purposely kill such a outstanding product without even trying to sell it? And don’t give me the BS that Voltec was not profitable, there was never any real attempt to make it profitable.

          Reply
      4. For an EV, a 120v wall plug is out of the question, unless you don’t drive very far or have a really long time to wait.

        Reply
    3. Hybrids? Gas mileage is not a big issue with anyone. Gas is cheap and probably will stay that way for the foreseeable future. Same equation applies to small cars and, to a lesser degree, sedans. As for betting on EVs, I believe GM is going to rue that decision – Mary Barra will take her golden parachute and be gone by that time, but the company will pay dearly. The climate change mafia has sold her and others like her a bill of goods. Despite massive efforts to suppress it, it is becoming clear that anthropomorphic warming is baloney. It isn’t about “saving the planet”, it is about control. The two tenths of a degree or whatever estimate even the strongest advocates of carbon dioxide suppression can come up with is trivial. In fact, the advocates can’t even demonstrate whether whatever warming is going is good or bad. Ms. Barra is correct in one thing though. EVs won’t be ubiquitous unless they are mandated by governments. Cars are about freedom and governments don’t like that so the possibility exists that EVs will be mandated. Ms. Barra advocates that.

      Reply
    4. I purchased a 2018 volt, which I am very pleased with the gas mileage and performance. I think doing away with the hybrid is a big mistake. Here are my reasons, 1.) I do not want to have to stop at a charging and wait 20-30 minutes for a partial charge. 2.) My hybrid, I fill up the 9 gallon tank and I am good for another 300+ miles in a matter of 5-8 minutes. 3.) Hybrids get excellent fuel economy because the engine is charging the battery and not driving the rear wheels technically.
      What GM needs to do is tweak the volts technology and put it in a hybrid SUV. This is what would drive sales!!

      Reply
      1. I agree 100%. Mary will never hear the voice of the consumer
        She is shelter from reality,

        She still is driven around in a gas guzzler Denali limo or rides a broom then once she gets home how many GM’s EV’s she drive on her own time??? I don’t think so.

        My next stop for me winners circle ???

        Reply
        1. Look, GM can’t just build shit that loses money, regardless of how much somebody may have liked that product or not.
          If anyone is sheltering themselves from reality, it’s all the people on this forum going on and on about money losing products that GM quit building.

          Reply
  2. I’m torn on this. I under stand the change but they need to keep ICE vehicles too. However GM does have a large network of dealers so they could easy create charging stations at these dealers and maybe that might be part of the plan. If so that would make it easier for someone to take car or truck on vacation.

    Reply
  3. True and False .
    Reason :

    Product : people wont be interested in a Malibu hybrid when there is Volt (Its just a confusion for the people ) . The right way would be Only Malibu exist with Malibu hybrid and Malibu Voltec. Again its CUV boom, what people look for is CUV hybrids or Voltec or Evs ( so it would have been better on equnox/traverse and e-awd – people mover hybrids )

    Price : the premium on a hybrid power train matters. Toyota charges only near $1000 premium on a hybrid power train.
    Promotion : I am not sure how many people are even aware there is hybrid offering from GM
    Perception : Elon musk can sell Model 3 or Cyber truck , GM don’t have the perception/image of a tech/quality/reliability/safety forerunner. It takes a lot forward looking bets than safe bets to achieve those.

    Reply
    1. Lincoln charges (pun intended) the same price for its gas only and hybrid vehicles. Ford just charges a bit more. This is why Ford sells more hybrids in the U.S. than Toyota. And Ford will offer several more hybrids for 2020, including their three best selling vehicles (F-150, Explorer, and Escape). Ford does it better!

      Reply
  4. i’m not interested in a $38K chevy bolt. that is for damn sure.

    Reply
    1. That’s the problem with electric cars currently. With the battery costing as much as the rest of vehicle, you’d be better off selling a luxury car.
      A Bolt is a $19k economy car with a $19k battery.

      Reply
      1. I work in a European car dealership here in Australia. I have just done a Warranty claim on a hybrid version of their top of the range saloon still on the showroom floor (23km’s). Warranty price for the failed battery $37,500 AU!! Retail’s probably 15-20% higher. How many people will be able to afford a repair when the car’s warranty expires? Or will battery warranty be extended? And our Gov’t make squillions out of fuel excise. There’s talk they’ll put a huge tax on EV’s to make up for the loss in the future. All things considered, sort of takes the economics out of owning one I reckon.

        Reply
        1. @Anthony: Since you didn’t name the car or the hybrid technology/battery size involved it’s hard to evaluate your comment. I have heard that a installing a reasonable size battery like in the Volt are in the significantly less than 10k US$ range but it is just anecdotal evidence (seems to be a lot of confusion on this point, a lot of it generated by GM itself)?!?

          But, points out another Volt advantage, as far as I know, if your battery begins to die you can still keep driving on the ICE engine?

          Reply
    2. @steve It’s not $38k. GM heavily discounts it. You can get at least $6 GM cash before negotiating with the dealer (you can see the GM discounts straight from the GM website). Right now 2019s are flying out the door around $29k taxes included after dealer negotiations.

      $38k is a ridiculous price. For $39490, you be much better off buying a Model 3 Standard Range Plus. With that competition, GM has no choice but to massively discount.

      Reply
    3. Expensive golf cart.

      Reply
  5. I disagree with her assessment of the current market. In the future, maybe all electric but for now not yet. I believe the biggest problem she had/has is that GM utilized its hybrid power train (voltec) on just a compact car. The market wants suv’s and crossovers. Had voltec been used in an Equinox, or similar, it would have done much better.

    Further, I believe on the big suv’s it could really help. Nothing like the previous Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade Hybrid models but a plug-in style. Something like a voltec XL. I would be interested in a plug-in hybrid Tahoe which gives me a shorter electric range for daily around town commuting and the 5.3L/6.2L/3.0L for long distance and high power (towing) usage.

    I do take the family on trips to a country house with a night out included and back home the next day. This round trip 500+ miles and a high capacity charging station is not an option overnight. So range anxiety is a factor in my weighing of ice vs electric vehicle. Perhaps when I can recharge my battery in the same amount of time as it takes to fill my tank with gas at a location as easily accessible as a gas station on my route I will consider making the switch.

    Reply
    1. Yes – That is the point that i will support. The recharge time is horrible – I routinely make weekend trips of 200 to 500 miles round trip. I cannot go there and park for “Hours” to wait for the battery to recharge…
      Even if you get to your destination, you cannot go sight seeing and enjoy the local venues because the batteries will be dead until tomorrow!!!
      I am in Atlanta – If I go to Florida, it would take me probably 3 or 4 days to get to Miami!!! Gas gets me there in a day and a half or 2 days. Please don’t take me back to the “Horse and Buggy” days – time wise.
      Hybrid cars will make So Much more sense than the electric only cars – unless they can come up with some significant improvements in technology..

      Reply
  6. I think that’s a bit of a false statement. I mean there’s a reason why Ford, Honda and Toyota have hybrid versions of the compact crossovers. Toyota is well known for hybrids for sure and ford has done it for some time. But then they do advertise the crap out of their hybrids system. Honda would probably do just fine if they advertise it just as well as the other two. I don’t think GM hybrid system was well-known especially in the Malibu just because not a lot of people knew that Malibu has a hybrid and the volt when it came out at the time it was definitely very controversial as well. I do wish they could’ve put it in like a equinox sized crossover though. I do think that’s their missed mark for sure. But I Understand it might’ve drive up the cost of it.

    Reply
  7. Mary Barra is either lying or someone is feeding bad information, you look at almost every Toyota on the street and you see the little sticker that says Hybrid on it whether it’s a CUV or Camry, it says Hybrid meaning their CAFE numbers are much higher and they’re doing this without electric or diesel.

    Reply
    1. Omegatalon

      Prius sales peaked 6 years ago at 235,000. This year Toyota is on track to sell 65,000, and 25,000 of those are the Plug-in PriusPrime

      Toyota has been pushing its RAV4 Hybrid, but It’s sales will probably fall off a cliff once more fully Electric crossovers become available.

      Reply
    2. Hybrids are partially electric. That’s what a hybrid means!

      Reply
      1. @mike

        Wrong… it’s a veh that combines 2 different fuel sources such as gas/propane or gas/ethanol. And even gas and electricity !!! Look it up.

        A locomotive is a hybrid diesel/electric . Etc. Train might need a lot of batteries
        Lol

        Reply
        1. @Scott ZL1: True, but I would think that the typical diesel electric locomotive (without a pantograph) would be more of a EREV with zero battery range, sort of like a Volt with a dead and unrechargeable battery? The locomotive is more like a diesel prime mover with an electric (generator-motor) transmission? But, I could be wrong, do diesel electric locomotives have any significant electrical energy storage?

          Reply
          1. @Suzy

            Wow you’re correct and very smart ! I appreciate that.

            Enjoy what’s left of the weekend. ???

            Reply
          2. @Scott ZL1 Thanks for what I assume was a sincere compliment. You know that I am a Volt proponent; your thread made me realize I had sort of missed highlighting an important advantage of the Voltec technology. The ICE generator/motor architecture is analogous to the design of diesel-electric locomotives for the reason that leads to one not often mentioned advantage that Volt owners instinctively love. Namely the large low end electric torque and the easy control and smooth transition of power through its “electric” transmission account for the outstanding drivability of the Volt; sometimes referred to as the “joy of driving electric”. Essentially this and the prime mover running at peak efficiency are why locomotives and other large vehicles are designed this way. I can only assume that the GM engineers understood this which is why they produced such an outstanding product.

            Reply
            1. Nice comment. As I tell people, driving my volt seems like driving an adult version of a slot car, step on the accelerator and zip your off. What I just don’t understand is that the auto industry is saying that SUV are what people want, which I agree. If they can make electric diesel trains how come GM does not pursue a volt version SUV? Before I bought the volt, I was looking at the Hybrid Highlander. I said I would hold out for GM…might be longer than I thought. Hope I do not have to change my loyalty.

              Reply
        2. Modern locomotives are all electric. They just carry a huge diesel engine to produce the electricity to power them.

          Reply
          1. @Stephen Mann: Doesn’t that make them an Extended Range Electric Vehicle or an EREV as I said, like the Volt with a dead battery? They are not “all electric” like we refer to BEVs, unless they do have a pantograph and get their electric power from overhead lines.

            Reply
  8. I wonder if they are planning on building ICE trucks at DHAM as well? I would not be surprised considering the low profit margins they expect with the electric trucks and the $3 billion investment in the plant.

    Reply
  9. Regarding the Malibu hybrid, Bolt, and Volt, Miss Barra: people will not by what they don’t even know exist. Have you tried promoting these vehicles in some manner?

    Reply
    1. Gentle, No she never did; my guess she never understood the advantages of the Voltec technology, even if she was supposedly educated as an engineer?

      Reply
      1. That was the point of my comment above. Chevrolet was never interested in marketing or selling the Volt.

        Reply
  10. Barra is as clueless as ever. Zero interest in a Bolt or pricey electric only truck. They had something good going with the Volt and Malibu and simply threw it away along with the development money to make this tech.

    Reply
    1. You’re right until batteries make their next leap forward. She may know stuff we don’t.

      Reply
    2. Joe Yoman

      The Volt was a small car. Built at a time when batteries were expensive. The 2 powertrains made it expensive to build, and limited space.

      Cargo space also limited the success of the Malibu Hybrid. 12 cu.ft. compared to 16 cu.ft in Regular Malibu.

      Reply
      1. Wouldn’t you sacrifice some trunk space to get more than double the MPG rate? I have a 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid. Its battery takes up one third of the trunk, yet I have NEVER needed more trunk space. Go and visit a Ford dealer and compare the Hybrid trunk space for yourself. Than get surprised when you drive and reach 54 MPG. The trunk loss is well compensated again gasoline savings.

        Reply
        1. Raymond Ramirez

          I use my trunk. For things like Child strollers, Golf clubs, luggage. 16cu. ft. Is the minimum size I could make work.

          Reply
      2. Peter, I guess I sort of agree on the battery cost for now, but the Volt was entirely useful with a much smaller battery than the average BEV due to lack of range anxiety. Also, I wonder if the Voltec electro-mechanical power train itself was really that much more expensive than 10 speed automatic transmissions and turbochargers, etc, used to try to get decent performance and fuel economy out of an ICE vehicle. Was the real cost problem lack of production volume due to lack of effective marketing?

        Cargo space problem (which never bothered me in my Volt) could have been overcome by moving Voltec to CUV and other type vehicles. But, all would have required decent marketing to succeed.

        Reply
  11. Sorry but your research is wrong….and your history has proven your research is wrong. Investing billions when you are still unable to even market some of your best products is a gamble that you can’t afford to loose.

    Reply
  12. Should have spread Ed the Volt drive train system across the entire GM line.

    Reply
  13. No, they should have taken the lessons learned from the Volt and expanded it across the line. The Cadillac CT6 should have had a 400+ HP version of the Volt powertrain. Instead, out was underpowered and overpriced (like the ELR which might have sold with the CT6’s 335HP powertrain).

    GM doesn’t get that hybrids and EVs don’t have to be about fuel economy… They can also be about getting to use the HOV lane in a car you enjoy driving. That’s why Elon is going to be able to sell every one of those ugly trucks he makes.

    Reply
    1. Pretty much what I said. I said the Volt powertrain system. Didn’t specify power output or price. I agree with you that the ELR was both underpowered and overpriced. It was a stunning vehicle and quite possibly a sales success if it had been properly powered and priced.

      Reply
  14. no one is interested in their hybrids because other than the Volt, no one knew they had any. The Malibu Hybrid got great mpg’s, but goofy option combinations and zero publicity were the real reasons no one bought it.

    Reply
    1. The Malibu hybrid would have been perfect for me, but there wasn’t one anywhere in my state to buy, let alone test drive.
      I guess Michigan is just too small of a place to bother with.

      Reply
  15. Toyota just revealed the new RAV4 Prime Hybrid at the LA auto show. Extra wheel motor at the rear.
    0-60 in 5.5 seconds 302 combined hp. Can run on all electric for 30+ miles. Combined mileage is 50-90mpg.
    I can’t see how GM would not consider hybrid for at least the power boost benefits alone.
    I believe they will still offer something for certain vehicles.
    The interim hybrids can still be around for many years.

    Reply
  16. Hybrids are junk. I bought a 2019 Honda Insight Hybrid and a 2019 Tesla Model 3 this year. I can’t wait for the model Y to come out and I can trade in the Insight. Hybrids are poor ice cars and poor electric cars. They compromise too much on both sides and have horrendous complexity of two drivetrain systems.

    The Bolt on the other hand is past it’s prime much like the Leaf. It was advanced for it’s time… 2016… But then came the Model 3 and the Kona/Niro. Kona/Niro sell at or above MSRP and Bolt sells $6k below MSRP because no one wants this uncomfortable, cheap, low tech electric car with no charging support.

    GM has is right by getting rid of hybrids, Focusing on ICE and EV. Develop nthe next Bolt and gain some of that next market share back. I can’t wait to get rid of my hybrid.

    Reply
  17. It is amazing how the raft of people here commenting, haven’t the faintest idea of what they are talking about. The lack of knowledge of the EV world, both Hybrid and BEV is astounding. Buying a new car is a $30,000++ decision. Get educated before buying another car. Don’t believe the dealer…cruise the Internet for EV info.

    Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) are the future. Gasoline engined vehicles will be all but phased out in the next 15 years.

    Reply
  18. Bottom line: companies that succeed will give customers what they want- period. In this case it is ECE, electric, hybrid, or even fuel cells. If GM had the market share it had in the 1960s, perhaps they could get away with just offering electric. Unfortunately, GM no longer has the market clout it did to dictate what people will buy one way or another.

    Reply
    1. Bolt in 2020 259 miles of range before 220 238 miles. Plenty of range there. i get right at 70 miles EV with my Volt in Florida. Which does great for everyday driving. I never switch to the gas generator in our daily driving. Used it Friday for a 314 mile trip. Still have about a half tank of gas so I wont likely buy gas for another month or two. The issue is DC fast chargers for pure EVs. Non Tesla fast chargers are scarce here so far. More fast charging infrastructure is needed to boost EV sales

      Reply
  19. If done properly and promoted I would wager more people would be interested in hybrids than an all electric vehicles. Here again I think it all about profit per vehicle. They most likely made less profit per hybrid than on a regular ICE vehicle. That is why I don’t understand her obsession with all electric vehicle’s which at this time give them no profits,so much so that she is neglecting the mainstream ICE vehicle and causing them to lose sales because they are uncompetitive.

    Reply
  20. Ok, I am a Bowtie guy from birth. First car a 55 Chevy 210, many in between, and now a super nice 2500 HD Duramax. I’m an old guy with multiple 67 Chevelles so a genuine hotrodder and car lover. But I am a realist as well. I should be parallel with GM’s decision to abandon sedans and hybrids but logic, and more likely my lack of intelligence just wont let those lines stay together. I just purchased a Honda Accord EXL Hybrid that thus far, can only be described as “impressive”. Using a battery to supplement a gas or Diesel engine likely will not ring a bell for you until your pocketbook is singing with glee as you seamlessly are achieving 45+ MPG in almost all types of driving conditions. It works. I wanted it and I bought it and now have the best of all worlds – a fine truck to do the hard and heavy with and nice ride that lets me smile and wave at gas stations as I drive by. I hope that GM has not lost track of what we really want. I want power and efficiency. I do not want to be limited in the distance I can go or an extension cord. Maybe it’s just me.

    Reply
  21. Mary Barra is a gearhead who only drives sportsvcars, such as Camaro. Yet Ford has been the second world’s producer of hybrid, selling more hybrid in the U.S. than Toyota. They offered hybrid and plug-in versions of the Ford Fusion, C-Max, Escape, Mondeo, and Lincoln MKZ. Now they will offer for 2020 the three top selling vehicles in hybrid versions: F-150, Explorer, and new Escape. So, if Ford does sell hybrids successfully, why did GM hold back with the Voltec?

    Reply
  22. I thought the Volt was a very nice car. It was good looking and did what it was supposed to do, I was shocked when they said that would not be built any longer.

    Reply
  23. I agree with Mr. Price and Mr. Ramirez. Mary has her head in the sand. First, as a consulting engineer, I drive more miles for work each day than any all electric car could ever muster. My 2014 Ford Fusion hybrid averages just over 40 mpg most all the time. It’s the Titanium version so has all the bells and whistles, too. I’m thinking of trading it for a 2020 before Ford stops making it. That said, I’m still a bowtie man and continue to hang on to my 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer. Built on a truck frame, comfortable to drive and tows my trailer just fine, but granted, the fuel economy isn’t that great. Somebody else made a statement earlier in the thread that “everybody has a 120 volt and 240 volt outlet at their house to plug in an all electric.” I don’t have a single 240 volt outlet in my garage and from what I’ve read, it’s not cheap to install a rapid charger. I’ll keep my Fusion hybrid, thanks.

    Reply
    1. Hyroll- Our 110V charger fully charges our Volt overnight.

      Reply
      1. And that’s great, but nobody is going to stop every 50 miles to charge an EV and wait overnight.
        An EV is going to need 220, or all the range they have (hundreds of miles) would be useless.
        A plug in hybrid like the Volt is a different story.

        Reply
  24. I think GM is wrong on plug-in hybrids. I’m on my second Chevy Volt and was ready to go for a 2020. The majority of my driving is within the range of my 2017 Volt. I have over 30,000 km and my combined average fuel consumtion is 2.4 l per 100 km ( 95 mpg) witch is rather acceptable. With my 2014, I drove to Pompano Beach, FL, from Montreal, QC. I chose to go with gas only at a cost of $150.00 there and back and I stayed for 1 month on all electric. Hybrid is the best of both worlds.

    Reply
  25. The U.S. infrastructure will not support a large fleet of EV’s for years to come . Auto makers are getting way ahead of themselves . If everyone on your block bought EV tomorrow even your local infrastructure wouldnt support it. At 75, I probably wont be buying an EV in my lifetime . I’ll stick with my gas powered 27 mpg Corvette.

    Reply
  26. i would love to see the Chevy Volt come back as a fullyEV. I loved the style and size. Several of our vendors used them for sales people and were really nice.

    Reply
  27. I disagree.

    Reply
  28. My wife and I just got Volt #4. We were in shock when we heard that GM was discontinuing the Volt. Hands down the best 4 vehicles we’ve ever owned. The absolutely best compromise with no range anxiety vehicle ever. And when running on gas always got in the 40’s mpg. And trust me this vehicle was one of the last ones left in the Detroit area, so Ms. Barra who ever told you that people don’t want hybrids is full of sh*#. GM never properly promoted this vehicle. I remember 2 commercials one with aliens and on with a kid saying to a guy at a gas station, I thought this didn’t need gas. A real shame….

    Reply
  29. Mary Barra is going to lead GM to their doom. I HAVE OWNED 4 EQUINOX’S OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS AND WAS HOPING THEY WOULD COME OUT WITH A HYBRID/PLUG IN VERSION FOR 2020/21. LOOKS LIKE THAT WON’T BE HAPPENING. I WILL NOW BE BUYING A 2021 TOYOTA PRIME PLUGIN HYBRID NEXT SUMMER.

    BARRA…YOU HAVE LOST ME AS A GM LOYAL CLIENT.

    Reply
  30. For folks who live in an apartment building will you run an extension cord from the 10th floor?
    I can’t imagine apartment building owners installing charging stations for each apartment especially if it is surface parking in Michigan for example where it snows.
    Hybrid would be my choice with the present technology and charging infrastructure. Mary Barra will be retired before EV’s will
    be utilized big time.

    Reply
    1. @tp1943: Re Mary’s retirement; let us hope so before she totally destroys GM.

      Reply
    2. @tp1943: Yes, the Volt was designed around the suburban homeowner, or perhaps those lucky enough to have a charging station at work. But even if not, it was still a fully capable and efficient hybrid. I believe that there is still a more available charging infrastructure in place, or at least possible, for EREVs or PHEVs than will exist for a long while for BEVs.

      Reply
  31. Yes it’s should be everyone goal to produce and sell only EV in the future. Some manufacturer willing to lose investor money at first then slowly pay them back aka Tesla. But established company like GM have so much fixed costs that is it harder to jump in to new technology that still in developing stage. Everyone should admit that not everyone can afford a house to charge their electric vehicle. Even when you charge it elsewhere it still takes awhile. So what I see from Toyota denial to EV move is to milk as much as possible their hybrid investment so in the future when the EV production cost and technology already affordable they can go build in masses fast and reliable. So they can make big profit on day one. They are still in profit making business right?

    Reply
    1. I drive dino fuel vehs.

      Like I’ve said hybrid plugins can work. However not enough 120v or 240v across this continent to make EV worthy of any kind of roadtrip. And Mary doesn’t , can’t or won’t. Hear a hear a word any of us are saying.

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      1. Mary flies; she doesn’t drive. Road trips don’t mean much to her. And she doesn’t live in Nebraska either.

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  32. I would have loved the Chevy impala as a hybrid. I wouldn’t consider the Lexus hybrid at all. I had the ltz V6… It was thirsty. But loved the power and ride.

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  33. Mary is clue less my wife and I lease cars every 3 years. WE DO NOT WANT AN ALL ELECTRIC CAR. Do you understand that Mary? We would take hybrids but NOT Electrics.

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  34. GM is focusing on the Chinese market.

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  35. The reality is that GM doesn’t have the margins to offer a hybrid vehicle. Oh, they could sell you one, but they’d have to do it at cost.
    It’s like they keep saying. They just can’t put both drivetrains in a vehicle and make any money. The Volt wasn’t profitable.

    Reply
    1. But EVs will be?

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  36. Hybrids are niche market vehicles so Barra is correct to say ”Customers ‘Aren’t Interested’ In Hybrids”.

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  37. Chevrolet simply didn’t want to sell the Volt. I suspect that it was a stopgap vehicle to meet fleet mileage goals.
    When I bought my 2017 Volt, I had to go to three dealers before finding on interested in selling the Volt to me. They were more interested in talking me OUT of buying a Volt, providing every reason they could think of to not sell me one.

    I will NEVER buy another Chevrolet. Ever.

    Reply
  38. We’ve owned 2 Volts and now a Honda Clarity. Why? We love the hybrid/EV power, fuel economy, quiet, with no range anxiety. Neither GM or Honda have figured out how to market this superior technology nor do they want to since profit margins are so low. Too complicated? Possibly since they are many more components than EVs however both the Volt and Clarity are proving to be very reliable vehicles. Bottom line is that hybrid technology is solid, affordable, efficient and reliable across many manufactures. Smart consumers who value these attributes and cleaner air will continue to buy them, especially in the US where charging infrastructure is so lacking compared to Europe and China.

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  39. Here’s the problem with all electric vehicles; you don’t have an established network where people can recharge their vehicles when they’re traveling. That issue needs to be resolved before people will fully invest in buying those vehicles in large numbers. Until that issue is resolved; I’ll stick to a hybrid.

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  40. When going on a long trip are you suppose to get a motel while your car charges?

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  41. Mary is the reason why GM in going down the drain! Hey Mary here is a news flash for you, people DO WANT AND BUY HYBRID CARS. JUST LOOK AROUND AND YOU WILL SEE TONS ID TOYOTA HYBRIDS. The problem is that GM can’t make a better hybrid car than Toyota.

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  42. Mary – you are so wrong. My husband had an awd GMC Terrain and we Loved it! Would have bought another in a second – except for the avg 23 mpg. We just bought an awd Toyota RAV4 getting 40 mpg – and he loves it!! It’s new looks are gorgeous and they are flying off the lots. If GMC made a rugged looking Terrain (like it used to be) in hybrid we would have bought one out of customer loyalty. We love the convenience and great mpg of hybrids – we travel a lot. Please reconsider.

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  43. I am a GM Fan, owner, shareholder and family member. And I am utterly through with Mary. While I understand business changes and consumer taste changes what I see is since she has gotten in there they have cut marketing only to products that they make a ton of cash on. They could have marketed some of the cars they killed including the Volt a lot better and more than they did. those products would then have became more profitable because they would have had volume. The mistake I believe they made on Cruz is that on the outside the car looked smaller than the previous model compare it to a Civic and they loose. Then on the Volt again looked smaller than previous model with no marketing and no one understood the car or knew it existed. Heck some dealers I went to didn’t understand how it even worked. I had one that I had to explain how the car even worked. The bottom line though is there is a market for both cars and Mary just did not Market either. And though I believe at some point EVs will be the way to go I believe Hybrids are the best way right now until the electric grid and charging places have been established. GM is a great company there management just needs to go.

    Reply
    1. Great example The ATS-V no marketing what so ever. Not even an ad in a car magazine.

      Reply
    2. That’s an interesting comment. I see that existing GM dealer and marketing don’t know how to sell the Volt/Bolt nor do they even care when other products they have generate so much more revenue.

      Given that, one question to ask would GM be better selling Volt and Bolt through a different brand and dealer structure such such as what Volvo has done with Polestar?

      Reply
  44. What Mary gets, and many here may miss, is just how quickly the cost of batteries is declining. The purchase price of an EV will be LESS than a comparable gasoline vehicle by 2023, leaving no development space for more hybrids – IF you assume hybrids are only transitional.

    For those who love hybrids, it’s hard to understand just how performant and low maintenance a pure EV really is. However, I greatly admire the Volt and was sorry to see it discontinued.

    It’s quite possible that enough people will prefer to keep a gasoline engine despite higher purchase and maintenance expense that it can be a viable niche market in the long run. If so, companies that build them should have healthy financials for quite some time.

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  45. GM have gone completely insane. Rapid changes in corporate direction will just make their quality even worse. Hybrids exist only because battery technology is not durable/robust and low enough cost for Mass automotive application. No ‘executive direction’ is going to change that. Keep digging your own grave GM..

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  46. Good point about batteries and how they will come down in price. I am just surprised how many have gone EV only thinking since life has become so fast paced and many will find waiting around is to time consuming. Hybrids are great, fill and go-charge later. My projection on the future would be one outcomes. Families will have two cars, 1 EV and 1 fuel for long trips. Some people and especially business just need fuel vehicles to travel, fuel will not disappear. Unfortunately, fuel will eventually go up in price because of less demand when there are more electric vehicles and less fuel is used. The oil producers will need to keep up there profits for the stock holders.

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  47. Hey Bob Lutz, GM has killed your “Savior of GM” – the Hybrid called the Chevy Volt. GM could of been a dominate factor years ago, but greed got the best of them. I’d still purchase any Tesla EV over anything GM would make. The EV1 thing still leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

    Reply
    1. @Adam Ackels: But the Volt was truly an EREV (Extended Range ELECTRIC Vehicle) not a “Hybrid” in the general sense of the term, but that confusion in its marketing helped doom it. It was always vastly superior to the Prius “hybrid”, but few understood why or why they should pay more for it.

      And why would you limit your driving enjoyment by buying a Tesla (or a Chevy Bolt for that matter) and suffer range anxiety for the next 5-10 years? (Assuming a nationwide network of “Super Chargers” ever becomes reality?

      Reply
  48. I did not read this article at all, just the title.

    There seem to be a lot of opinion here, so I will get to it as I make time.

    But I yearn to comment on the title !!!

    GM CEO Mary Barra Says Customers ‘Aren’t Interested’ In Hybrids

    How would Mary know one thing what a GM customer is interested in ?

    Privately owned dealerships ?

    When you go into a privately owned GM dealership, who do you tell what vehicle you are wanting GM to make ?

    Is there a spot ?

    Did I miss it ?

    Did I miss the guy you sit down with and tell you vehicle dreams to ?

    I’ve talked to a receptionist, a sales person, a service advisor, never have I seen a ” what would you like us to build next ” person !!

    Did I miss something ?

    I have been driving GM for 39 years, have I missed this person for 39 years ?

    Mary Barra doesn’t have a clue what the customer wants. Mary Barra reads and listens to the people who work for her opinions, even their DATA.

    But DATA from WHERE, WHO ?

    You know the saying, ” you are what you eat ” ? well perfect example here with GM.

    If your fed $hit DATA, you produce $hit products and have $hit for customer support !!!

    I still want to know the 7000 people who said the dash or interior of the $80,000.00 HD GM truck was ” Good Enough”

    The people who said” I would really love a 2.0T in a $80,000.00 Cadillac CT6 ?

    The people who wanted, just another average GM ” Good Enough ” blah midsized Cadillac XT6 ?

    Who said, ” I was thinking of buying a Tesla, but if GM could just build a box with wheels ( Bolt ), that would be ” Good Enough ” for me ?

    I would love to go on, and will continue to elsewhere, BUT:

    Who are these customers, and how do I get my two cents worth to the GM people to offset these decisions ?

    Mary Barra says, customers say.

    I am a Customer, when did I say, where do I say, how do I say ?

    I would have bought a Cadillac ELR ( Chevy Volt ) but not the first run. GM has proven over and over they cant make anything good out of the gate.
    I would have bought a ( Chevy Volt ) Canyon Denali, was there one, I missed it !! Again not out of the gate, not with GM’s lack of honoring warranty ( like the 8 speed junk ) In my opinion.
    I missed the Cadillac Escala, did they make it, can I buy it ?
    A Cadillac XT4 RWD/AWD with a 2.7T- 9 or 10 speed ? Is there one available ?

    HOW ABOUT A GM MIDSIZED ANYTHING, ANY BADGE, pick a badge, midsized GM anything with more than the 3.6 average GM blah ” Good enough “. Is there anything ?

    When the full-sized SUV’s are released, great, they will be great, but we do not buy full sized vehicles.

    You want DATA, what are most of the vehicles on the road today, compact ?, midsized ? full-sized ?

    Anyway just one more time, how would GM know what a GM customer wants, or any potential customer for that matter.

    JD Power ?

    JD Power says GM is always great, according to the GM ” real people ” .

    Just opinion !

    Reply
  49. I’m thinking on switching to Ford, I been a GM person all my life. Sense Mary took over things been going down hill, other comp. have took Volt technology and are producing hybrid vehicles and selling very well. What is wrong with her.

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  50. nor do they have any interest in electric or self driving so imo Mary and the rest of them have their heads where to sun does not shine . gasoline engine are getting great mileage- and I don’t know about you I want to drive my own car . but then GM discontinued the VOLT –was that not electric

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  51. I rember when GM thought front wheel drive was not somthing the buying public wanted.

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    1. For me if it’s not a awd/4×4 or rear wheel drive did I say burning Dino fuel, it makes no sense. For what I need.

      However hybrid could work well enough, EV has no range .
      Mary don’t give $hit about what we think. Oh well something about Mary lol

      Reply
  52. I own the Mailbu Hybrid and I love it. We do own a second vehicle which is a SUV, but depending on where a person lives, plugging in a vehicle to charge isn’t a option. I think Mary Barra conceding the Hybrid Market is a huge mistake. Gas prices at some point will go up, and some people care about gas mileage. This is one of the many mistakes that she has made (Getting rid of the Impala, etc…)

    Reply
  53. GM exits market segments that they don’t like and blame it on consumers. Hatchbacks, coupes, rear wheel drive cars, manual trans, V6s, sedans, and now hybrids. They build cars they want you to buy not cars you want to buy.

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  54. Someone forgot to pass Mary’s memo to Toyota Australia, who are selling all the hybrids they can get their hands on. Meanwhile Holden has just sacked its CEO and is having the worst sales in the companies history.

    Reply
    1. Yeah, well, that’s just, like, Australia, man.

      Anyway, I think we’re going to have to accept that GM isn’t chasing the hybrid market, and I doubt they’re going to be the only ones to make that decision.

      Reply

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