Sing Along to "Chevy Volt and Me"

At long last, it's the Chevy Volt theme song.

Color Commentary

Designer turned marketer Chris Webb talks about how G.M. chooses colors for the Volt. It's basically a commercial for the internet age, but it's surprisingly interesting and offers a nice contrast with the yuppie extravagance of the Reagan-era Cadillac advertising I posted yesterday.

It did remind me a little of the color analyst scene in Roger & Me. And the part where Webb explains how G.M. uses three layers of color instead of two was somewhat reminiscent of the famous amp scene in Spinal Tap. (watch below)

All kidding aside, it seems like G.M. is finally figuring out how to market a car to a wider, more diverse group of consumers. (And no, G.M. did not pay me to say that.)

If you want a chance to fly to L.A. and test drive a pre-production Volt, go here to enter the Chevy color contest to name the strange green planned for some of the Volts. (Are they too broke to actually give a car away in the contest, as I mistakenly posted earlier? Apparently so.) Alas, there are no plans to re-introduce the "Bamboo Cream" of my grandma's Buick Electra.

UPDATE: If you scroll toward the bottom of this page, you can see some of the names people have submitted. And as some of the comments indicate, figuring out how to actually enter this contest is a real challenge. Perhaps I was a bit premature in declaring that G.M. has improved at the marketing game.

Cruzing for Bruising?

Will the Chevy Cruze and Volt save G.M. and, by extension, help Flint? Reader Shawn Chittle doesn't think so:

"Nissan's Leaf gets 367MPG and will be out about the same time as the Cruze and Volt, which gets 230MPG.

"As you know, yuppies and hippies don't buy Chevrolet cars. And few people I know have $45,000 sitting around for a new car anyway.

"These will be the most colossal duds ever — perhaps bigger than the Edsel — and just more ammunition for GM to close its last door on Flint for good."

Flint Maps: Chevy Cruze and Volt Manufacturing

The Chevy Volt concept car, trying very hard not to look anything like a Chevette.

News that GM will use four plants in the greater Flint area for the assembly of Chevrolet Volt and Cruze engines has people wondering what it will mean for the Vehicle City.

The decision could be a turning point for the city, bringing back jobs and the sheen of an automotive industry striving to reinvent itself," writes Camille Ricketts of GreenBeat. "While many skeptics have accused GM of exaggerating the driving range and convenience of the Chevy Volt (pictured above), it is still expected to be the most practical plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle available next year. The car maker says the eventual price should hover somewhere between $30,000 and $40,000, making it much cheaper than Tesla Motors‘ $109,000 roadster (and even its more affordable Model S), and Fisker Automotive’s $87,000 Karma — while still remaining more similar to traditional vehicles than supposedly cheaper EVs made by Zenn Motor Company and Coda Automotive."

Flint Expatriates has put together a map of what's happening at the various plants. Simply click on the blue car icons. For a larger map, which is a little easier to read, click on the link below.

View Chevy Cruze and Volt Manufacturing in a larger map

G.M. is apparently too determined to succeed

Ed Wallace at BusinessWeek points out what he considers yet another GM mistake:

There's a fundamental rule of a successful business: "underpromise and overdeliver." That concept has been around since the Studebaker Brothers were building wagons for the Civil War. After the war ended, they codified their business ethic in Studebaker's motto: "Always give a little more than you promise." Nothing better sums up GM's wrongheaded thinking than its execs' promise that the company will return to technological superiority once they finally bring the new Chevrolet Volt to market.

This may be true. The Volt has been so hyped at this point that it's bound to disappoint. At the same time, if G.M. tried to take a low-key approach, I can envision a lot of coverage claiming that a downtrodden G.M. had lost faith in its own products. I'm not sure the automaker can do anything right in the eyes of the mainstream media at this point.

Rating Hybrid's Miles per Gallon

G.M. announces that the Chevy Volt will get 230 miles per gallon in city driving. Bill Vlasic of The New York Times reports:

The rating is based on methodology drafted by the Environmental Protection Agency, and most other automakers have not revealed the mileage for the electric cars. Nissan, however, announced last week that its all-electric vehicle, the Leaf, which comes out in late 2010, would get 367 m.p.g., using the same E.P.A. standards.

But readers raise some valid points in the article's comment section about mileage ratings and the true environmental impact of hybrid and electric cars:

As near as I can tell, this is essentially an electric car. Its gasoline consumption is projected to be very low. Where are the mileage figures that factor in the electricity consumption? The Volt may indeed be a remarkably efficient vehicle. But when fuel is burned to generate electricity, and over half of it is lost in transmission to the customer, and then it's used to charge this car's batteries, there's going to be more than one gallon of fuel consumed when driving this car 230 miles.

HybridCars has a post that reveals just how complicated it can be to come up with an accurate rating system that consumers can understand:

When plug-in cars hit the US market in the next year or two, consumers will need a lot of help deciphering the efficiency figures of vehicles that carry electric fuel by the kilowatt hour rather than liquid fuel by the gallon. Nissan’s upcoming yet-to-be-named electric car, according to some tests, will get 367 miles per gallon. The Tesla Roadster is reported to get 135 miles per gallon. And the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid…that depends.

If the EPA uses tests designed for electric cars to evaluate the Chevy Volt, the ratings could exceed 100 mpg. But if the government agency classifies the Volt as a hybrid and tests it as such, the EPA rating would drop to about 50 mpg. The difference could mean success or failure in the marketplace. Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency and sticker numbers for plug-in hybrids, which use gasoline and electricity in various degrees and ways depending on the specific vehicles design, have not yet been determined.

Low Voltage

Sam Abuelsamid is reporting on Autoblog.com that plans for a Volt engine plant in Flint have been scrapped:

"The bad news just keeps on coming for General Motors and Flint, Michigan. It was reported late last night that construction contracts for the new $370 million engine plant that was going up in Flint have been canceled. GM actually stopped work on the project in early December. The plant was to produce the new 1.4-liter four cylinder engine for the 2011 Chevy Cruze and Volt. GM spokeswoman Sharon Basel told AutoblogGreen that the intention all along had been for engines for the early production runs of the Cruze and Volt to be supplied from a European facility that already builds variants of GM's so-called "Family 0" powertrains. The Flint plant would not have been ready for start of production of Cruze next spring."

If you're a glutton for punishment, go here for original story announcing that G.M. planned to build the plant in Flint.

Made in Michigan

G.M. will make Volt batteries in Michigan, but the automaker isn't saying exactly where.

Lindsay Brooke of The New York Times reports:

G.M.’s announcement comes three weeks after Michigan’s legislature approved tax incentives worth up to $335 million aimed at attracting advanced-battery manufacturers to the state. The credits will be apportioned depending on production volume and other factors. Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm is expected to sign the legislation.

“This is very important, and it’s beyond symbolic,” said Brett Smith, speaking of the plant’s significance. Mr. Smith, assistant director for manufacturing, engineering and technology at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich., explained that it is critical for the Detroit Three automakers to create an infrastructure in the United States for volume production of batteries for electric, plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles.

Flint Gets a Jolt of Bad Economic News

G.M. has put the proposed Volt engine plant in Flint on hold.

Engines from Flint

This is relatively old news, but still good news:

General Motors chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner has announced that the company will invest US$370 million in the U.S. to build a new manufacturing plant for its global four-cylinder engines in Flint, Michigan. The plant will begin production in 2010, and will be the exclusive manufacturing facility in North America to produce the Chevrolet Volt’s range-extending engine.

“GM, the UAW and the City of Flint have had a long-standing relationship,” Wagoner said. “Based on the capability and the commitment of the men and women who will work here, the tradition and leadership from UAW Local 599, the tremendous automotive heritage that underlies this region, and the strong partnerships we enjoy with local, state and federal governments, we are confident that Flint is exactly the right place to build our all-new powertrain plant.”

Danger: Good News!

Who says nothing good ever happens to Flint?

Joe Lawlor of The Flint Journal reports:

"General Motors confirmed that it intends to make Flint the manufacturing home of the engine for the much-touted, battery-powered Chevrolet Volt, according to paperwork filed with the city.

"The Volt, hailed for its potential to reduce the world's reliance on fossil fuels, would run entirely on a battery charge for about 40 miles and use a gasoline engine -- apparently to be built in Flint -- to keep the vehicle powered for longer trips.

"The engine for the Volt would be built at a new plant announced by GM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner in June. The new documents indicate the facility would be located on Van Slyke Road adjacent to Flint Engine South and Flint Truck Assembly."