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High MPG Shopping List: Toyota, Honda, Kia. No Volt.

8K views 37 replies 29 participants last post by  Norton 
#1 ·
A co-worker of my wife is looking for a new car. My wife asked what was on his list: Toyota, Honda, Kia. My wife asked, "Why no Volt?" Answer: they were looking for a high MPG car!!

He asked her a lot of intelligent questions. My wife laid out the facts about our Volt (she is very knowledgeable) and offered a test drive. Her co-worker and wife agreed (she let them drive) and they were were pleasantly flabbergasted with our lifetime MPG, the acceleration, the ride, the dash, the look of the car, the fact we have changed the oil once in three years, the $7500 tax credit, the $4k Illinois rebate, the low cost to charge.

The only thing they knew about the Volt before being educated by my wife was that it was "a hybrid of some kind" and slow.

This couple is a perfect prospect for the Volt, yet knew virtually nothing about it and were not even considering it prior to my wife asking "why not a Volt?". GM's efforts to "promote the Volt in targeted advertising in specific markets across the U.S. and on specific websites that focus on sustainability, technology and other topics that are commonly associated with our owners and intenders" failed to reach this couple. Of course as is true for most of the USA, the Volt is not advertised in Illinois.

I have sold one Volt to another couple in Wisconsin who were not considering one (they were also looking for a high MPG car) and now my wife is helping sell another. Owners seem to be doing a better job of promoting and selling Volts than many dealers or GM marketing. Maybe GM should setup a referral plan to encourage more owners to do the same. I mean, I (and many other members here) have helped sell a car to friends, neighbors, or co-workers and didn't even get a friggin Volt hat, lol. As DogMom would say, "Where's the love?"
 
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#4 ·
This is why Volt 2.0 needs a beefed up ICE MPG figure close to/over 50, if GM wants to sell it on a mass scale. Mr. and Mrs. Joe Schmoe who know nothing about EVs except for the "Electric Tesla crashed, split in half and caught fire!!!" headlines they read probably dismiss the Volt, as it 'only' gets 37 MPG. Then they see the Prius and it's 50 MPG figure and go "WOW!". *facepalm*
 
#5 ·
imho the blame for why customer's are so ignorant of the volt rests squarely on GM's shoulders. They've done a lousy job with their dealers and they've misjudged their target demographic. Sure, highly educated, well-off technical people will be your early adopters but the Volt has a lot to offer 'everyday' americans too.

have not seen one commercial for the Volt here in NY. The reason : They assume that it would be a waste of money and that it wouldn't reach their target demographic. Well how is mom & pop america going to know what the Volt has to offer until they start advertising?

My wife has had 8 - 9 people come up to her in the parking lots of various locations and ask her all the same questions ( how do you like it, how far can you drive on it, etc. )

GM's marketing of the Volt has been woefully inadequate in getting the word out about the goodness of the Volt.
 
#6 ·
I'll admit that when I was car shopping, the Volt was nowhere on the list because I'd simply forgotten that it existed.
This was due to many factors, as GM is not known for "high MPG vehicles".

To me, the main factors are:
- No real hybrids in their lineup. Shoppers looking for fuel efficient vehicles start out looking at the basics (Corolla, Civic, etc), then hybrids. I consider hybrids like a gateway drug...if GM had competitive hybrids, people would research them, and hopefully also see then research the Volt.
- Obviously, no Volt marketing. Not going to beat a decomposing horse.

I don't think the couple were idiots or "remedial"...the Volt has no top of mind awareness among consumers.
For some reason, my wife mentioned the Volt that had completely slipped my mind as an option. I test drove it, and bought it a week later.
 
#22 ·
I'll admit that when I was car shopping, the Volt was nowhere on the list because I'd simply forgotten that it existed.
This was due to many factors, as GM is not known for "high MPG vehicles".
While you are correct this is a common perception/misconception. Many people don't realize that GM is near the top if not at the top in most vehicle catagories in fuel economy. And unlike most automakers GM vehicles do tend to meet/exceed their EPA ratings.
 
#8 ·
All the Bull$hit with gas engines goes away with a Volt.

1) Cold start issues...... Not a problem.
2) Forgetful about maintenance....No biggie.
3) Drive less than 10 miles per trip? Gas engines hate it, the Volt lives for it.
4) 80+ Real world MPG, in a smooth driving experiance.



People are stupid..........You'd be amazed the questions I get...

Does it start on fire? It can, I guess.......Can't everything?

After the battery dies youre stuck though right? Come on, play that in your head...I'm going to by a car that only goes 40 miles every 4 hours of charging? You DO see a tailpipe on the thing dont you?

Cars and Leaders.......People deserve the ones they pick.


Sometimes I wish I was dumber so I could have "bliss".
 
#19 · (Edited)
After the battery dies youre stuck though right? Come on, play that in your head...I'm going to by a car that only goes 40 miles every 4 hours of charging?
Exactly. The difference is very fine, between asking that question, versus just delivering an outright insult stating that you (or me, when I get it) are an absolute moron for buying a Volt. I mean, WTF are they thinking? Nobody in their right mind would pay the Volt's price for what would be a 40-mile limit on your daily driving (typically not having access to a charger at work, for example). I need to think up a similarly insulting question to respond with, because the alternative (a good b-slap) would probably lead to, "... and if you cannot afford an attorney, a public defender will be appointed ....".
 
#10 ·
Much of the blame for a misinformed populace must be put upon the EV community itself, whose diehards from the very beginning vehemently rejected the Volt's EV credentials and insisted the Volt was a merely a hybrid. The EV community was quick to rip into GM for any references to range anxiety in Volt advertising and promotions. GM did not want to further create issues with them after the EV1 fiasco, and in my opinion they caved. Volt ads lacked punch, the message was unclear and ineffective.

I think GM eventually got tired of paddling upstream, pulled back and let Gen 1 live out its days standing on its own. Ironically, this might be the best strategy given the anti-GM climate that still exists -- letting the goodness spread out from the core group of owners is going to pay off in the long-run. Eventually the public will understand - let's just hope it happens soon enough for GM to not decide to pull the plug.
 
#13 · (Edited)
No, it doesn't. It squarely rests with GM who were so afraid of the H word that they came up with a new term (EREV), kept emphasizing electric car, and then *gasp* some people just thought of it as electric instead of a full performance plug-in hybrid.

CS rating is nothing special, but GM never explained the high EV percentage. They just kind of said "it'll do most of your driving", and never communicated that aside from their pathetic attempt with the "I haven't been to the gas station in ..." commercial. If they want people to understand, they need to get people to think about it.

It really wouldn't be that expensive to pay a decent advertising company (like the one Nissan used for the Leaf) to make a series of bitesize spots that show the different attributes and shove them on YouTube so articles about the Volt on the Internet would have a consistent destination to which to link. No paying for airtime. Nothing nerdy, just reinforce the key aspects: (a) gasoline backup (b) high EV percentage (c) cheap to fuel (d) low maintenance (e) plugging in is easy (f) drives well.
 
#11 ·
I had a similar conversation with a neighbor last week, and that was only because she was asking about the Leaf (which she didn't want). Not politically correct but it would be better if GM just said "We have no idea how to market the car so we don't"! LOL
 
#12 ·
I believe many Americans just can't believe we make anything as fuel efficient as the brands on their list. We still have 80 years of "big car" building to live down. That also means 80 years of BIG TV advertising. It worked. As for the Volt, young (and older) people need to see their trendsetters driving them. Let's get the musicians, sports figures and "famous for being famous" people out of the Escalade and into the Volt -- at least long enough for the paparazzi to snap a few photos for the E Network.
 
#14 ·
Honestly I think the Volt and how it works is still simply difficult for most people who aren't highly involved with the car to get. Here is a perfect example. I have told my parents for years I really wanted to get a used Volt when they got cheaper. So I bought one 4 months ago. They came out to visit us last week. As I picked them up from the airport I explained how the car worked. We even ran out of battery about 3/4 of the way home, at which point I explained that once the battery ran out the engine came on and that until the battery ran out, the engine wouldn't run.

We drove the car throughout their visit. But even after all of that on one of the last days My Dad still for some reason thought that the car only went for 40 miles on the battery and that was it. My Dad is a highly technical person and knows more about many things in that regard than I do. Yet he STILL didn't get it.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why so many people seem to be buying the PIP: The car makes no sense yet people are buying the crap out of them.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Perhaps this is one of the reasons why so many people seem to be buying the PIP: The car makes no sense yet people are buying the crap out of them.
The PiP itself makes sense, it's the price that's stupid. The PiP is just a better Prius. People buy Priuses, so it figures people might want a better one.

People actually weren't buying the crap out of them until recently.

If you want people to understand the Volt, tell them it's a plug-in hybrid, which you can drive about 40 miles in electric mode. People get hybrids, and if they don't it's only that they think you can plug them in.
 
#17 ·
This is interesting. I was talking with my friends when I first got the Volt and they were in the dark as well. One of the first misconceptions, like what the OP said, was that it was "slow."

I don't understand why they would think it's slow. Maybe because we're all driving slow to be more efficient? LOL. But then again, that would assume that the person making this statement has seen a Volt on the road. Out here in BC, Volt sightings are pretty rare. Maybe they were thinking about the other electrically driven "vehicle" they know about... the golf cart - and it's slow.
 
#18 ·
stu,

So GM's 'best strategy' is to have no strategy on advertising the Volt? And 'just hope' it happens that people will understand the Volt?

I don't know who's to blame, but it seems to me GM couldn't describe the Volt if the car's future depended on it.....
 
#24 ·
Just found out tonight that a friend of our family who I let test drive our Volt a month ago will be picking up his new Volt this weekend. I think the $1,000 private offer I sent him helped as well.

He will be trading in one of their two Priuses.

He'd never even thought about the Volt and after a 15 minute drive he was amazed and sold on getting one.
 
#25 ·
It does make me suspicious that they are clearly not trying to sell the Volt. It can't be that we all have ideas that GM can't figure out on their own. I'm sure it is a conscious decision to not sell many Volts for one reason or another. To limit liability of Voltec or battery warranty? (Unknown issue) They really are losing money on this version of the Volt? It competes with other GM cars that are more profitable?

I remember hearing a sound byte when GM launched the Volt "The Volt is a game changer" I believe it really is. I also think GM over estimated the intelligence of the general public. Like all of us see all the time, they don't get it and some don't want to.

I knew the Volt was an awesome car when I penciled it out myself before I purchased and it still exceeded my expectations in the real world.
 
#28 ·
Microsoft didn't make a profit with its Xbox unit until 3 years after the 2nd gen Xbox 360 was released (7 years after the original Xbox).

You gotta plant the seed before you can reap the profits.
 
#29 ·
You gotta plant the seed in a Xbox.
This is all I saw, and I agree and hope to this weekend. :)
 
#33 · (Edited)
I would agree that GM is doing a piss poor job of advertising the benifits of the Volt, kind of makes me think they are considering killing the program like they did the ev1. Then again, with the volt they are raising their average overall mpg requirements to comply with EPA regs.

I knew about the volt but had never seriously considered it. It wasn't until I really started looking at a Tesla, and realized I didn't want to pay that much for a car, that the volt became a contender. It also helps you can pick up a used one for 23k.
 
#34 ·
I had a co-worker say that "charging the battery with a gas motor is not as efficient as a standard gas car and it is physically impossible to get better mileage this way".

I was completely blown away by his logic and understanding of the car. I tried my best to explain to him that the point is not to charge the car with the gas motor but to plug it in. This was followed by a comment "electricity is more expensive than gas" and followed by another comment "if we all bought electric cars, there would be massive brown outs"


Ahhh sometimes you need to just walk away. lol.
 
#35 ·
I was ignorant when I first considered the Volt. We had a 2010 Prius and I thought the Volt was basically the same except that
the engine would run in concert with the electric motor to power the car. I was not aware that you go 30-40 miles just on electricity
without the engine never kicking in, even if you floor it up a hill. With my wifes 32 mile round trip to work, and my 23 mile round trip
to work the Volt works perfectly for us. On this trip reset since fillup, we have nearly 1,000 miles and have used less than .3 gallons of gas, which my wife used when she left our house without a complete charge. She still got over 40 mpg just on gas.
 
#37 ·
Because the continued burning of fossil fuels could tip the balance of nature possibly in my children's lifetime. Finding a free charging station is just gravy. We need to find ways to prolong life on our great earth and pumping oil and natural gas out of the ground at alarming rates isn't a solution to our voracious energy appetite.

Next on my bucket list is to look into solar options as my power company mostly uses coal. Europe is way ahead of us as they get it. Most everybody has solar panels on their houses.
 
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