6 ms·

What's amazing is that they aren't innovating and rolling out a crapton of electric or solar-powered cars or whatever else they can to save the business.

by omouse 18y ago

nostrademons 18y ago
It takes a long time to roll out a new car, particularly if it uses a new technology like electric or solar power. Like years. If they started innovating when they first ran into problems around 2006, then it'd probably be 2011-2012 before new cars started appearing in showrooms. The Chevrolet Volt, first unveiled in 2007 and probably under development since 05-06, isn't expected to start selling until 2011. By then, it'll probably be too late.
- omouse 18y ago
  They've had a long time to do this. A very long time. Electric cars are not a new idea. Check out the EV1 ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EV1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EV1 ) which was in production in 1996.
  - jerf 18y ago
    "Electric cars are not a new idea." - which supports the statement that electric cars are hard. In fact electric cars date back to the very beginning, before there was even an "automotive industry"; nobody's been able to build a practical electric car for over a hundred years now. It's hard. Battery technology has not been cooperating. If electric cars are your last-ditch hope to survive, you're just dead.
    - maximilian 18y ago
      It would almost seem that the battery, or even more simply, energy storage is really the problem holding back electric cars. If a company came up with a new kickass battery that was way better than what exists, they should just start a car company, or at least every car company on earth would buy their batteries as fast as they could get their hands on them.
  - elviejo 18y ago
    That is right. They had a commercial electric car in 1996 Now they expect to have the Volt save them which of course won't happen. Imagine the quality of electric cars they would be making today if they had kept the EV1 project going. But that is what a good part of corporate America. While Toyota was developing the Prius to be able to comply with the California 0 emissions mandate. GM had their lobbyists trying to change the law. Lobbyists succeeded, GM failed.
Xichekolas 18y ago
Well they have pretty much gone all-in on the Volt now, and have delayed or canceled all their other development projects. They are also planning to use same technology in many other models after the Volt debuts. The Volt (and cars like it from other companies) is possible now because battery technology is finally hitting that tipping point... the question is whether GM can survive long enough to get it out the door and to paying customers.
hugh 18y ago
Electric cars were a brief fad a few months ago. Right now I'm buying gas at $2.30 a gallon and nobody cares about fuel economy so much any more. Really, GM's US-based product lineup is pretty good at the moment (and don't forget, they still make the top-selling car in Europe). I'd be happy with an Astra, a Malibu, a Cadillac CTS, a Camaro, a G8 or a Corvette, and the cars I mentioned would be near the top of my list if I were actually car shopping in any of those market segments at the moment. How many other car companies have competitive entries in so many market segments? Even Toyota doesn't have a decent sports car any more. Product is no longer the problem (though it was ten or even five years ago). The problem is idiotic liabilities.

What's amazing is that they aren't innovating and rolling out a crapton of electric or solar-powered cars or whatever else they can to save the business.

by omouse 18y ago

What's amazing is that they aren't innovating and rolling out a crapton of electric or solar-powered cars or whatever else they can to save the business.

nostrademons 18y ago

It takes a long time to roll out a new car, particularly if it uses a new technology like electric or solar power. Like years. If they started innovating when they first ran into problems around 2006, then it'd probably be 2011-2012 before new cars started appearing in showrooms. The Chevrolet Volt, first unveiled in 2007 and probably under development since 05-06, isn't expected to start selling until 2011. By then, it'll probably be too late.

omouse 18y ago
They've had a long time to do this. A very long time. Electric cars are not a new idea. Check out the EV1 ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EV1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EV1 ) which was in production in 1996.
- jerf 18y ago
  "Electric cars are not a new idea." - which supports the statement that electric cars are hard. In fact electric cars date back to the very beginning, before there was even an "automotive industry"; nobody's been able to build a practical electric car for over a hundred years now. It's hard. Battery technology has not been cooperating. If electric cars are your last-ditch hope to survive, you're just dead.
  - maximilian 18y ago
    It would almost seem that the battery, or even more simply, energy storage is really the problem holding back electric cars. If a company came up with a new kickass battery that was way better than what exists, they should just start a car company, or at least every car company on earth would buy their batteries as fast as they could get their hands on them.
- elviejo 18y ago
  That is right. They had a commercial electric car in 1996 Now they expect to have the Volt save them which of course won't happen. Imagine the quality of electric cars they would be making today if they had kept the EV1 project going. But that is what a good part of corporate America. While Toyota was developing the Prius to be able to comply with the California 0 emissions mandate. GM had their lobbyists trying to change the law. Lobbyists succeeded, GM failed.

Xichekolas 18y ago

Well they have pretty much gone all-in on the Volt now, and have delayed or canceled all their other development projects. They are also planning to use same technology in many other models after the Volt debuts. The Volt (and cars like it from other companies) is possible now because battery technology is finally hitting that tipping point... the question is whether GM can survive long enough to get it out the door and to paying customers.

hugh 18y ago

Electric cars were a brief fad a few months ago. Right now I'm buying gas at $2.30 a gallon and nobody cares about fuel economy so much any more. Really, GM's US-based product lineup is pretty good at the moment (and don't forget, they still make the top-selling car in Europe). I'd be happy with an Astra, a Malibu, a Cadillac CTS, a Camaro, a G8 or a Corvette, and the cars I mentioned would be near the top of my list if I were actually car shopping in any of those market segments at the moment. How many other car companies have competitive entries in so many market segments? Even Toyota doesn't have a decent sports car any more. Product is no longer the problem (though it was ten or even five years ago). The problem is idiotic liabilities.