Dustin, you are right on about 'conquest' product-- I'm getting my used 2015 Volt soon and have never bought a GM product in my life (always Japanese cars for me previously). I'm very disappointed that the Volt is going away, as I think the Voltec architecture is super cool and well thought out. The lack of range anxiety is compelling to me and the robustness of the drivetrain and the low maintenance are great, and of course the high-mpg capability. I really feel for the GM workers who are losing their jobs. This GM engineering marvel has pulled me to buy GM. The autonomous car thing interests me zero and kind of feel like it's being forced upon us. Thanks for your videos!
I'm still optimistic in GMs EV future. Love my 2013 Volt. This year 2019 will introduce more EVs in the market. With experience from the Volt I can say that I'm ready to go full BEV that's range of 200+ miles, quick charge, great battery thermal management system, and Hatchback/CUV. Top of my lists are all Base ID Crozz, Kona EV or E Niro, and Model 3. My current MPG for my 2013 Volt is now 119 life time from 88 MPG when I first bought it and still climbing. My reset Trip A is Currently 129 MPG. Wished that someone at Carmax didn't reset both Trips but I did my own calculations base on the display MPGs to get how many Miles Gas versus Electric.
I'm actually working on plans to sell my 2012 Leaf & 2011 Volt in the next year and buy one car to replace them. Financially it would make sense to buy a used Bolt, but I might be tempted to get the Kona or Niro EVs. Really looking forward to driving one once they hit.
Last year it was rumored that a Volt crossover would be introduced in 2023. It was assumed that the second generation Volt would live on until that time. At the same time there were rumors from the automotive community that the Volt was going to be dropped. So, looks like the later was true. Many feel that the Voltaic drive train is just too expensive to build and in a 2020 and beyond marketplace that a pure EV with 200 to 350 mile range would be less expensive to build and can be placed on common chassis styles further reducing manufacturing cost. Fellow You Tube Blogger News Coulomb speculates on a Malibu EV (Malibu Hybrid was not killed) , Equinox EV, Colorado EV besides the current Bolt EV. GM has stated that they were going to introduce about 20 electric models within the next five years. What not clear is where those models will be introduced. There is now talk of most being introduced in China and not North America. Volt lives on in China as a Buick Velite. Bottom line is GM is very unclear on what their EV roadmap is for the future. Killing the Volt off without an identifiable replacement gives the impression that GM only cares about building SUVs and pickup trucks. The Volt and the Bolt are poorly marketed. Unless you want a PHEV or a EV you really don't know these vehicles exist. Pickups and SUVs sell at a higher profit margin. Most of GM's marketing and advertising goes into these ICE vehicles as they make a greater profit on these vehicles vs. the sedans that sell at a smaller profit margin. So, are pickups and SUVs really that popular or are they popular due to the sales and marketing behind them? Many believe that the Volt and Bolt simply exist to be compliance vehicles which brings down GM's cafe within governmental mandated range so the SUVs and Pickups can exit. Time will tell how serious GM really is with the EV market. Do they really want to compete with Tesla for this market? They're giving EV fans bad vibes by handling the Volt cancelation the way that they did. Would you buy a 2019 Volt if you had the opportunity? Some say no because the car is dead and it will depreciate too quickly. Yet, if you can get one at a discounted rate the maybe its a good buy. Here in the U.S., the $7,500 tax credit will go away sometime mid year 2019 for GM. Maybe that leads into the decision in canceling the Volt a well. Some speculate that Mary Bara is using the Volt cancellation as leverage to extend the tax credit. Guess we will see. The Tesla $7,500 dollar tax credit is slated to last only until the end of this month. In all cases it will drop to $3,750 before being completely phased out. New entries into the market like Kona Electric will have the $7,500 tax credit for years to come. 250,000 units is the magic number for tax credit phase-out. Just looking around at dealer inventory for Volts, still more 2018s than 2019s. There were very few Bolts through out the summer here in the Chicago, Il area. The Bolt inventory has picked up since late fall. Still like my 2017 Chevy Volt Premier. Tesla Model 3 looks nice but don't care for minimalist dash design with the one large center mounted touch screen display. Not sure about rear wheel drive in a snowy climate either. All wheel drive is more of a comfort with extra cost. The 19" wheels look nicer then the stock 18" versions with the covers. So 2019 Volt for $38,000 vs Tesla Model 3 mid range, AWD plus 19" wheels and tires for $64,000?? Chevy Bolt Premier about $40,000.
Silverado with bolt pack and 100 mile all electric range would destroy! If only they could produce one every two minutes.... They are underinvested in battery manufacturing and that will get them in the end. Good video! P.s. wife and I bought a used S from Tesla. Experience has been hilariously bad in most ways so far. Like the car tho.
I think it was a mistake. They should have came out with 2 or 3 pure electric vehicles for the cut with the Volt. While Tesla makes pure electric cars by the thousands, companies like GM makes one model is a shame and a big lost to them.