GM Hybrid Volt Styling Changes: Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory?

[KeepItReal]

I hope this is some huge misunderstanding, but GM looks to be on the verge of making a huge mistake.

The Chevy Volt Hybrid has gone from this prototype...



to this (potentially)....



"DETROIT - If images circulated on the Web this week are representative of the Chevrolet Volt General Motors Corp. plans to deliver in two years, the General had better hope potential customers appreciate the engineering - because the Volt's design is a corporate brownout.

The most common reactions range in a bandwidth from disappointment to derision. The Volt concept car was widely applauded, and although GM subsequently warned certain aggressive aspects of the Volt concept would be sacrificed on the altar of production-car realities, the overwhelming blandness oozing from the images of what is purported to be the production Volt is inescapable. "

http://www.autoobserver.com/2008/09/chevy-volt-styling-is-a-short-circuit.html#more


"DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. blamed "human error" for the premature release today of production model photos of the Chevrolet Volt, the automaker's much-anticipated, yet little-seen, extended-range electric vehicle.

"This car went from super cool...to super lame (Toyota) Prius wanna-be," one poster wrote on Padgett's site.

Another poster wrote: "The original Volt concept looked futuristic for futuristic's sake. This one looks like an actual car that will get GM to the forefront of next-gen automotive innovation." "

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080908/AUTO01/809080428/1148/rss25

[leveymg]

1. It doesn't matter if it looks like a shoebox, just get the thing to market

The original Prius looked kinda lame, also.

[hlthe2b]

3. Exactly... those who go for superficials will miss the point

regardless.. I want the technology--even if it does look sort of dorky, as does the prius and the Honda insight before it. No matter, just give me a reliable clean way to travel and "stick it" to the oil cartels and barons

[dems_rightnow]

23. They should be able to do both

There's no reason it has to look dorky.

[Greyhound]

2. Another triumph for hereditary US auto maker management.

Wanna take a bet that it'll be underpowered and unreliable too?

[MNDemNY]

5. Fact is MOST cars and trucks in the US are WAYYYY OVERpowered.

[Phred42]

8. Remember the Bug had a 40 hp engine -

Except in Mountains is was fine - I had 3 of them

[Phred42]

6. In-breeding is a terrible thing

[sudopod]

4. I like the change

It looks more like a car and less like a phallus. :p

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

7. Building something akin to that prototype would be insanely expensive.

The tooling for a car like that would cost a fortune. There's a reason that expensive cars look the way they do - it takes a lot of cash to do tooling for something like that. Kudos to GM for bringing this to market in the first place. It's not a bad looking car at all.

[leveymg]

10. Those 22 inch rims look like they were stolen from a Hummer.

The big toy look came from SUVs. Time to put the power toy trucks away, kids.

[KeepItReal]

12. So you cannot build looks *and* efficiency into one vehicle?

Attractive cars need not be expensive.

Think: Toyota MR2, Ford Probe GT, Chrysler 300, the original Saturn Coupe, New Beetle, Mini Cooper....

My point is GM has/had a concept with styling that car enthusiasts like myself were drooling over and now it is starting to look like an average sedan.

What makes this new look for the Volt more attractive than a Camry hybrid or Accord hybrid sedan?

Look what Honda has in the pipe:



This is the CR-Z hybrid.

GM may still hit one out of the park with the Volt, but if the styling devolves to blandness, I would not bet on it.

[LeftyMom]

21. That looks like a late 80's CRX mated with a manta ray.

+




=

[Ezlivin]

14. Listen to Amory Levins at TED...

...and you will probably change your view.

It turns out that "we have the technology" to make some cool, kick-ass cars without expensive retooling.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/amory_lovins_on_winning_the_oil_endgame.html

[KeepItReal]

18. Terrific Link! Thanks!

<eom>

[Greyhound]

20. Yep, the "American" companies can't figure out how to do what every other company already knows.

So, the obvious solution is to make a car that is already five years behind and release 2 years from now.

Sheer genius, I tell you.
:dunce::eyes::dunce:

[screembloodymurder]

9. GM never fails to disappoint.

As do the final version of concept cars.

[leveymg]

11. GM actually does some things very well.

The 2nd generation Corvair was a design masterpiece.

[alfredo]

13. by the time they fixed some handling problems, peoples opinions

were fixed.

[flvegan]

15. Great technology lost under a boring skin.

Why not put that great technology into something GM designs (but we never get to see) like this



Because honestly, and I hate to say it, but if you put Chevy dorky looking against Toyota dorky looking, at the same rough price point, guess what folks are going to buy.

[wtmusic]

16. An actual car that looked good AND got GM to the "forefront

next-gen automotive innovation."



but it didn't require any expensive service or parts :cry:

Wonder what kind of range/performance the EV1 would get with Li-Ion batts? We'll never know.

[djkevvy]

17. They're going for what will sell. Why not target the Accord/Camry buyer?

After all, those are two of the best selling models year in, year out.

If they kept the original style it probably would have died just like the EV1. Small target market.

[Edweird]

19. There's a reason why people didn't buy the econo boxes until gas prices went up:

they don't like them. I'm willing to bet cash that if gas prices go back down there will be a run on SUV's again and used car lots will be filled with Priuses. If they want to sell electric cars no matter what the prices of gas is, they need to emulate the Tesla not the Prius. If fuel efficient cars were hot little race cars that happened to be "green" instead of can't-get-out-of-their-own-way dorkmobiles it wouldn't take a gas crisis to sell them. Those of you that think "people have finally learned their lesson".... well, I think you're fooling yourself.

[Pithlet]

22. Sorry, but I think it's an improvement.

The redesign may be bland, but the original design was butt ugly.

[yodoobo]

24. There is nothing to important that GM can't find a way to fuk up

I'm from a GM family. My Dad retired from GM, my brother still works there. I worked there as an engineering intern in college. I few years ago I consulted there.

Its a horrible corporation. I've consulted for perhaps hundreds of corporations over the last few decades on various engineering projects. Of all them, GM was the absolute worst to deal with.

GM fosters a culture of mediocrity through heavy handed intimidation. Mediocrity and intimidation is built into the corporate DNA all the way from the executive offices down to the poor guys on the line trying to get through the day.

There is absolutely nothing that is to big, too important or too expensive that GM can't find a way to totally screw up.