Published by Mike Kisch under Transportation

In January, 2007 Chevy unveiled their Volt concept car at the Detroit Auto Show.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Volt, it’s an electric car capable of running 40 miles on a single charge.  For many commuters it promises to get them to work and back on a single charge without using any gas.  For background on the Volt, check out the Wikipedia entry.

On September 16, 2008, GM unveiled the actual production vehicle.  It has received significant press coverage, so the purpose of my post is not to rehash what the traditional media and automotive blogging community has already said.  Rather, I’m focusing on the differences between the design of the concept and production vehicle, because I feel that they highlight an issue that current hybrids and now electric vehicles will face when trying to penetrate the mainstream market.

Since the Volt won’t be available until 2010, let’s take a quick look at the current landscape of “green” cars:

1. The Toyota Prius is by far the most successful hybrid.  In May 2008 Toyota announced that they had sold over one million Priuses worldwide.  In the US alone, Toyota stands a good chance of selling over 200,000 Priuses in 2008. Still, with all its success, the Prius is still not a mainstream vehicle (see our previous blog). Sales heavily skew to the east and west coasts, and the car appeals to people who rate “green” as a strong buying criteria.  Unfortunately, most mainstream buyers don’t live on the coasts and don’t rate “green” as a critical purchase consideration for new cars.  In addition, because of its unique appearance and the way it’s been marketed, I think the Prius may remain a highly successful niche vehicle.
2. The limitations of the Prius have led most major auto manufacturers to create hybrid versions of their best selling vehicles.  Camry, Accord, Civic, Tahoe, etc., all have a hybrid option available. These cars use the same platform and carriage as their gasoline brethren and therefore appeal to the same types of buyers. The catch is that the fuel efficiency/emissions reduction is usually not that significant relative to the premium a buyer must pay.
3. New to the market is the Tesla Roadster. The first production vehicle was delivered in February, 2008. Tesla is not only all electric, but it is a formidable sports car capable accelerating from 0-60 mph in less than 4 seconds, with a top speed of 125 mph.  On a single charge the Tesla is capable of traveling 220 miles. Tesla represents a significant milestone in “green” car development. It is beautifully designed, fun to drive, and emits zero emissions.  Sounds good?  Want to run out and buy one?  That’s where you may have a problem.  The Tesla costs more than $100K, and there is a waiting list of at least one year. Clearly the Tesla Roadster is not a mainstream vehicle, but it shatters most consumers’ perceptions of “green” car design and performance.

The first pictures I saw of the Volt concept car got me excited.  It was a futuristic looking 2-seater coupe.  It had a very masculine aesthetic and looked like a true performance vehicle.  I saw the potential to seamlessly blend together beautiful design, performance, low emissions, and a price tag I would consider ($35-40K).  You can see a video of the concept car below:

As a car aficionado I understand that there are always changes between the concept car and the actual production vehicle to make it easier to manufacture and fit within the financial model.  However, in recent years cars like the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro were able to carry over a large percentage of their concept design into production.  I had hoped that the Volt was able to do the same, but unfortunately that does not appear to be the case, as you can see in the video below:

According to GM, the primary reason for the design change was to make the car more aerodynamic.  While that may be true, it has rendered what was an exciting concept into an egg-shaped 4-door sedan that looks very similar to the Toyota Prius.  This design may appeal to the “green” crowd, but at $35-40K, the price will be well beyond the desires and budgets of many. As a result, I think most consumers will not pay much attention to the Volt and will continue to purchase gas-guzzling, carbon monoxide spewing cars.

I give credit to GM for bringing to market this significant engineering accomplishment.  I just think they missed a substantial marketing opportunity by not appealing to more mainstream consumers.  I’m still waiting!