GM to invest $30 million in Volt-battery plant

Lets see GM has a hard time making cars that sell and they are going to attempt to make batteries. In any event they can always sell them to toyota and honda.

When was spending 30million on a car battery plant for a car that makes no profit per sale in this down turned economic state a good idea?

it won't add to gm's bottom line for years --if EVER-- but in the meantime it makes jobs for the contractors building the plant, suppliers of machine tools, etc., and will provide wages for workers making the batteries. and if gm folds before the volt saves them, the output and/or plant itself can be sold to successful hybrid builders.

By the time the Volt comes out in est 2010 it will have to compete with 5-10 cars in its mpg class. Also this car will be a net loss to the general public that trades in cars every 3 to 5 years.

Cappy, you keep on hoping that the chump change GM is putting into its battery plant will save the day for MI and Detroit. I live in the area. I see the carnage that the UAW (with a hand from an emaciated management team) has inflicted upon many of the plants around here. Let me tell, if you look at the cost of the GM-UAW legal services plan you would see that GM spends more on providing 'free' legal services to the UAW then they do on their big battery development. GM is closing plants in which they have billion dollar investments and you are placing hope in something because they are putting 30 million into it? Also note that the state of MI is essentially footing the bill through promises they have made to GM. Yet, GM has been trying to export their manufacturing jobs to other countries because you (the UAW) are so entwined into the body of GM that they would die if you were extracted...just like in the movie Alien. Except the only way this ends good for the USA and GM is if they go bankrupt and rid themselves of the parasitic infestation known as the UAW.