Chevy Volt Falls Short Of First Year Targets - Where Did They Go Wrong?

They went wrong by releasing such silly projections, speaking of which, wasn't there supposed to be 20k leaf sales? Oh wait those got revised down to 12k and they still fell a couple thousand short.

Lest I remind you?

1529 Volt - 954 Leaf

One cannot compare the Volt and the Leaf because they are sufficiently different. A fully charged Leaf can go 100 miles (~70 IRL). A fully charged and fully fueled Volt can go 379 miles (~300 IRL). Based on just this difference one would expect the Volt to be a more successful product.

One also has to consider international sales, not just in the US, and include the Volt's twin sister the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera, which just started selling last month. Considering these the Leaf has a head start, is in more markets, and has sold quite a few more cars.

In my humble opinion the Volt has done sufficiently well considering all the crud thrown at it. The Leaf with its more limited range will remain mostly a city car.

Where have I ever stated world wide numbers? Angry are you dizzy from all of your spinning yet?

I didn't know the Prius could travel on all electric up to its top speed and for more 15 miles? oh wait, even the plug in electric Prius can't do that. Watch yourself, you're gonna hit your head if you fall from all of that spinning.

Oh god no, you're not worth spending time on. I never even tried. Do you care to embarrass me with them?

Let's see:
1. It is an EV, it can go 35 miles and up to 100 MPH on batteries alone.
2. There is a difference between MPG and MPGe. Even though it is true that GM over-exaggerated the fuel efficiency of the Volt, in electric-only mode the Volt gets well over 100 MPGe, in mixed electric/extended range gas mode most Volt drives get around 90 MPGe and if/only if you never charge it and drive it in extended range mode/gasoline it gets about 35 MPG.
3. Weight and the T-shaped battery placement had something to do with that. Besides in a compact car you can't really put five people in it.
4. I was thinking the third gen. Acura TL, but who cares, the styling of both was a good thing.
5. You better watch out, Eminem knows where you live.

Can you now tell us five things where they went right?

lol, angry thinks that there were only seven volts sold and that most of them were bought back.

Spinning is what you did to my argument. My argument was limited to the usa and the current month. You spun it into global and cumulative :) It's all yours buddy, go ahead and prove your own made up fantasy point.

The current month (December 2011) is significant for two reasons, being a holiday shopping time with fewer people buying cars, and also having the battery catching on fire FUD. For the year they did miss their goal -- they only sold 77% of the planned. It could have been worse.

Where did GM go wrong with the Volt:

1. Styling - don't show the public an attractive concept car and deliver the plain jane, frumpy car with a fat ass on date night.

2. Price - $43,000 without dealer mark-up, your potential customers bought a Prius or Leaf and spent that extra $10,000+ something they really wanted.

3. Dubious Marketing - Is it a hybrid, is like the concept that used the gas engine only to charge the battery, is it both or neither

4. Ford Pinto effect - when it makes the news that your vehicle may catch on fire in an accident or on its own, even worse, this makes for a poor public image.

1. The Volt was not the first concept ever to be unrealistic. To mitigate your second point they had to base it on the existing Delta II platform. Out of all electric vehicles on the market the Volt styling is the least offensive and pretentious.

2. The damn thing was expensive to develop and is expensive to make. However it is not as expensive to buy as a Tesla Roadster or a Fisker Karma.

3. Agree, for many simpletons it is hard to grasp what it is. But to borrow from BMW's marketing, these cars are not for everyone.

4. Catch fire on its own?! Let's not make shit up now, the facts are already concerning enough and as you can see GM has taken this seriously and has offered solutions.

How can you even place the Volt in the same class of vehicle as the Tesla Roadster or the limited production Karma? Fail on your part!

If the definition of class is EV then I can place them in the same category. Also the Volt is a limited production vehicle as well - like it or not.

I don't know anybody that was remotely interested in the Volt, and I know mucho people. The most popular hybrids most often mentioned in my circle are Prius and MB/BMW in the pipeline. Doesn't surprise me a bit that barely anybody in CA bought the Volt.