RUMOR: 2016 Chevrolet Volt Will Usher In An All-New Chassis — What Would YOU Tell GM To IMPROVE?

I know I'll likely to get into another Twitter spat over this but I am sticking to my guns: The current-gen Chevrolet Volt was not successful. Sure, you can spin it anyway you want and claim that it outsold the first-gen Toyota Prius — using data over a decade old — to TRY and prove a point, but then you'd be an idiot.

The Volt was forecasted to sell upwards of 120k units in its prime. If I am not mistaken it didn't break 30k units in a good year. Moving on...

Word on the street has come about that General Motors' Chevrolet is preparing an all-new chassis for 2016. Whether that's model year 2016 or the actual year is beyond us at this point. Given the lifecycle, I'd guess it would debut in the year; however, the company could be trying to push an all-new car out the door for the 2016 model year.

It's not that the Volt was a bad car. It was a good car. But in a market full of GREAT products, it just didn't connect with the market.

So, we turn to the AutoSpies faithful: what would YOU tell GM's product team to ensure the next-gen Volt is successful and make everyone run and get one?

The 2016 Volt will be redesigned and developed on a new front-drive vehicle platform developed by General Motors.

A dramatic styling change is not planned for the car, however.

"It is different, but not drastically different," according to a source who asked not to be identified. "Just really a bit of a styling change to it."

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N22Tango - 3/8/2014 10:20:04 PM

+1 Boost

I bought a 2012 Volt on June 5, 2012 and I now have 21,000+ miles on it. It's been back to the dealership one time for an oil change and a tire rotation. It's been to a gas station twice and the first time, I simply pulled in so I could go inside and buy a green tea. The second time was on day 367 since driving it off the dealership lot, and it took less than 8 gallons of gas. I'm able to drive my Volt on electricity, at less expense than when I was a senior in high school buying gas at 37 sents per gallon for my 1970 Camaro...

You want to know what I would tell GM to do? Fire the idiot who is in charge of marketing and advertising the Volt. About 9 times out of 10 when someone comes up to me and says "Nice looking car, what is it?" and I reply "A Volt." They say, "What is a Volt." What the Hell is going on here GM?

GM once had a commercial where a young woman is exclaiming "I mostly drive it on electricity and sometimes I forget where the gas cap is." And that kind of marketing only suggests, perhaps only idiots buy and drive a Volt.

I'm started a website to help other Volt owners tell stories about their Volts and despite the lackluster contributions I have (I'm beginning to believe most Volt owners are introverted geeks and engineers) we all have stories here that explain why we bought a Volt... Please look at my info and you'll see I am no engineer or geek. www.AskMeAboutMyVolt.com

N22Tango - 3/8/2014 10:32:12 PM

0 Boost

I forgot to mention... even though I'm able to drive my Volt on electricity, further on a $1 than a $1 took me in 1970 (when gas was 37 cents per gallon then) I don't hold any records. Other Volt owners do better than I do and others don't.
Check out my mileage and "fuel" sipping statistics by a Google search "Dusty VoltStats" and I bet you'll drop your jaw. And what I like about my Volt is the fact it runs on American fuel (made by thousands and thousands of wind turbines here in Texas. The taxpayer hit on our wallets of keeping the Gulf of Hormuz open so oil can flow out of the Middle East is killing us. Since my Volt mainly runs on electrons made here in Texas, I have a bumper sticker on the back of my Volt reading "Hey OPEC! Kiss my gas cap. I drive a Chevrolet Volt."

Sciros - 3/8/2014 11:55:12 PM

+1 Boost

GM marketing has been unbelievably terrible for the last few decades. If anything killed Pontiac it wasn't the Aztec. That's a funny thing to say but really it was the marketing, which was mostly nonexistent and was otherwise rubbish. The Volt can be marketed far better that it has been, and that alone would go a long way towards success.

In terms of the car per se, I think its ass is way too big. That rear end is so disproportionately tall that it looks comical and has to affect rear visibility.

skytop - 3/9/2014 9:13:55 AM

+1 Boost

Another reVOLTing electric car idea with typical poor execution from GM? No thanks!

DougS - 3/25/2014 10:41:52 AM

+1 Boost

First off you probably have insurance. Secondly you probably got your info on the ACA from Fox. Third - be informed not indoctrinated speaking head. I did my homework and looked at the cons and pros of the ACA. Myth 1 - its going to raise taxes - absolutely nonsense. Myth 2 - premiums will raise. Premiums have been raising every year and their is no law that stops the insurance companies from raising premiums 100% if they did so. Myth 3 Only the poor can get tax credits - nonsense -families of 4 making up to $92000 year can get a tax credit. Most families of 4 earning less than $50k get $500 month toward affordable health insurance. Check out fact check dot org and see the actual Affordable Health Care Bill and read the summaries of coverage. Now you have the whole story. Also the Volt is actually a great car and the new 2016 will be priced at $29k after tax credits. The battery replacements from GM can be rented on a monthly basis for under $200 to give new owners piece of mind in considering one. So far all the stuff I've read is positive. Recently car and driver did a comparision on ownership costs volt vs prius plug in. The Volt won.

MattDarringer - 3/10/2014 12:21:52 AM

0 Boost

So it won't be a Cruze with batteries bolted in anymore or will it just be the next Cruze with batteries bolted in?