In contrast, Toyota sold the Prius at a loss at first and provided a
very good insurance policy that covered any flaw or inconvenience,
including free oil change. A person had nothing to lose by trying out
the new technology. Meanwhile, by the time the Volt hits the market,
the Prius will be half its price and be totally proven in its
behavior. Guess what will happen to GM.
Ed
On Sep 17, 2008, at 4:15 PM, Jed Rothwell wrote:
Michael Foster wrote:
I find this an exciting development. I hope GM can deliver. The 40
mile electric range would not quite cover my commute round-trip . . .
It is exciting, but unfortunately the car is slated to cost ~$40,000
so they will not sell many. It a luxury market product, for wealthy
people who want to help the environment.
Perhaps they have leeway to lower the price. It does not seem to be
especially complicated or expensive technology. But my guess is that
they will charge what the market will bear (the highest price they
can). I doubt they want to sell large numbers of a radically new
design at first. There are bound to be problems and recalls.
- Jed
