Obama Flop : Chevy VOLT is a loser.

[Danno 1,228]

One of the pillars of the Obama presidency was that "Green" tech would usher in the recovery.

Q: How could he have been so wrong?

A: He never spent a day in business and he knew few people who were, yet he loved Van Jones book on the topic.

Is the Chevy Volt a sales flop?

General Motors has repeatedly claimed a sales target for 2011 of 10,000 units for the plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt sedan. But, nine months into the year, they've only shipped 3,895 off the lot. In fact, in September sales numbers, released an hour ago, GM sold only 723 Volts. Will GM fail to meet its own sales predictions?

To be fair, GM has claimed that sales would falter during the summer because of a pre-planned shutdown of the automaker's Hamtramck assembly plant. But, it was thought by most analysts that GM would have already swallowed that hiccup and by September we'd see higher sales. Despite more than doubling last months sales, we somehow don't think 723 units sold this past month is what one would consider massive sales momentum — especially given this summer's anemic numbers. And that's not to say there aren't any Volts on dealer lots. Cars.com shows over 2,600 units available in a nation-wide search of new vehicle listings.

To give you an idea of how few vehicles that is, here are just a few of the GM vehicles that sold better than the Chevy Volt this month:

Cadillac Escalade - 1,527

Chevrolet Colorado Pickup - 2,171

Chevrolet Avalanche - 1,861

Chevrolet Suburban - 5,246

Buick Lucerne - 1,068

That last car, the Buick Lucerne, is even more ironic considering it's made on the very same assembly line as the Chevy Volt — yet the Buick-for-blue-hairs still managed to sell almost 50% more units this past month.

Compare those sales with the vehicle most pundits position as a direct competitor — the Nissan Leaf all-electric car. Nissan sold 1,362 Leafs during the month of August and 1,031 during the month of September. Year to date, they've sold 7,199 — twice the number of Volts GM has shipped off dealer lots.

GM has a steep hill to climb if they plan on making their claim of 10,000 units sold. By our count it means they'll have to sell over 2,000 Volts during each of the remaining three months of 2011. We'll see if they can make it — or if the Volt ends up being a flop for GM in its first year of sales.

So what does all this hand-wringing mean? Who knows. It could mean there's very little desire for such weird, new technology. Or it could just mean GM's still working the kinks out of the supply chain. All we know is — sometimes it's best not to put hard targets to leap over unless you're sure you can clear 'em. Because tripping and falling always hurts.

Photo Credit: Bill Pugliano / Getty Images News

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Looser than what exactly?

[mawilson 2,133]

Looser than what exactly?

Looser than a two-bit ####### at a ####### convention?

[Ban Hammer 13,745]

topic title edited to correct spelling.

[Danno 1,228]

topic title edited to correct spelling.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

The best thing one can do for the environment is not to buy a new car.

Currently I'm driving my 1920 Ford Model T to work. No oil pump, no fuel pump, no water pump, no starter, no battery.

Repairs can be done with simple hand tools and that includes difficult stuff such as tightening the rod bolts once a year or so. It's now 91 years old (I also have a 1911 Model T Ford Torpedo), and I'll keep it until the day I die and enjoy every single one of it to the fullest.

If you knew how much energy is wasted manufacturing a new car and batteries (of which the Volt has gazillions) and if you simply assume that it would be "normal" to buy a new car every 3 years, then I have already saved the energy needed to build 30 new cars by driving my old ones.

[lostinblue 1,989]

The best thing one can do for the environment is not to buy a new car.

Currently I'm driving my 1920 Ford Model T to work. No oil pump, no fuel pump, no water pump, no starter, no battery.

Repairs can be done with simple hand tools and that includes difficult stuff such as tightening the rod bolts once a year or so. It's now 91 years old (I also have a 1911 Model T Ford Torpedo), and I'll keep it until the day I die and enjoy every single one of it to the fullest.

If you knew how much energy is wasted manufacturing a new car and batteries (of which the Volt has gazillions) and if you simply assume that it would be "normal" to buy a new car every 3 years, then I have already saved the energy needed to build 30 new cars by driving my old ones.

And the cash for clunker deal left thousands of unemployed without a car that they could afford.

[luckytxn 2,265]

Who could have foreseen this?

[MyLittlePony 340]

Chevy Volt cost too much the price of a Volt is as much as two brand new cars i rather have two new cars than a Chevy Volt and i will never buy from a company that needed a bail out.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

And the cash for clunker deal left thousands of unemployed without a car that they could afford.

I'm sure you felt the same outrage when Dubya gave out huge tax refunds for buying mammoth SUV's.

As if the Obama Administration invented the tax rebate....lol.

[Danno 1,228]

I'm sure you felt the same outrage when Dubya gave out huge tax refunds for buying mammoth SUV's.

As if the Obama Administration invented the tax rebate....lol.

Did you miss the added bonus of the -Cash for clunkers, where they took sent all those second hand cars to the scrap heap.

Al least people who bought SUV's passed their old cars on for others to use. Why don't you care about low income people who seek secondhand cars as a matter of economics?

It would seem to me, throwing out perfectly good cars to crank up the factories to make more... can't be very "green" even if the milage tended to be better.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Did you miss the added bonus of the -Cash for clunkers, where they took sent all those second hand cars to the scrap heap.

Al least people who bought SUV's passed their old cars on for others to use. Why don't you care about low income people who seek secondhand cars as a matter of economics?

It would seem to me, throwing out perfectly good cars to crank up the factories to make more... can't be very "green" even if the milage tended to be better.

Oh yes...that's why you RWNutters b!tch about it.

[Danno 1,228]

Oh yes...that's why you RWNutters b!tch about it.

By nature I hate to see resources wasted, especially when it is "on government" or mandated by Government.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

By nature I hate to see resources wasted, especially when it is "on government" or mandated by Government.

You're just getting in touch with your nature now that Obama is president. Dubya didn't quite get you there.

[Danno 1,228]

You're just getting in touch with your nature now that Obama is president. Dubya didn't quite get you there.

Oh I have been in touch with my nature for quite some time now

You keep referring to Bush as if I and others were Shills for him as you seem to be for Obama.

While it's true Bush was no Obama, he still made some huge errors while in office.... which is why so many on the Right abandoned him.

No doubt some on the Left are ditching Obama, but I know you will be there until the bitter end,

I'll give you a thumbs up for loyalty.... even if it is misplaced.