Motor Trend Magazine lays the smackdown on Rush

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Rush to Judgment

You said, “Folks, of all the cars, no offense, General Motors, please, but of all the cars in the world, the Chevrolet Volt is the Car of the Year? Motor Trend magazine, that’s the end of them. How in the world do they have any credibility? Not one has been sold. The Volt is the Car of the Year.”

So, Mr. Limbaugh; you didn’t enjoy your drive of our 2011 Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Volt? Assuming you’ve been anywhere near the biggest automotive technological breakthrough since … I don’t know, maybe the self-starter, could you even find your way to the front seat? Or are you happy attacking a car that you’ve never even seen in person?

Last time you ranted about the Volt, you got confused about the “range,” and said on the air that the car could be driven no more than 40 miles at a time, period. At least you stayed away from that issue this time, but you continue to attack it as the car only a tree hugging, Obama-supporting Government Motors customer would want. As radio loudmouths like you would note, none of those potential customers were to be found after November 2.

Back to us for a moment, our credibility, Mr. Limbaugh, comes from actually driving and testing the car, and understanding its advanced technology. It comes from driving and testing virtually every new car sold, and from doing this once a year with all the all-new or significantly improved models all at the same time. We test, make judgments and write about things we understand.

Chevrolet has not sold one Volt because it’s not on sale yet. It will not sell 10,000 this first model year (although GE plans to buy truckloads for its fleet), because it takes time to ramp up production. See, Rush, because we’re the World’s Automotive Authority, we get access to many cars before they go on sale.

Rush to Judgment imageBut, harrumph. In its attempt to force cars that don’t use much gas on us — how un-American/un-ExxonMobil/un-Halliburton is that? — the Obama administration is offering a $7,500 tax credit on the Chevy Volt, grabbing tax breaks and credits right out of the deserving, job-creating pockets of America’s richest individuals. How dare he?

This is another of your distortions, Rush, repeated by the otherwise more level-headed George Will in The Washington Post last Sunday. The $7,500 Obama tax credit is an expansion of President Bush’s hybrid credits from the last decade. The Obama tax credit extends to the new Nissan Leaf, too, but if you or Will slammed that car, I’ve not heard or read it. I’d be surprised if you did, though, as Nissan is building the Leaf in a non-union factory in a right-to-work state represented by two Republican senators. A factory located there because Tennessee offered Nissan big tax credits. Maybe you’re worried that if the $7,500 tax credit works, too many people will buy the Volt, and that could reduce the need for oil drilling tax credits?

GM designed the Chevy Volt after its failed experiment with the EV1, which was its attempt to respond to a California mandate. States rights, you know. While Toyota was developing, and eventually selling the hybrid Prius in ever-greater numbers, GM decided to move beyond the Prius-model with a new kind of technology that’s not quite plug-in hybrid, not quite pure electric.

It unveiled the Chevy Volt concept at the 2007 Detroit auto show. That means GM began working on it before the November 2006 elections, when the Republican Party had majorities in the House and Senate, before President Bush had signed a single veto. Bob Lutz, who famously decreed, “Global Warming is a crock of ######,” introduced the car two years before Bush gave GM its first bailout from TARP pocket change. This was two-and-a-half years before Obama’s Automotive Task Force forced GM into bankruptcy.

Rush to Judgment imageSure, Toyota designed and built the Prius on its own, and no doubt lost billions of yen probably well into the second generation. Do you think Toyota did this without any Japanese government help?

Thanks to the recently unbridled ability of American and foreign big business to contribute unhindered to their favorite politicians – both Democratic and Republican — you don’t need to worry about rampant left-wing policy coming out of Washington any time soon.

You’ve made two king’s ransoms by convincing legions of dittoheads to tune into you every day. I wonder, do you ever ride in anything that’s not German or Anglo-Saxon? Do you have any idea how powerful IG Metal is, and of the size of Germany’s social safety net?

My esteemed colleague, Jonny Lieberman, got a copy of Will’####### piece on the Volt, and responded thusly: “A bit of flag waving is in order – but instead, Will chooses to be a partisan clown and gets everything wrong.” You and Will don’t even worry about being un-American, anymore.

All the shouting from you or from electric car purists on the left can’t distort the fact that the Chevy Volt is, indeed, a technological breakthrough. And it’s more. It’s a technological breakthrough that many American families can use for gas-free daily commutes and well-planned vacation drives. It’s expensive for a Chevy, but many of those families will find the gasoline saved worth it. If you can stop shilling for your favorite political party long enough to go for a drive, you might really enjoy the Chevy Volt. I’m sure GM would be happy to lend you one for the weekend. Just remember: driving and Oxycontin don’t mix.

Read more: http://blogs.motortrend.com/rush-judgment-5957.html#ixzz163ARdCiX

[Ban Hammer 13,355]

aj defending gm? what has this world come to!

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aj defending gm? what has this world come to!

the more i read about the volt, the more exciting it sounds. i cant afford it, but its good to see something like this come from an american company and not an asian one.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

electric cars are a waste of time/money until we improve battery technology...... Which isn't going to happen any time soon.

Of course, the electric car has been around for almost an entire century and hasn't been able to take off once.....

Even the prius relies on gasoline for long distances with good reason.

The 'Volt' is great if you live in an urban area to get around from here to there, but outside of that, it's a waste of money.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

... its good to see something like this come from an american company and not an asian one.

Why do you love America? Be more like Rush and hate her!

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Why do you love America? Be more like Rush and hate her!

Obama hates America enough already.

ETA: one is the president and the other talks on the radio..... if only your judgment was fair.

Edited November 23, 2010 by John Galt

[spookyturtle 9,466]

the more i read about the volt, the more exciting it sounds. i cant afford it, but its good to see something like this come from an american company and not an asian one.

[luckytxn 2,264]

Pretty pricey car.

[luckytxn 2,264]

Wonder how much it will cost to replace the batteries if they need to be. Also wonder how much to get rid of the batteries and where they will dispose of them. If you only get a 40 mile charge and at that cost and you can buy a vehicle that runs on gas at less than 20 thousand then driving 40 miles only would seem to save money by buying gas powered.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Obama hates America enough already.

Because you say so? It's Rush that wants to see America fail. now you might be fine with that poijnt of view. I, on the other hand take issue with that since I want her to succeed.

[Azzudiin 26]

electric cars are a waste of time/money until we improve battery technology...... Which isn't going to happen any time soon.

Of course, the electric car has been around for almost an entire century and hasn't been able to take off once.....

Even the prius relies on gasoline for long distances with good reason.

The 'Volt' is great if you live in an urban area to get around from here to there, but outside of that, it's a waste of money.

People really need to learn to read about something before writing. The Volt has a gas engine generator inside it. The major difference between this and so called hybrids is its ability to run a good distance without that gasoline generator ever burning a drop of gas. A person who drives this car to commute to work less then 40 or 50 miles could run almost forever without the use of gasoline, just on the charge from plugging it in at home or at work.

It will not just die when the batteries are depleted, it can charge itself and keep going if needed. If you wanted to drive a longer distance you can continue to drive, you just be burning gas like any other car them.

[SMR 368]

The huge problem with the Volt (and the Prius, Leaf, etc.) is that the math doesn't work out. It is suggested that this is a great commuter car for driving to work every day.

But the average commute is 16 miles. Assume that gas prices rise to, say, $5 a gallon. Assume that charging your Volt won't raise your electric bill (it will, noticeably). Now compare the Volt to a compact gasoline engine car like the Corolla, Elantra, Civic, or Focus. If driven carefully, these cars will get above 30 miles per gallon. Let's say 30. All of these cars cost under $20k new. The volt, on the other hand, costs $41k. With rebates, tax breaks, and such, let's say you get it down to $30k. If you drive 16 miles to work a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year, 16 miles each way, paying $5 a gallon for gas, in a car that gets 30 miles per gallon, you'll spend about $1386 on gas a year. But if you bought the Volt, you paid $10k more from the start.

So you'll have to drive for about 7.2 years in a Volt for it to be cheaper than buying a traditional compact car. And that is with some pretty generous assumptions in the Volt's favor like $5 a gallon gas and no charging costs. Also, unless you have a huge pile of cash sitting in the bank, you are going to end up financing that extra $10k which means some financing costs. Moreover, if you go with the traditional compact car, you have much more flexibility for taking trips and such. Additionally, there are all the typical risks and unknowns of new technologies. Lithium Ion batteries, for instance, are good for 200-800 cycles, depending on the specific technology, configuration, and charging approaches used. So in a couple years, recharging every day, you're going to be on the hook for some new batteries. Consider your cell-phone battery. After a couple years, it doesn't really work as well. So in reality, you'll probably be breaking even with the Volt just about the time it wears out and you need to get a new car (if you're lucky).

Basically, it's an exciting innovative technology with potential, but at present, it does not make economic sense. If they can get the price more in-line with a traditional car, get some reliability numbers under their belt, and if gas prices go up significantly, this will be a good choice some years from now.

[Ban Hammer 13,355]

smr

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Some day the oil supply will decline. It will take decades to wean off of oil. I see these cars as a step in the right direction and over the next 20 years we will see drastic improvement in the technologies involved. It has to start somewhere, and it should have started with the first oil crises back in 1973.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Some day the oil supply will decline. It will take decades to wean off of oil. I see these cars as a step in the right direction and over the next 20 years we will see drastic improvement in the technologies involved. It has to start somewhere, and it should have started with the first oil crises back in 1973.

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