A Cadillac Volt – Are You Kidding Me!?

Nationjal Legal & Policy Center ^ | August 12, 2011 | Mark Modica

[jazusamo]

According to a USA Today report, General Motors has decided to offer a Cadillac version of the Chevy Volt called the Converj. This follows reports that the Obama Administration will continue to hold its stake in GM. That makes sense, since a decision to build a Cadillac version of the Volt could not be based on economic considerations, but political ones.

Sales of the Chevy Volt have been horrible. The statements out of GM that the vehicle was "virtually sold out" turned out not to be true. Even in a best case scenario where sales pick up, the vehicle is a money loser for GM. What in the world would make them want to clone such a loser?

The hype for the Chevy Volt has been going on for years. The politically popular vehicle was named Car of the Year by Motor Trend whose publisher, Source Interlink, has a cozy relationship with GM. Besides having joint ventures with GM, media publications for Motor Trends' publisher have included Chevy High Performance, Corvette Fever, GM High-Tech Performance, Super Chevy and Vette. And of course, like the TV networks, they receive huge ad revenues from GM. Talk about biased reviews! This award may even top some of Motor Trends' past jokes which have included the Chevy Vega and Chevy Citation. At least those cars sold more than a few hundred a month and had the potential for profitability.

Motor Trend can be added to the long list of entities and people who have been losing credibility as the GM story unfolds. Also on the list are TV networks that trumpeted the Chevy Volt as a "game changer" for GM, analysts who strongly recommended GM shares as they traded in the high $30 range (now down about 35% from those levels), and Obama Administration officials like Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and ex- Auto Task Force head, Steve Rattner, who falsely claimed that taxpayers would soon get back their investment in GM. Thus far, none of the members of the lost credibility list have had the integrity to back off of their overly optimistic views of GM or the Chevy Volt.

The decision to clone the Chevy Volt is perplexing. There is not enough demand for one Volt badged under the Chevy name, why add a Cadillac version? GM has not seemed to have learned from their past mistakes of offering multiple badged, cloned vehicles. In addition GM CEO, Dan Akerson, was recently quoted as saying that GM would pursue the production of battery-only vehicles. What happened to the huge commitment to the hybrid style engineering of the Volt, which supposedly cures "range anxiety?" Such decisions are adding to the "credibility anxiety" that has plagued GM since emerging from bankruptcy.

My suspicion is that an awful lot of taxpayer money is going to get funneled to GM in the form of green energy grants and loans to produce politically popular vehicles. That would also explain why manufacturers such as GM have not been overly vocal speaking out against higher CAFÉ standards. The temptation for the Obama Administration to help GM in any way possible is too great to ignore. If skimming the surface reveals such abuses as the gaming of Chevy Volt tax credits, how much more is lurking beneath the surface? And, perhaps most importantly, when will the mainstream media regain their lost journalistic integrity by questioning the actions at GM?

Mark Modica is an NLPC Associate Fellow

[jazusamo]

LOL!

GM can tack on another $15 to $20K on the Cadillac Volt.

They won't sell as many but they'll make it up in profits. /sarc

[ken21]

they should call it the obama.

[blueunicorn6]

“OK. Let’s move the beige deck chairs over here and the green ones over there. The Titanic may be sinking, but our deck chairs will be in order!”

[NonValueAdded]

This makes sense, actually. The potential customers for a GM electric car are well-to-do libs who don’t mind throwing good money after bad. Their whole motivation in buying the vehicle is a “hey, look at me thing” and they’d rather not be saying “hey, look at me in a Chevy.”

[mlocher]

This follows reports that the Obama Administration will continue to hold its stake in GM. That makes sense, since a decision to build a Cadillac version of the Volt could not be based on economic considerations, but political ones.Sales of the Chevy Volt have been horrible.

Let's see. People who drive Chevy's are middle class folks who could never afford a $40+K Volt, even if they believed in Green Technology. From a marketing perscpective, it makes more sense to "upscale" your target customers. Of course, GM, when under government supervision, never had a chance to get it right. Once again, Obama's administration has screwed up something that they tried to save.

[Lazlo in PA]

Been there done that. Things didn't turn out to well last time Cadillac rebadged a Chevy to add an economy car to the line up.

And what pothead came up with "Converj"? That is just terrible. They should have just called it the "Turd" which is what the public will call it anyway.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

Paint a turd gold.....It’s still a turd.

[jazusamo]

Yep, I see your point but I wonder just how many of the well to do greenies are willing to fork over that kind of money for bragging rights. I'd guess not enough to make it profitable for GM and I doubt the tax credit will go on forever.

[jazusamo]

Please bump the Freepathon or click above and donate or become a monthly donor!

[Da Coyote]

GM has a long and distinguished tradition of finding means to add tarnish to already tarnished names. Cadillac is only now becoming a brand to be (very carefully) considered - and it appears GM “management” (if one can term those clowns as managers) wants to continue it’s unblemished tradition of “massive fail”.

The Corvette is the only thing coming out of GM that is even remotely worth the money.

[JPG]

Czar of the year.

[N. Theknow]

A Cadillac Volt?

That's like a high-priced call girl named....Helen Thomas.

[jazusamo]

Thanks, I’d forgotten about the Cimarron, probably because it wasn’t around long. :)

[Secret Agent Man]

I have couple ideas for the name:

Cadillac II: Electric Boogaloo

The Hyperbole

The Conjecture

The Zesty Lemon

The Overrated

The BuyMePlease

The EcoSnob

The Letdown

The ‘Recovery’ (this is obviously, really hard sarc)

[Codeflier]

I agree with you. This actually makes sense. This should be a luxury and status play, which is not good fit for the Chevy brand. If they had started this with Cadillac, the sales would have been better and more profitable, because almost the same car could be $20K higher. Still a stupid car altogether though and a total waste of our tax dollars.

[longtermmemmory]

any indiot who buys that is 100% stupid with money.

it is in no way a “chick magnet” car... if anything it labels the driver as “gay”.

This ONE idea has the power to destroy the entire cadilac brand.

[Secret Agent Man]

If they call it the ‘Recovery’, Obama can get in one and say he’s driving the recovery - with a straight face. Then end with it being driven off a tall cliff.

[Calvin Locke]

Now, John Travolta saying “That’s the, uh, Cadillac of hybrids.” isn’t going to be as funny any more.

[GenXteacher]

Making the welfare Cadillac green....

[duckman]

Call it the ‘SwitchHitter’, gas and elect. Good marketing ploy for gays.