GM rolls out new electric mini-car at LA Auto Show [Doubling Down on Failure]

AP ^ | 11-27-2012 | By DEE-ANN DURBIN

[Red Badger]

DETROIT (AP) -- General Motors is giving its Chevrolet Spark a jolt of electricity.

An all-electric version of the mini-car will debut this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It goes on sale this summer in California, Oregon, Canada and South Korea, where it's made. Other markets will follow.

Unlike the Chevrolet Volt sedan, which can run in all-electric mode but also has a backup gas engine, the Spark EV is a pure electric. GM won't say how far the car will go on a charge, but says it will be a top performer among the small number of EVs available. The current leader, the electric Ford Focus sedan, can go 76 miles on a charge.

[FrankR]

[trebb]

Let us all remember GM’s motto, “There’s nothing out there that we cannot do worse.”

They just want to prove that the epic failure of "Les Volt" wasn't a fluke...

[ChiMark]

Auto makers are forced by Big Gov to produce this garbage.

The unrealistic mileage standards force them to create cars no one wants.

[DoughtyOne]

I can see the Right coming down on the Volt, due to the bailout and it’s inability to turn a profit.

What I don’t understand is the Left.

Where are all the ‘save the environment, ignoring everything else’ folks?

What’s interesting here, is that with the Volt, you find the Left validating everything we say about the Left.

1. Their arguments are fraudulent
2. They don’t really mean what they claim they do.
3. They don’t mind our tax dollars being destroyed under the guise of cleaning up the planet
4. They are unwilling to jump in and do what they claim everyone needs to do to save the planet

GM has given them exactly what they said they wanted. They demanded a cleaner car. Sure it has to be subsidized by tax dollars, but then almost all of the Left’s programs come under that business model.

So WHERE ARE the Leftist Volt buyers?

[Myrddin]

I'm old enough to remember the rash of siphoning during the first fuel crisis. I see history repeating itself, but this time with extension cords.

I shop at Fry's in San Diego fairly frequently. There is a large concrete area in front of the store where all the motorcyclists park. My usual spot. There is an electric outlet on the outside of the building accessible to that area. Last Summer, the bike parking area had an unexpected intruder. A Nissan Leaf was pulled up to the building and stealing electricity while the owner shopped inside for a few hours. It was very discharged. He was trapped until there was enough power to go. I'm sure his wife spent a lot more money inside while waiting than he saved with stolen electricity vs gasoline.

[DoughtyOne]

Oh don’t worry, they certainly agree there. If they could find a way to force us all onto bicycles, they’d do it in a heartbeat.

[COBOL2Java]

Well, heck, now that the Supreme Court has said the government can make us buy things...

[Mr. K]

I absolutely do not believe his electric bill has not gone up a couple of hundred dollars

I drive 120 miles per day and it costs me about $60 week in gas. It appears he is doing twice that.

So his cost of going to work has dropped from almost $500 a month to nothing?

If I could do that and NOT see an increase in my electirc bill I would buy that electric car tomorrow.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Ugly

Overpriced

No range

I will buy them all : )

[5thGenTexan]

I can't understand it. The same people who implore me to "buy local" because the act of transporting my food will kill the earth want us all to drive electric cars that use batteries made in Canada from materials mined in china and installed in a car that possibly will be assembled in Mexico. And when recycling time comes for the batteries, who knows where they will be allowed to do the processing, but I bet the EPA won't let it be the USA.

My big diesel truck is more enviro-friendly. It is solidly built (last way longer than cheap light unibody) with a low maintenance (simpler design w/o all the emissions crap) engine. The ultimate recycling - I never have to replace it.

[5thGenTexan]

They don’t need the GPS technology to pull the off. At least in Texas, they record the current mileage at annual inspection time. Easy enough to just take on a mileage based tax then.

[GeronL]

Government Motors now builds, what, 80% of its cars in other countries?

[Vendome]

LOL

I have a funny story but I don’t want to top yours. it went about the same .....ish...

[illiac]

Try running them when the power has been out a few days, or sub zero temps....don’t work well in Idaho at all. Couldn’t even get to many homes in one of them due to some pretty primitive roads - and those roads sometimes lead to multi-million dollar homes....

Besides....it supports a non-American company...

[NathanR]

Yes. In order to be able to sell Cadillacs, they have to sell ZEVs like the Volt.

[Syntyr]

Just bought a new 2013 Honda Accord. Has nearly 200 horsepower and runs 90 mph as easy as 10 mph. I have also nursed it p to 38 mpg on the freeway WITH the AC running!

[Noob1999]

Can you imagine the thousands upon thousands of GM employees that had to sign off on that design, from the original concept drawing, to marketing and top management, to the computer renditions, to the draftsmen, to the clay modelers, to the tooling designers, to the tool builders, to the robot programmers;

All to invest $ millions in an extraordinarily ugly piece of junk!

[morphing libertarian]

You’ve seen the Smart Car; now for the Dumb Car!

[Red Badger]

Success has many fathers, failure is an orphan.............

[Vaduz]

True and he has many friends in D.C. with the same mind set.