The Chevy Volt

Good question. They might very well be walking dead at the moment. As the economy continues to take massive hits, I don't see how they'll survive even with help from the government. Nobody is buying anything. Until that changes, they don't have a prayer.

 

My mom bought a Prius a few months back. She's really happy with it. I'm hoping there's something better by the time I'm ready to buy as well. The EV1 proves the technology exists for a plug-in car that's viable.

 

I have driven a Prius. We have them at the college and use them for work-related travel.
Very nice cars.
I would definitely get one, but I haven't priced or driven any other options.
Yet.

 

You guys should check out the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid.

41 mpg on the city test — 7 mpg MORE in the city than a Toyota Camry and it kicked ass in the big Car & Driver comparo:

http://www.caranddriver.com/buying_guide/ford/fusion/2010_ford_fusion_hybrid/2010_ford_fusion_hybrid_comparison_test

 

You're comparing the mileage on a hybrid against a nonhybrid.
The mpg on the Prius is 45/48.
Of course, the Prius cost about $8,000 more than the Focus hybrid.
I don't think I would by an American car at this point, though.

 

No, I'm not. The Fusion hybrid gets 7 mpg more than the Camry hybrid. The Fusion and the Camry are both mid-sized cars.

The Prius is a compact.

 

It's coming. When the CAFE goes way up and we get another oil shock, we're looking at smaller, weaker cars. The automakers won't have any choice but to make nothing but sh!tbox deathtraps that get 40 mpg in the city, go 0-60 in 4.5 minutes and are about as cool looking to be seen in as a pair of neon-orange clogs. Fun.

God, this is the 70s all over again. What's next, vans? Platform shoes? Disco. Ugh.

 

Oh noez! No more driving like your on the racetrack or flipping my car while drag racing on a street!

 

People seem to have some romanticized memories of the EV1. While technologically interesting, it was a tiny, lightweight car, which is part of the reason it had such impressive range for an electric-only vehicle. Part of the reason the Volt has less range is because it's a normal-sized car that's much more practical than the EV1 was.

I guess in some ways I don't get the hybrid love. Economically, at least now, they're just not viable, and for anyone who enjoys driving they really compromise the experience.

 

Part of it is the fact that the EV1 was wildly popular at the time, the waiting list was a mile long, and GM couldn't wait to kill it. They claimed they couldn't sell enough of them to make it profitable, despite the fact that they never even tried to manufacture enough of them to meet demand.

 

How do you mean it was "wildly popular"? It wasn't intended as a production car; it was essentially an engineering exercise offered in limited quantities to the public. They made only 1,100 of them and lost a shitload of money on each one (estimated cost per vehicle to GM was about $80,000).

 

My bad. I didn't even know there was a Camry hybrid.