Holden Volt home in my Garage.

[planetdavo]

I am close to Volting my garage but the price is really getting me. The same car in the USA is around $42-43k before haggling (and before teh $7500 tax credit). Sounds like a big gap already but why is it the SSV is around $55k here but will probably be a $30s car when in the USA? Aussies getting turned upside down AND inside out by GM....

Bad enough, but look closer and there's more like in teh USA you get OnStar for three years including all the remote control of the car via your smartphone. Is that on the Aussie cars???? What else did they strip?

I am negotiating hard and from what the dealers are telling me there is room to move coming up. A slip up in a conversation with a Holden insider suggests that Holden realise the problem and may be looking to import a lower spec version.

Unfortunately, the world of internet shopping has led to cars being considered in the same light as various other small and easily posted items from overseas.
People need to move on from the hang ups they have over car price comparisons between Australia and other countries (that usually have lower wages and health systems to go along with it ), and just decide whether they can justify it in THIS country.
Saying this, early adopters ALWAYS pay to be first on the block. Remember as well that in this country, sales of EV's and hybrids are VERY thin on the ground, so the setup costs must be recouped over much smaller sales than (say) the US...whilst acknowledging spec differences of course as part of the reason!

[Aussie Pete]

I'm getting an evaluation car in the next week or so, that being the best way to see if it's worth it. Then finding the right colour that is available....

Regards to setup costs etc that's a poor argument. If it was a valid one then why wouldn't the minimal sales of the Pontiac G8 spread across a large dealer pool in the USA have caused it to be worth much more than the large volumes sold in Australia? No justifying it, it just doesn't add up.

To be perfectly blunt I remember sitting in business class across the pacific to LA. Across the aisle fand just forward rom me was a guy I thought I recognised, but couldn't think who. later in the flight, he opened his laptop and started to work on a slideshow. The logos were Holden and I recognised it was denny Mooney, then boss of Holden. One of the slides showed the margin per production vehicle, assumed to be minus design investment etc. No sympathy from me, but clearly why a G8 is able to be sold for 30s-k.

[Ausmartin1]

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18gm...g/k-bigpic.jpg

I'm getting an evaluation car in the next week or so, that being the best way to see if it's worth it. Then finding the right colour that is available....

Regards to setup costs etc that's a poor argument. If it was a valid one then why wouldn't the minimal sales of the Pontiac G8 spread across a large dealer pool in the USA have caused it to be worth much more than the large volumes sold in Australia? No justifying it, it just doesn't add up.

To be perfectly blunt I remember sitting in business class across the pacific to LA. Across the aisle fand just forward rom me was a guy I thought I recognised, but couldn't think who. later in the flight, he opened his laptop and started to work on a slideshow. The logos were Holden and I recognised it was denny Mooney, then boss of Holden. One of the slides showed the margin per production vehicle, assumed to be minus design investment etc. No sympathy from me, but clearly why a G8 is able to be sold for 30s-k.

I guess Pete is comes down to what the market will take, there is greater volume and competition in the US market - Plus the fact that over 40% of Americans are paying off some sort of medical expense.
What it doesn't explain is the increase imported here.
Manufacturing costs are one thing - what marketing can get for the different levels of "jewelry" they decorate a car model with is something else.

So that must make Australians wealthy or GMH has massive overheads or insurance warranty fund to cover ?

Anyhow crazy price parallels aside enjoy your week with the Volt, you will be impressed
HELL even Ferrari do V12 HYBIDS NOW!
http://jalopnik.com/this-is-the-lafe...-v12-451300716

[IJ.]

Would love to come check it out some time Martin!

(A Mate had a prerelese one for a couple of weeks but I didn't get a chance to get down to Melb for a look...)

[Ausmartin1]

Would love to come check it out some time Martin!

(A Mate had a prerelese one for a couple of weeks but I didn't get a chance to get down to Melb for a look...)

Oh they shouldn't be that rare - I'm sure a few Holden Volt dealers have some demos and even in the country they had a few demos for extended test drives if you ring around you may be in luck.

Cheers,
Martin

[planetdavo]

Regards to setup costs etc that's a poor argument. If it was a valid one then why wouldn't the minimal sales of the Pontiac G8 spread across a large dealer pool in the USA have caused it to be worth much more than the large volumes sold in Australia? No justifying it, it just doesn't add up.

Do you actually know what the setup costs are for the small number of Volt dealers around this country that paid for the privilage???
I do. It's actually quite substantial...and that's before they even sell one Volt...
As for the company...how many Volts will sell in one year in this country? It wont be a lot! Most dealers will be lucky to sell even two a month. Roughly 50 dealers for a few hundred sales per year? You do the math.
Who do you think pays for the warehouse full of spare parts, all the training, the advertising, and everything else, for what, a few hundred sales a year?
It's a image leader of the future, GM style (and now others since Volt came out). But you pay to be the first on the block.

[mattnsw]

Do you actually know what the setup costs are for the small number of Volt dealers around this country that paid for the privilage???

I do. It's actually quite substantial...and that's before they even sell one Volt...

Well don’t keep us in suspense, spill the beans.
Surely if someone employed by a dealer knows than it can’t be a state secret.
It will help us non Holden industry types better understand how this all works and we’ll be better able to comprehend where our money goes when purchasing a GMH product.

[Smashfist]

Well don’t keep us in suspense, spill the beans.
Surely if someone employed by a dealer knows than it can’t be a state secret.
It will help us non Holden industry types better understand how this all works and we’ll be better able to comprehend where our money goes when purchasing a GMH product.

I almost died at the cost, mandatory special service tools are into the 5-figure mark. As Davo said, that's before you can even stock one. Plus tech training. Plus installation of chargers. etc. etc. That's JUST on the service side of it.

[planetdavo]

Well don’t keep us in suspense, spill the beans.
Surely if someone employed by a dealer knows than it can’t be a state secret.

Ohhh, with a comment like that, I couldn't possibly shatter the forum urban myth that dealer staff know absolutely nothing about anything...
I'll give you a hint though. Another member just above clearly has a fair idea on the answer.

[ATOMIC MALOO R8]

That's pretty smart, yet simple. My next question is why does it need a 1.4L engine? Could you not get the same charging from a lower displacement engine, or even if it was less, the lower weight would surely be worth it? Oh, I see the next gen Volt may have a 2 litre turbo engine instead of the 1.4...

i would have though a 1 lt turbo diesel would have been a better choice and run the alternator at 1500 rpm great speed for a diesel ?

[planetdavo]

i would have though a 1 lt turbo diesel would have been a better choice and run the alternator at 1500 rpm great speed for a diesel ?

This 1.4 was fitted for two reasons.
a- simple economics. It's affordable, being an existing, relatively low cost engine, already fitted in a Cruze based chassis (without the turbo). A unique engine would have added significant cost to a type of vehicle already expensive to develop.
b- a smaller capacity petrol would have had to work much harder, and a diesel would have caused significantly more noise, vibration and harshness issues. So,either option would have increased undesirable NVH. "Affordable" diesel engines are inherently less smooth than almost all petrol engines, not to mention diesels finding it increasingly difficult (hence expensive) to meet each emissions upgrade.

[Smashfist]

This 1.4 was fitted for two reasons.
a- simple economics. It's affordable, being an existing, relatively low cost engine, already fitted in a Cruze based chassis (without the turbo). A unique engine would have added significant cost to a type of vehicle already expensive to develop.
b- a smaller capacity petrol would have had to work much harder, and a diesel would have caused significantly more noise, vibration and harshness issues. So,either option would have increased undesirable NVH. "Affordable" diesel engines are inherently less smooth than almost all petrol engines, not to mention diesels finding it increasingly difficult (hence expensive) to meet each emissions upgrade.

That and they're selling them as environmentally friendly (or friendlier) vehicles. NVH is an issue, but I don't see a point in buying an electric and then sooting up the place with diesel emissions. To meet emissions standards, it would also need a DPF - necessitating it to run at specific times to run a DPF regen, partly negating fuel savings.

I'd also hazard it wouldn't be too hard to have the engine run on E85, further reducing emissions. Try THAT in a diesel.

[A^K^T]

Yes they don't include OnStar therefore no remote control of your car, the garage door programing to car, the ability to program your own spare key and no speed limits in the NAV/GPS (Stupid move that one).
No choice of options only exterior color - and not the full range either. Plus you may wish to import your own shorter skirt to minimize scraping on speed humps and driveways. and it has only 4 seats.

However what it does offer is an amazing smooth fantastic silent ride, great handling, incredible "dartability" I call it in traffic while L Gear (Still lets you do top speed) where just using the accelerator you can instantly speed up and then slow down. Never wear the brake pads out as the regen takes most of that back before switching over to the mechanical brakes seamlessly.
Plus the drive quality is such it makes every ICE car you currently own - feel like yesterdays museum piece.

What can I say every one who's been in mine is impressed, but yes we do get ripped in Oz and then give things away to the Septics...!

But I'd rather pay extra for the car and live in Australia than live in the USA!

Cheers,
Martin

How is the Volt going now that you have had it three going on four months , is the battery life/charge still about the same ?

[Ausmartin1]

How is the Volt going now that you have had it three going on four months , is the battery life/charge still about the same ?

Great have 2,300km, have used only 1/2 tank of the original fuel that came with it on extended trips - will eventually get it down to a 1/3 where I want to maintain it.
Battery life has improved from ~70km per charge to ~72Km estimated.
Drove to Arthurs seat (not on the newest freeway) and did 74.5Km on electric mix of freeway speeds and the hill climb where it reached the top it was virtually empty, A/C on eco and sound system on.
Interesting thing it pulls dam well with all that torque up that steep road - very impressed.

Estimates vary based on your driving style, even though being lithium longer trips using all provided capacity seems to provide better estimates, initially I thought short trips and recharge
suit lithium batteries perfectly, but it seems to do better with full use - however there are so many factors it's not funny.

Don't expect the battery life to deteriorate in a major way - as it is liquid a/c cooled & GM did their homework on this. (unlike the pack used in a Leaf - ask US Arizona owners age / heat - not going too far !)

[cjf]

how about some pictures?