Demand Is So Great, GM Cuts The Price On The Volt; Already Losing $5,000/Car, What's Another $5,000; Range Extended From 35 Miles To 38 Miles Last Year Won't Be Duplicated -- I Can't Make This Stuff Up

The timing is very interesting. (By the way, the linked article at PlugInCars reads like a GM press release).

I posted this about a week ago (July 30, 2013);

BMW launches its first mass-production electric car, and it doesn't cost much more than the Volt.

... the auto maker's first mass-production electric car, saying his company would need to boost sales of plug-in and battery electric vehicles dramatically by 2025 to meet regulatory requirements.

The BMW i3 is expected to go on sale in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2014 where it is expected to be priced at $41,350 before federal tax and other incentives. An optional "range extender"—a small gasoline motor—will likely boost the price tag to $45,000.

Personally, I still don't see the market for these high-priced, short-range, automobiles. I think consumers are going to get incredible deals, especially in leasing when these automobiles all hit the market.  Apparently these BMWs will compete with the Tesla S, another hot-selling electric car, priced at $65,000. I honestly don't get it. Of course, I walk or ride a bike whenever I can.

Yup. Volt got spooked by BMW. PlugInCars is reporting (as noted above, it sounds like a GM press release; my comments in brackets):

General Motors has announced it will drop the price of the base model Chevrolet Volt by $5,000 when the 2014 model year goes on sale later this summer.

Now in its third year of production, the popular [LOL] range-extended [LOL] electric car will now start at just $34,995, including a mandatory $810 destination fee, placing it within reach of more Americans than ever before.

That’s before taking into account any federal or state incentives. For example, the combined $7,500 federal tax credit and $1,500 rebate for plug-in owners in California drops the effective price of a new 2014 Volt to $25,994. Those in Colorado will be able to drive off the dealer's lot with $6,000 in state and $7,500 in federal tax credits, reducing the effective price to a staggering $21,495 and making it effectively cheaper [and "cheaper" is the correct use of the word] than a base-model 2013 Chevrolet Malibu in that state.

Unlike the 2013 model year, which received a slightly larger battery pack, an increase in EPA-approved all-electric range from 35 miles to 38 miles, some trim upgrades and some new color options, changes for the 2014 model are minimal.

That last sentence is hard to parse: note how they hid the fact that the "extended range" was for last year, not this year. And that extended range was from 35 miles to 38 miles.

Let's see. I can go out and buy a 2013 Chevy Volt for $39,995, or I can wait for the BMWi "which is expected to be priced at $41,350 before federal tax and other incentives" -- which means less expensive than $41,000 and the VERY SAME PRICE FOR A CHEVY VOLT.

Chevy Volt. BMWi. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Not.

This is a no-brainer. German technology. US pricing. Gotta love it.

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Back to the merits of the Chevy Volt. This line caught my attention:

Unlike the 2013 model year, which received a slightly larger battery pack, an increase in EPA-approved all-electric range from 35 miles to 38 miles, some trim upgrades and some new color options, changes for the 2014 model are minimal.  

If I read that correctly, last year's model increased the all-electric range from 35 miles to 38 miles, but for 2014, the range was not extended.

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In the showroom:

Prospective buyer: wow, nice looking car? How far can you drive on a full charge?

Salesman: 38 miles.

Prospective buyer: 38 miles/gallon?

Salesman: No, a total of 38 miles per full electric charge.

Prospective buyer: Say what?

Salesman: Well, that is an increase from 35 miles the previous year?

Prospective buyer: you mean from 2013?

Salesman: no, the 2013 model increased its range from 35 to 38 miles from the year before. The model you are looking at stayed the same. No improvements. But the tax breaks are better. And, hey, we will send a technician out to your house and install $2,000 worth of charging equipment in your garage.

Prospective buyer: I don't have a garage; I live in a high rise. By the way, are they still catching on fire? You know, I would never want to put a Volt in my garage. If I had one.

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By the way, the article said there were "minimal" changes between the 2013 and the 2014 model which tells me GM took all designers, engineers off developing this money-losing car and moved them elsewhere (or laid them off).