Volt Lacks Spark, Chevy Scales Back Production

Americans have always loved our cars. During the 50's and 60's, boys dreamed of owning a Bel Air or T-Bird and roaring down the highway. Then came the 70's and 80's where the big three turned out horrible cars like the Vega, the Chevette and the Buick revamped Mustangs. I won't even mention the GMC Gremlin and Pacer. The unions gained enormous clout, the designers had a tin ear when it came to creating what people wanted and gas prices became a factor.

From the 80's until the 00's we saw some innovative designs released. Ford and the Japanese companies designed stylish cars that were built to last with Hyundai offering 100,000 mile warranties.

Now here we are in the 21st century and we may as well be back in the bad years again. Now, unions own two of the big three (gifted to them by Obama) and they've politicized the business to the point that they are back resisting what we actually want to buy and trying to force us into cars we have no desire to be seen in.

At the top of that list is the Chevy Volt:

General Motors has told 1,300 employees at its Detroit Hamtramck that they will be temporarily laid off for five weeks as the company halts production of the Chevrolet Volt and its European counterpart, the Opel Ampera.

“Even with sales up in February over January, we are still seeking to align our production with demand,” said GM spokesman Chris Lee.

Lee said employees were told Thursday that production would put on hold from March 19 to April 23.

The Chevrolet Volt, an extended-range electric car, is both a political lightning rod and a symbol of the company’s technological capability.

Chevrolet sold 1,023 Volts in the U.S. in February and has sold 1,626 so far this year.

In 2011, Chevrolet sold 7,671 Volts, but fell short of its initial goal of 10,000.

GM had planned to expand production of its Volt plug-in hybrid to 60,000 this year, with 45,000 earmarked for the U.S.

Will Americans buy an alternative fuel vehicle? Yes they will. But one that is priced right from the outset and doesn't require government subsidies to afford. 80 miles just isn't cutting it and the public isn't buying it because of that. Add to the cost the fact that GM and Chrysler accepted government funding that they will never pay back and you have the exact reasons why the Volt is not selling.

Democrats demagogue the oil companies while the majority of the public blame Obama's policies for skyrocketing prices. Green jobs and green tech have failed to materialize and be self-sufficient in the way Obama planned and the Volt is just the latest case on top of Solyndra and the myriad other "green" companies propped up by our dollars.

Americans want style, comfort and quality above all else and the Volt is none of those.

Picture borrowed from a guy in my profession.