The bandwidth for that car is quite different than a pure electric car. It’s quite different than a hybrid. It’s quite different than a lot of things. I think that the fragmentation into electrical storage for fuel economy is permanent. How we each solve that will be quite different. We’ll take an approach where we do things that other people don’t have, like Stop-Start, like eAssist, like extended range vehicle like the Volt. We’ll do all of those. But we’ll also do a 1.4-litre turbo for the Cruze to get 42 miles to a gallon (5.6 litres to 100 km). That’s hybrid-like!
So you’re gonna see some pretty pointed applications of fuel economy and CO2, that may or may not depend on fuel prices. But the permanent shift that I see in the growth that’s happened in North America on an industry basis, I bet you it is primarely driven by replacement for cars that have much lower operating costs for people.
Now trucks sales. Because we have been in a depressed economy for a while, you don’t see the construction activity, you haven’t seen new housing, you haven’t seen a lot of that. But there is a lot of people who use pick-up trucks to earn their living still. So you’re going to see that increase from the depressed levels maybe ahead of the industry, independant of the fuel prices, because people have to get the job done ... (and) there’s not a lot of alternative with the duty cycle of (pick-up trucks).
Question: Now, how should we call the Volt : is it an EV?
Mark Reuss: It’s an electric range extended vehicle. It will operate under combustion power under extreme circumstances: high speeds, high loads. It’s an easy way to get a boost to get more horsepower.
At the end of the day, I drive my car back and forth to work, which is pretty close to forty miles (about 65 km). And, I really don’t put any gasoline in the tank. That’s the way I drive and that’s the duty cycle when I go back and forth to home. For me, it’s a pure electric.
But Joel Ewanick (GM U.S. Marketing Vice President), who goes from Detroit to L.A., I’m sure he uses gasoline and plugs it overnight. So he’s using both!
Question: Do you need a Volt brand, like the Prius?
Mark Reuss: I don’t know about that...
Question: Multiplying brands... again?
Mark Reuss: I don’t know about that (laughs)... No! (laughs).
So you’re gonna see some pretty pointed applications of fuel economy and CO2, that may or may not depend on fuel prices. But the permanent shift that I see in the growth that’s happened in North America on an industry basis, I bet you it is primarely driven by replacement for cars that have much lower operating costs for people.
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| November 30, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan, Mark Reuss (center) poses with Detroit Public Schools foundation President & CEO Chacona Johnson (left) and Detroit Public Schools Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb Tuesday. Mr. Reuss had just announced that the first Chevrolet Volt available for sale (with VIN # BU10002) would be available in an online auction, and all of the proceeds would be donated to the Detroit Public Schools Foundation for math and science related courses and activities. Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick ended up buying this first Chevrolet Volt after his bid of US$ 225,000 was the last one received. (Photo: Jeffrey Sauger / Chevrolet) |
Now trucks sales. Because we have been in a depressed economy for a while, you don’t see the construction activity, you haven’t seen new housing, you haven’t seen a lot of that. But there is a lot of people who use pick-up trucks to earn their living still. So you’re going to see that increase from the depressed levels maybe ahead of the industry, independant of the fuel prices, because people have to get the job done ... (and) there’s not a lot of alternative with the duty cycle of (pick-up trucks).
Question: Now, how should we call the Volt : is it an EV?
Mark Reuss: It’s an electric range extended vehicle. It will operate under combustion power under extreme circumstances: high speeds, high loads. It’s an easy way to get a boost to get more horsepower.
At the end of the day, I drive my car back and forth to work, which is pretty close to forty miles (about 65 km). And, I really don’t put any gasoline in the tank. That’s the way I drive and that’s the duty cycle when I go back and forth to home. For me, it’s a pure electric.
But Joel Ewanick (GM U.S. Marketing Vice President), who goes from Detroit to L.A., I’m sure he uses gasoline and plugs it overnight. So he’s using both!
Question: Do you need a Volt brand, like the Prius?
Mark Reuss: I don’t know about that...
Question: Multiplying brands... again?
Mark Reuss: I don’t know about that (laughs)... No! (laughs).