Hybrid Car Review

GM wants to build and sell 70,000 Chevy Volts, their new plug-in hybrid (excuse me, extended range electric vehicle) by 2012. That's a target of 10,000 in 2011 (I assume that includes any they sell in late 2010) and 60,000 in 2012. Source: GM Wants To Make 70,000 Chevrolet Volts by 2012.

GM Vice President Lutz e-mail the Detroit Press and revealed the targets as part of his open door policy on the Chevy Volt development process. Of course, Lutz left the door open to moving that target around, but the numbers seem solid at this point.

Of course, it all comes down to whether or not customers want to buy the Volt. GM may not sell 10,000 hybrid SUVs in their first year the way they wanted to. And so too the Volt may still fall flat on its face.

I don't think it will though. There seems to be a lot of excitement about the Volt, both from a 'this is new' standpoint and with gas prices still climbing. If gas prices were to fall down below $3 a gallon, I would have a different opinion on how things are going to evolve. But we have seemed to hit the wall with $4 a gallon. Even if the Volt does come out at $40,000, it should do well enough to make GM happy.

Of course, if GM gets the government to set up a tax credit for plug-ins (I wonder if that would get GM to give up this 'extended range' moniker?), they would be even happier.