In a double-whammy reveal from GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson, the General will be inserting Volt technology into a minivan within the "next few years," according to Automotive News.
Wait a minute...Thought GM bailed on the minivan segment? Well, like a fighter watching his own tape to find the holes, GM checked its product portfolio, realized that there's money to be made in minivans and is, apparently, getting back in.
But to enter a market as loyal and deep as this one is (let's face it, minivans today are good and even the worst one is a well-thought-out, functional appliance) GM's got to bring out the big guns. In this case, the big gun looks to be the extended-range EV/hybrid powertrain from the Volt.
And when thinking about it, an EV is a near-perfect solution for minivan use: School, soccer practice, church, neighbor's kid's sleepover; how many of those are more than 35 miles away roundtrip? Not many in the suburbs I grew up in. And if they are, well, that's what the gas motor is for.
Not only is the EV solution a good one for a van (assuming of course it doesn't kill cargo space or seat-folding functionality), but the Volt's powertrain is expensive and spreading the cost to multiple vehicles is a no-brainer and we fully expect more than just a minivan to have a Volt soul in the "next few years."
Akerson followed up by mentioning a plug-in Cadillac SRX. We'll have more on that.....someday.
( Auto News )
ed124c says:
04:03 PM, 01/11/11
Minivans are also used-- a lot-- for family vacations. Which means that the GM minivan (can't believe I just wrote that) must still be a hybrid-- with a pretty large gas tank.
I think this would be a big mistake for GM. The minivan market is, supposedly, shrinking, and all the minivans that GM came up with were rejected by prospective buyers. Shouldn't GMs prime directive be to improve upon their core vehicles?
I could see a GM minivan in perhaps the next decade, if the minivan market stays profitable. But why spend all that money on a minivan now, when so many other models need help?
Plus, GM doesn't yet know, of course, if the Volt will be a success-- that will take a few years to determine. In the meantime, Toyota will still be eating up the hybrid market with more variations of the Prius. Which means that GM needs to fight back on that front-- the main hybrid market. I just don't think that GM has the clout any more to create a new vehicle niche, such as an extended range minivan. But Toyota could. And then, realistically, GM could put a foot in the water.
Just my opinion, of course, which could easily be thrown out by a gang of future facts.
hybris says:
04:15 PM, 01/11/11
I tend to agree with ed124c there are I think only two or three companies that make actual minivans (Toyota, Honda, and Dodge) and I can't think of there being a large market for them any more with crossovers and small SUV's being so common.
albook says:
08:11 PM, 01/11/11
As long as there is no GMC/Buick clone. But I think this is a classic case of GM being dumb and developing something new when they can simply perfect what they have. The Lambda crossovers would be great as plug in hybrids if GM took as much time as they did with the Volt. Why spend engineering and developing dollars on a totally new product? Also, the new trend is smaller=better. Large passenger vehicles are going out of style like parachute pants. GM certainly doesn't need one more.