Toyota's Prius V outselling Chevy Volt, so what?

Actually the Volt and Plug-In Prius are direct comptetitors. Do a comparison on those two.

We could also add that, with the Chevy we wont get 30 miles with the batteries EVER while the numbers on Prius` papers are basically what we all can get. Using the proper words for general public, if I buy a Chevy I get cheated, if I buy a Toyota I get what I read on papers or sometimes even something better. Lets face the facts.
People nowdays have some clue about what they buy and it seems little by little we realize of what companies with questionable manners (GM) do or sell.

* Note: And no talk about the poor Chevy`s reliability. No only unable to get 30 miles on batteries but I also have the risk of losing engine`s power anytime. I guess many people know this sentence: `Buying a Vauxhall/Opel is buying problems.
And we shouldnt forget a really important thing, Volt`s ad shows how you can commute no using gasoline (again, you cant get 30 miles with its batteries) but never name the poor general performance; in long trip the Volt falls far behind the Prius.

What a great article! I am a huge Toyota fan, but I have to say that I just did not really look at any other vehicle maker.

The article is informative and seems balanced. I think it keeps GM in a good light, and I hope that they hang in there. Electricity is so expensive in Japan, for reasons we all understand, that GM cannot be expected to sell many there, but the relative cost of electricity in the US makes it look like a competitor.

I do agree that they are apples and oranges, and I knew that from the beginning. What I did not know was the the Volt had a gasoline engine. So yes, a comparison to the plug in prius seems apt. And yes, Toyota has been slow at delivering their vehicles for reasons that we all understand, but they are catching up.

I think it is great, though, to see the competition and all of the different flavors of vehicles coming. Tesla and Toyota will do something one of these days, and different hybrid trucks, buses and vehicles of all kinds are on their way because Toyota is licensing its technologies.

I guess the main point is that everybody wins by having a choice and by using resources wisely.

Maybe GM could look to build some really cool fleet vehicles rather than just doing everything on a retail basis. Here are some ideas for some sweet government contracts. These would go well in the US:

natural gas engine hybrid vehicles (cost per mile rather than miles per gallon)
wind and solar smart grids with fleet vehicles (forest and park services, EPA)

I like anonymous didnt know the volt had a gasoline engine.It seems to me a gas/electric hybrid that you dont have to plug in at half the price of the one you do have to plug in would all other things being equal,be the better choice.If the volt could get say 100 miles on battery alone that would cover most peoples daily commute without buying any gas that would be great but if they can't currently get 30 there along way from making sense at 40 grand especially.

I find it amazing that some do not know the Volt has a gasoline engine. I guess GM did a bad PR or nobody read the details.

The Volt is an in-line EV with a gasoline GENERATOR engine that acts as a range extender. Those words say a lot. The propulsion is 100% electric except under heavy high-speed loads to protect the elect motor, where there is a transmission connection; but that is temporary under a specific condition.

The 40 mile electric driving range was chosen based on the government's own studies that the average daily drive is 40 miles. Obviously, those beyond that distance will experiecne the gen-motor kicking in; but the propulsion drive is still electric motors. What is the difference whether you stop to plug in or have the gen-motor give the battery that extra set of electrons? Actually, it's more convenient at this stage of our tech development.

More driving range will cost you a lot more money as with the Tesla. The Ford Focus EV and the Nissan Leaf will get you 100 miles, but I would have trouble driving from Detroit to Traverse City to see my sister. That's where the Volt shines.

Until we get higher density batteries that cost less, the price will not come down sufficiently to please the masses. That's why I vote for a push on metal-air bateries, preferably zinc-air.

The Toyota Prius V is a practical car, but that price is about to get some heavy competition from the likes of small displacement IC engines like HCCI and split-cycle with electric turbos, stop-start and PbC batteries for power boost, not to mention air-hybrid. Plus, we need lighter cars with aluminum body structures, like the Tesla and the new Mercdes SL. That will take time, too, to become mainstream.

I think this article is biased. The idea that a Volt is too technologically advanced is ridiculous. It’s just a glorified electric car with a gasoline generator. It uses the same degenerative breaking principles as all other electric vehicles but is so weak at distance the only way to make it viable is to add the generator. When I say viable I mean only as a means of transport. It makes no leaps in technology or function over the Prius and fails at most of its claims. Only recently has GM and the other US automakers begun to rival the foreigners reliability. That’s why people buy the Prius!

You have not discussed anything about the comparison of how the vehicles handle as automobiles.

The Prius will get you from A to B with reasonable gas milage (~45MPG) but is not a fun car to drive. It has weak acceleration and handles like a box.

The Volt gets from A to B in style with 136 MPG (what I am getting now) and I look forward to driving it every day. It has zippy acceleration thanks to the electric motor and has amazing handling because of the low center of gravity that the T shaped battery offers.

This is comparing apples to oranges and anyone who drives a Volt and Prius will tell you that they are not even remotely similar experiences.

I think the reason that many people were not aware of the fact that the Volt has a gas engine generator or that the gas engine can temporarily power the vehicle in rare circumstances is because GM marketed (misleadingly) it as a fully electric vehicle and confuse people with their ads showing someone at a fuel station saying "it can also use gas". They originally said the gas engine would only act as a generator for extended driving but did not mention that it might also power the vehicle directly as we have learned shortly after the car was made available for sale.

As the article mentions and many here have commented, it is more similar to a plug-in-hybrid than just an electric vehicle with a gas generator as GM has marketed and would be more of a direct competitor to the Prius plug-in or upcoming Energi (Focus,C-Max,Fusion) plug-in models from Ford.

Based on comments here, it seems that the range of electric driving for the Volt is acceptable for most commutes, but the efficiency when the battery is depleted is not as good as a regular hybrid. That might also be why GM's ads do not include that it can get only 35mpg when not operating in fully electric mode. If I had to take a guess, I would say the Ford and Toyota plug-in hybrids will be very close in matching the electric range of the Volt while achieving better highway hybrid-like fuel economy.

Many mid-size non-hybrid sedans already come close to or reach 35 mpg on the highway so this would cause many people to reconsider buying the Volt if it is only worth driving for 40 mile commutes and unimpressive mileage if it cannot be charged for longer trips.

That's when people start to consider that if they are going to buy a car that saves money only for short commutes that they can buy a much simpler electric car like the Leaf which can at least go further on a full charge and pay less for the car than the Volt. That's the only reason that I think the Leaf is also outselling the Volt.

Otherwise, the Volt should be selling much better due to all the hype. I had a chance to test drive one when GM was taking the cars to different cities and they brought a couple to our job site. At the time, I was convinced that they would become as popular as the Prius but now I am not sure. I have a feeling that GM will update the Volt very soon to make it more competitive.

On the reliability front, I'd like to hear what people say from the ownership experience. Electric motors tend to be very reliable, so I highly doubt that GM engineering could mess up the car. Once all cars become electric or plug-in hybrids, I am pretty sure there will no longer be concern about reliability or dependability of one brand vs. others.