The government is incapable of picking winners and losers and so apparently is GM

Volt Fraud At Government Motors

When I first heard of the Volt it was supposed to be powered much the same way diesel locomotives are but with a battery to work alone for first number of miles. Since GM had a long history of building these locomotives I expected something that capitalized on miniaturization, new battery technology and advanced magnet technology. It see,s I was I was mistaken. It appears more of an inefficient Prius then anything else.

If the motor magazines can't get either the battery milage or the miles per gallon advertised then it's a dog. Oh, yes the oil haters and the greenies who are suckers for junk science will wail and cry about the need to move past oil they are utopian children who think that by wanting something hard enough it's possible. They simply brush aside the economic implications with a "it's worth it" as if there were no deeper consequences.

General Motors failed not only because they saddled their operations with unsustainable labor restrictions which forced them to try and make up the difference with cutting what they paid suppliers for the parts they bought and so they wound up buying crap as a result. They also failed because they lacked true vision for the future and lived on badge engineering, remember the Cadillac Cimarron, a Chevy to its core. There are numerous examples of management malfeasance. It's what happens when engineering becomes subservient to the accountants.

For those who are unaware the Chevy Volt is a Chevy Cruze with a very mixed hybrid up drive train Check the price for a Cruze and its gas milage rating if you want to make a further case that the Volt is a bad deal for the customer.