BUSINESS
August 14, 2012
Fisker Automotive Inc., the Anaheim maker of luxury hybrid vehicles, has cycled through to its third chief executive in a year. Tony Posawatz helped lead development of Chevrolet's Volt plug-in hybrid for six years, serving as vehicle line director before retiring from General Motors in July. Now, he'll head up Fisker, which makes pricey, sporty plug-ins such as the Karma, favored by pop star Justin Bieber for joyrides . The company has been wracked recently by stalled model development, recalls, missed deadlines and employee layoffs.
BUSINESS
October 24, 2010 | Michael Hiltzik
To understand the furor that erupted recently when General Motors rolled out its new electric car, the Chevy Volt, for its public debut, it pays to keep the following fact in mind: For electric car enthusiasts, GM is a company with blood on its hands. The crime was the murder of the EV1, the pioneering all-electric car GM produced from 1996 to 1999 and supported indifferently until it shut down the program for good in 2005. The killing of the electric car, to paraphrase the title of a fine 2006 documentary about the EV1, is widely seen as a major blunder by the company, and one that led to the U.S. auto industry getting its lunch eaten in the high-mpg market by competitors like Toyota.
BUSINESS
July 31, 2010 | By Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times
Counting on an eager — and large — fan base for the Chevrolet Volt, General Motors Co. announced Friday that it planned to boost U.S. production of the electric car by 50%. As President Obama toured the company's plant in Hamtramck, Mich., GM said it planned to increase Volt production from 30,000 units annually to 45,000 in 2012. The long-awaited vehicle will be released in seven states — up from three — in December and will cost $41,000 before a $7,500 federal tax credit, the company said this week.
BUSINESS
June 3, 2011 | By Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times
Car sales may be in a slump, but the hybrid-electric Chevrolet Volts are hot, and that's leading to shortages — and in some cases extreme dealer markups. Several dealerships, including at least one in California, have priced new Volts more than $20,000 above General Motors Co.'s suggested $41,000 retail tag. Others are selling the vehicles as used, claiming a $7,500 tax credit for themselves and leaving the eventual buyers ineligible. And there's not much that GM or regulators can do about it. "We want our dealers to be transparent about the whole sales process," Volt spokesman Rob Peterson said.
BUSINESS
January 6, 2012 | By Jerry Hirsch, Los Angeles Times
General Motors Co. said it would make modifications to the Chevrolet Volt after a series of fires ignited after test crashes of the plug-in hybrid vehicle. GM said the fires were caused by a coolant leak that occurred when the battery pack in the vehicle was punctured during severe side test crashes by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The fires occurred hours to weeks after the tests as the coolant leaked and eventually created a short circuit. The automaker will add structural reinforcement that better protects the battery pack from punctures or a coolant leak in a severe side crash, said Mary Barra, GM's senior vice president of global product development.
BUSINESS
June 25, 2009 | TIMES STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
General Motors Corp., racing to emerge from bankruptcy, said it drove the first pre-production battery-powered Chevrolet Volt two weeks ahead of schedule. The first test drive occurred Tuesday and the vehicle was driven again Wednesday, the company said. The Volt is designed to drive 40 miles solely on electric power generated by plugging the battery into a household outlet overnight. After 40 miles, a gasoline engine keeps the battery charged.