Many buyers of German luxury brands do so almost entirely for the wow factor they believe it elicits from the Joneses next door. Right now, Tesla is seen to generate an even greater wow factor than BMW/Audi/Benz, especially on the west coast. There’s your answer.

...or transmissions

Well, this time around the higher end versions might wind up lighter than the Stingray, with all aluminum 5.5 liter V8's.

Please tell me that was hyperbole or that you were joking. If not, you are so divorced from reality (and arithmetic) that it probably isn’t worth a response. But because I’m bored...

I’m a single, early-40's male living in Southern California—not exactly a low cost-of-living region. I make just shy of $120k/year. I…

I’ll see your anecdote and raise you mine: My 98-year old grandfather still walks, albeit with a walker. It is orders of magnitude easier for him to enter my Volt than my mom’s Highlander, my aunt’s RX350, or my uncle’s Jeep.

All sarcasm aside, I don’t doubt your example, but mom was a hospice nurse and it’s a truism…

Certain crash standards have gone overboard.

If you’re single, making $120k gross, a $500k house is quite easy to afford.  You’re grossing $10,000/month and have a $2200 house payment.  Even a well-budgeted and fiscally responsible family of three can afford that.

I agree with your sentiments 100%, but just wanted to point out that the LT1 6.2 liter V8 does indeed get 30 MPG ;-)

Before we go slamming the poor with additional regressive taxes, let’s pass legislation that prohibits federal, state, and local gas tax revenues from being used for anything other than road infrastructure (and possibly common-sense mass transit upgrades). So many states and localities siphon these inflows into pet…

And themselves...

You’d absolutely LOVE an EV with heavy off-throttle regen!

I disagree with this oft made fallacy. S/CUV’s are *not* easier to enter than passenger cars. You must step up to enter these vehicles, sometimes also pulling yourself up with an “oh shit” handle and/or using a running board. You pretty much sit directly into a passenger car, perhaps with a slight lowering of your…

If only the Dutch made cars...

Before we de-incentivize BEV’s even further, let’s first pass legislation that prevents existing gas taxes—federal, state, and local—from being used for anything other than road infrastructure. Then, if/when we arrive at the proverbial bridge of EV adoption where 100% of gas tax inflows still won’t cover maintaining…

And this is why I keep calling bullshit on the “This isn’t 2006—SUV’s and CUV’s are just as fuel efficient as the cars they’re replacing now” tripe that comes out of the comments here every time someone criticizes automakers like Ford for placing all their eggs in the SUV/CUV basket.

Precisely what I was thinking.

Artist rendering might be deceptive, but that looks silver to me, not grey.  And I like it.

I think you may be thinking of the Bolt, which is indeed criticized for narrow seats and cabin. The Volt OTOH is Civic, Corolla, Mazda3, sized.

Don’t forget the current cost of 220v copper gauge. A new run from the panel to your garage is likely ~$1000, unless the panel is in the garage.

1st gen Volts are literally the *BEST* everyday used car value on the US market right now, bar none. Not only are they nice (regular) cars in every way, they’re sub-$10k cheap, damn near bulletproof reliable, have a fraction of the maintenance costs of non-PHEV competitors, and pretty much pay their own monthly…