This is somewhat of a predictably tragic outcome all things considered. I remember a previous conversation on these pages when GM moved massive investment into China to build their mid-size SUV brand, Encore.
Continuing the U.S. decline of the brand, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that approximately half of all Buick dealership in the U.S. have opted to take a buyout from GM, as opposed to spending millions in retooling, restructuring and retraining their staff to accommodate the EV influx.
Most of the EV’s shoved onto the dealer lots sit idle without customers to purchase them.
Wall Street Journal – General Motors (GM) has bought out about half of its 2,000 Buick dealers nationwide, based on their decision to not sell electric vehicles, according to a company spokesman Wednesday.
Dealers who are taking the buyout would give up the Buick franchise and no longer sell the brand, he said. The dealer can continue to sell other GM models, such as Chevrolet or GMC, that often account for a higher percentage of sales.
The Wall Street Journal reported in late 2022 that the automaker planned to offer buyouts to its U.S. Buick dealer network. The move came after the Detroit automaker gave the dealers a choice: Invest at least $300,000 to sell and service electric vehicles, or exit the Buick franchise. The investments would cover EV chargers and worker training, among other initiatives. (read more)
The Joe Biden EPA mandates for Electric Vehicles are going to crush the U.S. auto industry and consumers. On the upside, regular, well-maintained gasoline powered used vehicles will hold their value longer. Overall new car prices are already ridiculous and the prices of the EV’s are substantially higher.
Along with higher entry prices, the insurance is higher, maintenance costs are higher and the replacement parts for EV’s are insanely high. In some models the replacement batteries cost more than the vehicle is worth. How the auto industry thinks these mandates are sustainable is beyond logic, then again maybe that’s the feature, not the flaw.
If the overall goal is to reduce the number of vehicles on the road and control the transportation choices of the American public, then the EV mandate policy is designed well.
It’s all madness, and only one commonsense businessman seems to understand the issue.
EVs on the consumer markets are not powered by electricity.
They are powered by narcissism, greed, mendacity and, ironically, hopium.
Incidental costs like “electricity” and “insurance” are to be seen as taxes on the luxury items listed above.
(and yes, I do drive an EV. Many of us do. For my household it’s been naught else than a ball and chain.)
Why?
you want sympathy from us because you did something utterly stupid by your own admission? i’m sure your Christmas isn’t going to be very Merry.
That was unnecessarily rude. I did not see any ask for sympathy, just an acknowledgement from the poster that he/she knows the reality of owning an EV. No need to denigrate.
Wow good to know you have never made a mistake nor have the humility to admit same.
I too own an ev. I’m retired & don’t go to work or even leave the house daily. An ev is not for everyone for many reasons, especially if you need absolute reliability or can’t afford it to begin with.
The mandates are ridiculous & like solar & wind, the MARKET should bear the brunt of bringing evs forward, NOT THE GOVERNMENT. None of this “Green Energy” crap makes economic or environmental sense.
There has been 7 fire dept. calls to a GM EV plant in Detroit since Aug of this year although they said not all were fires. Still . . .
Clickondetroit.com
there are two things that can be done with a burning EV…. leave it alone and let it burn or drag it to where it cannot catch other combustible on fire – the second option is generally not possible to be done safely.
The customers who buy the electric vehicles are going to be cussing those dealerships for not explaining to them what a terrible waste of money and time those EVs are. So the dealerships who dump the woke clownmobiles still have a chance of good customer relationships.
Word of mouth is the best advertising, or the worst if people are cussing your place of business.
GM has seven new EV models scheduled through 2029. The catch is that ALL vendors who make parts have been shown designs – but no vendor costs are now being solicited. Meaning every single project is on hold. GM is led by a woke moron and a clown car board, it is awash in Biden cash much like California was last year.
Prediction: GM will break apart in 2024 and 2025 with many brands going under. The EV taxpayer cash will give executives and board members stock buy back boosts and bonuses, even as the company lays off tens of thousands with no warning as stock manipulations continue.
Japanese manufacturers will come out on top in this whole fiasco! If they stick to their guns on the EV market, they will rule the road! My 1979 FJ40 Landcruiser is proof of that, as are my 4Runners!
Gee . . . mine all turned to a pile of rust in a few years . . . and I don’t even live in the Rust Belt !
How many V6s you had in your 4runner?
I had a 2006 Sequoia. The frame was on recall but I never replaced it and it eventually rotted out. The engine was still humming at 304K miles, so I don’t think of that as any sort of knock on the brand. Most domestics cars still have spotless body and paint at 100K when various major engine or power train components start giving out. I live in New England with lots of snow, salt and sand on the road.
Maybe the ICE should be added to the 2nd Amendment.
I would rather buy an old, purely analog car and just fix it up rather than be bothered with EV trash. I’ve made some silly purchases in my time, but even I can see what a monstrous waste of resources these EVs really are.
Having said that, I would reconsider that position if & when engineers can figure out a way to mass produce super-capacitors rather than batteries. Supercaps discharge slowly like a battery, but charge very quickly like any other capacitor. They’re also tremendously cheaper than batteries to produce and replace (theoretically). As it stands, these current EVs are a blight on the auto market. They are short-lived, fire-prone trash whose only purpose is to help transfer wealth from the productive people to the parasites.
in the words of the beloved Rush… a solution that doesn’t work for a problem that doesn’t exist.
EVs are dead, only GM and others either don’t know it, or are refusing to acknowledge reality.
As noted in the article, killer insurance costs, collapsing values and enormous battery replacement costs will kill these ridiculous vehicles. Add to that the serious fire risks, which will only get worse as these bombs age, and anybody who buys one of these disasters will only see massive losses. And wait for the sad day when one of these fires engulfs an underground parking lot – with the risk of killing many.
EVs will be a niche market only in 5 years. They are too costly and have too many issues. ICE cars will be here for decades.
Oh, the manufacturers know that EV’s are DOA. Except for the “I-support-the-the-latest-thing” crowd, no one is clamoring for these pieces of junk. The manufacturers have sunk hundreds of millions of dollars into revamping their lines. Why? Because they receive Billions in Fed foo money for Granholm’s Folly.
The manufacturers are doing the only thing they can do. Protecting their income stream.
Sorry if already posted……………electric battery fires
https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2023/12/20/fire-shuts-down-gms-electric-car-plant-executives-blame-battery-materials/
God Bless, President Trump. Always MAGA 👊👊🇺🇸🇺🇸🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️❤️
I observed many fellow citizens lose their minds over Covid tyranny while they failed to use their critical thinking to question the logic. Climate change, EVs, trans gender madness, Trump derangement are all in this category. To believe in these narratives you must do a massive amount of pretending or simply look the other way. Our society will continue to degenerate until people stop this behavior and begin holding the people responsible (in all areas) accountable by legal means or other.
EV cars are the primary reason to vote for Trump. Trump was always a businessman and has always known the axiom that if the product is not perceived by the potential customer to be worth the price the customer will not buy it. The EV market is producing vehicles that are grossly overpriced, cannot pass a simple safety test, will require 45 minutes to re-fuel after only 150 miles of driving, and which have battery replacement costs that are ridiculously high. There is nothing to make a normal consumer want to pay for it. Trump would immediately move to save our auto industry by allowing them to sell the cars and trucks that customers will buy. This would include the occasional driver who thinks that reducing carbon in emissions is more important than being able to get from point A to point B reliably. But all of this is so easy to understand and it is most amazing that ONLY TRUMP would actually try to fix the mess.
Which one of these fills up quicker? Gas or E-cell?
As far as one of these outweighs the other, the other one will never dominate the market. America is deindustrializing itself right before our eyes due to the stupidity of our leaders.
All these people pushing the country towards E-cells, have they considered the massive drain on the electric grid? Have they even prepared? How many powerplants have been built to prepare? The same people want more people on public transport, which is also electric — you can not make this stuff up! These people are the dumbest people on the planet. And even if you get a car that could charge in 20 mins — how dangerous would that place be? The level of amps, the technicality involved (step-down transformers and the like). This whole thing is a nightmare.
Much like cash for clunkers, this is just another step in controlling the free movement of people.
FYI, if your EV erupts in fire, use sand. I work with organo-metallic lithium and sand is the ONLY thing that will starve a lithium fire. Keep large amounts of dry sand on hand. And a shovel. Water only makes it worse. Never use a fire extinguisher.
The vehicle doesn’t make much sense. If it were a laboratory instrument it would have to be isolated with a full room inerting system and techs would need full hazmat protective clothing and supplied air. Volatile metals are a problem waiting and wanting to happen. Essentially the vehicle is slowly burning down over its life span, except when its not.
A few observations from my lil branch in western Louisiana:
The local Ford dealership burned a few weeks ago. I saw the fire as I was on my way to work.
Every piece of fire equipment within 25 miles was there. Doing nothing. Watching the place burn.
No word on cause but I would bet it was an EV that caused the fire.
Here at Camp Swampy, Ford Lightning trucks are replacing the ICE-powered fleet. No one wants the darned things. Not enough charging spots. The cute solar panel-powered EV chargers died within a couple of months of being installed. Your tax dollars at work.
I see a few Teslas on the road but not many.
All in all, this EV thing is a BAAAAAD idea. Consumers are speaking by not buying them.
I hope the EV market continues to tank. Some people are starting to see its not all its cracked up to be.