You would think this simple ethos would produce straightforward results for automakers.  All one needs to do to build a successful car is to poll what people want, and then build it.  Carmakers aren’t really pollsters, so they typically go the concept car route, and gauge reactions at auto shows.  So, any car that previews well should be a smash hit for its maker, right?  Unfortunately for the car companies, it’s not that easy.

This is a particular problem when the auto-giants try to build a factory hot rod.  One classic example of this is the Chevrolet SSR.  When the concept debuted, crowds went wild for it, and it’s not hard to see why.  It was a retro-styled, hot-rod truck.  It was a baby-boomer’s nostalgic dream on wheels.  It had a fire-breathing V8 engine, classic pontoon fenders, a slick interior, and a retractable hardtop roof.  It was a Mercedes SLK with attitude and a beautifully-finished wood-accented bed out back.  Naturally, GM listened to the hype and quickly set about raiding its corporate parts-bin to build the finished product.

Thanks to its extensive donor parts list, GM was able to move the SSR from concept to production in remarkable time.  They also achieved the rare feat of making a production car look mostly like its concept.  The mundane realities of legal safety requirements did little to alter the SSR’s shape – thanks in large part to its simple, SUV-derived ladder frame.  With the body relieved of structural support duties, the stylists were free to exercise their imagination.

SSRs filtered into GM dealerships, and the salespeople waited, salivating, to beat-back the desperate hordes of SSR buyers.  But the buyers never really appeared.  Away from the dizzying lights of the auto-show circuit, a more harsh reality emerged.  Factory hot-rods are not good investments.

Some were disappointed by the SSRs standard 5.3L V8 from the Chevy Trailblazer.  It’s a perfectly fine engine for workaday duties, but it lacked the poke the mean bodywork seemed to promise.  GM quickly sourced a brawnier V8 from the Corvette, and added a manual transmission to the options list.  It was too little, too late.  Initial shoppers had tainted the SSR with a slow reputation.

The Woodward dream-cruisers didn’t really mind the lack of grunt, but there’s something faintly un-satisfying about seeing classic shapes rendered in contemporary metal and plastic.  There’s also little fun to be had in having GM build your hot-rod for you, rather than doing it yourself.  A few hopeless romantics shelled out for the SSR, but most continued right on buying 50 year-old trucks and building their own “authentic” hot rods.

Then GM had the hardest sell of all – the mainstream buyer.  There are many more people who would love to have a convertible two-seat pickup than can afford to have a convertible, two seat pickup.  At over $41,000 a decade ago, the SSR had a steep price tag.  It’s also difficult to make the practicality sale when your truck’s bed is lined with oh-so-scratchable wood and super-absorbent carpet.  Not helping matters was the hard tonneau cover.  It did make for a secure bed to stash belongings in, but inevitably they will all migrate the front of the bed, where the cover is hinged, making them frustratingly difficult to retrieve.  You can also forget hauling oversized cargo.

Today, we can look back on the SSR as an embarrassing, cynical cash-grab aimed squarely at hopelessly nostalgic buyers, but let us not forget that GM was only giving us exactly what we (and they) thought we wanted.  Be careful what you wish for…

The post The Customer Isn’t Always Right: Chevy SSR appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Before I get started, I am still hesitant on battery technology in vehicles.  The manufacturing and after-life of the components worries me a bit, and while there are companies seeking to improve it, I feel that we as a buying public should have a full understanding of the full process and life of these vehicles.  Some companies, such as Nissan, are working on technology to reuse their batteries in local municipalities, while others such as Tesla are looking at new recycling techniques.  This gives me hope, but in the end, I tend to lean towards efficient motors such as the TDI technology from Volkswagen and Audi as a great sign to a fuel efficient future.

But let’s look beyond my bias as the Volt has made a fan out of me.  From the sleek styling to the well appointed interior, technology integration to the drive technology, it is one of the most well thought-out hybrids in my opinion.  With the electric motor powering the vehicle for 40 or so miles, I never once had to switch over the gas mode in the ending as I was able to charge up at most the locations I visited around Denver.  With enough get-up-and-go to keep up on the highways as well, I never felt like I was driving a battery laden car.  Instead, it handled more like the electric go-carts at the local track, with a great amount of torque taking the vehicle up to speed.  It was a joy to drive and made me think that maybe, just maybe, I could add it to my garage to offset the V10 diesel Touareg I used as a daily.  Granted, if I had a family or had to carry my dog around more, this would not be the ride for me.  The back seats have little to no legroom when I am in my driving position, and with the center console bulge in the middle, my dog cannot lay down as he normally would in most other vehicles.  But these things aside, it’s impressive enough to warrant a solid second look from anyone looking to buy a hybrid vehicle.

Truly, I think the Chevy Volt does something more than bring faith to the hybrid vehicle market.  For me, as I look at the amazing technology in this car, from the touch sensitive buttons or the large display featuring just about every bit of information you could ever want or need, I see the future of Chevrolet at the rest of the GM brands.  It’s a proof of concept that even well priced vehicles can have great technology, interior designs, and futuristic features.  And by showing that eco-friendly can be classy, futuristic, and fun, I cannot imagine why GM would not be looking to bring these kinds of updates to other affordable vehicles in the near future.

The post Delivering Different With The Chevy Volt appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.