>From the NY Times 10-22-03 > >http://query. <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?> nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html? >res=950CE3D6143FF931A15753C1A9659C8B63 > >Lie #1 > >"Most EV-1's, which are sitting on a vast lot in Van Nuys, Calif., will >be dismantled and their parts recycled, G.M. says. About 75 will end up >in Rochester, where they will be driven by the company's fuel-cell >researchers and other employees; a handful will go to colleges and >museums." Well, it is the New York Times. Heh. "Ken Stewart, the EV-1's brand manager, contends that the car is a success, at least technically. ''It's still the most efficient car on the road,'' he said. ''From a commercial perspective, it was a real struggle. No manufacturer goes into business to mass-produce vehicles only to end up with less than a thousand. The program gets to be cost-prohibitive when the numbers are so low. So at this point, why keep them on the road?'' ' There's that pesky detail about having to make money on something to keep producing it. >Gee, this did not bother GM with Fieros, Oldmobiles, Toronodo, etc. >etc. How about these cars with the computer dash boards, or the heads >up display Corvette, very rare, very few produced. All these cars >were canceled but they could afford to inventory the parts. Gee, they were making money on these cars and had a revenue stream. You need to check your history on the Corvette. The Corvette is also as cheap as it is because it is massed produced. The digital readout dashboards were discontinued not just because of problems, but it is easier to read sweeping gauges. >Heck, the 1969 Camaro had a traction package option that was only >installed in 186 cars. Yet, GM stocked the parts for years! You could also order very specific options and delete some back then. You can not now. Those cars are very rare, and very expensive now. The COPO Camaros are over $100k now. I am not very familiar with the "Superbite Traction" package, but my understanding is they were installed by Baldwin Motion. That is aftermarket. >Lie #3 >No manufacturer goes into business to mass-produce vehicles only to end up with less than a thousand. > >Ever here of the ford Pantera? How about the AC Cobra? Viper? etc. Pantera - produced in limited numbers and discontinued by Ford due to too many problems. AC Cobra - originally a modified car. I don't know enough history on these. Viper - mass produced to this day. The cost is as low as it is because of mass production, just like the Corvette. Maybe I missed your point. Greg [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DMCForum/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DMCForum/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:DMCForum-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx mailto:DMCForum-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: DMCForum-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/