Published March 31, 2012
By Huw Evans
Who would have thought it? Given the flack the Chevy Volt has received at Republican hands over the last few months, former Republican president George H. W. Bush dealt the Volt attackers a serious blow, deciding to purchase one of GM’s extended range electric cars.
The Volt, which has become a symbol of all that’s wrong with the Obama administration according to some conservatives, might finally be getting a break. In addition to Bush Sr.’s purchase of a Volt (for his son Neil), there’s growing sentiment among the right that the car might not be that bad after all.
Fred Barnes, writing in the conservatively inclined Weekly Standard, showed sympathy for the Volt, saying it “is not an Obamamobile,” a view that’s been widely held by many Republicans. In perhaps an even more surprising turn, Fox News, the notorious Volt basher, is also apparently changing it’s tune. Lee Spieckerman, CEO of Spieckerman Media and a conservative himself, said during a recent interview on the network that the “Volt is the quickest and most efficient way to bring American fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and nuclear energy to American automobiles. It is a terrific car, it is the iPhone of the automobiles. I’ve driven it and it’s very impressive.”
Volt sales remain sluggish despite GM introducing a zero percent incentive this month, so this change is probably welcome news, though Spieckerman did say that in order for it to truly be successful in the market, the price of the Volt needs to be reduced by about 20 percent, in order to give it a fighting chance against the likes of machines like the Chevy Cruze.
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