GM's New Ads

So there's a new article in Green Car Reports about how GM is changing the advertising for the Volt.

I think I've pretty much known for some time that GM has a moron in charge of advertising for this product. But the real disappointment for me is that so many people not only don't know much about the Volt but don't *want* to know the facts. And all they have to say about it is rabid froth. They haven't seen one in-person let alone driven one but they've already decided that it's trash. We are surrounded by folks willing to elect Rick Santorum for President, for cryin' out loud. People who see gasoline prices rising and think... what? That more and more people on this planet are going to be able to keep driving bigger, faster, more racy gas-engined cars on a middle-class paycheck?

I don't get it. You'd think the awards that the Volt has gotten, the way it fits into a vast majority of people's driving habits and yet its flexibility and extended range, the high level of quality and engineering that has gone into it and the amazing support GM has offered buyers would make them at least stop long enough to listen to a few facts and try it for themselves... But I think the truth is that the folks who are really in the target market for this car are silent on the issue. The ones making absurd and outright wrong comments about the Volt and EVs in general are people who couldn't buy one if they wanted to, so no point in trying it out. I know a few people who have tried it and found it was not really something they felt worked well for them, but were impressed and had nothing but good things to say about it regardless. But most I know of actively want one!

So what is the problem these people who have never seen or driven a Volt have? What causes such a closed and negative mind? What makes people so venomous against a car that is only presenting one option (and one widely recognized as a good option!) to a certain segment of the buying public?

BTW: I get so tired of hearing people bitch about their taxes paying for EV subsidies. There are a host of reasons why the subsidies are (A) tiny compared to other stuff the government subsidizes, and (B) absolutely needed to jump start the adoption of not only the cars themselves, but the infrastructure (home chargers and such). China’s government is pushing EVs in a big way too. They've pledged $1.5 billion per year for the next 10 years in subsidies and tax breaks to support the industry.