RAV4 electric is back

[Slow1]

In the case of the volt, if you have to finance $40000 you might pay $600 a month. A $268 lease with no down, sounds awfully enticing. Plus ill probably want a new improved volt(or other equiv,car) in 2-4 years anyway. Your car will depreciate whether you buy it or lease it, so it depends on the diff between dep.and your pmts.

Agreed. And it is the new technology in these cars that has me even considering a lease at all. There is more risk in the unknowns associated with these and thus a higher chance that even someone like myself who likes to "drive the car into the ground" may wish to replace the car in 2-4 years. It is that "early adopter premium" really - and that brings me back to the question of do I really consider the benefits of owning a Volt to be worth $40K? Bought up front/financed/leased no matter what, it is still a $40K vehicle and in the end it will get 4 people from point A to point B in much the same functional manner as my current Hyundai Accent can take 5 people. Clearly there has to be "some other" reason to pay the premium - it isn't just saving gas (never going to save enough $'s on gas to make up the difference in vehicle costs here) so the other factors have to kick in - could be liking the car better (more luxury?), "Green" appeal, bragging rights, 'geek' appeal, safety concerns, other interests/concerns or a combination of all the above. I really think that the car makers trying to sell these as electric on the basis of fuel savings are missing the mark as it just doesn't make sense there.

This is where I think that Tesla's approach does make sense - they seem to be saying "We've made a luxury sedan to compete with similar or higher priced luxury sedans on the features/functions that the luxury sedan market values, it just happens to also be electric." Unfortunately for me, I am not in the socioeconomic group that buys luxury sedans

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I think these low priced lease deals are a way for GM to advertise their cars for 2-3 years and move product for all the nay-sayers barking about low demand. So if they want to give you a $40000 car for 2 years,they get a sale and every car is a billboard and you get an otherwise expensive hi -tech ride for less than $300 a month with no down,sounds more then reasonable. Just about any $40000 car will depreciate that $5000+ in 2 years time,plus you save loads of gas.