GM initially conceived the Volt as an 'iPod car'—analogous to how Apple's iPod contained no new technology but repackaged it to reposition the company and change how people think about music—but GM escalated from a ~10-mile plug-in to a 40-mile range to break the public's perceived link between gas tank and automobile.

factualpending

Speaker

Jonathan Rauch

Evidence Quote

they wanted to change the whole perception of the game that was being played and they wanted to be first

Source

Jonathan Rauch on the Volt, Risk, and Corporate Culture 09/01/2008EconTalk
Created: 6/16/2026, 2:36:26 PM

My Notes

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