The Chevy Volt has attracted a large group of loyal fan in a short time, but many of them have a question burning in their mind. Will I be able to afford it?

Recently GM’s CEO Rick Wagoner threw a screwball when he said that the company was still aiming to release the Chevy Volt at under $30,000. Previously the price was trending upward and now it’s becoming clear that without a government subsidy the Chevy Volt will cost significantly more.

GM spokesperson David Darovitz said that “there was an unfortunate misunderstanding that resulted in inaccurate information published . . . we are not in the position to speculate on the retail pricing of the Chevrolet Volt,” according to GM-Volt.

GM is actively lobbying for tax credits to catalyze the purchase of Chevy Volts. The company is trying to bring the price threshold to a level digestible by the middle class and $30,000 seems to be the upper end of that spectrum.

Interestingly, in looking at the number of senators voting for and against bill HR 6049 , the vast majority of those against it were republican. The bill could allow for over $5,000 in tax credit for a car like the Chevy Volt.

Excerpt from AutoServiceWorld:

“The whole story on pricing is still a work in progress,” said the unnamed source in the story. “Absent some sort of tax incentive, a $30,000 price is not likely.”

While a possible price break may be welcome news to car buyers, the Volt might still be a money-loser for GM. “We’re now talking to the board about a lot of programs where it could be years before we make a dime on it,” said Bob Lutz, product chief with General Motors.

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Entry was posted on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at 10:03 pm under Green Technology, Technology.

Read more entries by Matt Jansen.
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