I was able to get in touch with the photographer who caught the video, reporter Jeffery Gilbert. I found out that GM actually had given him permission to take that video.
As such he afforded me with the highest resolution video available, from which is the clip above. He took it with a flip camera. I cleaned and sharpened it a bit, but I’m no photoshopper. Slightly different angle (side view).
This entry was posted on Saturday, April 5th, 2008 at 7:48 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Apr 5th, 2008 (7:52 pm)Thanks Lyle! That’s a much better angle to realize the shape. Can you send me a copy of the original hi-rez via email?
energyvictory@gmail.com
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Apr 5th, 2008 (7:53 pm)Looks to confirm that the blue car at the top of the previous thread was pretty close.
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Apr 5th, 2008 (8:26 pm)For anyone in Vancouver, the Volt is at the autoshow this weekend. … I want one!
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Apr 5th, 2008 (8:31 pm)I just can’t get over how some tape can hide what the car looks like.
Do you think that GM will let Lyle at gm-volt.com have the first pics of the real thing?????
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Apr 5th, 2008 (8:34 pm)Can’t wait for the official unveiling.
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Apr 5th, 2008 (8:35 pm)Jim @ 4.
It’s a nice thought to give Lyle the scoop on some of this stuff…but when it comes to the big unveiling and other big announcements, you can bet there will be another 79 other media outlets with him, just like at this past press event. Damn shame.
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Apr 5th, 2008 (10:31 pm)Dave
Well did you expect GM to do anyone a favor except themselves? LOL
Take Care
Arch
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Apr 5th, 2008 (11:48 pm)A 24 hour “scoop” would be the least they should do. They won’t, and I understand that, but they should….
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Apr 6th, 2008 (12:38 am)I’m surprised that the flat’ish looking front end still gives the shape the same drag as the Prius!
Lyle, this page doesn’t show up in Opera 9.25 on WinXP
(lucky I have 3 other browsers installed)
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Apr 6th, 2008 (9:04 am)Too bad its going to take so long to get these on the road. US consumers need these types of vehicles now, and US auto sales are going to nosedive until these vehicles hit the road.
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Apr 6th, 2008 (9:28 am)Jason @ 10,
Yep, long time to wait. Teh conversiion shops can do it in no time, with vehicles already on the road. But I’ll bet you get what you pay for.
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Apr 6th, 2008 (9:39 am)So far I like this much better than the original concept. This design makes much more sense. I want to see a better resolution picture of the interior.
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Apr 6th, 2008 (10:07 am)Maybe nasaman can get one of his colleagues to take a shot at stripping away the camouflage.
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Apr 6th, 2008 (11:40 am)It looks like a mitsubishi lancer or something.
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Apr 6th, 2008 (11:58 am)It reminds me of every other car on the road. I will just blend in nicely. I hope not. I think it should proudly stand out from anything else on the road.
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Apr 6th, 2008 (1:13 pm)Agree with the post above. I passed on buying a car (for me , a Buick) when the price of gas soared. GM and Ford would be selling cars like hotcakes if they had a fleet line up of plug-ins and hybrids. No more taking sales cues from OPEC please. They’re parasites. Vote for politicians that will incentivize plug-ins
CHEVY VOLT – American-made, American FUELED.
Average price of a car $28,000. Fuel cost over 12 years – $35,000. Do the math, buy American twice. Keep our boys and girls in the military home. Sincerely, retired Air Force veteran who spent twenty years protecting oil lanes and not much more than that. Costs Americans $10 gallon figuring all costs into oil/price per gallon. China, Japan, Asia, all get our taxpayer protected oil for free while they kick our rearend on trade. Nice. VOTE this year please.
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Apr 6th, 2008 (1:53 pm)Given that GM likes to use common a chassis to reduce costs, it appears to me like they will use the new Cadillac CTS Coupe which will debut around the same time frame as the Volt.
http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/experience/news_ctscoupe.jsp
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Apr 6th, 2008 (2:36 pm)Shape appears similar to the newly designed car now being raced in NASCAR. Possibly that is because the size is not too different and both gave great emphasis to aerodynamics. Look for yourself on espn.com under NASCAR “car of tomorrow”
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Apr 6th, 2008 (3:50 pm)Can’t wait for the unveiling. I want the first one. I’d make a good test case. GM, send the first ones to Fort Myers Florida. The wife and I will take the first two. TED
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Apr 6th, 2008 (4:29 pm)Mike said:
Given that GM likes to use common a chassis to reduce costs, it appears to me like they will use the new Cadillac CTS Coupe which will debut around the same time frame as the Volt.
http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/experience/news_ctscoupe.jsp
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Uh. NOPE.
That is not how car design works sir. No way in hell is that how car design works.
Take a moment and think about what it is you are saying there.
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Apr 6th, 2008 (4:52 pm)#20 John
You should provide substance to your position by explaining how car design works and how car design precludes Mike’s (#17) suggestion. Just saying, “you’re wrong” isn’t suffciently persuasive.
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Apr 6th, 2008 (5:46 pm)#17 Mike
The CTS is based on the Sigma platform. It is a rear wheel drive application and the platform is for Cadillac applications only.
At the VoltNation meeting last month, a GM engineer stated that the Volt will be based on the new Delta II platform. This platform is front wheel drive, and has a wheelbase longer than the Cobalt, but shorter than the new Malibu.
See the attached for more info:
http://www.gminsidenews.com/index.php?page=platform_guide
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Apr 6th, 2008 (7:27 pm)#20 John
BillR demonstrates (in his post #22) how to further a discussion by contributing substance without being snarky.
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Apr 6th, 2008 (7:56 pm)22 BillR
Thanks for the link to the platform guide. To me it seemed that Delta gets a grade of C+ as compared to Sigma.
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Apr 6th, 2008 (8:19 pm)gminsidenews posted at #22 also has a picture of the 2009 Cobalt SS, a car on the same platform as the Volt, a car undoubtedly designed with many of the same aerodynamic objectives, and a car loosely similar to the Volt 1/3 scale. One hopes the Volt will look more upscale than the 2009 Cobalt SS considering its likely higher pricetag.
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Apr 6th, 2008 (8:23 pm)#24 RB
The new Delta II platform should be a new and moderized platform. Hopefully it will deserve more than a C+.
Here’s another car that is proposed for the Delta II platform.
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/03/saab-9-x-biohyb.html#more
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Apr 6th, 2008 (8:57 pm)The platform guide listed in #22 is referencing the current delta platform, not the platform the volt will be based of off. The cobalt will not be on the new platform until 2010 per the future product guide on the same site.
http://www.gminsidenews.com/index.php?page=Future_Product_Guide
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Apr 7th, 2008 (9:33 am)The Volt should be on Delta II. The current Cobalt is on Delta I.
The way GM has been going so far, this platform is likely to be significantly better than the last one.
(For proof, consider that the new Malibu–which is getting rave reviews–is still on the old Malibu platform, if a little updated. If you remember the old Malibu, you will wonder what manner of sedan we’ll be getting when they do the next-generation Malibu on the NEW platform).
This is shaping up to be a brilliant, brilliant car.
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