GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

Without the emotional response of the Volt’s leaked pics (at least for me), Toyota’s next generation Prius pictures have too leaked to the web.

Expected to have a larger combustion engine, and larger size, there are reports the fuel efficiency will be improved as well.  The car is slated for reveal at the Detroit Auto Show in January.

That these are indeed photos of the 2010 Prius has been confirmed by Toyota.

This is the car that will compete with the 2011 Volt.

No plug expected.

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Source (Priuschat)

After more than a year and a half of following the Chevy Volt’s development on a daily basis, nothing was more important or profound as today, the day GM revealed the production version Volt to the world.

First of all there were hundreds if not more than a thousand media people present. Most with far superior technology and access to legions of assistants. I am an army of one. I have done my best to get you the latest photos and information, but there is a lot to consume. Keep posted over the coming days as there are many stories to tell as well as your questions answered.

I think the car is absolutely beautiful. That’s my opinion. It’s lines are clean, refined, and very sleek. It does not look like a Prius. The people involved with building the car were entirely pumped. Jon Lauckner, VP of global program development showed me around the car and his pride and glee were palpable.

There is one charging port, on the driver’s side, right behind the mirror. The rear sharp edged corner was striking, and the front grill although closed was clean and well done.

The car clearly speaks to the future and to its electric drivetrain. It sits very taut to the ground with wide stance and rake and looks like it will leap when the accelerator is depressed. And I’m told it will, thanks to instantaneous torque.

The roof and belt-line continue the dark theme. No-one would say what the final Volt roof will be made of, except that there will be options. On the new showcar, it is painted steel.

Anyone getting up close to this car wont be disappointed. There is absolutely nothing like it on the road.

The interior was also quite unique, comfortable, and undeniably futuristic. There are two vivid 7 inch LCD screens that will provide a plethora of customizable data. There are two perfectly placed cupholders in the front and the back. There will be many appearance options.

A clarification is worth mentioning. A CNN article quoted me as saying GM-Volt.com readers were disappointed with the design. I was referring to last weeks leaked photos, not the images of today.

I was told there are four units of the model shown today, the other three being shown around the world.

Today is a key day for the future of this country and our quest to get off of oil. I believe GM has hit the nail on the head with this one. This car is and will be a winner.

Much more to come, and the next chapter of GM-Volt.com has begun.

And thanks to Fred Potter who created the new logo for GM-Volt.com!

I am here in Detroit on the eve of the dawn of GMs next 100 years, and the revelation of the production Chevy Volt.

In passing today I had a conversation with Bob Boniface chief of E-Flex design. He confirmed the leak of the Volt photos were unintentional. He also indicated that the cars appearance in them was very unflattering. He explained the angles and lighting were inappropriate and the car was not captured properly. In fact, those images had never even been approved by GM.

This sense was also conveyed by Ed Welburn, GMs VP of design who in a separate conversation said those photos were "terrible."

Boniface also said the "Transformer Volt", which many thought looked better, was actually a vehicle of identical design.

We shall soon see…Remember to tune in here tomorrow by 8:30 AM EST.

Not unexpectedly the leak of production Volt photos have ricocheted around the web, and certainly 10′s if not 100′s of thousands of people have seen these images.  However, some design uncertainty remains. We really haven’t seen the car alone in full at favorable angles and with unencumbered views.  This will come next week.  Sources tell me those pictures are, and indeed the car is, quite striking, and the leaked images really don’t do the car proper justice, as the executives are the focal points, not the car.

Based on the suboptimal leaked images, many of the comments appearing here and elsewhere although mixed have tended negative about the redesign.

The poll we took here showed from what 1388 respondents have seen, that 57% preferred the concept, 32% preferred the production model, 7% felt the same about both, and 4% didn’t know.

I agree design is important, but how much so?

After all this is really about petroleum displacement.  What moved me to start this site in January 07 when GM first announced the car actually wasn’t what the Volt looked like but what it did.

I like beautiful cars, but the big issue is a US company making a profound and major stride in getting this country and the world off of oil.

No matter what the Volt looks like, it will drive for the first 40 miles, the majority of US drivers’ daily need, without using a drop of gasoline.

And, although there will be a necessary ramp-up, the car will be mass-produced using GM’s extensive global manufacturing infrastructure and eventually delivered to nearly every developed country in the world.

Those things will begin make a difference for us all.

So for our next poll:

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And thanks to reader Fred Potter for the colored Volts!

We are only seven days away from GM’s official unveiling of the production Chevy Volt. For those not up to speed, GM has long ago said the production version couldn’t look like the concept because of an intensive need for aerodynamic improvement. These changes are evident in the form of the production Volt which has been designed to ensure a 40 mile electric driving range.

As we know, yesterday a batch of pictures of the production Chevy Volt with key executives standing in front of it leaked into the internet via website TheCarConnection.com.

GM spokesperson Terry Rhadigan denies that the leak was intentional, possibly orchestrated to prepare the public for the live reveal next week. Reportedly these studio stills were “accidentally” placed on a GM website and then immediately removed when the breach was discovered. Last week’s grainy Transformer2 video also reportedly caught GM “off guard”.

It is interesting to note that these “leaks” show more and more of the car, yet not the whole thing, as there is always an obscuration either due to image quality or people posing in front of it. Also all of my usual contacts within GM have failed to respond to my questions about this topic.

In any event, the public response at least in the way of last post’s torrent of comments appear to be mixed but skewed to the negative. Keep in mind there may be a commentator’s bias. While there were nearly 600 comments as of this writing, the post was actually viewed close to 16,000 times, so the vast majority of the opinions may not appear in the comments.

So to begin to sort this out seems appropriate to take a poll (below).

Source (Wall Street Journal)

Cleaned Production Image (LA Times)

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A whole set of Production Chevy Volt pictures have been leaked each with one member of the GM executive team standing before it. See the car in its native silver in all its glory! These are official studio photos although it doesnt seem like GM meant for them to break yet.

That’s vehicle line engineer Tony Posawatz above. And in order below, Andrew Farah (chief engineer), Tony P again, Frank Weber (vehicle line director), Bob Boniface (chief designer), and of course Bob Lutz (GM vice chairman).

Source (TheCarConnection)

Thanks to Luis O. for the tip!

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