AFSCME 3357-HOF'S BLOG

Salvation, thy name be Volt?
GM unveils production Chevrolet Volt

Here it is, the production version of the Chevrolet Volt.



I'm not so keen on the Chevrolet corporate grill, and on this car it adds a level of fussiness to a design that is otherwise elegantly functional. Overall, it seems more practical than the concept car from a couple years ago.

The Volt is the extended range electric (none dare call it a hybrid) car that GM says will be able to go 40 miles on electric power alone. GM promises-plans-hopes-aspires-whatever to have it available before the end of 2010. It was originally supposed to cost less than $30,000; however that pricing target will not be met. The actual cost is to be determined. The latest word that I've seen is that according to Bob Lutz, the unsubsidized price of the car would be around $48,000 but if GM gave up profot on the vehicle, they could come in at around $40,000. For a car that's supposed to be GM's knight in shining armor, they aren't planning on making very many of them, only 10,000 the first year and ramping up to 60,000 in year two. To put this production in perspective, the 1964 Ford Mustang is credited with saving Ford. Ford sold over 100,000 of the 1964 model, and over 600,000 of the 1965 model. No passenger car model in 2007 sold as many units as the 1965 Ford Mustang.