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Volt Birth Watch 87: It's Official
by
Robert Farago
(IC: employee)
Published: September 16th, 2008
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Robert Farago
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Published September 16th, 2008 11:11 AM
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Hey, as a member of the Sega generation, a video game interior is a selling point to me...
Ingvar, perhaps we're reading two different articles but what you posted doesn't imply from GM that the Volt will save the company. It does say that it has the potential to make GM a technology leader in this area which I agree with if they pull off the range they are going for with the car. I'm certainly not going to tear it down before GM delivers it and we see how it performs for ourselves. I give them credit for going through with this car. If it the range is delivered it could have major ramifications on the automobile and the Volt's grandchildren could end up being pretty common if GM survives that long. I like what I see so far. Kudos to the team and I hope for their sake (as well as ours) that they can pull the car's range off.
Overall, I like the styling, but I am still holding my judgments for when this car is seen in the flesh on the showroom floor. One point that worries me. The touch-sensitive 'buttons' on the center stack, this poses the same problem as touchscreen nav units. You have to take your eyes off the road to find the button. Without any tactile sensation from one button to the next, this is a major ergonomic and safety factor. I do hope real buttons find their way to the production vehicle. Love the LCD gauge cluster though, I think this is the way all cars will go in the next few years. The resolution is high enough now that it won't strain the eyes, but I wonder how an LCD will perform under direct sunlight, compared to a traditional gauge. It needs to be deeply recessed to hide it from reflections, etc.