Volt Birth Watch 69: Now They See It, Now You Don't
No small amount of the excitement surrounding the Chevrolet plug-in electric gas hybrid Volt centers on the vehicle's design. GM has hyped this "car of tomorrow" look by withholding the final design and promoting the prototype as if that's it, there ya go. This despite the fact wind tunnel testing obviated the hyped sheetmetal early in the Volt's development. Anyway, The Detroit News reports that GM is about to show the world the "real" Volt's design. Well, not the world. "GM, which will mark its centennial on Sept. 16, will let employees take a peek at the extended range electric vehicle but not allow them to use any cameras because of concerns about the competition… No final decision has been made on when and where the Volt will be revealed to employees — and eventually the public, but spokeswoman Karla Coleman said, 'It's going to be soon.'" The DetN reckons that means November's LA Auto Show. Or January's Detroit auto show. Or next Independence Day [just kidding, I think]. And get this: "The automaker recently showed a near-production version of the Volt to a focus group in southern California. 'It was very positive,' Coleman said. 'It's not like we can change the design at this point, but we want to hear feedback about how we're doing.'" Yeah, that makes sense. [NB: TTAC will pay $1000 for exclusive rights to the first photo of the finished Chevy Volt.]
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Hey, maybe they'll let us see it in 2010. When we solve world hunger, wipe out terrorism and unite all people under a banner of hope for the future :D. Oh wait...
"Why does every new GM vehicle have to wear 22-inch rims. Who is the designer running this place? Jay-Z?!" Don't hate on Jay-Z; his lyrics in Dirt Off Your Shoulder: ... I paid a grip for the jeans, plus the slippers is clean No chrome on the wheels, I'm a grown-up for real ...
Is anyone sure the Volt will ever actually be built? Could this all be a smoke screen and GM is really going to come out with a hydrogen car they are working on in secret? So far the publicity for the Volt seems so silly (focus groups, pictures of a possible body design before anyone knows how big the gas engine/electric motor/solar panels/batteries will have to be).