http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/08/breaking-2011-chevy-volt-revealed/
Though its first official public debut isn't scheduled until early next week, the 2011 Chevy Volt has been introduced to the internet early courtesy of the The Car Connection, which published these apparently official pictures of the revolutionary series hybrid today. In the past few weeks we've seen official teasers shots of the car mixed with spy video taken on the set of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, all of which have only served to increase excitement ahead of the car's official debut next week. These pics give up the goods like no others, however, and show various GM execs and engineers directly responsible for its development posing alongside like proud papas. The list includes, in order, Tony Posawatz, Bob Lutz, Bob Boniface, Frank Weber, and Andrew Farah.
What we see is a vehicle about the size of the current Chevy Cobalt or next-gen Cruze with a very aerodynamic front end and high rear decklid. There are some futuristic design elements too, including the LED fog lights, black expanse beneath the windows and Volt badging attached to the sideview mirrors. Perhaps the most poignant pic of all is Lutz himself doing a double-handed lean on the production Volt, as GM's product czar has been the most visible figure during the car's very public development.
Check out all the pics in our gallery below and let us know what you think of the Volt's transfer from concept to production car in the comments.
The photos are all here (http://"http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-chevy-volt/1023814/"), which are essentially a bunch of photos of Bob Lutz and a number of gay men posing with the Volt. It looks almost nothing like the concept (thank goodness), which we knew it wouldn't since that car was, by Lutz' own admission, more aerodynamic in reverse.
If I were looking for a midsized hypermiler sedan, I know I'd rather have this any day of the week over the Prius/Insight tapered shiznit profile. Oh, and it's an EV, which neither Honda's nor Toyota's can claim. Infinite milage, if used right.
Nice to see they made it look like a real car... and a nice looking one at that. Gonna be interesting to see the pricing...
Definitely better than the absolutely wacky concept vehicle....still wouldnt touch it with a 10 foot pole. My uncle wants one. So now Ill see that every time they come to visit. I wish he'd just keep his cobalt, perfectly fine-looking vehicle. Oh well. His problem not mine Im keepin the Landshark.
Tell us how you
really feel. ;)
Looks like a Honda.:disappoin
Yeah, about that. In case you didn't know, I have a tenancy to be a little brash. :hick: Tell me you didn't get a GQ vibe from that gallery.
Zonda, I doubt your uncle is interested in the looks as much as the function of the rig. I'm excited about this because of what may come out after it does. Something with 5 or more seats, hopefully. I'll probably never own a Volt, (4-seats no longer fit my life) but I wouldn't hesitate to get a crossover using the Eflex powertrain. ....... can we still call this a powertrain?
Don't you worry, if OPEC ever starts seeing this technology as a threat to its energy monopoly you'll see oil so cheap nobody will want one anyway...
They haven't done anything about all the EV's rolling around Europe, or the hybrids all over North America. OPEC won't drop the price until the current 'Glug-glug-glug' gasoline trend is cut at least in half. That could take 10 years or more.
10 years? It's already dropped by over $40 in a month because demand was slackening. OPEC's gotta play a balancing act between getting as much for its oil as it can and pricing it so high people don't want it. They crossed that line this summer and demand has plummeted. Mark my words, when alternatives become mainstream (and not just with cars - I'm talking about power generation as well, and not just alternative energy, I'm talking domestic oil & gas, too) you WILL see oil plummet. Opec's gotta maintain its monopoly, because once an alternative is established it'll be hard to get people to switch back to OPEC oil.
Oh, I agree. Oil will eventually drop, but not really to an affordable level (pre-2001, where oil averaged over the year at $23) until there are, as you say, a number of alternatives. $105 oil may seem cheap, but we're just conditioned to these prices. Remember it wasn't that long ago that $100/bl oil was highway robbery.......... literally.
But like I said, alternatives are being chased by North America in a big way now, and EV's have been gaining popularity in Europe for a decade. Heck, they're even researching bio-fuels in Dubai. They will have to lower their prices, but that won't happen until they absolutely have to, which is about when a quarter of the vehicles on the road aren't running on petroleum. Until then, they still hold a rock solid monopoly.
Oh obviously. From my perspective I just cant even fathom driving around in something I didnt like the looks of. :rollin: That and I think someone else said it....it does look rather like a civic. Particularly the headlights. They just love to play copycat.
Definitely not a bad idea though, especially as we get going with wind turbines and stuff.
Even with coal, you still use about six cents a mile (and that's the high estimate for running a Tesla) in battery mode alone.
Has anyone been reading about certain cities developing smart grids for the impact EVs will have on our power grids? When you plug the car in, it would do most of its charging during off peak hours (night) when electricity costs less and won't require a major increase in output from power stations during the day. In the day time, the EVs themselves serve as part of the power grid at peak hours. This is obviously in preparation for when we have 100k+ EVs in one city.