Chevrolet Volt/Cadillac ELR Thread: 2016 EPA Ratings

  • Thread starter Thread starter YSSMAN
  • 717 comments
  • 86,847 views
Most Volt-ness in spy form.

Autoblog
Reader Spy: Chevy Volt caught from the beltline up
volt-t2-1280.jpg


Ed sent us the above pic pilfered from the Transformers Live Action Blog and judging by the roofline, headlights and taillights, you're looking at the first picture of the production Chevy Volt. Not proof enough? The image on the right – a zoomed-in crop of the larger image -- shows a metal plate emblazoned with four letters spelling out GM's savior. The Volt it is. Our boys at AutoblogGreen have already called upon the General's minions for a comment, but no response has been delivered to our inbox... yet.
Click to expand...
 
The quality is crap and the color looks iffy but it can also be because of the quality. But the shape and style looks great!
 
Probably someone with a zoomed in mobile phone camera. But I thought the Volt was going to be a hatch back?
 
Joey D
Probably someone with a zoomed in mobile phone camera. But I thought the Volt was going to be a hatch back?
Click to expand...

It seems confused it seems kind of like a hatchback... but then again it also does not. The mirrors, both their shape and their off-color is the only thing that's questionable to me at this time.
 
Well the concept was a hatchback of sorts, but this looks more like a lift back. It actually reminds me a Ford Mondeo from the side.

20080507-ford-mondeo-titanium-x-sport-side.jpg
 
That looks like that's exactly what it's going to be ( a lift back) and the Ford Mondeo actually looks strikingly similar to the Volt but the Volt's lines and lights looks more radical.
 
Joey D
Probably someone with a zoomed in mobile phone camera. But I thought the Volt was going to be a hatch back?
Click to expand...

That looks like a hatchback to me. I believe the car is technically a hatchback if the rear window is a part of the tailgate. And the gap between where the window meets the "trunk" and the rear of the car looks to small for that to be the only part that opens.
 
Oh I thought that's what a lift back was. The trunk lid and rear window/shell opened as one.

Like this:
mazda6_hatchback4.jpg
 
That's a hatch, a lift is more like how mini vans or suvs are.
 
Huh? Isn't that the same thing but vertical instead of horizontal?
 
Jim Prower
You see, ya lost me there. I never really liked the look of Apple products, and seeing this center stack is a little bit of a turn-off to me. It looks like a cross between a child's toy and a household appliance.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't like the white toaster part of the interior in this car and the one in the Fiat 500 either.
 
I would expect some tactile response on the dash with some actual buttons. Aren't you supposed to keep your eyes on the road?
 
Joey D
Probably someone with a zoomed in mobile phone camera. But I thought the Volt was going to be a hatch back?
Click to expand...



Looks like a hatchback to me...

Still, it looks good both inside and out. For the car that is supposed to "save GM," things are coming along quickly and rather nicely.
 
YSSMAN
the car that is supposed to "save GM,"
Click to expand...

Is this the 4th, 5th or 6th car that's played that role? And somehow, I doubt a "look what we can do" car that they'll be losing money on can save the company. Maybe the concept can, but they'll need a better Aveo to do too well.

That said, it's looking pretty good so far. The wing mirrors are about all I'm questioning at this point.
 
YSSMAN


Looks like a hatchback to me...

Still, it looks good both inside and out. For the car that is supposed to "save GM," things are coming along quickly and rather nicely.
Click to expand...

Alright, I guess it was the way the photo was. So far I like the look of this car.
 
The Volt as a "performance" car?

When the Chevy Volt goes on sale in late 2010, it may be joined shortly thereafter by other GM-branded series hybrids using the eFlex architecture. But after the General's bread-and-butter bow-tie division, which brands make the most sense to get their own Volt? We've already seen a Cadillac with underlying eFlex technology, and GM's luxury arm could charge higher prices to offset the cost of the expensive powertrain. After Cadillac, Saturn might be a good bet considering we've already seen an eFlex-based Saturn-branded FlexStream concept.

Susan Docherty, GM's North American vice president of Buick, Pontiac and GMC, thinks GM's driving excitement team is a natural fit for a Volt-like hybrid. Her reason is that the Pontiac brand can attract a younger crowd that readily accepts new technology and cutting-edge design. We're not so sure. If Pontiac is supposed to build excitement, how does that jive with a heavy battery pack in a car that's engineered to save fuel rather than go fast? Then again, nothing says instant torque quite like an electric vehicle. Dealers who bought into building combined Buick, Pontiac and GMC stores will want at least one vehicle in their showrooms based on the eFlex architecture, though, and Pontiac makes more sense than Buick or GMC.
Click to expand...

This is an interesting prospect. Pontiac is probably the last place I would have seen the car (aside from the obvious GMC and HUMMER), seeing that they are the "sporty" face of GM. But with the direction Pontiac is going now with their upcoming cars, it isn't too surprising.

Either way, I think it would have fit much better as a Saab or a Saturn.
 
Well, not in the Midwest. At home, I know of one Pontiac, GMC, Buick dealer, and that's in what has to be the shadiest Auto Row in town.

The major dealer networks all have Saab. But that is the rather domestic-unfriendly West Coast. And, yeah. I can't think of any Saturn dealers. Maybe the Volt could draw buyers into those though.
 
I actually see quite a few Saabs around here, but it may not be a surprise: the dealership is a Chevrolet/Saab dealer, and some people might walk in looking at a Chevy to find that they can afford a Saab. Come here, and you'll be surprised how many you see driving around. newer Saturns aren't as common...mostly the SUVs, and the Aura.
 
I think the Pontiac model was inevitable, as there is always a Pontiac to any given Chevrolet model. I think we're pretty much going to be looking at a stiffer suspension, bigger wheels, and probably a slight bodykit. Otherwise, it'll just be a Volt with a twin-kidney grille.

Or a Volt Ute.
 
Volt ute? Sounds like a hybrid Honda Ridgeline: you know it'd be a four-seater with a short-short bed. Maybe a MidGate.
 
Man the style of the volt looks amazing plus everything looks concept car-ish on it like the lights... much better than the boring Prius, please bring it over here Chevy!
 
Isn't the next Prius due out in a few years? I'd bet Toyota would make that new design straight out of 2050 or something. Oh, and I wouldn't bet on it looking like a Tata Nano from the front.
 
The next Prius is due for 2010, then Honda is rolling out their "full Hybrid" as well that is based on the FCX Clarity car. Toyota won't have a plug-in like the Volt for another few years, and I have no idea if Honda is going to partake either.

The big question, at least for me, is that if GM is actually planning on selling the technology elsewhere, how soon will it be until Ford and Chrysler have their own Volt spin-offs?

===

Robin.
...please bring it over here Chevy!
Click to expand...

You'll be getting it, but I don't know it it'll be badged as a Chevy, Vauxhall or Opel (for the rest of Europe...).
 
If GM is smart they would keep their secrets hidden and push this technology as much as they can into other vehicles. If they could make an SUV or pick-up that could pull a decent amount of weight coupled with a decent sized payload and still get 35-40 mpg.
 
This car is going to make the Prius look like a bunch of cow manure with 4 wheels stuck onto it. (Not that it already is...) I love the look of the Volt. It just screams a winrar!
 
YSSMAN
You'll be getting it, but I don't know it it'll be badged as a Chevy, Vauxhall or Opel (for the rest of Europe...).
Click to expand...

Hmm, it might well end up badged a Chevy because they have Chevy over here (all re-badged Daewoo's).... Having something like this in their range would really raise the profile of the name... I don't know how well it would look as a Vauxhall though because its styling doesnt really fit and the name Vauxhall Volt would sound like a joke!

Whatever it is its a cracking car, I hope this single handedly starts moving the US car giant in a better direction... A bold move was really needed in it seems like they are going to deliver.

Robin
 
Joey D
If GM is smart they would keep their secrets hidden and push this technology as much as they can into other vehicles. If they could make an SUV or pick-up that could pull a decent amount of weight coupled with a decent sized payload and still get 35-40 mpg.
Click to expand...

While I completely agree that GM should keep all of the secrets to themselves, the problem is, this project is costing them an arm and a leg. If Ford or Chrysler would be willing to buy-in and help alleviate development costs, beyond that, give GM a small portion of the profits from the vehicles they sell, its win-win for GM.
 
If GM could keep this technology a secret, then they could probably make some good money putting it under different cars too. But the problem they'll run into is that Chrysler and Ford will probably buy the car and reverse engineer something like it into their cars, no matter how much of a secret GM keeps it now.
 
Back