2011 CHEVY VOLT —

The Electric Car is BACKKK!

 I remember watching the movie; “Who Killed the Electric Car?” starring the infamous EV1 made by GM back in 1966.  The story goes on to show how successful the cars were in creating their own demand and devotees. Ten years after the project began and as the leases ended, the cars were rounded up and destroyed much to the chagrin of their owners.  The obvious conspiracy theory prevails and now we have THE VOLT.

 It looks like a fat Prius.  Promises the future of driving and 0 emissions. The public is ready. The question is, how ready to spend $40k, ($32,500 after the $7500 tax credit) on a GM model that gets 40 miles between charges? If GM can deliver a stable, reliable, quality product in the VOLT, (it looks nice in the fit and finish department, but it hasn’t had the 20k mile squeak and rattle test) with a price tag close to or under the $33,000.00 loaded Prius, then I’ll be doing handstands to own one.

The Volt is scheduled for release late 2010 as a 2011 model with a 145hp 1.4l 4 cyl engine. Aside from the price, travel range is the big issue, at only 40 miles between charges (cost .50), depending on weather conditions, (I’ll do the Death Valley test drive in July if they’ll let me) ; this is purely an urban transporter. The internal combustion (gas) engine takes over as needed, throwing an extra 25hp into the mix and keeping the battery from exhaustion. Near exhaustion because the philosophy is to leave 30% in reserve, thus extending the battery life to 150,000 miles or 10 years. The ability to charge from a home outlet will offset additional costs for charging units, which can range between $3-4,000.00, (some tax credits available) for propane or LNG terminals in the family garage.  Meanwhile, public facilities and valets on the Las Vegas Strip are already suited-up with PLUG-in stations at curbside. 

The Volt has been a regular at the Detroit Auto Showsince 2007, continuing the hype of GM reborn.  GM needs this car like a runner needs oxygen, not only to justify the bail-out but to reinvigorate its dealer body, defuse the CAFÉ quota limits on its big, bad-boy trucks but also to ignite the youth market. The Volt can’t come soon enough, as gas prices creep toward $3.00 a gallon and their new car line-up is looking old. Ford has successfully breached the social network world with Fiesta YouTube/drive-a-thons and Focus-hybrid love-fest events, fast forward to the latest SAFe driver technology in Sync 3.0.  Welcome to MAC world GM, this year the Volt’s  North American Auto Show-stopper is an APP’d up series of  smart phone Applications guaranteed to charge the Volt owner with touch screen overload.

All-in all, the CHEVY VOLT is the most exciting product from GM in a decade,  let’s hope it delivers after all the auto show hype.

Check out this quick peek of the 2011 CHEVY Volt caught showing off at CES last week.

 

I’ll report on the Volt again, as soon as I can do a MYCARLADY TEST DRIVE review.

 Sarah Lee is an automotive executive with 20+ years of experience. She writes about Cars, and is a staunch consumer advocate on car related subjects. Her company: MY CARLADY is a car buyer’s service committed to getting you the best deal on your next new or pre-owned vehicle. You can reach her at www.mycarlady.com Top learn more about getting your best car deal click here: CAR DEALS ]]>