Volt

[rockdogz]

Wow.
So this is the Volt? Really? Looks like a totally different car.
It would be one thing if the concept looked even remotely like this, so that expectations would be somewhat set, but this isn't off the page... it's a totally different book!

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-chevy-volt/1023897/

[oestek]

Wow, that's a little different than we were expecting...

[moreHP]

Bummer. Its a good idea for a car, but I liked the concept car a lot better than the plain sedan it turned into.

[Jim Nilsen]

With the proposed date I would be certain it will change .

First we have to see the new Camaro before I will ever believe there is going to be another cool car from GM other than the Vette.

We have a paid by insurance rental Cobalt right now since the wifes Lumina got hit and I have to say that it is a lot better than I thought it would be. My brother says the back seat in the Vibe rides a lot better. But the Cobalt can get out of its own way and handles pretty nimble.

If the Volt can mechanically ride and drive as good as the Cobalt it might be a success, if it doesn't look any better than a Cobalt it will flop like a fish out of water.

[funbnme]

I read an article about the Volt not too long ago. In order to get the range they were promoting, they needed better aerodynamics than the concept car was giving them. The article said that by the time it was done, that it could look more like the Prius than the concept Volt.

Kinda sucks because the concept car was pretty cool looking. Now it looks a lot more like the early hybrids.

[trapin]

You guys have to remember that we are limited by what the chassis and drivetrain architecture will give us. If it indeed looks like the car in the above picture I do not see us having a problem moving them. I'll know exactly what it looks like at the end of this month because my group got picked to do the math surface on it.

[SatisTraction]

. If it indeed looks like the car in the above picture I do not see us having a problem moving them. .

i think you are being optimistic

[SaturnVUEguy]

Its not UGLY, but definitely nowhere near as good looking as the original concept. Between the high price tag and these looks...

[Boyd]

If that pic is what it will look like, GM at least got the name partly right. That thing is reVolting.

The Volt was supposed to be the everyman's Tesla Roadster - a cool electric vehicle for the masses. Now it just looks like the illegitimate offspring of a Honda Civic and a Toyota Prius.

[BA.]

while the front end may not be quite as cool and sporty as what we've seen in the past for the Volt, I think it's decent looking.

I can't be the only one that see's the resemblance to the new Malibu front=end which we've all pretty much agreed is better looking than the previous Malibu.

[zbugger]

Looks like my girlfriend's Honda Civic with a Chevy bowtie on it to me. But that's not a bad thing. I kinda like it.

[rockdogz]

If you look at some pictures of the rear I think it looks a lot like the Prius.

I feel bad 'calling out' GM on this, because I am a fan of the brand and really was excited about the Volt and wanted to like it. Also, I should know better than to expect the production version of the concept car to look very much like the original.

However, saying all that maybe it's just the grand canyon sized gap between the ultra-bland look of the production vehicle and the ultra-cool & angular look of the concept car (like those wheels too)
that makes my blood boil.

I'm really hoping for GM's sake that the technology of the car will outweigh any bland styling missteps. I'm also wondering if the car in this picture is a real vehicle - what's with the faux grille around the bowtie?

[TonyL]

it does NOT look like a prius from the back

watch the video on this page it's towards the end of this clip of all the transformers cars

I think it looks cool. Like a new honda civic kinda.

[TonyL]

Here's a screencap.

[rockdogz]

You're right Tony, it doesn't in that shot. Here's the pic that made me think of the Prius with the back door and roofline:

[Jim Nilsen]

I personally would give up a mile or two for better styling. If this a true plug in car and I knew it from the start I feel I could work around it. A solar roof would be something I would pay more for as an option to make up for it to be able to charge it. Electric cars are a new world to deal with and the benefits can outweigh what some consider inconvience from the normal car. These are just thoughts I have,how about you guys? I have thought about having to deal with a Tesla and found that while it wasn't a long distance car it was very appealing for everyday use and I already have vehicles that would take me the distances and the extra cost when needed would still make it acceptable to have both.

I have been supporting two vehicles and sometimes three most of my life and have found it to be a lot more affordable in the long run when you accept that they each have their own utility uses and buy them accordingly. I would guess the biggest fear GM is having is that the Volt will totally have to replace a persons everyday car and I look at it as an alternative vehicle for going to work and not neccessarily doing all of the work.

I just hope that there isn't delay after delay and recall after recall just because of the marketing people and all of their numbers crap they get trapped into because they sometimes don't do realistic marketing questioning. When it starts to become trick question time for them to get what they think we want from a car it messes it all up for the final version.

Then there is the basic thought that no matter what it looks like it will sell just because of what it is. After all of the ugly cars we have seen in the past from every manufacture across the world sometimes they have done done better with really ugly and completely different

Just get it out before Honda or Toyota sends people walking out of the showroom or never showing up to begin with.

[trapin]

I wish those photos didn't have those people in them. As someone who works every bit as hard as they do for this company, I think it's rather elitist and sends the wrong message. It takes several thousand people to bring our cars and trucks to fruition, not a chosen few. I am really getting tired of our designers and executives pushing their faces into the spotlight every time we introduce a new vehicle.

Do Toyota and Honda do this? No. So why do we have to?

Just show the damn car. Nobody cares who the damn designer was or which executive green-lighted it.

[Damn True]

They coulda' put that sculptor we both know in the photos.

[trapin]

Hmmm......in maybe a nice little cocktail dress you think?

[derekf]

I like the clear body panel incorporating the body lines below the windows. That's kind of a neat touch. Not sure how much I'll like it in a couple of years though.

For that matter, if T was inside in that cocktail dress, I'd probably wish that it was all covered up already.