GM's Chevy Volt finally really unveiled, for real

The 2011 Chevy Volt has been officially unveiled this morning and we are pleased to note that the new pictures are much more flattering than the "glamour shots" released a week or so ago. The interior of the Volt features a driver-configurable LCD instrument display, 7-inch touch screen information display (for climate and "infotainment" control), Bluetooth, USB and optional GPS. Of course, what makes this vehicle noteworthy is the sheer plug-in-hybridness of it all: the car runs entirely off of its 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery. For trips up to 40 miles, the battery's initial charge will suffice (granted you remembered to plug it in overnight). After the battery is spent, the gasoline generator provides electricity to the Volt's electric drive unit while simultaneously sustaining the charge of the battery for a range of "several hundred additional miles," according to GM. Hit the read links for far more info. and check out a drool-worthy interior photo and video walkthrough after the break.

Read - Autoblog, "Officially Official: 2011 Chevrolet Volt finally revealed!"
Read - Autoblog, "Walkthrough of 2011 Chevy Volt interior"

[DssTrainer @ Sep 16th 2008 3:09PM]

meh.. needs more angled design. This thing looks like a Chevy Malibu and a Saturn Ion had a fat baby.

Interior is nice tho.

[Techie @ Sep 16th 2008 3:13PM]

To be honest I only care about the price.

[_The_Dude_ @ Sep 16th 2008 3:26PM]

I agree... thanks for blanding up the design Chevy. way to reinvent the prius!

[NoAverage @ Sep 16th 2008 3:32PM]

The production model lost its "wow" factor from the proto-type. No imagination. As noted, it looks to be a typical GM. One of the reason for the failing GM (and others) is that the cars do not excite people and do not stand out. The electric/hybrid is great, but the look also matters. It will sell, but will not help to sell other models, where GM will need to profit.

[Chad @ Sep 16th 2008 3:32PM]

The price is supposed to be ~$40,000.

[Duke @ Sep 16th 2008 3:43PM]

I was really hoping they would hold onto more of the aggressive lines from the concept. We all knew it would be toned down - but now it looks like a Malibu as the poster above said. It’s really a shame that the cars with great electric technology in them have to be less than great looking. Have some balls auto makers. You can make a car win on 2 fronts.

[Knives_Out @ Sep 16th 2008 3:48PM]

just the chevy logo alone is ugly.

[Chris @ Sep 16th 2008 3:59PM]

It doesn't look at all like the Prius. And thank goodness. It could be better, but at least they didnt make i uglier than existing cars (which is what the Prius is).

[NHAnimator @ Sep 16th 2008 3:59PM]

"The price is supposed to be ~$40,000."

And for that price, the GPS is optional?

[underwhelmed @ Sep 16th 2008 4:06PM]

I wasn't thrilled about the original showcar, but how did they carve an effing Prius out of that thing?

Typical dumbed down American design.

...and they wonder why nobody buys Made in the U.S.A. anymore.

[slavko @ Sep 16th 2008 4:44PM]

Great. Another boring POS from chevy. You go you 'green' red necks!!!

[Anthony @ Sep 16th 2008 5:45PM]

I personally love it. Reminds me of an updated VW Jetta (more angular front, but the stance is high). Interior is also very crisp.

I like my Civic Hybrid (go HOV lanes!) but we'll be looking at an American car for the 1st time in my life it looks like.

[Obadiah @ Sep 16th 2008 6:35PM]

Precisely. What happened to the cool concept car design that excited people? Sheesh now they go back to the awful, boring, bland, dull, vanilla Impala/Malibu look. As far as I'm concerned they killed it. Why does it not surprise me that GM looks to snach defeat from the jaws of victory here?

[Yuriy @ Sep 16th 2008 8:47PM]

range 40miles? that's all? i even can not get back home - i think Chinese electric cars get better range that that.

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Sep 16th 2008 9:11PM]

It actually looks like a Camry or TL or something from the front.

40 miles is fairly weak, but running the gas motor as a generator, rather than to drive the vehicle, should increase efficiency. The prius has to operate its gas motor at all kinds of speeds (helped by the CVT) to drive the car. The volt-style arrangement (series hybrid, is that what it's called?) allows the gas motor to run at peak efficiency whenever it's on. Of course there are losses in charging then discharging the battery.

[DallasM @ Sep 16th 2008 10:34PM]

Oh and about that whole "40 miles" thing... Do not expect 40 miles with any kind of reasonable speed what so ever. If I was you, I would think that you might 40 miles going 10 miles per hour. 40 miles @ 70 takes way too much energy to be believable for me.

[fanman @ Sep 17th 2008 6:55AM]

There are three reasons why nobody drives an electric car.

1) They're too expensive
2) They're ugly as sin.
3) They damage the environment with their batteries and simply produce emissions by proxy.

At least this one has eliminated number two.

[Mike @ Sep 16th 2008 3:10PM]

the car definitely looks futuristic... however... i feel it's lost it's swagger from the concept car.

[one1082 @ Sep 16th 2008 3:15PM]

absolutely agree

[Tim @ Sep 16th 2008 3:46PM]

so they went from an awesome concept car to a Honda Civic?

[EmoChicksAreHot.....Seriously @ Sep 16th 2008 4:41PM]

@tim

Well that might not be a bad thing....You know the crazy stuff you can do with a civic,right?

[happy_penguin @ Sep 16th 2008 5:09PM]

It's designed for mileage. If you want exciting wait for the new Camaro. I have a friend who is a test driver and he says it will have a 700hp option which can still manage 30+ MPG.

[DakStaka @ Sep 17th 2008 6:06AM]

I wonder if its lost the high doors look with slit windows due to vision safety requirements? Anyone know what the field of view requirements are?

[Cassini @ Sep 17th 2008 10:37PM]

I agree, I can never understand why auto manufacturers do that. When they come out with a slick looking concept, why don't they just keep that body style? Take it from concept straight to the showroom! That's what people truly want, IMO. People don't want something that looks like everything else on the road (even if it's just from the outside). They want something progressive that looks futuristic and has that "swagger".

I like the inside, but I don't like all the buttons on the center console - it's WAY too busy. If they feel they need all those buttons, they would've been better off putting a second touchscreen below the center one and integrating those functions on screen. Then it would've had an even cleaner look and added yet even more functionality instead of giving it the look of "fifty buttons spread out in front of your face at once". It's not easy to look at fifty buttons on a dash, marked with light grey labels on a white background while you're driving, especially when the sun's shining. The knobs are fine, but please consolidate all those buttons into another touchscreen (which can allow for much better organization, color, and contrast when accessing functions).

[LarryLarryLarry @ Sep 19th 2008 4:09AM]

I would MUCH prefer real buttons with some tactile feedback. I don't want to check the LCD screen every time I touch the totally smooth plastic on the dashboard. I want that information from my finger, not my eyes. I'm driving, for crap's sake.

I'm sure it's much cheaper to make this way, but in a $40K car I don't want "cheaper", I want "better".

The LCD looks like it was docked, not integrated.

Can't they use the LCD behind the steering wheel for everything? And I do I really want an LCD telling me how fast I'm going? Is it more reliable than a mechanical gauge? The Corvette (only $20K more in price) has both a windshield-projector and a gauge for speed. Would it have been too much for them to move this 10-year-old tech into the Volt?

[jtan @ Sep 16th 2008 3:11PM]

interior is nice, but the outside is ugly as sin compared to the concept. Still better looking than the prius by a ton though

[Alamo @ Sep 17th 2008 10:01AM]

and YOU'RE removing my faith in American Grammar.

[alamo @ Sep 17th 2008 10:03AM]

Damn it. I meant that for the person below.

[From My Cube @ Sep 16th 2008 3:12PM]

love it...keep up the good work GM, your putting trust back into American Car makers

[calvin @ Sep 16th 2008 3:13PM]

maybe its just me, but i don't see the point of unveiling a car 3 years before it will be released. it does look nice, but why unveil it now?

[captain underpants and the bringdown gang @ Sep 16th 2008 3:14PM]

marketing.

[meist3r @ Sep 16th 2008 4:17PM]

Making people aware that it's time to think about a new way of doing things. If they unveiled this in 3 years time people will have bought all gas engines so long and the acceptance phase of a "revolutionary" product is always quite long. So better start that process now than in a couple of years. It's great marketing too because so many people are riding the Green train at the moment and you can give them something to save for.

[Sebastian @ Sep 16th 2008 7:37PM]

This is to "show" that GM is not dead yet... In three year, we will have thousands of Teslas, Mindsets (www.mindset.ch), Plug-In Prius, electro Minis and electro Smarts on the road. Who will then listen to GM? Nobody! So they rather do the marketing now - who knows if GM still exists in 3 years from now? :-)

[thedesolate1 @ Sep 16th 2008 11:07PM]

Quite simple. To spark investor interest and try to show that they aren't completely irrelevant.

[obie @ Sep 17th 2008 12:41AM]

It's actually just over 2 years out--it's a 2011 MY to be released in November of 2010. Although it is a little early, they'll be rolling out fairly large test fleets by this time next year and select media will be able to drive the full production vehicle.

[Evan @ Sep 16th 2008 3:14PM]

For all those who are about to bitch about it not being anywhere near as cool as the concept (which I totally agree with), they moved to a new snoozeworthy design because the original was apparently slightly more aerodynamic then brick.

Shame..

[Barry @ Sep 16th 2008 3:14PM]

Holy crap, GM is actually innovating? It's worth mentioning that this is the *first* true hybrid car on the market (assuming it actually makes it to market). The engine isn't connected directly to the drivetrain, it's actually an electric car with an onboard gas-powered generator. That's how hybrids should work, the prius is kind of a tease.

[a ham sandwich @ Sep 16th 2008 3:24PM]

fair enough point.

[ChrisM @ Sep 16th 2008 3:25PM]

You're assuming that all the other car manufacturers won't release electric cars in the next 3 years. I know Toyota for one has an all electric Prius scheduled for 2010. I don't think this is GM innovating, I think this is GM gasping for air and letting the general public peer into thier R&D lab. In this respect, the marketing seems to be working. However, from the looks of how things have come since the concept, I'd fully expect GM to mess this up. The price will probably be outrageous, like all American car companies do when they think they have a remotely "hot" car in the works.

[elloh7 @ Sep 16th 2008 3:41PM]

The price is expected to be in the general neighborhood of 40 big ones..

40k..

40 grand..

In other words: Way too much for what is essentially an electric cobalt with a facelift.

[nano2e @ Sep 17th 2008 9:23AM]

Technically, that means it's NOT a hybrid. A hybrid has both forms of energy connected to the drive train. This is technically an electric vehicle with a range extender. Cool tech to be sure. But it's not anything new. Train locomotives have been using this for a long time and it was only a matter of time before the car industry used it as a buffer toward full electrics.

This car is, IMO, too expensive. Had they released it for 30k like they were originally planning they might have sold some and excited the market...who knows....it might have even brought GM back from the grave. But now it's just another toy for the rich....

[TareX @ Sep 16th 2008 3:15PM]

Looks BEAUTIFUL inside out. Love it.

[Chris Macdonald @ Sep 17th 2008 4:41PM]

that's what she said!

[Christian Martin @ Sep 16th 2008 3:16PM]

Is that a baby-changing station in the center console? A MRI machine for pet rats, possibly?

[TJ @ Sep 16th 2008 3:34PM]

Or maybe it's just a place to set your mp3 player? Preferably with a slightly rubbery grip on the bottom, so it doesn't slide out easily.

[Rick @ Sep 16th 2008 3:16PM]

Don't worry, the bean counters at GM will some how screw this up if they are allowed to.

[riggs @ Sep 16th 2008 4:01PM]

being a former GM "bean-counter".....i agree :(

[Shenzhov @ Sep 16th 2008 3:17PM]

Typical Shitrolet. Looks like the interior came from toys -r- us.

[coffee @ Sep 16th 2008 3:20PM]

I hope they increase the battery range, because someone else will by 2011.

[MARSHAK @ Sep 16th 2008 5:25PM]

...never thought of that.