Saab Elektrisk: An Artist's Take on the Swedish Volt

Even if Saab remained under the umbrella of General Motors, we seriously doubt that there would ever be a rebadged, remasked -call it whatever suits your fancy- Saab version of the Chevy Volt. Maybe in a perfect world Saab could have built a Volt spin-off with an entirely different body but with the Opel Ampera covering the European market, a remasked Saab wouldn't make much sense. Still, it's interesting to see an artist's take on a fictional proposal for a Saab Volt. Created by photoshop wiz Theophilus Chin, the rendered Swedish Volt has been baptized for apparent reasons 'Elektrisk'.

Via: Theophiluschin

GM: Volt to hit the Market as Scheduled in November 2010, One More Brand to get Plug-in Hybrid

Despite the looming bankruptcy and the other serious issues facing the company, General Motors' global product development chief, Tom Stephens told journalists on the sidelines of an event at the University of Michigan that the American automaker is on plan with the development of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. "At this point in time, I know of no reason why we can't be in production by November of 2010," Stephens said.

Stephens, who replaced Bob Lutz as GM's vice chairman of global product development on April 1st, 2009, also told reporters that the automaker has not made a decision yet on which of the remaining three brands (Cadillac, Buick and GMC) after the axing of Pontiac and the sale of Saturn and Saab would get a vehicle based on the Volt's plug-in hybrid drivetrain.

"It's best utilized in urban vehicles," said Stephens. "We have to consider what is the usage of the person buying the vehicle. For a commuter who drives 40 miles a day and takes it shopping on weekend, it's the perfect application.".

That said, we reckon that that one of the most obvious and less inexpensive options in terms of development costs would be a Buick model based on the small sedan that the company is currently working on as it uses the same Delta platform as the Volt (as well as the new Astra and Chevy Cruze).

Carscoop's spy photographers recently captured a camouflaged prototype of the Astra/Cruze/Volt-based small sedan during testing in Germany, however it's not clear if the sedan is designed only for the Chinese market or if it will also head to the States.

Via: Autonews (Sub. Req.)

VIDEO: CNN takes Chevy Volt Prototype for a Spin

General Motors has began inviting selected media outlets such as CNN and Wall Street Journal to test drive Chevrolet Volt "test mules" at the automaker's proving grounds in Milford, Michigan. And by test mules we mean prototype models that combine the Volt's mechanical underpinnings with the body shell of the new Chevy Cruze. While there's not much one can comprehend from driving an early prototype, nevertheless, it's interesting to see the medias' first impressions on GM's gasoline-hybrid model that is slated to enter production in 2011.

Source: CNN , Via: Autoblog.com

Geneva Show: Opel Ampera EV - European Sales start in 2011

The recently revealed Chevrolet Volt extended range electric hybrid will find its way into Europe as the Opel Ampera while it will also be offered with right-hand drive in the United Kingdom by Opel's sister-brand, Vauxhall. Scheduled to go on sale in Europe in the second half of 2011, the Ampera features a unique front and rear design that incorporates several styling cues from Opel's Flextreme and GTC Concept show cars. Other than that, the Ampera is virtually identical to the Volt.

The five-door Ampera can seat four passengers offering a luggage capacity of 301 litres. The car's interior features a Jet Black cabin combined with 'Spice Red' accents and Dark Argent Metallic paint on the instrument panel's centre stack.

The Ampera is equipped with an electric motor that powers the car and a conventional petrol engine that kicks in to produce electricity once the batteries are depleted. GM says that for journeys up to 60 km (approx. 40 miles), it runs on electricity stored in the 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery, and emits zero CO2. When the battery's energy is used up, electricity from the petrol engine-generator extends the Ampera's range to more than 500 km.

The electric drive unit delivers 370 Nm of instant torque, the equivalent of 150 horsepower offering the Ampera a zero to 100 km/h (62mph) acceleration time of around nine seconds, and a top speed of 161 km/h (100mph).

Melbourne Show: Chevy Volt Rebadged as a Holden

Following the announcement on the Opel Ampera, GM has released details on the third variant of its Chevrolet Volt extended range electric vehicle, this time adorned with the Holden badge. Unlike the subtly restyled Ampera, the Holden Volt that was revealed in right-hand drive form at the Melbourne Auto Show today, does not differ in any way from its Chevy counterpart. The Volt, which can travel up to 64 kilometres on electricity before using petrol or producing exhaust pipe emissions, will be launched in Australia in 2012.

"We think Volt has the potential to change the game in Australian motoring," said GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mark Reuss. "Since we announced our plans to introduce Volt to Australia, we have been overwhelmed by public interest in the car and the technology that makes it work. At Holden, we believe Volt will play an incredibly important role in our efforts to make motoring better for the environment," he said.

According to GM's estimates, when compared to similar sized petrol-powered vehicles, the Volt will save motorists up to 1892 litres of fuel a year. This calculation is based on US research that identifies 75 percent of commuters travel an average daily distance of less than 40 miles or 64 kilometres.

Opel Ampera: European Chevy Volt Scooped Undisguised!

Carscoop's spy photographers have done it again, this time by capturing the Opel Ampera study totally undisguised at one of the firm's German centers. Due to be revealed for the first time in public at next month's Geneva Motor Show, the Ampera is nothing more, nothing less, than a Chevy Volt with a new fascia and a subtly redesigned rear-end. Opel's version of GM's extended-range electric vehicle is scheduled to go on sale in Europe during the second half of 2011, or about a year after the Volt hits Chevy's North American outlets.

The most visible styling changes on the Ampera concern the EV's front-end design which is inspired from Opel's latest concept cars like the GTC. It features a set of Civic-like headlamps with vertical air ducts, a thinner grille and a new bumper.

At the rear-end, aside from the new bumper, Opel's design team restyled the tail lamps and added a horizontal chrome bar while they also painted the lower part of the fifth door in the same color as the rest of the car -as opposed to the Volt's blacked out panel.

We don't have any pictures of the Ampera's interior, but judging from exterior, we're guessing that changes will most likely be minimal.

According to General Motors, for trips up to 60 km or around 40 miles, the Ampera will run solely on lithium-ion battery power charged through a standard 230v outlet while for longer distances, the car will continue to drive on electricity that is generated by a small internal combustion engine.

Exclusive footage from Transformers 2 with all Chevy Autobots, Including Corvette and Volt

Since General Motors is investing heavily on the upcoming Transformers 2 movie, 'Revenge of the Fallen' with five Chevrolet-based characters taking roles as Autobots, it doesn't surprise us at all that the automaker managed to secure exclusive footage of the film edited by director Michael Bay. The video that follows contains scenes with all five Chevy-bots, including SIDESWIPE (Corvette Stingray concept), SKIDS and MUDFLAP (based on Chevy's Beat and Trax concepts), JOLT (Volt) and of course, BUMBLEBEE (Camaro SS).

Chevy Volt Based 'Jolt' Transformer Autobot - First Official Photos

Along with the all-new Corvette Stingray Sideswipe character, visitors to Chevrolet's display at this year's Chicago Auto Show that opens its gates to the public on Friday, February 13, will also have the chance to see yet another new Chevy-based model that will star on Paramount's upcoming release, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." Jolt is a new Autobot character that appears in the production form of the 2011 Volt extended-range electric vehicle.

Leaving aside from the fact that in the movie Jolt will turn into a human-like robot, the only visible differences between the production Volt and the Chicago Show Transformers film model, seem to be limited to the silver-colored exterior mirrors and the trim surrounding the lower part of the windows.

"Chevrolet is thrilled to again be part of one of the most anticipated movies in years," said Ed Peper, GM North America vice president, Chevrolet. "'Transformers' gives us a great opportunity to connect with young people on their terms, with a dynamic, environmentally friendly image. The new characters represent the change going on in Chevy showrooms. From the exciting Camaro, the 21st century sports car, to the game-changing Volt, there's more than meets the eye at Chevrolet today.

Chevy Volt Gets Energy-Saving Goodyear Tires and Bose Audio System

Okay, we're pretty sure most of you understand how Goodyear's low rolling resistance "Assurance Fuel Max" tires help maximize the Volt's fuel efficiency, but what's with the 'energy-saving' Bose audio system? A quick read of GM's latest press release on the Volt reveals that the Bose-branded and developed audio system that will be fitted on the production model is 30 percent smaller, 40 percent lighter, and uses 50 percent less energy than conventional Bose sound systems.

GM claims that under certain listening and driving conditions, the energy savings result in increased all-electric drive capability equivalent to removing up to 50 pounds of mass from the Volt.

As for those wondering what kind of savings are achieved with the specific tires, GM said that internal tests showed that these tires will allow for approximately one mile more of electric-only range under certain driving conditions on a fully charged battery when compared to other tires of a similar performance level. We remind you that the Volt is said to achieve up to 40 miles of electric-only range.

"Everything we do with the Volt is about maximizing its mechanical, electrical and thermal efficiency. From the Voltec propulsion system down to individual components such as tires or sound systems, we have been analyzing every part of the Volt so that we can offer a vehicle that is as efficient as possible to maximize the electric range. I think we have achieved this with Bose and Goodyear," said Frank Weber, vehicle line executive, Voltec propulsion system and Chevrolet Volt.