Amid GM’s Woes, Volt on Schedule
Friday, May 8th, 2009Finding good news on the GM front is hard these days, but according to an articl by Richard Truett for Automotive News work on the plug-in Chevy Volt, due to appear in 2010, is moving forward — no doubt buoyed by the presence of a $7,500 tax credit to buyers bundled into the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The article quotes Tom Stephens, the product development chief at GM saying, “At this point in time, I know of no reason why we can’t be in production by November of 2010.” That has to be taken as good news in the face of GM’s $6 billion posted loss for the first quarter — its seventh quarterly loss in a row.
Additionally, some vehicle among GM’s surviving brands (Cadillac, Buick, and GMC) will also be outfitted with the Volt’s powertrain. Stephens said with the 40-mile electric only range, “It’s best utilized in urban vehicles. 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.”
The plug-in Prius is set to debut at roughly the same time as the Volt, so EV transportation is moving forward, buoyed by research funds and tax credits coming out of the Obama administration’s commitment to energy conservation and environmental responsibility. We’ve all known that the face of the American automotive landscape would change dramatically on the outcome of GM and Chrysler’s financial woes, but when the dust settles, we are likely to be on the path toward a completely different kind of driving experience — one that is, in my opinion, long overdue.