Chevrolet just released some teaser images of its much-ballyhooed Volt plug-in hybrid. The bad news: it appears as if it will look very little like the punchy little Volt concept, which virtually stole the 2007 Detroit auto show. The good news: it should still look pretty cool, at least as far as we can tell from the two pictures, which show an illuminated front quarter as well as part of the tailgate.
Gone are the squinting headlamps and three-dimensional grille of the concept in favor of Ford-like, sideways L-shaped assemblies that include an HID bulb, lots of LED action, and a “halo ring” à la 2010 Chevrolet Camaro. The upper grille is now a stylized and patterned surface rather than a hungry air pocket. The concept’s outboard lower air intakes are also drastically different from those shown in the new images, but we think they got way more interesting this time around.
The frontal image also shows a lower opening that will feed and cool the plug-in hybrid powertrain, which will include massive batteries capable of propelling the car up to 40 miles by themselves. A small gasoline engine will serve as a generator to extend the car’s range up to 400 miles, but it won’t be involved at all in actual propulsion.
Other than showing us the official Volt badge, which features a delicate lightning bolt striking through the “V,” the rear detail image doesn’t tell us a lot. Still a mystery is the exact shape of the roofline, windows—the side windows on the concept were integrated into the aggressive shoulderline—and trunk/tailgate, although we mentioned in an earlier report on the Volt’s development progress that the design “bears a family resemblance to the Chevrolet Malibu.” Fortunately, that was just a test mule, and there are no traces of Malibu in the final product beyond perhaps the five-spoke wheels.
We’re told that many of the changes made to the Volt’s design were dictated by wind-tunnel testing, which ultimately revealed the boxy concept, however great-looking, to be insufficiently aerodynamic. But from what we can tell, Chevrolet seems to be brewing up a design that appears as futuristic as the technology under its skin.
And the Volt continues to garner widespread interest. An unofficial "fan" waiting list claims more than 33,000 prospective buyers, although most have said they wouldn't be willing to pay the rumored $40,000 price tag to get one.
