GM has shown a few variations of the Chevrolet Volt before—the headed-for-production Opel Ampera, the gorgeous Cadillac Converj concept, and the sporty Opel Flextreme GT/E among them—and now comes a more family-friendly twist on the extended-range hybrid formula. The Chevrolet Volt MPV5 concept, debuting at the 2010 Beijing auto show, is a five-passenger MPV that uses the Volt’s platform and extended-range powertrain technology.
As such, the Volt MPV5 packs a 16-kWh T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack that feeds a 150-hp, 370-lb-ft electric motor. Like in the Volt sedan, the electric motor provides all the propulsion; the 1.4-liter gasoline engine onboard exists solely to generate electricity once the batteries are depleted. Chevrolet says the MPV5’s all-electric range is 32 miles, down 8 miles from the regular Volt’s, while the range with the gas engine humming away is identical, at 300 miles. Charging time on a regular 120-volt household outlet is quoted as taking “over eight hours,” while a 240-volt hookup will charge the MPV5 in “about four.” The vanlet is said to top out at 100 mph, no doubt after a thrilling five-minute mosey.
As you’d expect given its name, the five-seat MPV5 takes interior and exterior styling cues from the Volt sedan. Up front, the closed-off grille and the lower front fascia are immediately recognizable. The wheels are “inspired” by the Volt’s and wear low-rolling-resistance rubber. A full underbody tray, special taillamps, the rocker panels, and “blades” on the rear quarter-panel help improve atmospheric slipperiness. The styling was handled jointly by GM’s North American crossover design team and members of the General’s Australian design studio. (We hear design proposals were exchanged on the back of Foster’s beer coasters.) The collaboration worked—the MPV5 is a sweet-looking people hauler. The squat stance, bulging fenders, and large rolling stock give it a sense of aggression sorely missing from the crayons-ground-into-the-rear-seat set. Of course, the similarly sultry Volt concept was watered down for production, so we reserve the right to change our opinion if the same fate befalls this concept.
The Volt’s gauge cluster and touch-sensitive center stack are used here, and the two-tone leather seats carry over, too. The second-row seats flip and fold, and the MPV5 can swallow as much as 62.3 cubic feet of AA batteries—you know, just in case. There are 30.5 cubes of storage when the rear seats are up.
The MPV5 may not be as exciting as the Converj or Flextreme GT/E, but it’s the sort of mainstream-oriented variant that could allow GM to recoup its Volt powertrain investment sometime before the earth cools to a ball of over-polluted ice. Expect to see this, or something very similar, on the world’s roads not too long after the Volt sedan goes into production later this year.
Thanks to: Car and Driver
