There are plenty of interesting details buried within GM's latest rescue plan, but one in particular caught our eye. In the "product plan" section, it states:
Planned Chevrolet Volt and two additional models sharing Volt's extended range vehicle technology
Now we know that GM plans to roll out the Opel Ampera at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show next week, but the third vehicle is a little tougher to pin down.
The Cadillac Converj concept shown in Detroit seems like the obvious choice as the third car. But then again, a two-door luxury car isn't going to help GM spread out the development costs of its very expensive Voltec system.
Another possibility is the recently-announced Chevrolet Orlando MPV. It's built on the same compact vehicle architecture as the Volt and Converj. It's also much larger physically so it should have no trouble accommodating the sizable battery pack. The Orlando is also a far more mainstream product given its three rows of seats and four-cylinder engine.
Which vehicle would you prefer? Any other suggestions?
firstwagon says:
08:57 AM, 02/23/09
I'd prefer the Orlando as it will sell in vastly better numbers then a pricy coupe.
Really though, I would be happy if GM could even manage to bring one version of the Volt out.
flicmod says:
09:54 AM, 02/23/09
firstwagon: You think the Orlando will sell well? I have my doubts. But we'll see.
I do agree that the technology would be better spent in a car like the Orlando, rather than a coupe. Practicality is more important than sports or performance in this application.
vq356mt says:
01:14 PM, 02/23/09
My question is: Why would we assume that GM is speaking about international models? From what I understand, the Ampera will be the Volt, but in Europe. Maybe GM is giving a greenlight to both the Cadillac and the Orlando. Wouldn't it be nice to see a practical application and a halo car? And the Caddy could compete with the Tesla.
stovt001 says:
04:41 PM, 02/23/09
I think vq356mt might be right.
From an emotional perspective of course I'd much prefer the gorgeous converj, but in real life, the Orlando would clearly be the better choice. I think in both conventional and voltec formats it should do well. My sister drove a Rondo as a rental recently, and both she and my mom loved it. I think that segment has a real chance of being a new big thing in the American market.
cwc1 says:
05:53 PM, 02/23/09
I agree that a better business case can be made for the Orlando or something similar, but I like the Converj. I haven't necessarily jumped on the hybrid bandwagon, but if GM could also do the Converj, it would look cool and interesting enough to be even more of a halo car than the Volt - as long as it wasn't Tesla priced.