General Motors recently released some images of Volt prototypes undergoing testing in order to tell everyone that the company is ahead of schedule in testing the range-extended electric car and to keep the publicity pot boiling.
Unlike the Volt mule that we drove, which wore a cobbled-together Chevy Cruze body, these photos show a truly production-intent body. We thought we'd take this opportunity to point out some of the ways in which the production car will differ from the "production concept Volt" the company unveiled at its Centennial Celebration last September and has been trotting out at various auto shows around the world.
Come play along with us after the jump.
Obviously, the black test vehicle doesn't have full production trim so we can't really talk about head and tail lights or rub strips and such. And, we must say, that the black car is pretty faithful to the concept that's been floating around for a while now.
-- The biggest difference is the recharging port, on the driver's side front fender. Instead of the port integrated under the "Volt" trim at the base of the A-pillar, the actual production vehicle will carry a fuel-filler style circular door on its flank. We'd made note of this in our Volt First Look story last year, but this is the first time GM has acknowledged or shown the production arrangement.
-- The production prototype also wears 17-inch wheels in place of the 18-inchers from the concept, although the design appears to be pretty much identical.
-- The production prototype also has a deep, flexible air dam mounted under its nose. The one on the production concept is mounted farther forward and is much more modest in dimension.
-- The black car has a hood cutline along its front fender instead of the trimmer hood opening on the concept, which ran along the top of the front end.
-- The side mirrors have, of course been swapped from larger units that would actually be usable on the street.
-- And GM has added an antenna to the roof for, you know, receiving signals.
Can you spot anything we're missing?
dougtheeng says:
12:31 PM, 06/26/09
looks good in the black.
dalaw says:
12:40 PM, 06/26/09
kinda reminds me of last gen TL current gen Civic front end and the profile looks like a Euro Civic hatch
84skyblue says:
02:08 PM, 06/26/09
The black one has a cut in the A pillar while the silver one's is one piece.
subaru123 says:
03:38 PM, 06/26/09
The black one's wheels seem to have a brighter chrome finish.
hondacura4 says:
06:45 PM, 06/26/09
"Chevrolet Volt Positioned To Be Sportier Than Honda Insight and Toyota Prius"
Although thats good to hear, GM failed to mention this car will have a MUCH higher starting price than both. That said, the sporty character and other features should be expected at its projected price point.
billt9 says:
10:59 PM, 06/26/09
it looks good. i thought it was a euro civic hatch at a quick glance.
zoomzoom97 says:
12:46 AM, 06/27/09
You folks forgot to mention the terrible looking front undertray air diffuser on the production-intent black model. Looks just as crummy on a volt as it does on all of the other GM vehicles they tack it onto these days.
greenpony says:
07:52 AM, 06/27/09
It's either ride height or side skirt design that makes more of the underside crap (catalytic convertor, exhaust pipe) visible.
stovt001 says:
08:10 PM, 06/27/09
That looks really nice in black. This could be a pretty cool car even apart from its drivetrain.
sixwheeler says:
05:24 AM, 06/28/09
I'm not sure it it has to do with different color, lighting or camera position, but the "crease" where the C-pillar meets the trunk appears to be much more pronounced in the black car.