Automotive

GM's future relies on Chevy Volt

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

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Matt Franklin
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FLINT (WJRT) -- (06/02/09)--As General Motors Corp. works to restructure to become profitable again, there is one car many hope will jump start that effort.

And Mid-Michigan could play a big role in that.

It took GM just a matter of seconds to change the way the world thinks about its vehicles.

The brain child of GM Vice President Bob Lutz -- the battery-powered Chevy Volt -- was first introduced to the world as a concept vehicle at the 2007 Detroit North American International Auto Show.

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"The Volt is ushering in a new era of transportation -- not just for General Motors but for the industry in general," Lutz said.

Two years later, Volt designer Bob Boniface has been charged with putting a full-performance, battery-powered vehicle on the road by 2010.

"The Volt will integrate seamlessly into peoples lives," he said. "It's easy to recharge. It's easy to refuel. You don't have to learn anything special on how to drive it. It's just going to be a great car."

At the GM Tech Center in Warren, Boniface and his team have been busy putting the finishing touches on the production version of the Volt, which he says will still turn heads.

"We've made a lot of changes from the concept car to the production, mostly due to the need for the vehicle to be very aero dynamic," he said.

"The vehicle is still very sporty, very personal. Great stance, great aesthetics, people are just going to buy it just for the way for it looks."

The four-door production vehicle is still under wraps. And there is no official price tag for the car, which will be about the size of the Chevy Cobalt.

To charge the 400-pound battery, all you have to do is plug it in, just like a cell phone.

"We have 40 miles of electric range just from plugging it in," Boniface said. "If you got beyond that range, it's got a small gasoline engine that will let you go another 3 to 400 miles on gasoline."

Right now plans call for that four-cylinder engine to be built in Flint in the area of Bristol and Van Slyke roads.

GM is still in the process of developing the battery technology.

"It's all part of our strategy for energy diversity," Boniface said. "To be able to drive gasoline-free for 40 miles is something that the majority of the population has ever been able to experience before."

And automotive analyst Aaron Bragman from Troy-based Global Insight says GM has a lot riding on the success of the Volt.

"They don't even have some of this technology even ready for production yet," he said.

"The thing is supposed to be in production less than two years from now. That kind of shortened development cycle has GM working hard now.

"Right now though, it's a big risk. It's a big risk to see if they call pull this off."

But new technology doesn't come without challenges. How do you charge it if your at the mall or live in an apartment? Will the vehicle put a strain on the nation's energy grid?

Only time will tell, but the Volt is the first step as GM tries to plug into the automotive future.

According to GM's Volt Web site, the goal is to make the Volt cost less than $30,000. But early models may cost around $40,000.