Volt leaks
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Hear that? It’s the sound of an underwhelmed army of car geeks, trying to hide their disappointment about the looks of the long-awaited production Chevrolet Volt.
After nearly a year of carefully husbanding the release of any information on its extended-range electric car, set for release in 2010, General Motors Corp. today accidentally leaked a batch of photos of the Volt. Before today, the only full-figure images available had been some grainy cellphone shots of a Volt being used for the filming of the ‘Transformers 2’ movie.
The original intent had been to release the photos a week from today, in line with a press unveiling in Detroit, according to a source at GM who declined to be named. The 10 pics featured the Volt along with GM execs like Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, chief Volt engineer Andrew Farah and Bob Boniface, head of the Volt’s design studio.
‘They were posted on a GM site inadvertently,’ said GM spokesman Terry Rhadigan. ‘We immediately pulled them back.’ But it was too late -- they were papering the Internet in minutes.
And just as quickly, there was a flurry of debate about whether the Volt lived up to expectations.
While the prototype Volt, unveiled at the 2007 Detroit auto show (and pictured second from top), looked like something from ‘I, Robot’ or ‘Blade Runner,’ the production model (top) is decidedly less futuristic. Although it keeps the sharp-looking side-view mirrors, much that was new about the prototype has been replaced with the smooth, rounded styling familiar to family sedans on most dealership lots today. Allegedly, the prototype Volt’s design scored poorly in ...
... wind-tunnel tests, and a car like this lives and dies on aerodynamics. That might explain the new shape, but try telling that to disappointed fans.
Internet comment boards quickly filled to capacity with unflattering comparisons to Acura sedans and GM compact cars and comments like:
DO. NOT. WANT. This car went from super cool. To super lame Prius wanna-be.
and
I want to minimalize my carbon impact as much as the next person, but can’t it be done with some style? The original pics of it was cooler; short back-end, slight edging on the door. I liked it then. Now it just looks like some new Honda. Bo-ring.
Of course, it wasn’t all negative. Our own auto critic, Dan Neil, seemed satisfied with the design, and over at fan site GM-Volt.com, the 200-and-counting commenters, many of whom have undoubtedly signed up on the site’s unofficial list of 35,000 people waiting to buy the Volt, the joy was palpable.
Amazing! It’s everything the Volt should be. Very aggressive, modern/futuristic, and expensive looking. Really like the confident expression on the “face” of the car. Also it’s got great detailing and really shows off its price.
Considering GM’s liberal use of public relations employees’ comments in blog post comment spaces, is it possible that the GM-volt.com boards are full of plants? (Well, perhaps not, since they typically identify themselves as such.)
Meanwhile, GM is revealing no further data on the Volt until Tuesday of next week, when the car will be unveiled and execs like Lutz and GM Chairman Rick Wagoner will be there to preach the gospel.
-- Ken Bensinger