Here’s a cool video from the folks over at GM Europe showcasing the Saab 9-X Air concept. Sure, it’s only a concept at this point, but the design explores what the open-air Saab of the future might look like, featuring a canopy top (patent pending), four-seat accommodation and the close-coupled proportions of a sports car. – Will Stewart, blog editor
By Ed Peper
North America Vice President, Chevrolet
A few months ago, we showed you some official “spy shots” of the pre-production version of the new Camaro coupe.
To say the least, response to that post was overwhelmingly enthusiastic - something that was extremely gratifying to all of us here at Chevrolet, who have been hard at work testing and retesting the Camaro development models.
As a reward for your interest - and your patience - here’s a sneak peek of the convertible version of the Camaro, which is also undergoing a similar evaluation as we ready it for full production later next year. (Preproduction models shown. Actual production models may vary.)
By Bob Lutz
GM Vice Chairman
This week we announced that the GM Board has approved the Chevrolet Volt program. Yes, development work has been going on in earnest, but now it’s official. In fact, recently, at GM’s Milford Proving Ground, I drove an official “engineering development vehicle” with the 16-kwh lithium-ion battery pack we’ve been testing for our E-Flex System and I have to say - pun half-intended - it was electrifying.
The first impression of the day, however, was made before I even got into the vehicle. It hit me on the drive out to Milford, as I passed gas station after gas station with prices for regular unleaded hugging the $4 mark: This makes the importance and potential of our all-electric glide through our proving ground roads even clearer.
Now, don’t run to the Chevy dealer and order your Volt yet: The “test mule” I drove - a previous-generation Malibu - wasn’t calibrated properly, and there are an awful lot of tests that this battery must pass before it’s cleared for production. Our battery teams in Warren and in Germany are working hard in our battery labs to determine that these batteries will work for the life of the vehicle. Still, the conditions in a real-world environment - where the battery is exposed to shaking, moisture and rapidly changing temperature conditions - are much more extreme than the controlled settings of the lab.
But I think it’s important to point out that in the six months since we’ve received the battery pack, we’ve tested it in the lab, then on the dynamometer, and now on the track. Eventually, if and when we settle on the right battery, our E-Flex System engineers will have a lot of integrating, tuning and tweaking to do before the Volt is ready for prime time. And we’ll keep you informed of our progress every step of the way.
Upon future drives, when the vehicle is closer to true calibration, I’ll have more driving details. But I will say that, while the car is still most definitely a work in progress, the thrill of driving electrically – that instant, silent torque – is certainly present and accounted for! Of course, as you can imagine, I miss the throaty roar of an engine. Once we get this whole battery thing perfected, our friends at XM Satellite Radio may have to start an Internal Combustion Channel.
Here’s some interesting footage courtesy of Volt Nation from a Q&A Bob Lutz did at last month’s VN conference in New York. - Will Stewart, blog editor.
By Bob Lutz
GM Vice Chairman
This is a little late coming, but I just wanted to take the time and space to officially thank everyone who traveled to New York, some from fairly far away, for the Volt Nation event at the auto show there last month.
And I’d like to thank Dr. Lyle Dennis, the foundation of Volt Nation, for organizing such a great event, and for his boundless enthusiasm. In fact, all the attendees were rather enthusiastic, and we are very appreciative of that, and of their rabid interest in the Volt program.
As I told the group assembled there in New York, the Volt team feeds off their enthusiasm, it’s a great motivator for us.
Not that we need any extra push to get going on the project. The team continues to make progress, and we continue to be committed to seeing the program through. As I said in New York, we are going to get this done – we are not going to be beaten to the punch like we were on hybrids.
I told the Volt Nation audience that GM had the technology to do hybrids back when Toyota was launching the first Prius, but we opted not to ask the Board to approve a product program that’d be destined to lose hundreds of millions of dollars. In the end, it cost us much more than that; it cost us our reputation for technology leadership and innovation.
We made that mistake once. We won’t make it again. I think the whole company has learned when you step out and do bold things, you win and when you’re cautious and let other people do the bold things, you lose.
Many great ideas die every day because we value the safety of the tried-and-true over the risk that true innovation requires. This is not going to be the case with Volt; we are going for the brass ring.
Further updates to come, but thanks again to Dr. Dennis and Volt Nation for their support.
