The high-tech marvel known as
the Chevrolet Volt was officially unveiled today. The base of the windshield
has been pushed well forward giving a much smoother air profile. Fortunately,
the car looks vastly better without a plain white background. The combination of
the background and the angle at which the shots were taken in the leaked photos
made it look a lot worse than it really does, flattening all the contours and
sapping the life out of the design. When you see the car in the real world it
has a much sportier look, as the greenhouse appears longer and less like the
Prius egg shell shape. Inside the car has a very high tech look including a user
configurable LCD display. This will allow drivers to select the gauges he or she
wants to see including state of charge, distance to flat battery and more. There
is also roomy seating for four on either side of the battery filled center
tunnel, while the tunnel itself is surprisingly compact. The specs of the car
haven't really changed all the much since the original concept with a 16kWh
battery pack yielding a 40-mile electric range. The biggest mechanical
difference is the replacement of the original 1.0L turbo three-cylinder engine
with a naturally aspirated 1.4L four. The engine also retains its flex fuel
capability allowing either gasoline or ethanol to be used to extend the range.
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