The hard times at GM may appear to have no end in sight, but recent comments from GM’s global product chief, Tom Stephens, indicate that the storm clouds overhead haven’t changed the company’s plans for the Volt.
Talking to journalists at a University of Michigan event, Stephens was quoted as saying that ‘at this point in time’, there’s no reason the Chevrolet Volt can’t be in production by November 2010.
Stephens was promoted to Vice Chairman of Global Product Development in April, replacing outgoing chief Bob Lutz.
While speaking at the event, Stephens said that although one other GM brand would feature Volt technology, the company has not yet made a decision on which it will be.
“It’s best utilized in urban vehicles,” Stephens said.
“We have to consider what is the usage of the person buying the vehicle. For a commuter who drives 40 miles a day and takes it shopping on weekend, it’s the perfect application.”
With the retirement of Pontiac and the sale of Saturn and Saab, the options are down to Cadillac, Buick and GMC.
With the Cadillac brand holding the more prestigious image of the group, it would seem that either a CTS Volt version or an all-new model under the Cadillac badge will be the likely choice.
For Australian buyers, Stephens’ comments could also mean that the Holden Volt – identical to the Chevy version in all ways but the badge – could be on Aussie roads around 2010 or 2011.
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Half of GM’s problem was that they’d never let the current situation affect their future outlook, thats why they waited until they were pretty much bankrupt before even starting to seriously restructure. Still, good to see Volt will still come out late next year, although with its expected price I don’t think its going to be the financial saviour GM hopes it’ll be. Its main power will be the improvement in GM’s image.