Last week Andrew Farah, Chevrolet’s top Engineer responsible for the upcoming Volt plug-in hybrid, said that the car would be a sporty rival to Japanese alternatives. Now he is taking that claim a step further, telling Automotive News that it will have, “the feel of a sports car.”
In fact, Farah doesn’t say that the Volt will be that way, but rather that it already is. One reason for this is that the lithium-ion battery pack lowers the car’s center of gravity, improving overall handling dynamics.
That added weight also has its disadvantages, but Farah says they are making the best of the situation. “There are a thousand reasons why heavy is bad, but a few why it is good,” he says. “And so we are getting those advantages of the good heavy, and the disadvantages we are managing.”
Farah does admit that while the Volt may feel like a sports car, it is certainly lacking the sound of a sports car – something which is almost unavoidable with a tiny gasoline engine and a silent electric motor. He says the Volt team of engineers continues to work on that aspect of the hybrid, but did not comment on if the Volt could use a noise-maker to generate a more sports car-like exhaust note.
[Source: Automotive News via Autoblog]
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I have a couple of years yet before I will buy a new car. Going green is my first consideration but far from the only one. If I had to buy today I’d buy a prius. Even though I might not buy the top of the line model the options offered astound me. Where else can you buy a car whose options seem to imply it drives itself? At least that’s what I got out of lane keep assist and radar cruise control.
I want GM to do well and I hope my next car is a volt. But GM can’t just be a green car company. They must also once again become a leader in automotive innovation and reliability.
July 10th, 2009 at 8:29 am