Chevy Volt Will Be Sportier Than Japanese Hybrids Says Chief Engineer
The upcoming Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid will be a sporty alternative to Japanese hybrids says the car’s chief engineer. Andrew Farah let this juicy bit of info slip on a recent chat session on GM’s official FasLane blog.
“Our chassis is much more sporty than either of the other vehicles,” said Farah, referring to the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius. One-upping a Toyota in a performance contest isn’t exactly something to brag about and while Honda usually makes an excellent handling car, the new Insight is not a usual Honda and even rides on a rear suspension setup that is only “semi-independent.”
Perhaps the extra sportiness of the Volt will help to justify its expectedly high price-point.
Farah also let slip some other info about the car. He confirmed that the battery port for recharging the lithium-ion battery pack (which has a life expectancy of 10 years) has been relocated from the fender trim to where the gas cap would typically be.
Farah also said that the Volt will be undergoing hot weather testing this summer “out west,” so to everyone in Phoenix, we suggest you keep your cell phone cameras ready.
[Source: Edmunds]
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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Excuse me, but I've never seen a gas tank lid in that location. Gas tanks are located in the rear of cars and so are their gas caps and filler tubes.