Chevy Volt Named Best Engineered Vehicle Of 2011 by SAE
The Chevrolet Volt has been named “Best Engineered Vehicle of 2011” by SAE International’s Automotive Engineering International (AEI) magazine.
SAE International is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. For a group of engineers to name a car the “best engineered” is prestigious indeed.
The announcement was made during the SAE 2011 World Congress, which ran from April 12-14 in Detroit, Mich.
“The selection of the Volt as the 2011 Best Engineered Vehicle by our peers is an honor,” said Doug Parks, vehicle line executive for the Chevrolet Volt. “This award validates the hard work and effort of the engineering team to deliver a truly transformational vehicle.”
This is the eleventh year of the AEI “Best Engineered Vehicle” award. The SAE said it gave the Volt its top honor based on the Volt’s innovative engineering that resulted in it becoming the world’s first electric vehicle with extended range capability.
Further, GM’s aerodynamicists were credited with wind tunnel work that shaped the Volt’s design as the most aerodynamic vehicle in Chevrolet’s history.
The Volt won over the Nissan Leaf, BMW 5 Series, Kia Optima and Volkswagen Jetta, among others.
[Source: GM-Volt.com]
More by Jeff Cobb
Comments
Join the conversation
I test drove the Chevy Volt .. two times. It is a very different kind of car. Powerful.. unbelievably smooth and quiet. You can spend a lot more and not get a ride close to this smooth. There is no transmission ... no shifting... and no engine vibration and noise .. even if you floor it... it just goes faster. This car puts the BMW and Mercedes to shame and it costs much less own and operate. 273lbs of torque at 0 rpm... no ICE can match that. Real world drivers are posting MPGs of 100 to over 400 mpg... it looks like the original 230 mpg is just about a good average for average driving patterns. In my case with a 10 mile commute each way... I would be getting well over 300 mpg... that would be saving me aroung $1,000 per year which should be subtracted from the purchase price... if the gas prices stay the same. Yes this is a game changer car... the proof will be when all other mfrs try to copy the technology. I say try because GM is far ahead of any other mfr right now... while GM is working on GEN 2 and 3 all the others are scrambling to bring out Gen 1 ... GM is a generation ahead at least.