2011 Automobile of the Year: Chevrolet Volt

[6 Shooter]

​

DETROIT – The Chevrolet Volt is the Automobile Magazine 2011 Automobile of the Year. The award will be presented to Joel Ewanick, GM U.S. Marketing Vice President, on Wednesday at the Los Angeles International Auto Show.

In naming the Volt their Automobile of the Year, Automobile Magazine editors wrote:

“This is the most sophisticated, most important vehicle on the road today. It won’t just change what we drive, but also how we drive. Owners will plug in at night, heat or cool their cabin before they leave the garage, and adopt new driving styles to maximize their electric range. Then, when the battery is depleted, they’ll mindlessly motor on; free of the limitations that accompanies pure electric vehicles.”
​

As the world’s first mass-produced electric vehicle with extended range, the Volt has a total driving range of about 350 miles. For the first 25 to 50 miles, the Volt drives gas- and tailpipe-emissions-free using electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gasoline-powered engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range more than 300 miles on a full tank.

“We are very grateful for this prestigious recognition from AUTOMOBILE Magazine,” said Ewanick, who drove a Volt 2,394 miles from Detroit to Los Angeles for the show. “Automobile of the Year is a testament to the pioneering technology of the Volt, as well as the talent, intelligence and hard work of everyone at GM who made it a reality.”

The Volt was first shown as a concept in January, 2007 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. In June of that year, GM’s Board of Directors approved the start of product development for the Volt and the Voltec electric propulsion system.

In September, 2008, the production version of the Volt debuted during GM’s Centennial celebration. This month, retail production of the Chevrolet begins at Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly, with the first retail customer deliveries in December.

The full report from AUTOMOBILE Magazine appears in the January issue of the magazine (on newsstands in early-December) and online at www.automobilemagazine.com.

Chevrolet last received the AUTOMOBILE Magazine Automobile of the Year in 2001 for the Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

GM Media

 

[warren s]

Cant even imagine how much GM must have paid them.

 

[6 Shooter]

WOW - They must of paid two of em off...

Chevy Volt named Car of the Year twice:
http://www.detnews.com/article/20101117/AUTO01/11170328/1148/auto01/Chevy-Volt-named-Car-of-the-Year-twice​

 

[fm1]

Note to self : Never buy Automobile Magazine.

 

[LLC5]

Note to self : Never buy Automobile Magazine.

Or Motor Trend?

 

[fm1]

Or Motor Trend?

Damn - Looks like they drank the Kool-Aid too !

 

[LLC5]

Damn - Looks like they drank the Kool-Aid too !

Obviously someone was generous with the Kool-Aid.

An untested and never before produced vehicle, that has only been on the market about a month (maybe less), is suddenly being called "Car Of The Year"? Hmm... No propaganda/alterier (sp?) motives there.
Just strictly unbiased testing for sure!

 

[killain]

The Volt !

Gezz, this must be some kind of a low point. I was in a dealership and asked the salefolks, 1. What if I live in a rowhouse or Brownstone and I need to recharge the battery ? This question usually left only one thing, and that was me standing all alone on the showroom floor. But had I the chance, I'd have liked to find out if any of the 250 people to buy the volt, and they didn't have a garage, where would GMC place the 220 v hookup? I read about this strange item about a year and a half years ago. Seems that running a 110 volt extension cord out to your ride to charge it's battery, that it will take 10 hours, but if you have the 220Volt hookup, it only takes 3 hours.

But the question I still can't find an asnwer for is: How much does owning a 2011 Chevy Volt increase your electricity bill per month? Hay GM, I'm still waiting . .

 

[o2bnkc]

Gezz, this must be some kind of a low point. I was in a dealership and asked the salefolks, 1. What if I live in a rowhouse or Brownstone and I need to recharge the battery ? This question usually left only one thing, and that was me standing all alone on the showroom floor. But had I the chance, I'd have liked to find out if any of the 250 people to buy the volt, and they didn't have a garage, where would GMC place the 220 v hookup? I read about this strang item about a year and a half years ago. Seems that running a 110 volt extension cord out to your ride to charge it's battery, that it will take 10 hours, but if you have the 220Volt hookup, it only takes 3 hours.

But the question I still can't find an asnwer for is: How much does owning a 2011 Chevy Volt increase your electricity bill per month? Hay GM, I'm still waiting . .

GM claims an average of $1.50 a day. I don't know what the "average" KW was used. Didn't say.

 

[fm1]

Gezz, this must be some kind of a low point. I was in a dealership and asked the salefolks, 1. What if I live in a rowhouse or Brownstone and I need to recharge the battery ? This question usually left only one thing, and that was me standing all alone on the showroom floor. But had I the chance, I'd have liked to find out if any of the 250 people to buy the volt, and they didn't have a garage, where would GMC place the 220 v hookup? I read about this strang item about a year and a half years ago. Seems that running a 110 volt extension cord out to your ride to charge it's battery, that it will take 10 hours, but if you have the 220Volt hookup, it only takes 3 hours.

But the question I still can't find an asnwer for is: How much does owning a 2011 Chevy Volt increase your electricity bill per month? Hay GM, I'm still waiting . .

.


LMFAO ! Great post ! otfl Btw - The power company can't meet demand on a hot summer night - how do they intend to meet demand when everyone plugs in their car overnight ?

 

[LLC5]

.


LMFAO ! Great post ! otfl Btw - The power company can't meet demand on a hot summer night - how do they intend to meet demand when everyone plugs in their car overnight ?

Prez Bush said a couple of years ago in an answer to that exact same question, straight faced and to the point (I was amazed that he actually answered a question), to the female reporter who asked the question: Nuclear Powerplants. Period. Only time will tell for sure.

 

[killain]

The Chevy volt ?

GM claims an average of $1.50 a day. I don't know what the "average" KW was used. Didn't say.

The two magazines must be published by the same idiots. The Volt can go about 30 to 40 miles on a charge, then the little gasoline engine kicks in and it runs on premium fuel @ #3.50 a gallon and once you get home, if you get home, the GM advertising folks say you can plug it in and it going to need a charge like your Toshiba laptop . . .Really ? So the 700 pound battery that's five foot long by three feet wide and it a little over the foot tall is going to suck down the same as the little half a pound laptop battery in a recharge ? Come on, Ray Charles can see that's a load of crap. The Chevy Volt is a $41.000 and up Political Statement. It's warranty and it's useful life is oddly enough, the same as a 60 month loan, Strange huh ? Like how many of these babies are going to hit the Used Car lots? I can see it now, "Used by a little old lady and the car was hit by lightning almost every summer, so the battery is fully charged for life"

Once the battery goes south, the whole firggin thing is mabye useful as a planter or mabye you can donate it to a church or someone who can use it, but by all means it's only use is as a crushed steel cube to be shipped overseas to be magicly reboun as a Kia or Daewoo four door sedan, maybe they'lll call it the 'Phoenix' which I find as about as appropriate as possible. Once Washington, DC changes hands in two years, the volt will either be re-engineered, or phased out. How anyone could find this Vehicle as the whatever of the year, is bizarre. If the car is out-of -Warranty, where are you going to buy a replacement battery, China maybe, yeah, give me a break. At the end of five years the thing isn't going to be worth the cost of a tow. It's not built or endineered like a Toyota Prius, and it only sligtly better than the Nissan 'Leaf', and just how useful are they going to be?

Here in Pennsylvania, Electricity rates are going to be de-regulated as of the first of the year. Now in the past, what happens when something is de-regulated ? The cost soar as capitalism captures the market once more. Here Peco or Excellon as they like to be called, the elecricity company already told me that rates are going up by 15%, so back to my original question "How much does it cost to operate the stupid Chevy Volt ? No one knows and it is most likely cost a lot more than a gasoline powered vehicle. Hell, the new Chevy Cruise is projected to get 40MPG with it's 1.8 liter turbo charged engine. And with it the worse you can get burned is for a new Turbo or something like that. The Chevy Volt I saw at a New car show nine years ago was a car projected to cost $23K At that price it might, just might be a useable vehicle that the Mail service could use or a City operated car rental service might use, but it isn't something that's going to cost you $350.00 a month in car payments. Pretty mabye, useful, I doubt it ! Let's see what that stalwat benchmark truthfinder magazine, 'Consumers Report' thinks of it .

 

[warren s]

What happens when its 95 degrees out and you want to turn on the AC?
Or when its 5 degrees and you want heat?

Unproven technology - more expensive then the existing competition with lower levels of performance. Sounds like prime material for car of the year to me.

 

[killain]

The chevy Volt, the truth is in the details.

OK, Yesterday I found out some real down to earth details about the Volt. 1. the battery has a life span of 10 years. 2. the volt warranty is 5 years or 100.000 miles. 3. the warranty on the battery is 8 years.

So perhaps the first owner is going to buy one and he or she will take the hit as far deprecation, but their covered for the length or time they have the car, and the second owner is the one who's going to have to decide if the purchase of a 'Volt' is a safe expenditure, but I'm guessing that those folks are going to turn their attention to a Chevy 'Cruze' if for no other reason than they can be slightly assured that the parts and miscellaneous parts are going to be available and affordable. I can't imagine where and how much a replacement 'Battery' is going to be or cost.

 

[WhalePirot]

Note to self : Never buy Automobile Magazine.

I dropped from their list over a decade ago, due to some editorial rants, and more.

Or Motor Trend?

Quit them and all other Peterson Publishing after they dinged my credit over $12, while refusing to comply with my request to cancel their 'trial subscription'.

One issue reminded me of why I never renewed in the past.

 

[fm1]

I can't imagine where and how much a replacement 'Battery' is going to be or cost.

You can bet that the battery will be expensive, but the COST will be what is left of Chevrolets reputation.

 

[killain]

Voltage to the Volt !

You can bet that the battery will be expensive, but the COST will be what is left of Chevrolets reputation.

I have recently read that the car comes with 5yr/100.000 mile warranty, the battery is covered for 8 years and it has a lifespan of 10 years. Also, if your one of the 250 of the first purchasers, GM will pay for you to have a 220v line established in your garage or carport, or whatever. This is because it takes 10 hours to recharge the battery on 110 voltage, but it only takes 3 hours on the 220 voltage.

At this point I can only imagine that a replacement battery is not going to be available at your local NAPA store, and I believe I read that the thing weights about 700 pounds which I think rules out doing it in your driveway or under the backyard shade tree. But I can't see the potential of the "Volt" if the new Chevy "Cruze" is capable of 40 MPG with it's 1.8 turbocharged engine ? If thing stay as they are, why would anyone buy a 4-6 years old Chevy Volt ? I also saw the video of the car as it went through the plant and it looks to me as the area where the electricial connections are very unprotected from corrosion. But that's just me. . .

 

[vett boy]

Edsel

 

[SG Lou]

After reading all of the post's i had to chuckle.
I work for a public utility here in New Jersey and have worked as an Operator in a Fossil Fuel Power Plant for 26 yrs and I can tell you this......................a LOT of people have no idea how close they have come to a MAJOR power outage.
Not just in NJ but all over the US.
Our Electric Infurstructure is so out dated that every summer the lines are pushed to there limit.
To quote fm1
"LMFAO ! Great post ! otfl Btw - The power company can't meet demand on a hot summer night - how do they intend to meet demand when everyone plugs in their car overnight ? "

You hit the nail right on the head my friend !

Oh and by the way, I was at my Local Chevy Dealer just yesterday and they were
proud as hell when they told me someone from Deleware purchased the only Volt that was on the show room floor, via online and phone, sight unseen, for MSRP.....no questions asked !

 

[catbert]

Hopefully the luddite faction is small enough that the Volt will be a success. Only time will tell.