Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Paris Motor Show, Chevrolet, Rumormill
REPORT: Production-trim Chevy Volt to be shown in Paris
by Alex Nunez on May 18th 2008 at 6:39PM 
Britain's Channel 4 reports that GM will be making an announcement related to the Chevy Volt when the curtain lifts on the 2008 edition of the Mondial de l'Automobile, better known around here as the Paris Motor Show, in October. Channel 4 reports that we can expect to see the U.S. production-spec Volt on display in the City of Lights. That's big news in and of itself, and we're wondering if GM will use the occasion to tell Europe when they can plan on getting an Opel-branded E-Flex ride of their own. Hmmm... An official Camaro unveiling this summer and now the production Volt in Paris? Color us intrigued about what GM plans to blow everyone away with in Detroit next January.
[Source: Channel 4 via AutoblogGreen]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5 Watt 7:09PM (5/18/2008)
This makes little sense. The initial news was that a Delta II would be shown at Paris. It makes more sense to reveal the volt at Detroit to fight the Prius head on.
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Torrent 8:15PM (5/18/2008)
That actually makes sense. I'd have to agree. There's a 99.9% possibility that It'll debut in Detroit. It wouldn't make sense to debut it overseas. But personally, I'm fine as long as it comes here to America in a timely matter.
MajorGeek 7:17PM (5/18/2008)
I have to agree 5 watt, the other thing that bothers me is that the mule they are using is a Malibu, so why bother showing us the body 2 years before expected release unless its coming sooner? The Camaro highlights this mistake, it has been talked about for so long, I literally lost interest.
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tankd0g 9:39PM (5/18/2008)
It's probably the same thinking that spent 10 million dollars to put a Camaro body on a Mustang frame in a tranformers movie almost 3 years before the car made it to market.
tekdemon 12:47AM (5/19/2008)
Well, because while the Volt is now going to be a real production car, it was initially conceived mostly to give GM some good environmental PR.
So more or less GM is still going to show this thing everywhere as much as it can to make it seem like they're on the cutting edge of things, even if the car is still years from actually coming out.
Lutz and Wagoner are saying that it's definitely a real car now (now that gas is $4 a gallon), but it's original purpose was more or less to go around the world to shows to make GM look environmental anyway.
rar 8:07AM (5/19/2008)
Hey tankd0g, they put a Camaro body on a GTO frame not a Mustang.
A&W 7:24PM (5/18/2008)
Well, I guess this disproves my theory that the Volt and Camaro are one in the same. Maybe the Camaro will come in a Volt Edition.
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Noidor 7:53PM (5/18/2008)
There have been a number of cars which were shown couple years in advance. GT-R, Z, Camaro, Lexus IS-F. Plus what if Volt is going to be on sale at the end of 2009 as MY2010?
Also, don't forget that 3rd gen Prius is right around the corner - GM cannot allow Prius to beat Volt to the market by anything more than 6 months. Best thing they can do is send out a message, "Here's what we have, it is coming and it'll be better than new Prius. You just wait!" Get people excited.
GM needs to make this a worldwide statement (and a worldwide car) and Paris is a perfect place to do so. I also wonder if Volt is going to be a world car and/or if its technology will be spread to other models. This is a revolutionary model for GM, and I think they'll get it right.
rgt88@hotmail.com
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Conor 8:00PM (5/18/2008)
Here's an idea for Detroit:
Pontiac G8 Wagon!
(Please, GM?)
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MemphisNET 11:28PM (5/18/2008)
+1, especially since my Magnum is now discontinued. :(
Conor 5:42PM (5/19/2008)
That sucks. I LOVED the 2008 SRT-8 Magnum.
Why isn't there love for wagons?
Das Boese 8:28PM (5/18/2008)
"...we're wondering if GM will use the occasion to tell Europe when they can plan on getting an Opel-branded E-Flex ride of their own."
Bleh. They'd be stupid not to sell it in Europe from the get go... but they'll probably make us wait another year or so until they've developed a boring-looking Opel version because someone's scared that the Volt's styling is too "American" for European tastes.
Which is nonsense, the car's styling is fine, but it's real strength lies in what it does: driving 40 miles without a drop of gas. If they can get that point across with smart advertising, it'd probably sell even better here than in North America.
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tankd0g 9:41PM (5/18/2008)
But how is it going to compete with that infinitely excelent G-Wiz?
Duncan 8:36PM (5/18/2008)
So, when is the Paris Auto Show? Or am I supposed to just know that?
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Alex Nunez 12:14AM (5/19/2008)
October. Link to the show website has now been added to the post.
FThorn 8:42PM (5/18/2008)
New diesel Geo Metro for me, please!
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Devin 8:58PM (5/18/2008)
I'm not quite sure if Paris is the best place to unveil the volt, but no one in here has yet touched on autoblog's last point. If GM is unveiling the volt in Paris (which is before detroit), what could they possibly unveil in detroit that could possibly be better (remember, detroit is THE place to unveil a car, at least for American car companies)? My hopes reside with a new RWD impala, although that is unlikely that it will be RWD, a buick coupe, possibly a CUV version of the Volt, or a unibody pickup. Other smaller unveilings might include the STS/DTS replacement and XLR replacement, or possibly the next gen. Chevy Cobalt.
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tankd0g 9:46PM (5/18/2008)
Maybe it's canceled due to lack of any money within 300 miles of detroit.
BGJ 10:02PM (5/18/2008)
I agree this makes zero sense. Why would the Volt (a model meant for North America) be unveiled in Paris? Sure there will be a euro version of E-flex but I doubt it will be called "chevy volt".
And most importantly, the volt is nowhere near "production trim" at this time in the process. Maybe a year from now at the very least. Last I heard the Volt was on track for a late 2010 release.
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Alex 10:14PM (5/18/2008)
If you venture to quote something in French, might as well do it right.
It's MoNdial de l'Automobile, not Modial...
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