Photoshop voodoo gives close-up view of Chevy Volt
Click above to enlarge and view production Volt gallery
Autoblog reader Michael C has a knack for seeing things we miss. In 2006, he noticed that an image of Bob Lutz lifting the veil on one corner of the yet-to-be-released 2008 Cadillac CTS could be easily manipulated in Photoshop to reveal the car's entire front end. GM recently gave us a similar peek of the production Chevy Volt on a segment that aired on ABC News, and Michael C has once again used Photoshop to give us a very clear view of the production Volt's front end.
Yesterday, of course, we got our fill of the production Chevy Volt when video of it on the set of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen hit the web and a spy shot of the car's iPod-like interior surfaced. While screen grabs from that video showed us an overall view of the Volt from a distance, this is the first time we have an idea of what the car looks like from point blank range. The front end is ultra slippery, a far cry from the concept's unaerodynamic face, but the general look is similar. We're not too far off from GM's official reveal of the production Volt, which could happen as soon as the Paris Motor Show in October. Check out a higher-res version by clicking the pic above, along with all the images we've collected of the production Chevy Volt so far. Thanks for the pic, Michael!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
TyWright 12:33PM (8/29/2008)
Hate to be a party pooper but this car will disappoint.
You're hyping it up too much. When's the last time (ZR1 exception) that a GM exceeded expectations?
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RG 12:42PM (8/29/2008)
When was the last time GM had a car with so much potential?
This is not a car that is slightly faster, or roomier, or has larger wheels- this a car that is trying to change the way we transport ourselves.
I'd say prepare yourself for a low rank.
Flashpoint 12:44PM (8/29/2008)
Last time GM exceeded expecations was with the 2007 Escalade and the 2008 CTS.
But what most people don't know, is GM isn't responsible for that car's interior. DREXL MEYER, the company behind the Maybach and Benz interiors did it.
The VOLT will only dissapoint if you bring it into a society not ready for it. We desperatly need a new electric infrastructure that doesn't derive its power from coal. I think if we started now, in just 50 years, America could be coal free. Of course, the energy required to transfer our infrastructure from coal to NUCLEAR, SOLAR and WIND would probably release lots of CO2 emmissions, but we could make up for it in the future.
None of this will happen however if we have a president and congress that are oil puppets.
C.W. 12:51PM (8/29/2008)
i hate it when these posts turn into places to stand on your political soap-box. I am tired of comments about politicians that are oil-hungry or puppets of the corporations when the person saying it has no idea what they're talking about. The simple fact is, we ALL want to move away from a petroleum based society, but the problem is, the tree-hugging hippies think there is this big switch somewhere you just flip and all is solved. it will take years and years of being SMART about the transition in weening ourselves from depence on foreign oil. stop pointing your finger at one or two republicans when the truth is, their the only ones smart enough to see we NEED oil for the time being and lots of it.
MasterCKO 12:51PM (8/29/2008)
Cadillac CTS and CTS-V
GMC Yukon and Chevy Tahoe Hybrid (tech-wise)
Pontiac G8
Pontiac Solstice
Saturn Sky
Buick Enclave
Chevy Malibu
This is just off the top of my head from the past 2-3 years. Should I go on? I'm sure someone else can pick this up, too. Seriously silly comment.
Serge 1:30PM (8/29/2008)
I believe the Camaro will NOT dissapoint. The car looks sharp, posted a great 'Ring time (especially when considering the price and classic un-aerodynamic looks) and has an amazing interior IMHO... and it's not a gas guzzler!
Others that I can think of are:
- CTS ( especially the V )
- Escalade / Tahoe / Yukon
- Malibu
- Sky / Solstice
- Enclave / Acadia / Traverse
While I don't think GM is perfect, it's defenately makes really great cars.
jg 1:46PM (8/29/2008)
'The simple fact is, we ALL want to move away from a petroleum based society, but the problem is, the tree-hugging hippies think there is this big switch somewhere you just flip and all is solved. '
Actually the problem is not everyone wants to get off oil. Oil sellers tell us there's plenty and we don't need to make that move. They spend millions to get that message out and to get politicians on thier side. Or they pay to get supply sider politicians elected. It's how our government works unfortunately. People aren't wrong to point that out.
'i hate it when these posts turn into places to stand on your political soap-box'
Then he takes a shot at tree hugging hippies. LOL
Torrent 1:53PM (8/29/2008)
Your mom will disappoint.
meshies 5:10PM (8/29/2008)
give yourself a low rank. sheesh.
Dave 5:13PM (8/29/2008)
If gas is $5+ per gallon, and the gov't provides big tax breaks/subsidies, the Volt will not disappoint.
Otherwise, it will be a small niche vehicle. And a $23,000 Prius, Honda hybrid (or a two mode Cruze hybrid that GM could have developed with this R&D money) will make WAY more sense to less than affluent consumers.
GM needs gas prices to be much lower so they can sell SUVs and trucks again. Or they need gas prices to go much higher so they can sell Volts.
MikeofLA 12:36PM (8/29/2008)
It already looks like an appliance. The center stack even looks like my washer and dryer "switches" and it's the same color as my refrigerator.
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Patrick 12:36PM (8/29/2008)
The front end looks like it could be an Acura (pre-chromed out buck tooth era) but is attractive. I don't like the white iPod inspired dash. It will get dirty extremely quickly and I don't think it will age well and look dated in a couple years. The buttons do seem to be touch-sensitive, which is cool but ultimately do not offer the tactile feedback of real buttons. Real, raised buttons are helpful when trying to find a button without looking, and offer positive feedback to confirm that you have pressed it.
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Max 12:48PM (8/29/2008)
I don't doubt the car will be successful, but it has the look of a $20k car. With the car costing twice that price, I don't know if buyers will go for the unsophisticated exterior and trendy ipod generation interior.
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MikeofLA 12:54PM (8/29/2008)
Not to mention, that was the OLD ipod, the current one's are mostly matte colors and not glossy. The problem with trying to mimic apple, is that they are trendsetters. By the time you get your "inspired" product out, it is out dated.
Torrent 5:17PM (8/29/2008)
The look doesn't make the whole car. The technology and refinement that's going into it makes the car.
From My Cube 12:50PM (8/29/2008)
DO you think GM will show this car in Oct? I bet they will that way they can do open road testing with no camo on it to further drive the hype up on the car
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MasterCKO 1:02PM (8/29/2008)
Hmm, I'm still reserving judgment for seeing the real deal. This is not the greatest 'shop job in the world (some angles don't line up). And I'm hoping (against hope) that the center stack has color options. Namely black (at least -- the white is really too much) or color matched with the body. Or maybe they're pulling our leg and it doesn't look like that at all.
One thing I think I remember them saying about the design: they wanted it to look like the future now. I think that pulled that off fairly well from what I could tell in the T2 footage/screencaps. I think it's very distinctive.
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stevereportdotcom 1:06PM (8/29/2008)
Looks very good. I like the angled lines. Very "Acura" like.
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txdesign 1:09PM (8/29/2008)
Why the fake grill, it's an electric car. I know the double row grill is Chevrolet's corporate face but this could have been so much more interesting. And please dump the gold bowtie on all Chevys, it's just tacky.
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Gary 1:45PM (8/29/2008)
If you remove the grill, how would it be more interesting? Plain paint is more interesting? Infiniti released their first vehicles without a real grill and they were met with a cool reception.