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Hot or Not? 2011 Chevy Volt

Hot or Not? 2011 Chevy Volt

Posted Sep 8th 2008 2:59PM

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Click above for high-res gallery of the 2011 Chevy Volt

Now that the first official pics of the production 2011 Chevy Volt are out, it's time we take an official measure of General Motors' success in bringing the concept car to production. The production Volt is markedly different from the Volt Concept, and while we'd normally decry a vehicle losing what it made is so special on the stand, the Volt didn't necessarily garner attention because of how it looked but rather because of what General Motors promised it could do. So now that the production version of the Volt is here, do you like its design more, less or the same as the concept? Thanks to RS for the above photoshop!

Related Gallery2011 Chevrolet Volt

Related GalleryChevy Volt Concept

Hot or Not? 2011 Chevy Volt
Production Volt looks better than the Volt Concept	2270 (29.1%)
Production Volt looks worse than the Volt Concept	5128 (65.8%)
Production Volt and Volt Concept look the same	394 (5.1%)

Tags: 2011 chevy volt, 2011ChevyVolt, chevy volt, ChevyVolt, gm, volt, volt concept, VoltConcept

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If GM wasn't going to produce the Volt looking like the original Volt then they should not have advertised it on tv as the car of the "future". It was flashed on tv screens all over the US in front of us. Concept cars are usually only seen at auto shows and are seen as that....concept cars. But this one was different. They had to present it all over everywhere and lead people to believing that this is the Volt. And guess what. People believed them. Now they throw out this imposter and everyone that was so excited about what they have been seeing and waiting for is gone. I, for one, was one of those that was prepared to get one when they became available. Now..I am saddened and disappointed and feel totally betrayed by a car company that I thought was going to blow everyone else away with a car that would be unrivaled by any other. I guess I was dreaming. To me, this 'production' Volt will always be an imposter and I will always dream of the true Original Volt that was presented to us that will never be. I will now set my sights on something else.

September 17 2008 at 2:30 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

jonethan

It's a fact that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There is something to be said about the aesthetic design of the concept, and the same is true of the final production model. The problem isn't that the new aesthetics are bad (they aren't, at least not in my opinion), the problem is that they're very different. The concept reminds me of the Camaro in a lot of ways, the production model looks more like that Cruz that was revealed a while ago. The look is different instead of an evolution of the original design.

Personally, I wouldn't be caught dead driving something that looked like the concept. Ugliest thing I've ever laid eyes on. But that's just me.

September 10 2008 at 11:54 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Joe

For the production car it looks like they took a morphing program and fed it with the original Volt concept + a Honda accord...with a bland result.. ughh... the original concept looks great, imagine you see one right now on the street, that would be a head turner for sure, I guess the production version is intended to sell more than a concept looking version because is more family oriented, these guys at GM are real dummies!!!.. I mean, you can produce the original concept for the car enthusiast and a family version too, how hard is that? I cannot believe that Detroit has sooo many brilliant designers and cool concepts, but they always fail to deliver what people really wants, they always seem to be out of touch.... come on!!.. produce the original Volt concept!!.. don't relegate it to a museum!!..

September 10 2008 at 5:36 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

nanotube

First, funniest reveal ever!! The CEO, chief engineer and director blocking the view of one of the most anticipated, groundbreaking cars... hilarious!!
Second, there's a fine line between 'edgy/cool' and 'ridiculous,' and the concept was closer to ridiculous with those huge wheels, sharp angles, super-raked windshield... you'd probably sit on the floor. So how do you compare a concept to a car that actually has to be ergonomic, safe, aerodynamic, cost-effective? Easy: don't. Forget the concept, this is the Volt.
In the end, I think it's not bad. I mean the Prius is flying off the shelves and it's not exactly a looker. The goal was that of the Prius - make it appealing to the maximum number of people while also making it instantly-recognizable by everyone. Image is a big part of the Prius's appeal, like it's not for the Civic/Camry/Highlander/Escape hybrids. And as for the $40k price... hopefully some tax incentives will help out there. Like the $3,000+ the Prius used to have, but hopefully more...

September 09 2008 at 9:45 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

gerry

Well, it's been redone to fit an actual human comfortably. The low roofline concept was built for aliens with no neck and flat-top skulls.

September 09 2008 at 9:40 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

vahe Bouldoukian

What the heck did they do with the originial volt? I know what. the original was designed by designers, and the thing they are claiming as the production version was done by engineers , beancounters and marketing jockies

Bravo GM you have done it again!

September 09 2008 at 3:33 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

volt sucks

They got it all backwards.
Old dudes in suits in front of the car: BAD.
Hot Lady in front of the car: Good.

September 09 2008 at 3:31 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Lou

The Volt is one of the reasons I'm in school right now. It was one of the most inspiring concepts I've ever seen. Sure I knew the looks would change, but with the potential this car was building and hyping up I thought they would keep it true or better to desing. As I have read some of the comments on here, I'm picking up on a consensous that it's ok for it to be lame because it's goint to compete with the equally lame looking prius. The car was already on trac to be the technology leader. Why not make it a design leader too? They could of made a sweet looking sedan version and then lamed it down with hatch or 5-door version. Wait, theres an idea...

September 09 2008 at 1:45 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

CO_CarGuy

These photos appear to be CAD renderings digitally placed with these smiling fools to add "reality" to this car and . . . NO WAY would I BURN 40-50K on this money pit.

September 09 2008 at 1:39 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

ELIAZIMBACA_2

The back pillar of a Malibu, if adjusted to proper proportion, would look good here. The far back angle of the back window, where it's almost perpendicular to the C pillar, is where the rest of the pillar should be.
Look, GM, This car is better than the concept, from the pictures above. I hope it isn't as pointy as in the above picture.
Don't let it look like a prius from a side view. The steep, short hood, and funky looking back of the Prius is the peak of lame.
The black area below the windows looks funky, but it'd look funky without it too. It's gotta be the thick A pillar and the area where the pillar meets the hood.
As long as it doesn't get the stubby back and rear fender flare of the concept, it'll be golden.
These pictures make it look like a white Enclave. The Enclave in white looks like a pig on the computer, but in real life it looks low and awesome. I'll also have to see this in person. Take some better pictures.

September 09 2008 at 12:16 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply