This is the first rendering I have seen that seem to be close to reality and if the the Volt is close to that, well it's not a bubble shape and not a Prius. It is not bad looking either, not the original look but close enough.
This rendering looks like what I would expect the final design to be! Rounded front end, shorter hood, but still very similar to the Concept from the windshield rearward.
What are the pictures rendered FROM? It looks ok, except that the back doors look like there's no room back there (contrary to what's been mentioned about the interior being roomy)
It's a "r e n d e r i n g" = photoshop = guessing from the 1/3 model + what has been revealed so far + prototype. That's why I put them side by side so you could see where the guy took his inspiration.
It's not official... don't try to read something that is not there.
Hey Franky, if those are the wheels in the CNN clip I will be happy. I do not like exposed lugnuts. They are a bear to wash. With these wheels just a quick wipe with a chamois. I would spring for the chrome though. With those facets they will sparkle when they turn.
Just the wheels should save a bit of cd over the prototypes wheels.
In an unrelated note, a few years ago we had somebody loosening lug nuts in the parking lot at the factory I work at. We had several people loose their wheels on the way home. Nobody with hub caps lost the wheels.
Somebody should update the Volt graphic with those wheels.
Nice try, but not quite. This rendering is still very optimistic. Look at the tape model very closely. You should find there No fender flares and smaller wheels and no side sculpting as well as a much rounder front. This car wouldn't be too bad, but sadly all current indicators say that this is not to be. I'm still hoping they will surprise us with something that looks nothing like the tape model.
This rendering is still very optimistic. Look at the tape model very closely. You should find there No fender flares and smaller wheels and no side sculpting as well as a much rounder front.
The past couple days I have really been paying a lot of attention to the sides of cars. I really hope that he Volt has a little bit of fender flare and at least a touch of side sculpting. I know they have said it won't, but it is seriously hard to find a car with no fender flare, and the ones that do look pretty funny. The side sculpting just makes it look cool. I am really worried this car will look like a Prius with it's sloping front and completely plain sides.
Also, I wouldn't mind an option for larger wheels.
I agree with you about the 1/3 model, why show the final version and give away your cards so soon.
Also true, the front will be more like the picture on the right (the one reveilled by GM).
But what I like about this rendering is actually giving us an idea how the prototype could evolve to. I only hope the rear wheel will be position as the prototype as I beleive this is what give caracter to this car, if not, it will look like any other Cobalt evolution.
Hey Franky, if those are the wheels in the CNN clip I will be happy.
I think the front of the Volt could get some of its design cues from the Saab 9-X concept car unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show. See this link for more info:
Note the rounded front end for the Saab, but it still has some fender flare, just not as much as the Volt concept. The 9-X is also built on the Delta II platform, the same platform that will underpin the Volt.
I can't put a lot of faith in the 1/3 model, because it is meant to hide and confuse the viewer, and thus it is difficult to extract a great deal of detail from it. The best it does is provide some amount of assurance as to the general size and shape of the car.
Therefore, even though some details are not perfect (different wheels, for instance) this latest rendering still seems like the closest view of the final production Volt that I have seen to date.
A LOT of people I come in contact with are having the same "design development" remorse. The more you look at car designs, think about the Volt, look at the other lame examples on the roads, look back at the concept, almost to a person, my friends are coming back saying " It will still look good, won't it?" "The 40 mile electric range isn't really THAT important, is it?"
I hope GM hasn't boxed themselves in with the 40 mile range. I hope the car is sculpted more by the designers than by the wind tunnel.
This car will be the standard setter. If they build and we accept a lamely designed, rolling bubble, that's all we'll see for a decade from everyone else.
If they build a beautifully styled car that wows people, the others will have to follow suit at some level.
I think GM is setting the standard with the Volt for what the next generation of cars may look like. PLEASE don't punish us with a Prius clone!
It won't be a Prius clone. We can already see from what little GM has alowed us to see that it will be different in shape and style. However it will also not have the style and flair of the original concept shown at the top of this page. I actually feel that Lyle should take the concept photo off the mast head because it sends the message to the uninformed that that is what we're getting and it's not. I do have faith that this car will look much better than a Prius, but it's not going to inspire anybody with it's looks either.
Those of us that were hooked by the original concept should just blot that car out of our minds as best we can and just think of gas free miles. If we had never been shown the concept, we probably would have been much happier in the end. Oh well. We'll see.
Unfortunately many people are attracted to a car for its looks and that is what hooked us to the Volt was its unique design. When they go and produce something that doesn't look like the original design it's a big let down. I do not like the Prius, I'm not a fan of the Cobalt, especially the 4-dr version. It's boring!!
Let's hope that GM manages to keep the flavor of the original in it's final design, because as the saying goes "A picture is worth a thousand words." Let's hope that the final design inspires a lot of people to take notice and buy it.
According to the July issue of Popular Mechanics, "The Volt won't have unique architecture." It will use the next-gen "Delta" small-car platform. The Volt's aerodynamics are more important than it's weight for fuel economy, engineers say. So expect a body prioritized for aeroefficiency. In other words, (according to PM), expect the Volt to look more like the Prius and less like the original Volt concept.
I think this would be a mistake. The Prius to me, is not an attractive car. I have to believe that you can aerodynamically design a car, and still have "Style".
Amped-up
I'm pretty sure that the majority of people here feel just the way you do. When my daughter was buying a Prius, I asked the salesman to tell me something BAD about the Prius. He said:"Well, it IS butt-ugly". I agreed, but she bought it anyway (lol)
Be well, Tag
I happen to think that the re-design is still a nice looking car overall (from what little we've seen)... but it's lost much of the boldness that the concept design had. The front lights, for instance, looked much more menacing on the concept (thinner and set deeper). I hope some of the fender flare will still be there, as that too was a symbol of boldness on the car.
If it's going to look like a normal Chevy, they should just rename it the Cavalier E-REV.
MSN Autos is currently quoting OPIS figures with Pebble Beach, CA as the highest priced gas in the country at $5.609. What is this if gas reaches $5.00/gallon?
Those are nice, but sadly still just a fantasy. Go back and look hard at the tape up model. Then look at these. These do not look anything like what GM is sticking in the wind tunnel.
The window feature in the attachment below is not going to happen. The Volt designers at the Volt Nation gathering told me so. It is pure show car gimmickry. So any further renderings should not have this feature.
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