GM's radical extended-range electric car, the Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in series-hybrid electric vehicle, built at the Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly in Detroit, Michigan. GM avoids the term "hybrid," and prefers to call it an electric vehicle with a "range extender" because of its design. The Volt can run on electricity from batteries for up to 40 miles.

 

The Chevrolet Volt is currently in the final run up to its pre-production phase of integrating its fundamental components. The Volt concept vehicle which first made an appearance in the North American International Auto Show has four doors and a rear liftgate; it is capable of carrying four to five passengers. Once finished, the Chevy Volt is expected to have a top speed around 100 mph and make 0-60 mph in 9.0 seconds. A 1.4 liter four-cylinder "Family Zero" engine will kick in with more power, when its battery-charge tapers off. At around 1600kg the Volt is quite a heavy car, with an overall weight distribution of 50:50.

 

GM will show the new Chevrolet car at a motor show at the tail-end of 2009, which is likely to generate a lot of interest from family car buyers, and plans to get the Volt into showrooms by the end of 2010.  

GM will be recalling 2006-2008 Chevrolet HHRs, highlighting a faulty storage bin latch. The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that the lid on the HHR’s instrument panel storage bin, opened up during a crash, thus causing a safety hazard.

 

The NHTSA has stringent guidelines for passenger safety, and the faulty latch in the HHR, violates safety regulations mandatory for automakers, which dictate that passengers are protected from injuries caused by interior surfaces in the event of a crash.

 

GM will be sending a latch reinforcement kit to all HHR owners who are affected by the recall, so they can remedy this defect. HHR owners can install this kit themselves or have an HHR dealer install it for them.

 

While General Motors’ latest recall does not have any major safety repercussions, and no injuries have been reported from the faulty latch, almost 300,000 Chevy HHRs will be involved in this latest development.

 

Earlier this year, more than 180,000 2006-2008 Chevrolet HHR cars were recalled for non-compliance with Federal crash safety regulations.