Chevy Volt Picked To Launch First in California Next Year
California will be the “lead market” for the Chevy Volt when the electrically driven car is available at the end of next year, General Motors said Wednesday. California was chosen because the state has the largest U.S. car market, and Californians are “known to be leaders in adopting groundbreaking new technologies,” GM’s vice president of global Chevrolet brand, Brent Deware, said in a statement pegged to this week’s Los Angeles International Auto Show. The 2011 Chevy Volt is an electric car that goes 40 miles on an electric charge. This reduces harmful carbon emissions and gas usage.
Production of the Volt is scheduled to start in late 2010. GM has not announced pricing for the 2011 model, though newly dethroned CEO Fritz Henderson acknowledged earlier this fall that the price would be about $40,000. (GM’s board on Tuesday asked Henderson to resign, effective immediately.) As part of the California rollout, GM plans to make 100 Volts available to three utilities for testing. The cars will be used as fleet vehicles, and performance data will be collected via GM’s OnStar in-car communications for a Department of Energy-run research program.
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