General Motors Releases Photos of First Actual Running Prototype of Chevrolet Volt

General Motors Releases Photos of First Actual Running Prototype of Chevrolet Volt

Chevy Volt Vehicle Chief Engineer Andrew Farah takes the first pre-production Volt for a drive earlier today.

After all the spy pics and autoshow rollouts of the so-called Chevrolet Volt, you might have thought you'd already seen the real deal. More than once probably.

But until today, the closest thing to a Volt that General Motors had unveiled to the masses was a mule - the not-so-flattering reference of an autobody married to a powertrain and other systems that aren't Volt-like at all.

The images you see here are an entirely different matter. They are, in fact, the very first photos of the pre-production Volt gasoline-electric extended-range hybrid.

What you see here is what some of you will get, with the exception of a few chiefly cosmetic items such as light clusters that designers and/or engineers are still tinkering with.

And somewhat remarkably - given all the turmoil GM has been through lately - the vehicle was completed a week ahead of schedule. That's right: GM had a July 4th deadline for the pre-production Volt.

Andrew Farah, the Volt's chief engineer, took the time to write about his personal goal of driving the vehicle. His words, posted on GM's Fastlane blog, are worth a read.

Farah plugs in the first pre-production Volt after completing a test-drive.

The first pre-production Volt is fitted with a lithium-ion battery pack at GM's Pre-Production Operations building in Warren, Michigan, earlier today.

Scott Doggett:  is an AutoObserver.com Associate Editor.