Chevy Volt Styling Is A Short-Circuit
By Michelle Krebs September 11, 2008By Bill Visnic
DETROIT - If images circulated on the Web
this week are representative of the Chevrolet Volt General Motors Corp. plans to deliver in two years, the General had better hope potential customers appreciate the engineering - because the Volt's design is a corporate brownout.
AutoObserver's all-day cruise around auto-related Web sites noted heavy-traffic comment about the leaked images of the Volt extended-range electric vehicle; some are mildly complimentary, but critics seem to outnumber approvers by at least four to one.
The most common reactions range in a bandwidth from disappointment to derision. The Volt concept car was widely applauded, and although GM subsequently warned certain aggressive aspects of the Volt concept would be sacrificed on the altar of production-car realities, the overwhelming blandness oozing from the images of what is purported to be the production Volt is inescapable.
"Derivative" is a response that resonates on many Web sites, as the viral-reaction party line immediately settled on the Volt appearing to pay combined homage to Chevy's successful (but not necessarily sexy) Malibu and Toyota's almighty (but absolutely not sexy) Prius hybrid.
Ever-probing, we left the Web critics in search of more wizened opinion - auto writers and industry insiders.
"Thick," said one industry pundit. "It won't be an especially efficient four-passenger package."
"It's a huge disappointment," said Jane Nakagawa, a freelance automotive writer who is a frequent AutoObserver contributor - and a former director of advanced planning for Nissan North America Inc.
Nakagawa unflinchingly said the Volt's final styling - if that's what the images we've seen indeed portray - is "completely unacceptable. They made a big, fat promise," and didn't follow up, she said.
The slabby, conservative Volt "looks like Grandma's electric vehicle," said Nakagawa, adding that compared with the muscular concept, the production Volt is "like a mail-order bride" that arrives looking nothing like what was expected.
"I was highly disappointed by the Volt concept's silly shape," says one longtime journalist who admits to being one of the few to not like the Volt concept car.
But, "the production version looks like the unlikely lovechild of a one-nighter involving GM's concept and the Prius," the journalist continues. "While that's progress (compared to the Volt concept car's sheetmetal), I think this design will seem ancient in 27 months when it finally hits the streets. By then, we'll have a third-generation Prius, a couple of Honda hybrids (including the new Prius-fighting Insight), and other green machines to choose from."
Nakagawa goes further. She believes GM's elderly brain trust - including product-development czar Bob Lutz - failed to recognize the opportunity the Volt presented to captivate younger buyers typically considered forever lost to Detroit, instead forcing the Volt design "team" to craft an unadventurous shape.
"The No. 1 lost opportunity (with the Volt's derivative styling)," she said, "was getting young people to come and buy this car.
"It's a sad, sad moment for GM," Nakagawa said. "The Volt (concept) was a glimmer of hope the Big 3 isn't as stupid as you thought. This proves how risk-averse, unconfident and incompetent" GM management remains, she said, adding the conservative styling of the Volt seems to confirm GM management has no idea "how much different the future-tech landscape is going to be."
GM took pains in recent months to temper anticipation of the Volt's design in light of what it described as the engineering realities of meeting the Volt's performance objectives - particularly the crucial 40-mile battery-only driving range. If those cold equations really necessitated such a wholesale withdrawal from the muscular uniqueness of the Volt concept car's shape, then perhaps those goals should have been recalibrated.
But if the Volt's insipid sheetmetal is largely the result of executive meddling, GM should make every effort to change direction in the time before the tooling must be ordered. And begin to understand it's own bureaucratic limitations.
GM executives should have lunch with Bill Gates, one source suggested. Even Gates, the captain of the biggest company in the high-tech world - and a younger man than many in GM's senior management - knew when to acknowledge his ideas perhaps were no longer at the cutting edge, stepping back to let younger people chart the corporate direction.
Photos by GM
1 - Chevrolet Volt production version
2 - GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz with production Chevrolet Volt
LEAVE A COMMENT
Click here to comment on this entry.I agree - the leaked photos illustrate bland and disappointing images - why is Lutz smiling - does he have gas! Could it be that these images were leaked on purpose - a head fake, so to speak, in order to create more buzz, and ultimately a bigger bang when released?
SteveDB
Why do they do this? Spend time and money to develop a prototype and then scrap it for the real vehicle? The concept Volt was edgy, different. Advanced thinking. Maybe the Cx wasn't good enough. Who cares? It's going to have only a 40 mile range. This new version is from the Avant Yawn school. Inoffensive, rent-a-car. I would guess that a lot of Priuses (Priusi?) have been sold on looks alone. Love it or hate it, the Prius' styling breaks away from the norm.
In the second picture, is Bob Lutz trying to push it out of the frame?
Yeah screw aerodynamics and fuel efficiently. This car needs the crappy aerodynamics and massively heavy wheels from the concept. What was GM thinking, going for function and goodness over style.
This is the worst example of journalism bias behind the media's coverage of the presidential race. The primary source for this article was a former top Nissan employee. Hey, try asking some former top GM exec to describe how awful the Prius is. Its not surprising that the competitors are criticizing this.
I just can't understand why this is apparently a bomb because it doesn't have flamboyant styling. It is aerodynamic, sleek, and sophisticated, just what this car should be. Anyone with half a brain would know that the concept's extremely un-aerodynamic design and ghetto-fabulous wheels would not make it to production. GM even explicitly said long ago it wouldn't look like the concept because that didn't work. What's really sad is if they had done what you're asking for, you'd be criticizing them for not giving it an efficient design.
Go back to accepting your checks from Toyota and let someone who isn't dedicated to seeing Detroit go down hard write about these matters.
Oh yes, and only GM would be criticized for putting their own styling on this car. Hey, the Insight looks like a Honda. A Toyota Camry Hybrid looks like a Toyota Camry. The Nissan Altima Hybrid looks like a Nissan Altima. It is common practice to have shared style elements across a brand's portfolio, but ONLY when GM does it is it called derivative. Honestly, this is pathetic.
Good posts stovt001. I agree 100%. I also find it somewhat attractive, especially for a vehicle meant to be fuel efficient and aerodynamically sound.
Agree with jerrywimer - ie, well said stovt001.
This is nothing more than a hatchet job.
Derivative ? of the Prius? must be looking at another car
"Volt's insipid sheetmetal is largely the result of executive meddling" - interesting choice of wording - ie, insipid (shows author's intent - knowing the story he wanted to write - facts unnecessary - including no substantiation of "excecutive meddling")
And Nakagawa hardly seems to qualify as a noted designer. I'd like to hear her opinion of Nissan's Versa or Sentra
GM has finally produced a car that people will want to own. Sure, it doesn't look as great as the Volt concept, but does the Camry really look that great? No...but they sure sell a lot of them. I think the Volt is much more original looking than Honda's upcoming Prius (aka, Insight). I've been very disappointed with the photos I've seen of that. Let's not forget that the selling point of the Volt isn't really it's looks...any idiot can build a car that looks great...but rather the fact that it is a mass marketed car that can run on electricity alone.
Well, it seems that most that have posted here like the design. Most people I've talked to about the new design also like it. Most of these people are under age 30. Don't let the Edmunds and others instant jump to downplay this car depress you. It looks fine and the technology inside reads great. Also, let's not let the self important folks that work for the EPA stress you either. They want to test the car in a way GM isn't designing it to run! Let's hope they find a way to lower the price sooner rather then later though because it truly could be the next big thing. I've already been saving for it.
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