Early last month, there were reports saying that when General Motors (GM) officially rolls out the 2016 Chevrolet Volt, it shall only be initially available in 11 states in the US.
It was a clear disadvantage to the 2016 Chevrolet Volt as a hybrid vehicle considering that it is to go up against the Tesla Model S fully-electric sedan, which shall be made available in the entire US once it rolls off the assembly line beginning in late September.
The 2016 Chevrolet Volt has officially made it to the motoring retail market a few days ago but unfortunately, instead of the 11 states that were hyped, it will only be available initially in the State of California for now. Its availability in other US states will be known around early next year, notes the Christian Today.
That was a big downer on the part of GM as it certainly shrunk the market and lessens the sales potentials of the all-new Volt.
Californians who were able to get the opportunity to finally see the 2016 Chevrolet Volt in local dealerships believe that at a retail price of $33,995, the sporty four-door sedan is quite a worthy purchase.
A major refresh
The 2016 Chevrolet Volt comes out almost eight years after the last Volt was released so a whole lot has changed on the sedan for the better, notes Ubergizmo.
The sedan boasts of a range of 53 miles per charge. While its retail price is far from being cheap, it is a whole lot cleaner than many gas guzzlers of today.
GM is actually positioning the 2016 Volt to go up against other hybrid cars including the Toyota Prius, the Nissan Leaf, and the Tesla Model S.
The 2016 Chevrolet Volt is powered by a new 1.5-liter I-4 engine that features direct injection, a 12.5:1 compression exhaust gas recirculation and cam phasing. It can run at a maximum of 5,600 rpm.
The sedan also has ample space at the back which can further be taken advantage of by simply folding the rear seats down to an almost flat position.
Patterned after the Corvette
Darin Gesse, Volt Product Manager, said that the lower rear design of the sporty sedan was taken after the Corvette, which makes the 2016 Volt looks more refined now.
Each design element flow seamlessly making each part of the car look well integrated and aerodynamic too.
Gesse added that the new Volt was designed with having the sheet metal molded with the wind in mind. He went on to explain that it is kinda like how sands were molded in the desert by the wind.
The 2016 Chevrolet Volt also values safety as evident in its features. There is the Lane Keep Assist which uses sensors that keeps the car in the right lane, the Rear Cross Traffic Alert, which assists the driver every time he backs up the car from a parking lot or a driveway, the Forward Safety Awareness feature, which uses camera vision to inform the driver if there are cars slowing down in front and even puts on the break on its own to prevent the driver from crashing.
It also packs 10 airbags within the car that have 360-degrees sensing ability that adjust themselves depending on the impact of the crash.
GM is already anticipating strong demand for its updated, second-generation hybrid sedan but with the limited market presence, the American carmaker is surely pressed for luck.
Critics were able to drive the new 2016 Chevrolet Volt just recently for an extended road trip and the general assessment is that it is a noticeable improvement from its first-generation predecessor model in almost every aspect.
They believe that Chevrolet engineers have made modifications on every aspect of the Volt including the improvement on the battery which was improved to 18.4 kWH from previously 15.5 kWH. What makes it more interesting is that despite the increase in battery output, the weight of the battery is 20 pounds lighter plus the fact that it fits the same space as the previous battery for the predecessor model.