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GM Holden’s Design Director, Tony Stolfo said that its Australian-based design team had developed a great reputation within the company for building world class show cars.

“With concepts such as EFIJY and Coupe 60 receiving fantastic international coverage, we have gained a strong reputation in this area,” Mr Stolfo said.

The Orlando itself is a seven-seat multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) with distinctive sports utility-like design.

Despite being designed entirely in Korea, it does boast some Holden-like design inspiration with its massively flared wheel arches.

“It’s a testament to the expertise found here in Australia that we were asked to be part of this global collaboration.”

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Reports from the U.S. today indicate that while Chevrolet is showing-off the new electric powered Volt, Toyota has gone as far as to raise concerns about the special-treatment promised for the Volt by new proposed legislation.

GM is hopeful that the new Volt will be given generous tax credits, a move which Toyota is fighting to stop. A Toyota executive recently told a congressional committee that the government should not enact laws that benefit only one plug-in hybrid design.

“(pending legislation) redefines plug-in electric vehicles to seemingly eliminate consumer tax credits for all but one plug-in vehicle design. Toyota believes this approach is counterproductive. It will discourage manufacturers from developing and consumers from purchasing ‘blended’ plug-ins that are affordable to the greatest number of consumers.”Robert Wimmer of Toyota said.

Toyota has been repeatedly delayed with the launch of the new Prius. No longer the only real hybrid on the market, the next-generation Prius has a lot to live up to. What we know, is that the Japanese giant has added to the new Prius’ battery pack, making it capable of running longer in all-electric mode.

 The company plans to unveil the new Prius by 2010. Perhaps, right before the Volt, which is also scheduled to go on sale in 2010.

 The difference between the Volt and the new Prius? The Volt is a true electric car, using a battery pack rated at 16 kilowatt hours, the vehicle is capable of running on electricity alone for about 60km, something even the new Prius can’t do.

Yes, it does have a conventional petrol engine, but that is primarily to recharge batteries and extend range. The Volt’s battery pack is larger than that of the existing Prius and the one being developed.

The new laws proposed in the U.S. will give tax credits to plug-ins with at least 6 kilowatt-hours of electric power. Credits would reach $7,500 for light-duty vehicles.

Is Toyota scared of the Volt? Should it be?

Meanwhile, General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz wrote a lengthy defence of the newly unveiled Chevrolet Volt on his GM fastlane blog yesterday.

Here is a copy of the posting:

We’ve weathered a lot of skepticism since the Chevrolet Volt concept was introduced at the 2007 Detroit show. The Volt has been called “vaporware” by some members of the media. We’ve heard executives from other manufacturers tell the press that the battery technology won’t work. We’ve even been accused of using the Volt to “greenwash” our image.

Well, as everyone knows now, the Volt is real, and the covers have come off. And it represents nothing less than the first step in the reinvention of the automobile.

The vehicle’s design has come under some criticism, most of it, to me, unwarranted. The challenge to the designers wasn’t to design the most beautiful car imaginable and accept the compromises you have to make to do so. It was, make no compromise to fuel efficiency and electric range, and then do the most beautiful design possible, around those aerodynamic dictates.

When you look at the exterior of the Volt, you might notice certain aerodynamic shapes and design elements of some other cars you might see on the road. But beneath the skin, it shares very little with any other car that’s ever existed. So I submit that while it’s typically design that makes an emotional connection with buyers, in this case, the Volt is going to be bought for emotional reasons, but it will be for the emotion tied to the technology contained therein.

The Volt means a lot to General Motors, and to the industry, on a variety of levels. First of all, this is solid technology that is going to be proven reliable. It’s a practical way that we can electrify the automobile and drastically reduce our dependency on imported petroleum. It’s also important to GM to help reinforce and continue its proud history of technological innovation, and to help restore the image of leadership that accompanied that history.

In terms of the impact of Volt on the automobile industry, I think you’ll see lithium-ion technology filter out to the rest of the industry, even to our competitors who initially said it wouldn’t work. I think they’ve figured out that we may well be onto a winning formula here, with 40 miles of driving powered by electricity from a battery and a small engine — powered by gasoline or E85 — to create additional electricity to power the vehicle for several hundred additional miles. I suspect most of our competitors will have vehicles with technology similar to the Volt within four or five years.

What does that mean for society at large? I think it can have an enormous benefit. Our statistics show that 78 percent of Americans drive 40 miles a day or less. That means that nearly 80 percent of Americans can commute powered by electricity from the grid, never using a drop of gas.

When we achieve substantial production, and if our competitors do as well, and the public takes to this new way of driving — and there’s no doubt in my mind they will — we will drastically reduce gasoline and/or diesel consumption and we will simultaneously be drastically reducing our dependency on oil. This puts the country in a much more comfortable place geopolitically and also helps the environment. So at this point, I think it’s very hard to overestimate the importance of the Volt for GM, for the industry and for society in general.

The production version of the Volt represents our progress, and our commitment to seeing that all become a reality in short order. We’d like nothing more than to see everyone drive a Volt and stop going to the gas pump so often to fill up on ever-more-expensive fuel imported from an ever-more-unstable part of the world.

With the Volt, you go home, you plug it in, and you’re done. And for roughly 80 cents’ worth of electricity, you’ve got a fully-charged battery, ready to take on another forty miles of gas-free and tailpipe-emission-free driving. If that’s greenwashing, then come on in — the water’s fine.

Related stories:

• GM to show production ready Volt
• GM confident Chevrolet Volt will succeed

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When production resumes on October 13, assembly line speed will be reduced from 18.5 vehicles every hour to just 15, with production line staff numbers expected to fall by up to 75 workers.

Corvette sales fell 8.5 percent for the first eight months of 2008, however peaked slightly in August following the inclusion of 2008 models in an employee pricing incentive scheme.

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I, and my assembled motoring writer colleagues, stopped eating our very excellent GM provided lunch as Greg repeated his statement and then went on to wax lyrical for several more minutes on just how much fun HSV’s “supercar” W427 was – and all he’d done is a few laps of the so-called “ride and handling track” – a simulation of just about every bad piece of Australian road that GM has been able to put together.

Even better was to come later, certainly for yours truly, but let’s roll back a few hours to an early morning start in Clayton at the industrial complex-hidden headquarters of HSV.

While much of the local motoring media had spent a day at a wet and windy Calder Park Raceway near Melbourne with the HSV W427, CarAdvice was invited along to a road drive program from HSV HQ in Clayton that was to culminate at the super-secret Lang Lang Proving Ground with the opportunity to drive the W427 on some of the test tracks, in company with aforementioned Mr Murphy.

How could we refuse? Of course we didn’t!

In the beginning there were the usual presentations from a string of HSV executives who explained that the W427 will be built to a total of 427 individually constructed vehicles over the next two years and the first 90, governed by the availability of the LS7, 7.0-litre V8 monster that goes under the bonnet, will be built and delivered to owners who, apparently, have happily parted with $155,000 for the most expensive Holden Commodore, and the most expensive HSV, ever built.

The W427 was conceived to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of HSV and the 375kW/640Nm Chevrolet Corvette-engined W427 is the car “HSV has always wanted to build” according to engineering manager Joel Stoddart.

He added that it had been the focus for the organisation over the past two years.

Like most of HSV’s powerplants the LS7 engine is shipped direct from the GM Performance Build Centre in North America, but all the external bits, including the dry-sump system, the exhaust and the cold-air induction system were all developed right here in Australia.

The standard Corvette engine computer and the Electronic Stability Control system were also modified after a year of local development work.

HSV’s Managing Director Phil Harding was keen to tell us that the W427 demonstrated that engineering and design ingenuity was alive and well in the Australian car industry.

He’s also keen to have the W427 identified as a ‘supercar’ and while we doubt its credentials as such, preferring the tag to remain with somewhat more bespoke automotive creations, there is no doubting that this is one of the most competent cars ever built by HSV.

HSV’s design team, led by Julian Quincey, are also keen to ensure that the distinctive mark they have left on the W427 doesn’t go un-noticed.

Quincey told us;” the design brief for the W427 was to create a unique face for this HSV, one that would signal the car’s immense capability, authority and power.”
“The W427 is the flagship of the HSV range and we wanted to emphasise the hand-built qualities of this car, “ he said.

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“We are trying to position Opel toward the upper side of the high-volume segments and having the Volt technology will give Opel a competitive edge,” an insider told Automotive News Europe.

General Motors plans to release the production Chevrolet Volt onto the US market by late 2010, however the European Volt will resemble something more along the lines of the Flextreme concept first shown in Frankfurt in 2007.

The first models to reach Europe will be manufactured in Detroit, although GM has plans to produce the car locally to meet forecast demand.

“One day the Volt will be built in Europe, it is only a question of when,” GM Europe President Carl Peter Forster

Both the Volt and Flextreme cars feature GM’s extended-range electric-vehicle (E-REV) powertrain, which mates an electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack to a small combustion engine.

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The Camaro SS develops 315kW and 553Nm when mated with the 6-speed manual gearbox, which drops to 298kW and 535Nm with the 6-speed automatic.

The Camaro almost wasn’t meant to be, with the initial concept never intended for production.

When executives then gave it the green light, Australian boffins pieced together the modern interpretation of the classic American icon on underpinnings borrowed from Holden’s billion dollar baby.

Unfortunately, still no official word yet on whether the new Camaro will ever see Australian showrooms.

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The Orlando follows many of the same design patterns as other Chevrolet cars, however GM believes this car will combine the versatility attributes of a sport utility, a family van and a wagon in a single execution. An interesting idea, whether or not it works, is a different story.

Although it sure does look good. With a very distinctive silhouette, replacing conventional monocab proportions, the Orlando will stand out amongst the seven-seater category. Flared fenders instead of a flat side-body also add to its sporty appeal.

Moving inside the Orlando promises to deliver plenty of space with seven ‘theater-style’ seats, arranged in three rows. The seats are removable, allowing the Orlando to be used as a van when needed.

The engine GM has chosen to move seven-people is Chevrolet’s new 2.0-litre turbo diesel. Which on paper at least, seems a little underpowered for the task, delivering only 112 kW and 320 Nm of torque.

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The styling has been dramatically evolved from the initial Volt Concept whilst still retaining a futuristic appearance.

Unlike conventional hybrids, the Volt is driven solely by its electric motor, with an onboard combustion engine powering a generator which in turn feeds the Lithium-ion battery.

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This new platform actually has more names than we can keep track of. We’ve also heard it referred to as “Global Mini” and “GMDAT-M.”

While the Matiz and Spark should start production in Spring of 2009, the timing on the Chevy Beat still remains unclear.

Given the current desire for more fuel efficient and smaller cars, should GM Holden bring the new Matiz to Australia? If so, should it be sold under the Chevrolet brand (which is expected to launch in Australia soon) or Holden?

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Its boldly styled sweeping roofline, shallow rear-pillars and wrap around headlights compliment the restrained use of exterior trim giving it a clean, unfussy appearance.

“Our goal with the design of the Cruze was to be bold, not evolutionary,” said chief designer Taewan Kim. “We wanted to take a big step forward, making a strong design statement for Chevrolet products around the world.”

Inside, the car features a twin-cockpit design, with the centre console ergonomically divided for both driver and passenger alike - a styling cue taken from various iconic Chevrolet performance cars.

Three engines will be available at the time of launch - an 82kw 1.6-litre and 103kW 1.8-litre petrol models and a 110kW 2.0-litre common-rail turbo diesel.

Its introduction will strengthen an already impressive European portfolio, which saw a 23 percent growth in the first half of 2008.

“We are very proud that Europe is leading the introduction for this global product,” said Wayne Brannon, Executive Director, Chevrolet Europe. “Chevrolet has always stood for expressive value, and Cruze delivers on that promise like never before. It redefines value with its quality, design, materials and great style both inside and out.”

The Cruze is likely to fall under the Holden nameplate as the replacement for the aging - and bland - Viva model.

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The document, which appeared the 5thGen.org Camaro fan site, outlines the various trim levels and option packages available for customers.

The 3.6-litre V6 engine, which features direct injection and Variable Valve Timing (VVT), is standard on LS and LT models, with a projected 223kW of power and 370Nm.

The flagship SS model is available with two variants of the 6.2-litre V8 power plant.

The first is the L99 variation which produces 300kW and 535Nm, and incorporates Active Fuel Management and VVT technology for improved economy.

The second is the high-performance LS3 engine as featured in the HSV line-up which develops an estimated 315kW and 552Nm.

An Aisin six-speed manual is standard fitment with the V6-powered LS and LT models, with an optional six-speed automatic available for both V6 variants and the L99-equipped SS.

The LS3 SS exclusively features the Tremec six-speed manual transmission to complement its performance credentials.

A final noteworthy component is the four-piston front and rear Brembo brake package, standard for the SS.

Source: 5thGen

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