Chevrolet Volt Is Not "Commercially Viable"

Chevrolet Volt, the over-praised model which is expected to turn General Motors around and pave the way to profit, might not be ready in time for the November 2010 launch. A regulatory filing report submitted by the American manufacturer to the US Treasury yesterday states that the hybrid is still under development and might fail to make the deadline, in spite of reports that pre-production Volts are already undergoing heavy testings.

But a more interesting fact is that General Motors is afraid of competition and says that rivals who are targeting the same consumer segment as the Volt could purchase or develop more advanced technologies sooner. This would obviously mean that Volt would face more powerful competition that could turn GM's flagship product into a mediocre model.

"Our competitors and others are pursuing similar technologies and other competing technologies, in some cases with more money available," said GM according to a report by autocar.co.uk. "There can be no assurance that they will not acquire similar or superior technologies sooner than we do."

In a webchat on the official GM blog, Jon Lauckner, GM’s Vice President of Global Program Management, said the carmaker is still working to find ways to cut costs, especially when talking about the battery

"I'm not going to be specific about dates, but we will certainly look to make changes in the Volt to reduce cost as soon as they are available. Our biggest areas of interest are new developments that would reduce the cost of the battery pack, drive motor, power electronics and other systems that represent new technology in electric vehicles like the Volt, where the costs are very high in the beginning. We see the supply base for these technologies maturing rapidly," he said.