Chevrolet Volt Zooms into Japan

And now, the fight has reached Japan... After years of utter Toyota Prius domination on the hybrid vehicles sector in the US, the Americans fight back, throwing into the electric and plug-in electric vehicle Japanese market their most prized possession, the Chevrolet Volt.

GM, the brain behind what is hoped to become the grand daddy of the future American cars with a thing for the environment, announced on Wednesday that it has deployed the Volt in Japan, to be the star of the annual Spring Congress of the Japan Society of Automotive Engineers in Yokohama.

So, even if the first Volt to reach Japan does not signal the beginning of sales there, one thing is certain: GM wants to show the Japanese that it too can make a difference on the market which, for all intents and purposes, was created by Toyota with the first-generation Prius, decades ago.

However, taking advantage of its presence in Yokohama (the Volt will be on display for the next three days), GM did announce that this will not be the only time the Japanese will be able to see the Volt first hand, with demonstrations of the plug-in hybrid now being planned in the country.

“This is a great opportunity for General Motors to highlight our advanced technology leadership in front of the tech-savvy community in Japan,” said GM Japan managing director Sumito Ishii. “It will also contribute to awareness of the Chevrolet brand in one of the world’s largest vehicle markets.”