Holden Volt 2012 News

After 76 years as king of the hill, General Motors is expected to be dethroned by Toyota this year as the world's No.1 carmaker.But if GM chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner is worried, although he is not showing it.“We'll see how it comes out,” he says. “Toyota started ahead in the first quarter of 2007, but we passed them in the third quarter, so it's a race. As I recall, we lead in 13 of the world's 15 largest markets, but Toyota has a huge lead in Japan.”Wagoner says GM is still focused on its plan to deliver “great cars, smart marketing, growth in the emerging markets . . . and hopefully that will keep us on top.”“If not, we'll come back to work the next day and work even harder.”A confident Wagoner spoke last week in an online global chat session called GMNext that opened a series of events to mark the company's 100th anniversary.His comments came amid concerns GM is not moving quickly enough to embrace newer hybrid and flex-fuel vehicle technologies in a time of soaring fuel prices.Despite claims to the contrary, GM is behind European marques in adopting frugal turbodiesels for passenger cars and expanding them into North America.Wagoner enthusiastically talked up alternative technologies but could not give a firm on-sale date for GM's Volt electric car, saying only that it would probably be on sale in 2010.The Chevy Volt concept runs on a three-cylinder 1.0-litre internal-combustion engine and on a lithium ion battery pack. It can operate as an all-electric and petrol-powered car.“The Chevy Volt, and the E-Flex system, are really important for GM's and the whole industry's future,” Wagoner says.“The growing demand for oil means we need to diversify the sources of power for autos away from our traditional 98 per cent reliance on oil."“As to when the Volt will hit the road, we continue to put massive resources into producing it as soon as possible.”Wagoner says GM is moving “fast” on diesels.“We have a major commitment to diesels ourselves, in Europe and increasingly in the US, where we see the usage focused on heavier vehicles,” he says. “But we also are placing huge bets on electrically driven vehicles, fuel cells and biofuels.”After the debacle over its ill-fated EV1 all-electric car, GM says it's reclaiming lost ground on hybrid technology and had not been caught napping.“Toyota has done a fine job with the Prius,” he says. “But we are moving fast with technologies like E-85, all-electric, fuel cells, and a wide range of hybrid offers, including the widely acclaimed two-mode system.”In comparison, Toyota's hybrid Prius has been on sale for 10 years and is into its second-generation model. The company has also signalled its intention to have a hybrid available in every one of its models by 2020.Toyota releases its 2007 sales figures at the end of the month.GM remains No. 1, selling 3.82 million vehicles last year, down 6 per cent from 2006. 

General Motors has awarded contracts to companies to help speed up development of its plug-in electric car the Chevrolet Volt, chairman Rick Wagoner said yesterday.Mr Wagoner, speaking at the company's annual shareholders meeting, also said GM would introduce four new hybrid models this year.The contracts to design and test lithium-ion batteries went to Michigan-based Compact Power and to Continental Automotive systems, Mr Wagoner said.“Given the huge potential that the Volt and its E-flex system offers to lower oil consumption, lower oil imports and reduced carbon gas emissions, this is for sure a top priority program for GM,” he said.The Volt, unveiled in January at the Detroit Auto Show, has a battery-powered electric motor that can run the car for up to 64km on a single charge. Beyond that, a petrol-powered, one-litre, three-cylinder engine can generate electricity to replenish the battery, giving the car a range of up to 1030km, GM said.GM's announcement came as Honda said it will discontinue the hybrid version of its Accord sedans, conceding Toyota's dominance with the hit Prius hybrid.GM shareholders voted down a series of stockholder initiatives, including a bylaws change proposed by the Community of the Sisters of St. Dominic of Caldwell, New Jersey, that the company set goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel efficiency.