GM planning Volt sneak peek for employees

General Motors has revealed that it will unveil the Volt plug-in hybrid in near-production form to employees in a special sneak preview this September. Celebrating 100 years in the car business on September 16th, GM is reportedly nearly finished with the car's basic design, and is now working on laying the foundations for its production.

The first hurdle to overcome will be the construction of the plant where the company will build the 1.4L engine that will power the Volt in naturally-aspirated form and the upcoming Cruze in turbo form. The Cruze itself will also be built in the plant, which is expected to cost $326 million to build and occupy 530,000 square feet, according to The Detroit News.

The basic technology for the car already exists, with test mules running the Volt's 'real architecture' beneath other GM bodies. The design for the exterior of the Volt remains a secret, despite the release of a teaser showing a bit of the front end of the car.

The employee sneak-peek won't be the first time the production, or near-production, Volt has been seen outside the company's design studios, however. A California focus group was reportedly shown an example recently.