Voltec
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BMW has confirmed it’s poached GM’s former head of product planning, Frank Weber, to fill the role of head of vehicle architecture and integration at the luxury automaker. Weber, a key engineer in the development of the Chevrolet Volt and its Voltec range-extending electric drive system, will now report to BMW’s R&D chief Klaus Draeger and is likely destined to work on further development of BMW’s new ‘i’ range of electric cars. Weber’s expertise on electric car development will be crucial for BMW's new i branded models such as the upcoming i3...
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Report: Buick To Get Own Version Of Opel Ampera
Buick is reportedly the next recipient of Chevrolet’s ‘Voltec’ range-extended electric car platform, with news surfacing this week that GM’s mid-level luxury brand will get its own version of the Opel Ampera. Buick, you may recall, is already selling a rebadged Opel in the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2010 Paris Auto Show Preview: 2011 Chevrolet Orlando
Chevrolet may have reversed its decision to bring the Orlando to the U.S. but the boxy MPV will still go on sale across Europe early next year, with a world debut pegged for next month's 2010 Paris Auto Show. The Orlando is based on the same front-wheel drive Delta platform that underpins cars like...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2010 Beijing Auto Show: Chevrolet Volt MPV5 Concept
From the earliest days of development of the Voltec plug-in hybrid system underpinning the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Volt, GM has been insistent that the fuel saving drivetrain would appear in other vehicles including sedans and MPVs. One of the first segments GM hinted at as a possibility for the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: Growing Support Within GM For Production Cadillac Converj
If given the green light the Converj wouldn’t appear in showrooms until 2014.
Ralph Hanson -
Video: Technology behind the Opel Ampera explained
General Motors recently gave us a preview of a new plug-in hybrid vehicle based on the Chevrolet Volt that the company plans to sell in Europe under its Opel division. The car is the new Opel Ampera and it is set to make its world debut at March’s Geneva Motor Show. GM has now released a...
Alex Kaufmann -
One of the most exciting cars from last week’s Detroit Auto Show was the Cadillac Converj concept car, which General Motors used to showcase its plug-in hybrid technology in a luxury platform. Despite the concept featuring one of the most striking designs we’ve seen in a while, GM vice chairman Bob Lutz said it was designed so that any eventual production version would look “exactly like” the show car. The concept’s exterior isn’t the only design aspect that is near the production stage. The new Voltec plug-in hybrid powertrain is the same unit from the...