General Motors will show the next-generation Chevrolet Volt plug-in at the Detroit auto show in January, Chevy's top marketer said today.
Tim Mahoney, Chevy's global chief marketing officer, disclosed the plans at the 2014 Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich. He also revealed a teaser photo that showed the redesigned 2016 Volt's rear badge and a more sculpted decklid.
The next-gen Volt is expected to arrive in showrooms sometime in late 2015. GM will add a third seat in the rear and downsize to a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder engine, from the current 1.4-liter four-cylinder, sources have told Automotive News.
GM has sold more than 65,000 Volts since it went on sale in December 2010, making it the top selling U.S. plug-in car, GM said in a statement today.
Still, sales volumes have fallen short of the company's initial expectations. Former CEO Dan Akerson had initially projected production of 60,000 Volts in 2012 alone.
This year through July, GM sold 10,635 Volts, down 9 percent from a year earlier. Sales dipped 2 percent last year, to 23,094.
GM said nearly 70 percent of buyers who trade in another vehicle for a Volt are coming out of non-GM brands, which is a high conquest rate. The majority of those trade-ins are Toyota Prius hybrids, GM said.
The Volt is powered by energy from its 435-pound battery pack for an estimated range of 38 miles. Once the charge is depleted, the gasoline-powered engine kicks on to power the electric drivetrain.
GM said Volt owners are driving about 63 percent of their miles in electric mode, translating to a collective savings of more than 25 million gallons of gasoline since the car's debut.
“You’ll see improvements all the way across, from technology to design,” Mahoney said. He called the car “a pure expression of what Find New Roads represents,” referring to the brand’s tag line.
Tom Worobec contributed to this report.
