September has been a month of reveals for GM cars, with details about the 2009 Pontiac G3 and the 2011 Chevrolet Volt finally being shared, but of the two, the G3 is being met with considerably less excitement.
The Pontiac G3 is essentially a dressed up, four-door version of the Chevrolet Aveo, and it will join the lineup in Spring, 2009, as a "credible new high-mileage entry-level car at a time when small cars are the fastest-growing segment in the industry," says Jim Hopson, a spokesman for Pontiac.
Hopson has a point, but critics and industry experts are a bit skeptical. After all, Pontiac is supposed to be the performance-car branch of GM. Nevertheless, Hopson assures, Pontiac will still be offering the Solstice and G8 rear-wheel drive performance cars as well as the sporty front-wheel drive Vibe and G5, which means that along with the new G3 and the G6, Pontiac's stable will include four vehicles that exceed 30 mpg when driven on the highway.
While some worry that the move to economy cars is a backwards step for Pontiac, AutoTrends analyst Jo Phillippi, says it's actually a smart decision. In a statement to the press, he explained, "Everyone has to fight the battle with stricter CAFE [corporate average fuel economy] regulations coming. In order to sell the G8 and Solstice sports cars [you] have to sell some high-mileage economy cars alongside them to help meet the CAFE average."
In contrast with the lack of enthusiasm offered to the Pontiac G3, this month's reveal of the production version of the Chevrolet Volt, the much-vaunted hybrid-electric plug-in car first introduced to the public at the 2007 Detroit auto show, has been met with great excitement, despite the fact that the car is now a four-door hatchback, and not the sleek and stylish concept car we were originally shown. GM says this is because the car needed to be more aerodynamic than originally planned, in order to maximize fuel efficiency.
As GM has stated previously, the Volt, to be available for the 2011 model year, will have a range of 40 miles on a full electric charge, at which point a gas/E5 capable engine will engage to recharge the battery. In this car the gasoline engine is essentially a generator, and all power to the drive system is electric.
While complete specifications for the Volt have not yet been made public, GM did share that the electric motor will offer the equivalent of 150 hp (as compared to the 110 hp of a Toyota Prius), and will have a maximum speed of 100 mph. There will be 220 lithium-ion battery cells powering the car, and the electric motor can be charged in eight hours when plugged into a standard 120-volt household outlet, or three hours when plugged into a 240-volt receptacle. (If the battery is not fully depleted the charge time will be less.)
With the Pontiac G3 coming in 2009, and the Chevrolet Volt arriving for the 2011 model year, it's clear that even GM is seeing the merit of greener design, and the necessity of appealing to a more environmentally aware public.
The Pontiac G3 is essentially a dressed up, four-door version of the Chevrolet Aveo, and it will join the lineup in Spring, 2009, as a "credible new high-mileage entry-level car at a time when small cars are the fastest-growing segment in the industry," says Jim Hopson, a spokesman for Pontiac.
Hopson has a point, but critics and industry experts are a bit skeptical. After all, Pontiac is supposed to be the performance-car branch of GM. Nevertheless, Hopson assures, Pontiac will still be offering the Solstice and G8 rear-wheel drive performance cars as well as the sporty front-wheel drive Vibe and G5, which means that along with the new G3 and the G6, Pontiac's stable will include four vehicles that exceed 30 mpg when driven on the highway.
While some worry that the move to economy cars is a backwards step for Pontiac, AutoTrends analyst Jo Phillippi, says it's actually a smart decision. In a statement to the press, he explained, "Everyone has to fight the battle with stricter CAFE [corporate average fuel economy] regulations coming. In order to sell the G8 and Solstice sports cars [you] have to sell some high-mileage economy cars alongside them to help meet the CAFE average."
In contrast with the lack of enthusiasm offered to the Pontiac G3, this month's reveal of the production version of the Chevrolet Volt, the much-vaunted hybrid-electric plug-in car first introduced to the public at the 2007 Detroit auto show, has been met with great excitement, despite the fact that the car is now a four-door hatchback, and not the sleek and stylish concept car we were originally shown. GM says this is because the car needed to be more aerodynamic than originally planned, in order to maximize fuel efficiency.
As GM has stated previously, the Volt, to be available for the 2011 model year, will have a range of 40 miles on a full electric charge, at which point a gas/E5 capable engine will engage to recharge the battery. In this car the gasoline engine is essentially a generator, and all power to the drive system is electric.
While complete specifications for the Volt have not yet been made public, GM did share that the electric motor will offer the equivalent of 150 hp (as compared to the 110 hp of a Toyota Prius), and will have a maximum speed of 100 mph. There will be 220 lithium-ion battery cells powering the car, and the electric motor can be charged in eight hours when plugged into a standard 120-volt household outlet, or three hours when plugged into a 240-volt receptacle. (If the battery is not fully depleted the charge time will be less.)
With the Pontiac G3 coming in 2009, and the Chevrolet Volt arriving for the 2011 model year, it's clear that even GM is seeing the merit of greener design, and the necessity of appealing to a more environmentally aware public.
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