Chevrolet Volt should have been a truck

Former GM vice chairman Bob Lutz declared in an interview the Chevrolet Volt should have been a truck, not a sedan.

The Chevrolet Volt was GM's response to the Toyota Prius but Bob Lutz - who at that point was the company's vice president – mentions the car should have been a truck, not a sedan. He motivated his answer by saying small sedans are already some of the most economical cars out there and benefits of a hybridized model are minimal. He added it would have been a lot better to implement hybrid technology in a truck which has low fuel efficiency and big CO2 emissions as the gains would have been a lot more significant.

Bob Lutz is now on the board of VIA Motors, a company which is specialized in creating hybrid electric trucks. One of their developments is the X-Truck which is essentially a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado with a 5.3-liter V8 and a 24 kWh lithium-ion battery enabling the vehicle to return more than 100 mpg and do 35 miles (56 km) on electric power.

A production model from VIA Motors is expected several months from now with a hybrid setup encompassing a 4.3-liter V6 gasoline engine and an electric motor to provide a combined output of 402 bhp (300 kW).

Source: Al Ain Japan