Leaked photo of the new Volt

So far we know that GM has officially said that they don’t like that the pictures of the Volt have been released ahead of the ‘official’ unveiling.  Whether this is true or not they can’t be too satisfied with the reaction that the pictures have garnered.  Most fans have been critical of the design, saying that they concept was agressive and daunting while the official car is pretty mild and bland.

“Derivative” is a response that resonates on many Web sites, as the
viral-reaction party line immediately settled on the Volt appearing to
pay combined homage to Chevy’s successful — but not necessarily sexy — Malibu sedan and Toyota’s almighty (but absolutely not sexy)  Prius hybrid.

“It’s a huge disappointment,” said Jane Nakagawa, a freelance automotive writer, frequent contributor at AutoObserver — and a former director of advanced planning for Nissan North America Inc.

Nakagawa bluntly calls the Volt’s final styling — if that’s what the
images we’ve seen indeed portray — “completely unacceptable. They made
a big, fat promise,” and didn’t follow up, she said.

The slabby, conservative Volt “looks like Grandma’s electric vehicle,” she added.

“The production version looks like the unlikely love child of a
one-nighter involving GM’s concept and the Prius,” another longstanding
automotive journalist reported to AutoObserver.

“I think this design will seem ancient in 27 months when it finally
hits the streets. By then, we’ll have a third-generation Prius, a
couple of Honda hybrids, and other green machines to choose from.”

There are those that feel that GM squashed any ideas of making the Volt design stand out in the crowd.  That they don’t want to take any chances when they release the car that they’ve placed most of their eggs in.

“The number-one lost opportunity (with the Volt’s derivative styling),”
Nakagawa said, “was getting young people to come and buy this car. It’s
a sad, sad moment for GM,” she said. “The Volt (concept) was a glimmer
of hope the Big 3 isn’t as stupid as you thought.”

Source: Edmunds.com

What most people realize, and what Jane should realize, is that aerodynamics play a huge role in how far the Volt’s battery pack will get it and how much gas it will use once that battery pack is depleted.

Making a vehicle that gets 50 mpg isn’t easy, and you can’t just design it willy nilly to look cool.  Every surface and edge has to be examined to make sure it gets the best possible mpg.

There’s a reason that the Prius looks the way it does, Toyota knows that the design of the Prius isn’t a sexy or even good looking design, but it’s the one that flows through the air the easiest.