DETROIT -- Just when Toyota thought its safety problems were over, they flare up all over again.
Less than a year after it was tarnished by reports of runaway cars, the automaker recalled 1.5 million vehicles Thursday to address brake-fluid and fuel-pump troubles, drawing new attention to safety issues that have festered inside the company for years.
The 2010 Chevrolet Volt is turning out to be one of the worst kept secrets in the automotive industry, but it won’t stay that way for long. That’s because General Motors announced on Thursday that it plans to unveil a production version of the Volt later this month at the company’s centennial celebration.
Over the past few weeks, the Volt program has suffered several cracks in the wall, with leaked images supposedly showing the car’s final interior and exterior designs. But all the rumors and leaked images should be put to rest on September 16th when the wraps come off the production car.
“The rumors that a production version of the Volt will show up at the celebrations are true,” an inside source told Automotive News Europe. “The car will be a true representation of what the production version looks like and be somewhat different from the concept versions.”
After showing a concept version of the Volt in early 2007, GM engineers discovered the Volt’s body was not aerodynamic enough to meet range targets. Therefore, the Volt has been almost completely design since its public debut.
Despite the Volt’s appearance later thing month, GM vice chairman Bob Lutz says the revolutionary plug-in hybrid will not be making an appearance at next month’s Paris show. However, it’s likely the Volt will show up at January’s Detroit Auto Show — the same venue where the all-new Toyota Prius will make its debut.
