Chevrolet accelerates, Volt available nationally by fall 2011

The race for market shares of new buyers for hybrid and electric vehicles has intensified with the announcement Chevrolet has advanced its national rollout of the Volt.

Chevrolet has been delivered Volts to customers in the Washington D.C. area, as well as California, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Texas. Customer deliveries in Michigan begin this spring.

Customers nationwide will be able to order Volts with participating dealers beginning in the second quarter.  Deliveries will begin in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii in the third quarter.

During the fourth quarter, Chevrolet expects to deliver Volts in all 50 states.

“We’re accelerating our launch plan to have Volts in all participating Chevrolet dealerships in every single state in the union by the end of this year,” said Rick Scheidt, U.S. vice president, Chevrolet Marketing. “This is the right thing to do for our customers and our dealers who are seeing increased traffic onto their showroom floors.”

The Volt’s popularity has increased in recent months via several honors, including:

* 2011 North American Car of the Year
* Motor Trend 2011 Car of the Year
* Green Car Journal 2011 Green Car of the Year
* Car and Driver 10 Best for 2011
* AUTOMOBILE Magazine 2011 Automobile of the Year

The Volt offers a total driving range of up to 379 miles, based on EPA estimates. For the first 35 miles, the Volt can drive gas-and-tailpipe-emissions-free using a full charge of electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gas-powered engine/generator operates to extend the driving range another 344 miles on a full tank.