DETROIT — Chevrolet on Thursday released an intriguing video of a miniature Volt electric car being tested in the wind tunnel. The video was accompanied by a posting on the GM FastLane corporate blog that extolled the production Volt's aerodynamic design qualities.

The video is worthwhile because it gives viewers a better sense of the overall proportions of the Volt. Thus far, GM has only released images showing parts of the vehicle, not the whole thing.

'We believe the Chevrolet Volt's exterior design is an attractive balance between aerodynamic performance and styling,' wrote Bob Boniface, Volt director of design, in the posting.

'If you look closely, you can see the rounded and flushed front fascia, tapered corners and closed grille are aesthetically beautiful and functional, enabling the air to move easily around the car,' he said, referring to one of the official photos of the Volt that GM released on Thursday.



 



'Aerodynamics is extremely important for an electric vehicle like the Volt, which is designed to drive up to 40 miles using only electricity to power the car,' Boniface said. 'By minimizing aero drag, we can maximize the range of the battery. So it shouldn't come as any surprise that my exterior design team spent countless hours in the wind tunnel with our aerodynamicist to refine the Volt's exterior. We believe this was time well spent — when you're trying to extend gas-free driving of the vehicle, you'll take all the efficiency you can get.'

The downside is that the production Volt bears only a slight resemblance to the low-slung Volt concept, which wasn't aerodynamic enough. 'The final version of the Volt won't look like the concept,' General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told reporters at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show. 'In the wind tunnel it was a cruel disappointment. We probably would've gotten better drag coefficient if we put it in the wind tunnel backwards.'