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GM to build 10,000 Volt per year
By Yoann Besnard on 27 February 2008 | 
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The closer we get to the production stage, the less confident is GM about the Volt plug-in hybrid model. The carmaker decided to lower its production from 60,000 in last August to 10,000 units per year.
In an interview with the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail, GM product czar Bob Lutz revealed that Volt production will start at just 10,000 units in the first year. "Volt will be about 10,000 units the first year, just to make sure we're prepared for any issues that might come up, and then ramp up production from there," Lutz told a group of journalists, noting that there were still significant development issues to overcome before the technology could be optimized for mass market use. "So we're not going to see a wholesale move to electric vehicles right away."
Due to be unveiled in November 2010, the Chevrolet Volt will be the first plug-in hybrid in the world but its development is not without stumbling blocks. Indeed, engineers struggle with aerodynamics and battery technologies.
The Volt will be sold at first with outdated battery technologies as the limited timeframe doesn’t enable the carmaker to use lithium-ion batteries. Toyota also encounters the same problem as the Japanese carmaker delayed the launch of the next-generation Prius due to problems generated by lithium-ion batteries development.