Originally Posted by davies (Post 212043)

Hello
With GM having spent a reported $1 billion bringing the Chevrolet Volt to fruition, spreading out the risk among several models could be the key to paying down the R&D tab on its gas-electric engine. And tapping into the family-mover market wouldn't hurt either. Enter the Chevrolet Orlando. GM unveiled the attractive minivan concept at the Detroit auto show this past January, with a target release date of 2011. The Orlando may also come with an option other than juice-box holders and Band-Aid cubbies: The Chevrolet Volt's Voltaic (formerly E-Flex) power train.

Ex-vice chairman and new marketing boss Bob Lutz told the GM-Volt blog that the company is studying how it might port the Volt's drive system over to the Orlando. A hybrid vehicle with space for a large brood seems to be a logical next plateau in the rise of the gas-electric power plant. GM is adamant about not calling the Volt a hybrid, but an "extended-range electric" vehicle, considering only the electric motor will drive the wheels (the gas engine will only charge the batteries).