GM Rumored to Debut New Plug-in Hybrid at 2012 Detroit Motor Show

At a recent event called “Charged 2011 – EV Symposium Silicon Valley”, General Motors’ western region group manager for environment and energy communications, Dave Barthmuss, told Brad Berman from Plugincars that the company may surprise us at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show with a new model, hinting at a plug-in hybrid crossover.
One of GM’s brands, Chevrolet, has already shown a similar concept with the Volt MPV5, so it is quite possible that the car we will see it the production version of the study.
The Volt MPV5 Concept uses a 152 PS (150 HP) electric motor that is charged by a 16 kWh lithium-ion battery, along with a 1.4-liter gasoline unit. The combustion engine’s purpose is to act purely as a generator, extending the hybrid’s range from a stingy 51.5 km (32 miles) on battery power alone to up to 482 km (300 miles).
GM claims that consumers cannot yet be satisfied with the range of a pure EV like the Nissan’s LEAF, hence the need for a range extender in the standard Volt. However, Barthmuss did not rule out the possibility of an EV in the near future, powered either by a modified version of the Volt’s powertrain without the range extender, or an entirely new system.
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