The soon-to-be-released 2016 Chevy Volt will reportedly share some of the same design elements as the lauded C7 Corvette Stingray, according to some recent reports.
Supposing this turns out to be the case, it’ll make for an interesting development — perhaps providing the impetus for widespread public adoption of the model? Well, that’s maybe wishful thinking, but interesting nonetheless.
The hints come to us via an interview that GM design boss ED Welburn had with Automotive News, where Welburn noted: “As Malibu and Cruze and Volt come to market, you’ll be able to see a subtle link between some of the form vocabulary for all of them and Corvette. I always look at the hood of the Corvette and the sectioning, the way it’s taut, very lean, very sporty. That will be a part of really everything we do for Chevrolet.”
Hard to say what that means exactly in practice — designer talk? Or more substantial than that, with the “resemblance” clear to the layman?
GAS2 provides some thoughts on the news:
Sales of the new Corvette have been hot, though sales of the Volt have been decidedly not, due in part to a stale product (the Volt is now four years old) and in part to a conservative design. I never thought the Volt was a bad-looking car, but it’s not a particularly sexy car either.
The Corvette, however, is hella-sexy, and if GM can work some of the same magic on the 2016 Volt, it could broaden the appeal of their plug-in hybrid. One specific feature hinted at are the squared-off tail lights the new ‘Vette brought to the table, which would be a huge improvement over the wraparound lights the Volt currently wears. More range and an extra seat could also help bring in buyers too. Will GM have a home run on its hand by infusing the Corvette’s design DNA with the new Chevy Volt?
Hmm, hard to say. But at least we’ll find out soon — the release date is just a couple weeks out, and we’ll have a few people on the ground at the Detroit Auto Show to give us their opinions.
Image Credit: GM
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