Readers and editors of SAE International’s Automotive Engineering International (AEI) magazine have selected the Chevrolet Volt as the “Best Engineered Vehicle” of 2011. This award highlights the innovative engineering that led to the “production of the world’s first electric vehicle with extended-range capability,” according to the SAE.
Doug Parks, Volt vehicle line executive, says that the “selection of the Volt as the 2011 Best Engineered Vehicle by our peers is an honor” and commends General Motors’ engineering team for creating a “truly transformational vehicle.”
SAE International members voted on the “Best Engineered Vehicle” from a list of candidates, including the Nissan Leaf, BMW 5 Series, Kia Optima and Volkswagen Jetta. The vehicles were judged based on these criteria: commonality, flexibility, cost, innovation, package efficiency, powertrain performance, chassis systems, interior accommodations, occupant safety and engineering benchmark.
[Source: Society of Automotive Engineers]
WARRENDALE, Pa., April 13, 2011 – The readers and editors of SAE International’s Automotive Engineering International (AEI) magazine have selected the 2011 Chevrolet Volt as the “Best Engineered Vehicle of 2011.” The announcement was made during the SAE 2011 World Congress, April 12-14, in Detroit, Mich.
“The selection of the Volt as the 2011 Best Engineered Vehicle by our peers is an honor,” said Doug Parks, Vehicle Line Executive for the Chevrolet Volt. “This award validates the hard work and effort of the engineering team to deliver a truly transformational vehicle.”
The “2011 Best Engineered Vehicle” award highlights the innovative engineering that resulted in the production of the world’s first electric vehicle with extended range capability. With a full charge, Volt drivers will are able to go up to 40 miles completely emissions- and gasoline-free and then continue for several hundred more miles.
Complementing its groundbreaking propulsion system, the Volt offers an equally revolutionary design that emphasizes a wheels-out, body-in stance to make a dynamic and sleek statement. Further, the aerodynamicists in GM’s wind tunnel worked with the design and engineering teams to develop the most aerodynamic vehicle in Chevrolet’s history. By reducing the energy needed to overcome air resistance, the vehicle’s sleek design contributes an estimated eight miles of electric range and up to 40 miles of extended range.
SAE International membership chose from a list of candidates selected by the AEI’s editorial team based around the world. The list of candidates included the Nissan Leaf, BMW 5 Series, Kia Optima and Volkswagen Jetta among others. SAE membership selected the Best Engineered Vehicle based on the same criteria typically used in vehicle development programs: commonality, flexibility, cost, innovation, package efficiency, powertrain performance, chassis systems, interior accommodations, occupant safety and engineering benchmark.
This is the eleventh year of the “Best Engineered Vehicle” award.
SAE International is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International’s core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development. SAE International’s charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World in Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series.
