Doug Parks, General Motor’s global vehicle line executive for electric vehicles, revealed that the automaker’s production capacity for the Chevrolet Volt is slightly more flexible than we’ve been led to believe. According to Parks, The General aims to build “10,000 or 15,000” Volts in 2011, followed by up to 60,000 in 2012.
Back in July, GM upped 2012 production capacity from its previous target of 30,000 to 45,000. Speaking to the Detroit News on the sidelines of the 2010 Business of Plugging In conference, Parks let some production details fly, stating:
Starting in 2012, we’ll be in this max rate of 60,000. We have the ability to increase volume and crank that up. We don’t have any firm plans yet but we’re flexible.
Parks also confirmed that GM is inching closer to winning final approval from the EPA and should be able to apply a fuel economy sticker to the Volt’s window “within a month.” He also notes that the EPA will tag the vehicle’s expected electric range with a number between the 25- to 50-mile span that GM recently announced, but there’s also a slight chance that the final rating could be below the company’s long-promised 40-mile electric-only range.
