I have been following the progress of the Chevy Volt for many years. I was excited when Hope Betram at Windy City Social introduced me to the kind people at Chevy so I could get a test drive of the 2011 Volt at SXSW. Major brands like Chevy are trying to obtain consumer feedback before they launch their product. A social media conference like SXSW Interactive was the perfect place.  The car is stylish and functional. It can run on the electric battery for 40 miles and then has a small gasoline engine to take you another 300 miles. The gasoline engine generates electricity to power the car. Charging time is 3 to 8 hours depending on the power input.  The best part about the car is that it has no engine sound… I can’t wait to buy one this fall.

Watch the test drive video and see for yourself:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVUTT68x_QA[/youtube]

What do you think?

I have been a Japanese car buyer for 34 years. I have never even looked at a new American car to buy…until now.