GM plans to show production Volt this month

General Motors plans to show a production model of its Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle as part of the automaker's upcoming 100-year anniversary celebration this month.

The automaker, which formally celebrates the 100th anniversary September 16, so far has shown only concept versions of the Volt.

"The rumors that a production version of the Volt will show up at the celebrations are true," a GM source told Automotive News Europe.

"The car will be a true representation of what the production version looks like and be somewhat different from the concept versions."

The car will be shown to employees and media at GM headquarters in Detroit.

Speaking at the London auto show in July, Bob Lutz, GM's vice chairman of global product development, said, "A production model will be showing this fall, but not at Paris (auto show)."

Preproduction models of the Volt will be built next year and 2010 ahead of the final production version in 2010, Lutz told Automotive News Europe. A European version will follow in 2011.

"Everything is looking good," Lutz said. "We have quite a few running around now in old Chevy Malibu bodies, so we can modify the engine and battery configuration."

Lutz said the body would be the next-generation global compact architecture. That's the same one to be used on the next-generation Vauxhall/Opel Astra and the Chevrolet Cruze, which will be launched at the Paris auto show in October.

Trulli says Singapore still a worry for F1 drivers

Formula One drivers are still fretting about the sport's first night race less than a month before Singapore's new street circuit makes its debut.

"It's a new circuit, we don't know much about it, the schedule, the times of running. we all are a little bit concerned about the night race and the poor weather which might occur there," Toyota's Jarno Trulli told reporters at the Belgian Grand Prix on Thursday.

"It's a big question mark for everyone, we mustn't underestimate the situation."

Singapore will become the second new venue this season after last month's Valencia street race when the southeast Asian island state hosts the 15th round of the championship on Sept. 28 at the tail end of the monsoon season.

Unlike Valencia, which staged a couple of junior formula races on the street circuit a month before the grand prix to iron out any problems, Singapore remains untested.

"In Valencia they did a good job, so I am confident they can do a good job for Singapore," said Trulli. "But the location is different and the climate conditions are different.

"We are all a little bit uncertain because we probably don't have enough data. I haven't seen the circuit layout but that's not the problem. The problem is we don't know if the circuit is good enough, if the surface is good enough, if we have enough run-off areas, if the safety is good enough for a night race in wet conditions.

"There are several question marks and several concerns. I'm not saying that I don't want to race there, but that we might encounter some more problems than in Valencia."