The Chevy Volt Deathwatch continues...

A day after the US government's auto task force told GM that the Volt was "too expensive to be commercially successfully in the short term," and that the Volt was too little, too late, GM has asked the federal government for $2.6 billion in low interest loans to finish developing the Volt along with 2 other variants of the Volt PHEV.  This $2.6 billion request raises to $10.3 billion the amount in aid GM has requested under a Department of Energy program designed to support the development of fuel-efficient vehicles.

The Chevy Volt will have a new name and a new manufacturer when it goes on sale in November 2010 - the Toyota Jolt.  According to sources within Toyota and GM, the decision was made after President Obama's auto task force deemed the Volt to be too little, too late and too expensive to save General Motors.  To save on production costs for both companies, the re-badged Toyota Jolt will be manufactured at the NUMMI plant in Fremont, California.  NUMMI is the same plant where the GM/Toyota co-produced Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe is made.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (aka the Stimulus/Spending Bill) will reach President Obama's desk this week and within the $787 billion bill are many provisions for new, energy-focused initiatives including major increases in tax credits for EVs and PHEVs.