Having already earned the 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year and the 2011 Green Car of the Year awards, the  Chevy Volt has taken top honours once again by winning the 2011 North American Car of the Year!

The North American Car of the Year is awarded each year by an independent jury of 49 automotive journalists from Canada and the U.S. at the North American International Auto Show. This is the third time Chevrolet has won the award, and fourth overall win.

"Since development began, we believed the Chevy Volt had the potential to transform the automotive industry", said GM CEO Dan Akerson. Today, the Volt is the first electric vehicle to win the prestigious North American Car of the Year award, and the first vehicle ever to receive the industry's highest automotive, technology, and environmental recognitions.

The Chevy Volt is neither a hybrid car nor an electric car. Chevrolet calls it an extended range electric vehicle.  What makes the Chevy Volt so unique is its powertrain: it has an electric motor that powers the car for the first 40 to 80 kilometers of driving.  Then with its batteries depleted, the Volt switches on a gasoline engine that acts as a generator, providing more electric power for the motor. With most Canadians driving less than 80 kilometers a day, it's possible that the majority of Volt owners will rarely hit the electric motor's mileage cap.  For those buyers, the Chevrolet Volt is largely an electric car.

But, unlike electric cars, which are limited by the charge carried in their batteries, the Volt has its backup generator removing the issue of battery range and finding a place to charge. In essence, the Volt was designed to be an electric car on most days, but operates like a conventional car when it's time for a road trip.   The Volt is an intriguing solution to the challenges posed by purely electric cars.

Test drivers report that the Volt is easy to live with, cheap to charge (about 80 cents worth of electricity is all it take to get a full charge and about 80 kilometers of travel) and, unlike electric cars, worry-free when it comes to its range.

The Chevrolet Volt is now available for test drive by appointment only. Click on our Chevrolet Volt contact  form to arrange your test drive now.