2015 has not been the easiest of months in our house. Moving, flooding basements, boxes and more boxes. That about sums it up.
But, there was a bright light in our month. We were invited to media day at the Washington Auto Show as guests of
Chevrolet and
SheBuysCars. It was so nice to get away from the day to day nonsense, and be around adults for a few hours, while learning about some amazing new automobile innovations.
See this beauty?This is the #NextGenVolt, also known as the 2016 Chevrolet Volt. This new car was shown for the first time in January, at a few Car Shows around the country. She is a beauty, with tons of new features that current Volt owners, like myself, will love and future Volt owners will definitely enjoy. During our panel discussion group with the Chevrolet executives, the ones who actually designed this car, we learned all about the car that has the most satisfied owners, the Volt! As a two time Chevrolet Volt owner (2012 and 2014) we really agree.
Pamela Fletcher, the executive chief engineer, shared with us many upgrades coming to the 2016 model, and then showed us all of these upgrades on the car itself. Pamela explained that ONSTAR sends Chevrolet data, and they use that data to create the recipe for the new and improved Volt. The other important piece is the owner feedback that they also collect, which helped create improvements on the new model.
I won't keep these upgrades to myself any longer. Here are the ones that are most exciting to me:
*Cabin comfort is improving. Heated steering wheels will be available as well as heat/cooling vents for the back row. And, optional REAR heated seats! Woohoo! No more cold or hot kids in the back. This is HUGE.
*Each charge will be a full 50 miles. Yes! 400 miles of total range per trip when you include both your charge and your gas.
*The new Volt will take Regular gas, no more premium. As if we aren't saving enough money by going electric already!!
*It will be 25% more efficient. The LED headlights are more efficient, and so are the daytime running lights. The place were you charge the Volt has an illuminated area, so it's easier to plug in at night. It has an all new battery which is 20% more energy efficient and 100 pounds lighter. There will also be a small compartment in the side wall of the trunk where the charger will be stored.
*The front console, or control panel, looks like a big Ipad on the 2016 model. It has been simplified and made more contemporary and intuitive. Each area has an icon, which you touch to access the various things you might need, including: climate control (automatically sets your steering wheel, heated seats, etc...), and navigation which is integrated and much easier to use. There is also a small slot in the center console area that fits your cell phone perfectly.
*There will be an optional third seat in the back row( so the Volt will seat 5 instead of 4). Honestly, we saw this third seat and it would not look very comfortable for an older child or adult. There is little to no foot space, and would probably cause fighting( at least between my bigger sized children). But, having a middle seat for emergencies or last minute play date, would be great. The last row will also still fold flat, for a ton of storage space. I am constantly amazed at how much can be packed into the Volt trunk. It might look small, but it holds a ton.
If I have not sold you on the 2016 Volt, or you think it might be a bit out of your price range, then I have one more surprise for you. The only caveat here, is that you must live in Maryland to buy this new car (or California or Oregon). This little cutie is called the SPARK EV.
Maryland will be the first East Coast state to start selling the Spark EV. What exactly is so exciting about it?
The best feature about this Electric Vehicle is that it is under $18,000 (when you factor in the federal and state tax incentives) and gives you up to 82 miles PER CHARGE while putting out zero emissions! It is the most efficient US retail electric vehicle available. Also, the motor and drive unit is manufactured right here in White Marsh MD.
GM is launching the Spark in Maryland as the first East coast state. Maryland was seen as a strong commuter state which also has a good charging infrastructure. Maryland also has useful HOV lanes, which this car will be able to use.
This 4 passenger and 5 door Spark EV will be available in a 1LT or 2LT trim levels. 7" touch screen control panel, Onstar with available Wifi hotspot, standard remote start, and a regenerative braking system which uses the braking energy and transfers it back to the battery system. A great warranty will make this a perfect car for anyone who has an interest in an electric vehicle, and was scared away previously by the price tag.
Here is a picture of the inside of the Spark EV. I sat in it, and it was very comfortable. I think this would make a great car to buy for a teen driver in Maryland or an elderly one too! In 2014, the Spark EV was ranked first by a Car and Driver comparison of electric vehicles when compared to the Nissan Leaf, Honda Fit EV, Fiat 500E, Ford Focus Electric and Smart Fortwo ED Cabriolet.
But wait, there is more!
The Spark EV is also equipped with BringGo directions. Be confident about where you need to go, with the turn by turn directions, an Eco driving profile, 3D maps with lane suggestions, remaining distance and fuel cost. Now, if only I could get the car to do the driving for me.
If the light blue color is not for you, the Spark EV also comes in Black Granite, Electric Blue (as pictured), Lime, Salsa (red), Silver Ice and Summit White. The interior options are electric blue cloth, as pictured, or dark pewter leatherette with silver trim. I'd love to have one of these sitting in my garage and sharing my charging station with my Volt.
Any questions about either of these cars, please email
me.
Thank you again to
ShebuysCars and
Chevrolet for an awesome day of innovation.
