SPY PHOTOS: Holden Volt snapped

These photos of a new Holden Volt in a suburban Melbourne parking lot (badges and all) well before its launch late next year show it pays to always keep a camera (or a mobile phone) handy.

The locally registered but left-hand drive car is likely to be the first  of three Volts to be shipped to Australia for validation/verification, where the cars will do the rounds of major cities checking out the electrical infrastructure around the country.

The photos provide an interesting perspective on the Holden Cruze-size Volt, particularly in the heavy black-out of the door panels below the window line, used to take some of the visual weight out of the car's side view.

Through-the-glass shots show the tricky, recessed "shifter" in the centre console. Holden badges appear in the grille and on the rear trim panel.

The Volt differs from familiar hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight in that its wheels are driven purely by electric motors, with a small petrol engine acting as a backup to charge the batteries when needed.

On straight electric power, it can travel as far as 60km while, with the petrol engine kicking in the charge the batteries, the range extends to as much as 480km. The Volt can also be charged via a household power socket.

The Holden Volt reportedly remains on schedule for local launch despite some production hiccups, as well as reports of a car catching fire after being subjected to National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) side-impact testing.

Stay tuned for the first local drive of the Holden Volt, as we get behind the wheel of the electric vehicle in the next couple of weeks.

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