General Motors is offering a free loan vehicle to US-based owners of the Chevrolet Volt. The company believes some drivers might be suddenly hesitant about driving their vehicle due to the sudden storm of publicity surrounding the plug-in car. The initiative follows the news that the country’s NHTSA is investigating incidents of the car’s battery pack smoking, emitting sparks or catching fire following several crash tests.

Mark Reuss, GM’s president of North America, states, “A vehicle loan program of this nature is well beyond the norm for a preliminary investigation, and it underlines our commitment to the vehicle and its owners,” he said. “We don’t think there’s an immediate fire risk.”

Go deeper with GlobalData

Go deeper with GlobalData

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

The company has moved quickly to assemble an engineering team to develop changes to the Volt, so as to eliminate concern about potential electrical fires after crashes. The group of engineers is headed by Mary Barra, GM’s senior vice president of global product development.

Author: Glenn Brooks

Just Auto Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Auto Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Neonode has won the Innovation Award for Driver Monitoring Software for its camera-based, MultiSensing®-powered solution that delivers precise hands-on-wheel detection, regulatory-ready safety performance and low-footprint integration. Discover how Neonode is redefining driver monitoring, UX and compliance for next-generation semi-autonomous vehicles.

Discover the Impact