The Chevy Volt leaks are getting stronger now. Check out this article from the Sunday Times (a UK newspaper with a January 7 date). The new tidbits they've revealed (without a picture, mind you):

• The Volt production model will be on sale at the end of the decade.
• The Chevrolet Volt is propelled only by the electric motor, and the ICE is there to recharge the batteries.
• The Volt's top speed is 120mph and it accelerates from 0-60mph in 8.5 seconds.
• After 40 miles of electric power-only movement, the gas engine is starts automatically and then runs at a constant speed as it recharges the batteries.
• GM estimates fuel consumption of 180 mpg equivalent, based on a 60-mile trip with fully charged batteries.
• The Volt will use GM's new E-Flex propulsion system, which can be adapted to use bioethanol fuel and will also be able to handle a diesel engine or a hydrogen fuel cell as the electricity generator.

That's a lot before the embargo lifts, but there's more to come. Trust us.

UPDATE: As promised, here's all the info you could ever want on the Volt, including pictures, specifications, and lots and lots of details.

[Source: The Sunday Times]

The media spotlight was on GM Chairman Rick Wagoner and the big announcement yesterday at the Los Angeles Auto Show that GM would offer a plug-in hybrid sometime in the next few years. Over at the EDTA Conference, where such an announcement would have been right at home, the news was delivered to attendees Wednesday afternoon by Pete Savagian, engineering director of GM hybrid powertrains. When Savagian mentioned the announcement, people clapped and cheered. The news seemed to validate a lot of what was going on at the EDTA show, and fit well with Savagian's presentation on GM's hybrid line-up. That line-up looks like this:

• Two-mode hybrid: Allison bus (upcoming: Tahoe/Yukon, Escalade, Silverado/Sierra)
• Light hybrids: Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra
• Hybrid: Saturn Vue, (upcoming: Saturn Aura, Chevy Malibu)
• Upcoming plug-in hybrid: Saturn Vue

That PHEV Vue will be a two-mode front wheel drive vehicle that Savagian said would deliver at least a 45 percent improvement in fuel economy and can go about ten miles on electric power alone in certain driving conditions. "There are a whole lot of hurdles to get this car to production," he said.

The upcoming Tahoe and Escalade group is also posing a challenge to GM, Savagian said. Engineers are working to put electric motors into these large truck and SUV vehicles, but they feel they cannot "sacrifice what this segment represents," he said. The challenge – achieved – was to put all of the hybrid components into a space the size of the transmission. Engineers came up with a two-electric motor system that will be on display at NAIAS in January. This system can move the vehicle on electric power alone at low speeds, and will not reduce performance when the engine is fully engaged.

It not exactly a surprise (see all the hints dropped in the related stories below), but it's still good to hear again that GM will likely unveil a prototype plug-in hybrid at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January, the Detroit News is reporting today. This would be the first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) from a major manufacturer, and we've hear it called the "I-car" (for Icon car).

But look at the image above. While the Detroit News used a picture of the EV-1, Reuters accompanied this announcement with a picture of a truck power cord plugged into a pick-up truck bed. My guess is that this is really a standard-issue accessory source for any electronics you'd want to run at a tailgate rather than a leaked preview of the I-truck. Why else would there be two plugs? Anyone else have any guesses?

Lastly, what is a bit of a surprise, and an oh so tempting one to the fuel conscious, is that unnamed GM officials told the newspaper that the engine coupled to the electric motor would be powered by either gasoline or diesel. Wow. If GM gets a diesel hybrid to the North American market first, the green crowd will have a new hero. It'll leave Ford wondering how come they didn't announce this bold move first and Toyota and Honda have yet to unveil any PHEV vehicles they are working on.

Related:

• GM's new green strategy to focus on plug-in hybrids with "I-car" project
• Lutz says electric cars very much alive at General Motors
• Go ahead, place an order for that plug-in hybrid already. A "soft order", that is
• AutoblogGreen Q&A with Sherry Boschert: why plug-in hybrids will recharge America

[Source: Detroit News, thanks to John Stockard]