2011 Chevrolet Volt in Production, photo by ibmphoto24

A a lot of the sound and fury that has surrounded the Volt’s launch has tended to obscure a simple truth: This automobile is a game-changer.
~Motor Trend Magazine

Motor Trend magazine has named the Chevrolet Volt its 2011 Car of the Year. The criteria for Car of the Year are design advancement, engineering excellence, intended function, efficiency, safety and value. After reading passages like the one below, you get the sense that when the Motor Trend Editor in Chief Angus MacKenzie says that the Chevy Volt is one of the most groundbreaking vehicles they’ve tested in 60 years, he means it:

The Volt’s unique powertrain not only defies established labels; it also defies established methods of determining fuel economy. After all, this is a vehicle that will complete the standard EPA fuel economy test in full EV mode, making conventional mileage calculations impossible.

Read more at Motor Trend, visit the official Chevrolet Volt web site and see a video, more about the award and GM’s IPO this week on Absolute Michigan.

The photo above is the first pre-production Chevrolet Volt on the assembly line at the Detroit-Hamtramck manufacturing plant. It was posted by IBM. Check it out bigger and read about how IBM software played a role in the development of the vehicle.

Here’s the Chevy Volt slideshow on Flickr.