The Chevrolet Volt is already locked-in for sales in the USA from 2010 and there are growing signs it could make it to GM Holden showrooms in 2011.
The latest hint comes from Larry Burns, the vice-president for R&D and planning with General Motors, who says his company is close to locking down the final specification of the Volt - which will use a 1.4-litre petrol engine to charge on-board lithium-ion batteries - to begin genuine sales.
"We're keeping our options open with what we do with the Volt on a worldwide basis,” Burns said in Melbourne this week at Holden headquarters in Fishermans Bend.
The recently-installed chairman of Holden, Mark Reuss, has an aggressive plan for greening the company and - together with everything from cylinder deactivation to advanced LPG systems on the flagship Commodore - is keen to see the Volt downunder.
"It would be something that would be readily accepted by a lot of people here,” Reuss said.
The Volt was only shown for the first time at the Detroit Motor Show in January and is being fast-tracked to mass-market sales, with former GM Holden chairman Denny Mooney helping to lead development.
The biggest hurdle to overcome, according to Burns, is a giant battery pack which is bigger than a person and takes considerable cooling. It gives the car a 70-kilometre range but takes hours to recharge.
GM intends to begin Volt sales in Washington and California in 2010 and will then do a global roll-out which could easily include Australia.
Burns confirmed the basics but would not be drawn on a commitment down under.
"We're keeping our options open with what we do with the Volt on a worldwide basis,” he said.
"Our immediate focus is to get this car developed and get it in the market in the United States. We're not getting preoccupied with other possibilities.”
But one company is pushing ahead rapidly with a Volt-style hybrid and could easily beat the American contender to Australia.
Mazda has developed a version of its Mazda5 people mover in Japan which uses a hydrogen-powered rotary engine to charge onboard batteries for full electric operation.
It is actually part of a major hydrogen push by Mazda which has already seen development of a hydrogen-fueled RX-8 sports car, which will soon be shipped to Norway.
"Travelling around the world I know there are many people who believe we will evolve into a hydrogen-based industry," Mazda chairman, Hisakazu Imaki, said on a quick visit to Sydney.
The hydbrid Mazda5 is one of its first and will be leased in Japan in 2009, with large-scale sales from 2010.
"We are working on multiple solutions, including hybrids, to the challenges we face."
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