At a CES press event in Las Vegas this evening, Chevrolet's Tim Mahoney showed the next-generation Volt, which will be officially launching at Detroit's North American International Auto Show next week.

The redesigned Volt is a huge deal for General Motors: it's the first rethinking of the company's "extended-range electric" drivetrain since the debut of the original Volt in concept form in 2007. (Former GM CEO Rick Wagoner himself rolled onto stage in a Volt at a CES keynote in 2008.) The production first-generation Volt was met with mixed reviews — it can only go a few dozen miles on electric before switching to gas, has finicky electronics, and doesn't look nearly as good as the concept did — but still represents a huge, ongoing bet for GM on the future of gas and electric. Since the Volt's launch, an additional vehicle — Cadillac's ELR — has adopted the so-called Voltec drivetrain.

Just a fleeting glimpse GM was serious about revealing the car in earnest at the Detroit show next week: the Volt was shown on stage for mere moments, before being concealed again by a white cylinder of cloth. It doesn't look like we'll be seeing it again at CES — for this show, it's all about GM's connected car announcements.



