Video Of Production Volt

Further to my post last week about the spy shots of the production Chevy Volt that were taken on the set of Transformers 2 comes this video of the same thing. Here you can clearly see the "VOLT" logo on the back of the car and get an idea of how this EV moves.

The first half of the video shows more familiar Transformers driving up the road with Bumblebee and the new silver Corvette concept car (that has yet to be officially announced) in the lead but then it cuts to the purply blue Volt being unwrapped then driven off.

If the video below doesn't work try this link... and I'd still prefer it in black.

Production Volt Spied On Transformers 2 Set

Here it is folks! The first shots showing more than just a tease of GM's saviour, the Chevy Volt.

Autoblog alerted me to the spy shots taken on and around the set of the new Transformers movie today and I must say it's a relief to see the Volt dressed in something other than the silver we've seen so many times before although I'm not a huge fan of the purply blue either.

The official coming-out isn't far off but it's still exciting to see what could herald in a new era for the US car market, if not the world car market. Remember, the Volt uses only the electric motor for propulsion with the secondary internal combustion engine kicking in to recharge batteries when they dip below a certain limit. Other, older hybrids rely on their internal combustion engines for propulsion and only use the electric motor when idling or driving slowly around carparks etc. This means if you only drive 50-odd miles between charges you may never use petroleum again. It's also based on the E-Flex architecture where the secondary "recharge" motor can be swapped out at a later date for something completely different.

Here's another shot of the Volt where you can actually read the word "VOLT" just next to the side mirror (click for a higher res image).

More photos are available over at AutoblogGreen but they're mostly fuzzy mobile phone camera shots.

Mystery Transformer Revealed

As most people had already guessed the mysterious car that kept showing up on the set of Transformers 2 was a Corvette concept car. Well Autoblog has some more details on this silvery sharky beast.

"According to their sources, the design study will debut sometime next year ahead of the Transformers sequel, but won't foretell the future of the next-generation C7 Corvette. Rather, it's called the Corvette Centennial Design Concept and was developed to celebrate General Motors' 100-year celebration.

Now we can all sleep soundly.

Transformers the Fallen Is The Fallen

The upcoming sequel to the highly successful Michael Bay-ified reinvention of Transformers has the title Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. At first glance you may assume that "the fallen" in question might be Megatron or some other fallen character but it's actually the name of the new bad guy.

According to Movieweb "The Fallen" will be introduced in a 5-part comic series tying the first Transformers movie to the new one. Writer Chris Mowry tells us they are going to "...explore the background of The Fallen - the main villain of the movie - as well as expand on the 'Reign of Starscream' story that we're doing and tie everything in to what this next movie is going to be.".

So there you go... pretend it's a Star Wars title and you'll be OK.

KITT's A Transformer Now?

We all know that the last Knight Rider outing was an abomination and should never have seen the light of day no matter how cool the Mustang was. After such a dismal failure I've had high hopes for the reinvention of the reinvention but what I'm hearing out of ComicCon is not good.

First we have the new Attack Mode KITT (hit up Shadowy Flight for more pics) which looks plain ridiculous and is far from an improvement over the previous attack mode KITT.

Then we have the preview clip (below) where it looks like the director wanted less cowbell and more Fast and Furious neon lighting, more lasers and a chick that looks like whatshername from Transformers... and they STILL have Val Kilmer doing a bad job of KITT's voice! Oh, and KITT doesn't just make a minor change to his appearance to avoid the bad guys (in the telemovie he turned into a white Mustang) he can actually transform into a totally different vehicle, one that Ford is having trouble selling at the moment and needs some extra marketing (and a drop in fuel prices) for people to consider purchasing.

With this news I have to say that my interest in the remake of a remake of a remake is making me sad and unhappy. I'll give the pilot a go but I'll have my thumb hovering over the delete button while watching.

2009 Chevy Camaro In Melbourne, Wears Black

You've probably already heard that the 2009 Chevy Camaro has come out of the closet and waved its 1970s inspired butt around a bit. Well, not only did it wave said butt around at GM HQ in the US it also waved its butt around at GM Holden’s Melbourne headquarters where the Aussie team involved in the design of the Transformer car were present.

At the Melbourne reveal a few earlier versions of the Camaro hung out with their cool little brother who was dressed appropriately for the occasion in Melbourne black. Included amongst the old folks was the 1969 Camaro SS of reigning V8 Supercar Champion Garth Tander.

More photos and video over at CarAdvice.com.au.

Halo Warthog In Transformers 2?

I caught wind of some new photos from the set of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen today with most car-oriented websites all oggling the yet-to-be-identified silver concept car (of which two are visible). What I'm more interested in though is the Halo Warthog looking vehicle on the truck up in front of Optimus Prime. Does Master Chief know Michael Bay has taken off with one of his troop carriers?

More photos and story over at Seibertron.

Batman vs Megatron

Ever wondered what the current Batmobile (AKA The Tumbler) would look like if it was to join forces with Optimus Prime, become an Autobot and fight the evil decepticons? Personally I haven't but Jolin and JesterJJZ of Jester Pictures have not only wondered, they've Photoshopped together what it might look like.

Witness the artwork on the original site (hi res available) and thanks go to Autoblog for the heads up. I love the detail of the transformed Tumbler.

Transformers 2 Call Sheet Reveals All (kinda)

ComicBookMovie.com have gotten their grubby little hands on a call sheet for Transformers 2 from June 4th. Other than all the spoilerific juicy bits in there (including mention of an "R8" transformer and the return

Arcee (left)) there's a bunch of stuff on there that is interesting from a movie point of view. For example, apparently Megan Fox and Shia LeBeouf are sharing a hotel room in LA (let's start a rumour hey?)... But read through the Special Requirements/Notes for all the juicy goodness...






http://www.comicbookmovie.com/news/articles/4651.asp

Is It a Bird? Is It a Concept Car? Is It a Bumblebee Evil Twin?

Autoblog today was reporting on this mysterious shiny, silver, sleek beast hiding on the Transformers 2 set. The commenters on the site are all taking guesses from a Corvette concept to a rejigged Camaro to a film-exclusive model. Whatever it is (and it's not exactly easy to see from the photo) it's pretty cool with the photographer stating that it has "scissor doors like a Lamborghini".

More info (and original source): http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2008/06/new-concept-car-at-fairmont-park-base.html