General Motors is apparently planning on unveiling a production version of its new Chevrolet Volt by September this year, just in time for the automaker’s 100th founding anniversary. With sales declining rapidly, GM is seeking to focus the investors’ and consumers’ attention away from the gloomy prospect brought about by rapidly declining sales (GM’s US sales are 15% off this year) to the rosier perspective of its fuel-efficient vehicles under development.

GM first showed off a concept version of the Volt back in January 2007 but has since significantly revamped the vehicle’s look to improve its aerodynamics. Now the shape of the production car has reportedly been finalized. The Chevy Volt is a plug-in electric vehicle designed to run purely on electricity from on-board batteries for up to 40 miles (64 km).

With the help of a small internal combustion engine driving a generator to resupply the batteries, the vehicle’s range can potentially reach 640 miles (1,030 km) on the highway. Two suppliers are in the running to provide the lithium-ion batteries for the Volt: Korea’s LG Chem and German auto parts supplier Continental AG. The Volt is one of the first landmark attempts to use lithium-ion batteries, very common in consumer electronics, in automobiles.

Via Reuters