Get A First Look At GM's Second Generation Chevy Volt

TRAVERSE CITY (WWJ) - General Motors will unveil the second generation version of the Chevrolet Volt at the 2015 North American International Auto Show.

"Volt is the perfect example of the ingenuity that drives everything we do at Chevrolet,” said Chevrolet marketing chief Tim Mahoney at the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City.

While the Volt hasn't met some of the company's early, overly optimistic sales projections, Mahoney says it's been a strong performer for the Chevrolet brand.

"The Volt did and continues to do great things for the brand," he said.  "It's bringing new faces in.  The numbers are right at 70 percent in terms of conquests to the brand.  It's a highly affluent, engaged customer."

Mahoney wouldn't talk about pricing or amenities; but he said it will it will be a significant upgrade over the current model.

"We're always about bigger and better.  'Find New Roads' as an overarching theme wouldn't allow us to go backwards in any way."

The "Find New Roads" reference relates to Chevrolet's latest marketing campaign.   Mahoney says the big push for the fourth quarter will be the new 4G connectivity in Chevy's cars and trucks.

The 2016 Volt is one of five new products that Chevrolet plans to introduce next year.  The company is not yet saying what the other five will be.

Internationally, Chevrolet is heavily promoting the Manchester United Soccer Team.  While the brand is pulling out of Europe, Mahoney said much of the focus is in China, where Manchester United has more than 100 million fans.

The team, which now sports the Chevrolet logo on its shirts, played a series of exhibition games in the United States.  The largest crowd--more than 100,000--appeared when the team played at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor last Saturday.

"It really made kind of world news, because of its scale," said Mahoney.  "It was a lot of people rooting for a sport that many people didn't think had much of following here."