49 dealers for Holden Volt

Holden's Executive Director - Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, John Elsworth, said part of the selection criteria concerned having a broad coverage through urban and regional areas, with dealers also selected based on their commitment to environmental accreditation, and investment in tooling and infrastructure to support Volt servicing.

"Volt dealers will be required to achieve at least level 2 Green Stamp Plus Accreditation through the VACC Green Stamp Program," Elsworth said. "Accreditation ensures customers that the dealer takes it environmental responsibility seriously."

Victoria gets the lion's share of Volt dealers, with 17, followed by NSW/ACT with 11, 9 for Queensland, 7 for WA, 4 for South Australia and 1 for Hobart. The first dealer orders have already been placed, with customers able to locate the Volt dealer nearest them via the Holden website - www.holden.com.au/dealerlocator

Dedicated Level Two 3.3kW charging stations, the first of which was recently installed at GM-H headquarters in Port Melbourne, will enable the Volt to be recharged in under four hours. Home recharging from a regular home power outlet takes around six hours. On electric power alone, the Volt can cover 80km on one charge, with the onboard 1.4 litre petrol engine able to extend that range to over 600 kms.

Volt pricing, full specifications and launch dates are set to be announced in late July.