Building the Preproduction Chevy Volt - NatGeo

20th April 2010

The Chevy Volt, due out late this year, is being produced in small quantities for testing and evaluation at the company’s Hamtramck Assembly plant in Detroit. Before it was even ready for that step, it was produced at the preproduction facility at GM’s Tech Center in Warren, Michigan. GM gave the National Geographic Channel full access to the preproduction center. NatGeo takes you through the whole process, from creating molds to stamping, welding, painting and final assembly and trim. The videos below make up the whole show. While watching, keep in mind that this is where GM tests its production process. Most of the manual processes you will see do not happen in the “regular” assembly process.

If you’ve never been in a car factory, this show will give you a great idea of the immense complexity of the modern automobile. And as complex as an everyday car is, the Chevy Volt is much more complex. If you have been in a car factory, this will still be very interesting. Enjoy!