GM Hopes To Jolt Car Sales With Volt

General Motors has created a new plug-in car, the Chevrolet Volt, and there's a lot of money and expectation riding on it.

Twelve years ago, GM introduced the first modern electric car, the EV-1, which was featured in the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car?" The EV-1 never caught on.

The Volt is a battery-powered compact car scheduled to hit the market by the end of 2010. It is designed to give GM the kind of highly fuel-efficient vehicle it needs to compete in an era of rising gas prices.

GM is also hoping the Volt will be such a technological leap forward that those consumers who have turned their backs on Detroit will give the company and its cars a fresh look.

To watch Bob Bonifice, the Volt's design director, give Early Show viewers a sneak peek at the car, click the play button below.