Hasta La Gadget!

See that? This dowdy looking sedan is the very symbol of hope for GM and perhaps the US auto industry as a whole. Although this Volt prototype is technically a mule — an engineering hybrid that crosses the body of a Chevy Cruze with the Volt’s Voltec powertrain — it still gives “an 80-plus percent representation” of what the Volt’s electric driving experience will be like. Or so says GM exec, Tony Posawatz. Our greasy sisters over at Autoblog took the Volt-mule for a spin. Their take?

Overall, the electric drive system in the mules performed as advertised and GM appears to be well on its way to meeting a November 2010 Job 1 date.

Too bad hope doesn’t pay the bills. Hit the read link for the full story including a novice’s guide to prototyping automobiles. Video overview after the break