GM to finish electric car design by mid-September

TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan (Reuters) – General Motors Corp said on Thursday it would finalize the design of the all-electric Chevy Volt by mid-September and aims to have 50 prototypes with production-ready parts by the end of 2008.

GM has been racing to finish development of the Volt in time for its planned launch in 2010. The Volt is the centerpiece of GM’s effort to move away from large SUVs, as truck sales tumble and gasoline prices remain high.