GM Volt invaded by body snatchers?

"Leaked" photo of GM Chevy Volt (source: thecarconnection.com)

This nifty photo with the annoying proto-executive obscuring the body of the vehicle was a snap that was “accidentally” leaked by General Motors (NYSE: GM) this week, in advance of the Chevy Volt’s premiere next week during GM’s 100th anniversary celebration.

Oops! said GM, we really didn’t mean for that to happen. The pics leaked out due to human error, so sorry — and then the pics were pulled from their site, according to numerous reports across the Internet.

Unh-huh.

As the Detroit News noted, GM’s getting pretty good at “the game of public relations.” Was this just a means by which to build buzz about GM’s first electric vehicle (EV) since the ill-fated EV-1?

Or was it a means by which GM would redirect attention away from what appears to be a bait-and-switch on body design? Here, you’ve got good eyes; you be the judge.

Concept model of GM Chevrolet Volt, as shown at auto shows this past year.

This is the concept body shown at auto shows as the Volt’s prototype. It’s a two-door with sleek, modern lines, right down to sporty low-profile tires.

Vehicle alleged to be based on GM Volt technology on test track (source: GM-Volt.com)

And this is a photo of a vehicle under testing, alleged to use the Volt’s technology and based on the Saturn Astra body.

The Volt seen in the oops-leaked photos sure looks a lot less like the prototype than it does the Astra. I can’t blame GM for wanting to ease the pressure of expectations by leaking the photos early; it prevents a wave of comments about the Volt’s actual body design during what is expected to be a tense week at GM.

On the other hand, maybe this is all one big head fake and we’ll be pleasantly surprised by something that looks more like the ripped and chiseled car we saw at auto shows. I’m not coughing up 40 thousand bucks for anything less.