Ever since that cold day in January when the Chevrolet Volt concept rolled onto the stage at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, the single biggest question has been the battery. More specifically, could GM find a lithium ion battery that would provide 40 miles of range on a charge, last the life of the car and not drive the price into the stratosphere?

Back when GM rolled out the Volt concept, there was less discussion about its design than there was about its underlying technology. Sure, it looked ok, but with gas prices at the time headed straight up, its promise of cheaper driving overshadowed its sports car roofline.

Upon introduction of the more aerodynamic production Volt, there seemed to be a re-Volt. Our Hot or Not poll showed 65% of readers responded negatively to the dramatic redesign. You gotta wonder how that makes the Volt's designers feel.

Everyone who has been waiting with bated breath for the past year and a half to see the production version of the Chevy Volt can now breathe a big sigh of relief. After some extremely unflattering press shots shots were accidentally released last week, people were extremely disappointed with what appeared to be little more than a Prius clone. Anyone who spends time photographing cars knows how hard it can be to make them look good and how easy it is to make them look really awful. Unfortunately, those shots that were unapproved and never supposed to be released anyway fell into the latter category.

Click either image to view full gallery of the production Chevy Volt

With enormous V8 land-yachts and even bigger Escalades rolling down America's boulevards, Cadillac doesn't have the most environmentally friendly of images. But that's a perception that the premium GM division is working hard to combat. After unveiling the Escalade two-mode hybrid, reports have begun to surface that Cadillac is considering a four-cylinder model for the American market like the Saab-based BLS it offers in Europe.

Click above to watch a video with slides of the production Chevy Volt

Shortly after the Volt Concept was shown, a Volt adherent started a website called GM-Volt.com to show General Motors that it was on to something. After the Volt was approved for production, the site added a feature to allow people to "raise their hands" to show interest in the Volt, much like what was done for the smart fortwo before its arrival on our shores.

A little more than a year later, there are almost 34,000 hand raisers in 50 states and 56 countries. While the list is unofficial and doesn't mean that any of these hand raisers are in line ahead of you to purchase a Volt, the site claims that GM is aware of the list and considering making it official in some capacity.