GM may make 60,000 plug-in hybrids in 2010

Is the Chevy Volt more than GM Greenwashing? Can GM beat Toyota in the race for the car of the future? A Bloomberg news report suggests the answer to both questions is “maybe”:

General Motors Corp. may build as many as 60,000 of its Volt electric cars for their inaugural year on the market, four times the sales of Toyota Motor Corp.’s hybrid Prius in its U.S. debut, people with knowledge of GM’s plans said.

Production at that level may allow GM to sell the plug-in Volt for less than $30,000….

You’ll see plenty of skeptical quotes in the article, but I think its pretty impressive the company has leaked such projections at all — they’re opening themselves up to a lot of disappointment and finger-pointing if they don’t deliver.