HOLDEN'S plug-in petrol-electric Volt is the first vehicle of its kind on local roads.

Using electric motors to power the front wheels, the Volt is for all intents and purposes an electric car, but has a four-cylinder petrol engine on standby to generate more electricity should the battery run down, thus relieving the driver of the range anxiety of pure EVs such as the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Nissan Leaf and Renault Fluence ZE.

With a five-star fuel-economy rating of just 1.2 litres per 100km, the Volt is not a hybrid in a conventional sense, as the petrol engine always takes a back seat as a generator and never directly drives the wheels.

Unlike pure EVs, however, the Volt has a 600km range, hence its GM description as a range extender.

As the winner of the two biggest awards in world motoring – Car of the Year in both Europe and North America – the Volt arrives with a big reputation.

Can it give Holden the same brand kudos?