Chevrolet will start exploring pilot programs for developing the next-generation Electric Networked-Vehicle (EN-V) concept in selected megacities around the world to determine real-world practicality.

The global automotive brand said this comes as part of General Motors’ vision to meet the growing demand for safe, connected, zero-emissions personal transportation.

The award-winning Chevrolet EN-V is a two-seat, electric urban mobility concept that maintains the basic principle of personal mobility – freedom.

The GenNext concept will add new features that customers need, such as the climate control, personal storage space and all-weather and road condition operation while preserving key elements of original EN-V, such as small footprint and maneuverability.

It will also retain its battery electric propulsion, connectivity and autonomous driving capabilities.

In addition, future EN-V concepts will carry a Chevrolet badge, Chris Perry, vice president, global Chevrolet marketing and strategy, said in advance of Chevrolet’s November 3 Centennial celebration.

“For 100 years, the Chevrolet brand has been focused on making advanced technology that improves customers’ lives accessible and affordable, and the Chevrolet EN-V will continue that tradition,” remarked Perry.

“By 2030, more than 60 percent of the world’s 8 billion people will live in urban areas,” said Perry. “The Chevrolet EN-V represents a possible solution for global customers living in markets where alternative transportation solutions are needed.”

One of the stars of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, EN-V was designed to address environmental issues and help alleviate traffic congestion, parking, safety concerns and energy consumption.

“The Chevrolet EN-V has the potential to reinvent transportation in key markets by creating a new vehicle DNA through the convergence of electrification and connectivity,” said Chris Borroni-Bird, GM’s director of Advanced Technology Vehicle Concepts.

“It provides an ideal solution for petroleum- and emission-free urban transportation that is free from congestion and crashes, and more fun and fashionable than ever before,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service