Never mind all those previous reports suggesting or declaring unequivocally the next-generation Volt will get a three-cylinder 1.0-liter range-extending generator, because today General Motors disclosed it will be a 1.5-liter four.

The new engine will have improved efficiency as part of an all-new family of 1.0-1.5-liter Ecotec engines and will be built at GM’s Flint Engine Operations.

This will replace the present car’s 1.4-liter that runs on premium fuel. The new engine will run on regular. We have inquired with GM regarding the new engine, and will update this if more details are shared.

GM also said it will move production of the next-gen Volt’s electric drive unit from Mexico to its transmission plant in suburban Detroit.

On its Facebook page, Chevrolet is promising more “electrifying news” today but the company has said the Volt’s range will not be revealed.

The next-gen car is due to be shown in the second week of January in Detroit.

As we approach two months to reveal, today’s tidbits fit what we’d previously reported that GM might try and feed info to stoke interest.

Perhaps not as super competent at creating buzz as Tesla’s Elon Musk, the PR game plays all media outlets to attempt to tell a few things and keep folks talking.

And to be sure, the Volt does present an opportunity for GM. Its first-gen sales were hampered by initially high costs, myriad over-emphasized public relations setbacks, but today one may be netted in Prius price territory after incentives.

The Volt offers around 40 miles all-electric range making it the highest range plug-in hybrid offered in the U.S.

While it’s the highest selling plug-in car to date, sales have been down next to the all-electric Nissan Leaf, and GM is hoping to reverse that trend with the new model.

Chevrolet press release