GM announced the 50 percent production increase as President Barack Obama toured the Detroit-Hamtramck plant today where the Volt is being made. It goes on sale later this year.

“We are very proud to host the president of the United States where the future of the American auto industry is being built today,” said GM CEO Edward Whitacre Jr.

After consultations with the Secret Service and his press secretary, Robert Gibbs, Obama stepped into a black Volt, buckled himself in and haltingly drove perhaps 10 feet at a crawling speed, according to pool reporters with the president.

"Pretty smooth," Obama concluded.

Earlier today, Obama visited Chrysler Group's Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit, where the new Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV is assembled.

Healthy demand
Chevrolet dealers in seven launch markets began taking orders for the 2011 Volt this week. It will sell for $41,000. A 36-month lease costs $350 a month after a $2,500 down payment. The car is also eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit.

GM has said it expects demand for the Volt to exceed the 10,000 units it will build between its launch and the end of 2011. More than 73,000 people have registered to receive product information from GM's Chevrolet Volt site, spokesman David Darovitz said.

On Tuesday, the day GM released the Volt's pricing, the site saw a 700 percent increase in visits and a 1,200 percent increase in registrations compared with the site's daily average, Darovitz said.

The Volt can travel as far as 40 miles on battery power before it switches to a gasoline-powered engine that offers 300 miles on a full tank. A battery can charge in 8 to 10 hours on 120-volt power or about four hours through a 240-volt hookup, GM says.

The Detroit-Hamtramck received $336 million in investment to prepare for Volt production.

Chrissie Thompson contributed to this report.