Just An Average Joe: Volt Or Bust

The Chevrolet Volt was finally unveiled recently by General Motors. I, along with many, have been waiting in anticipation of this event. The original concept of this vehicle peaked my interest years ago, when it was first introduced. The following is from the website; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Volt
Fuel efficiency
For trips less than about 40 miles (64 km) per recharge cycle, the Volt will not use any on-board gasoline. This is referred to as Charge Depletion (CD) mode. Assigning a fuel consumption value which only refers to on-board fuel might not be appropriate.[64]
Once the Volt's battery has discharged to its lower limit set-point, the engine starts and supplies the battery, possibly recharging it while the electric motor continues to drive the car. Once the battery has been recharged to an upper limit set-point, the internal combustion engine will again shut off. In this way the battery's State of Charge (SoC) is maintained within tight limits. The Volt's range-extending gasoline engine is expected to get approximately 50 mpg

This was how I understood the vehicle was going to work. It appears this has remained the same today. To add to the performance promise, this statement was reported from the website; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124998537270122333.html
General Motors Co., outlining a raft of new vehicles designed to reinvigorate its lineup, said its much-awaited Chevrolet Volt is expected to get 230 miles per gallon in city driving.
Now, I am not a Mechanical Engineer but I find this claim to be hard to believe. The technology being used is still the same as first introduced in prototype but, if design improvements made, have allowed this dramatic fuel economy then, General Motors is well on their way to automotive dominance as they once held. But the following statements from the Volt website, paint a contradictory picture considering the suggested retail price of $40,000.00; http://www.chevrolet.com/pages/open/default/fuel/electric.do
Chevy Volt is designed to move more than 75 percent of America's daily commuters without a single drop of gas.3 That means for someone who drives less than 40 miles a day, Chevy Volt will use zero gasoline and produce zero emissions.2
Unlike traditional electric cars, Chevy Volt has a revolutionary propulsion system that takes you beyond the power of the battery. It will use a lithium-ion battery with a gasoline-powered, range-extending engine that drives a generator to provide electric power when you drive beyond the 40-mile battery range.
The contradiction is in the premise that this is the vehicle for Middle America. I would presume that the 75% of daily commuters is that group. In which case, how is this demographic expected to be able to afford the price tag. Considering the amount of Government help they have received, I would have thought a bigger break could have been given to the Taxpayer, who bailed their sorry asses out of a jam.