The Chevrolet Cruze is an important car for General Motors, more important in my opinion than the oft publicized Chevrolet Volt. This car not only has the tasks of keeping repeat compact car buyers…especially GM owners, and attracting those ready to move up in size, but also meet the needs of folks who are downsizing but not willing to give up comfort, convenience and features while at the same time reducing fuel consumption. Ms. Brooks confirmed the need to attract those folks who are “resetting” their vehicle needs. The empty-nesters who are perhaps getting out of a larger midsize or a crossover vehicle or finally retire the minivan.
Good news for the Chevrolet marketing folks this time around is that they are not sharing this platform with any other GM brand. GM’s restructuring has left Chevrolet alone with car models in the compact and sub-compact segments. However, formidable offerings from competitors such as the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and Nissan Sentra will certainly challenge the Cruze.
2011 Chevrolet Volt undergoing hot-weather testing
The Chevrolet Volt engineering team is hanging out in the hot deserts of Arizona putting their fuel-sipping baby under hot weather testing.
“While the Volt is designed to operate in all weather and temperature conditions, one of the tests it is undergoing in the desert is the Hot Soak Evaluation, where temperatures inside the cabin can exceed 175 degrees F,” GM said in a statement. The test is done by ‘baking’ the Volt in the sun for several hours, then opening everything in the car, cycle all of the electric accessories, and then taking the car down the ride handling track to check for rattles, squeaks and other noises.
“The car performed well,” said senior durability test engineer Steve Pratt. “The air conditioner cooled things off from our interior temperature of 138 degrees down to a nice comfortable temperature for driving.”
Oh, and if by the trailer hitch seen in the video (posted after the jump) you’re wondering if the Volt will be equipped with handle towing – it won’t. That’s just the engineering team putting the Volt through some weight training via Grade Load testing. The test allows engineers to put stress on the engine and chassis to see how well they will perform while climbing a mountain at temperatures above 100 degrees F.
There's a particularly trite and overused phrase we've heard so often we no longer respond when someone utters it: "You can't judge a book by its cover." And it's baloney, too. War and Peace is a tough read because it has so many damn pages, is old and weighs a lot. Cats for Dummies is something less than high art and will not soon become a major motion picture.
But a lesser-known corollary to this adage actually works: "You can't judge the profound changes in the capability of a heavy-duty pickup truck by the freshness (or lack thereof) of its sheet metal and interior."
Haven't heard that one? Jim Mikulec, GM's lead development engineer on the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD project, puts it another way: "Everything that's changed is under the skin. Everything that's important is under the skin."
Falling Down
Just four years ago, the 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD dually defeated Ford Super Duty and Dodge Ram HD trucks in our straight-up fight of strength and towing capability. Despite an aging interior, it won largely on the strength of its 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel V8 engine and class-exclusive six-speed Allison automatic transmission. In 2007 GM gave its HD pickups a long-overdue body and interior redesign to go with these then-impressive mechanicals, and for the next couple of years the Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD twins stood atop the pile.
The 2011 Chevy Cruze has gotten a ton of attention as GM has worked to steal some of the Ford Fiesta’s thunder as both cars prepare to hit the US market. Yesterday, General Motors announced the pricing schedule for their replacement for the Cobalt (and the Cavalier before that) and much like Ford’s Fiesta, the Cruze looks to offer a spread of luxury oriented items in a fuel efficient compact car.
The basic pricing of the 2011 Chevy Cruze is as follows:
Cruze LS starting at $16,995, including:
• Standard 1.8L Ecotec engine and six-speed manual transmission
• The most standard safety features in the segment, with 10 air bags, StabiliTrak electronic stability control with rollover sensing, traction control, anti-lock brakes, collapsible pedal system, power rear-door child safety locks
• Standard OnStar, with a six-month subscription including Turn-by-Turn navigation
• Standard convenience features including air conditioning, power windows, power door locks with remote keyless entry, driver information center, and XM Radio with three month trial subscription
Cruze LT starting at $18,895, including:
• Standard 1.4L Ecotec turbo and six-speed automatic transmission
• 16-inch wheels
Cruze Eco starting at $18,895, including:
• Standard 1.4L Ecotec turbo and six-speed manual transmission
• Segment-leading expected 40 miles per gallon highway
• Standard 17-inch alloy wheels with ultra low-rolling resistance tires, and enhanced aerodynamic performance package
Cruze LTZ starting at $22,695, including:
• Standard 1.4L Ecotec turbo and six-speed automatic transmission
• Standard six-way power driver seat, leather seating surfaces, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob
• Standard cruise control, Bluetooth phone connectivity, USB port with audio interface, steering-wheel mounted audio controls, and remote vehicle start
• Standard automatic climate control, auto-dimming inside rearview mirror, and ultrasonic rear-parking assist
• 18-inch alloy wheels
Chevrolet e-Spark Electric Car Model
Cars, in my book, aren’t cars if they don’t burn up dinosaur remains and growl, burble or heck, even purr. But then who really cares about what I think. Plenty of people around liken cars to appliances or why else would soul less appliances that Toyota makes in the names of cars sell by the millions? All those millions won’t like what they’re about to hear.
Before anyone else catches wind of it, we bring it to you. General Motors might just abandon their tie up with Reva electric, now Mahindra Reva Electric, and go it alone for electric motor and battery options. What this could lead to is a two year delay in the Chevrolet Spark Electric’s launch in India and elsewhere. This bit of news comes straight from a top GM official who in turn has spoken to a top Indian auto journo.
Major areas where the new Cruze improves upon the Cobalt it replaces include improved interior room and material quality, upgraded safety features, and a step forward in important ride and handling driving dynamics. Drivetrains for the Cruze in America will be two four cylinders: a 1.8 liter 136 hp 4 cylinder, along with a 1.4 liter turbo four, which also produces 138 hp, plus six speed manual and automatic transmissions.
2011 Chevrolet Cruze
Chevrolet has a lot more than the Volt.
The electric car with a gasoline-fueled generator -- scheduled to arrive at the end of 2010 -- holds the automotive record for the longest launch in history. But the Volt will not have nearly the immediate impact on the environment or Chevrolet's bottom line as the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze will.
And, after a first drive of the car's different powertrains, it looks like the people at Chevy are just as serious about this compact as they are about the Volt.
2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco Picture
General Motors will offer the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco with a six-speed automatic transmission. This is a change from the previously announced plan to give the fuel-efficiency-slanted model a six-speed manual transmission only.
Engineers working on the Cruze acknowledged to media on Friday that the car may lose a slight amount of fuel economy with the automatic. GM has been saying the Cruze Eco will get 40 mpg on the highway with the manual transmission. City mileage figures, and fuel economy numbers with the automatic, will be released closer to launch, GM says.
The Cruze Eco was unveiled earlier this year at the 2010 New York Auto Show. It has a 1.4-liter Ecotec turbo engine that makes 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque.
Hybrids are a great way to max out on MPG, but a new breed of conventional gas-powered cars are promising better than 40 miles to the gallon—at least on the highway. The all-new Chevrolet Cruze Eco, due out in late 2010, is one of those contenders. Last week, we gave it our first drive on a closed course at GM’s Milford Proving Grounds.
The Cruze Eco will be marketed as a compact, but nothing about it felt cheap or undersized to us—except maybe the expected price, which GM folks hinted will be in the mid-teen range. The car had the exterior dimensions, cabin space, trunk volume, amenities, and overall presence of a quality midsize sedan.
GM says the Cruze Eco will get 40 miles-per-gallon highway, and 27 in the city. (Official EPA numbers are not yet out.) Chevy engineers are still tweaking things in pursuit of a coveted 30/40 rating.
The Cruze Eco uses GM’s new Ecotec 1.4-liter Turbo, outputting 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque. A turbo delivers the performance attributes of a larger displacement engine while maintaining the fuel economy of a smaller one. Despite the low fuel consumption, we experienced more than adequate mid-range acceleration and passing power. The Eco version is only available with a specially geared 6-speed manual transmission; the Cruze Eco’s fourth, fifth, and sixth gears have been set to overdrive for improved fuel economy.
Improved aerodynamics is another key strategy. The Eco version of the Cruze uses lower grille air shutters that open and close based on speed of the car and cooling needs of the engine—and to reduce aerodynamic drag at highway speeds. This is the first use of active air shutters for a compact car in the United States. Other functional add-ons include specific front grille closeouts, a lowered front fascia air dam, mid-body aero panels, a deck lid spoiler, a lowered suspension, and ultra low-rolling resistant tires on lightweight aluminum wheels. The use of high-strength steel across the Cruze line helps to reduce mass and weight.
For our test drive, we got behind the wheel of an engineering unit, which was about 85 percent finished. It showed no signs of lag, and off-the-line performance was strong. The same goes for highway speeds, with the added note that the engine is very quiet. GM applied 18 distinctive acoustical treatments to ensure the Cruze rides free of most engine and road noise. Shifts were seamless with quick gear engagement in all shifting scenarios.
The split between ride and handling was even. The Cruze is agile, but not particularly athletic—while the ride is comfortable, although not cushy. Aside from a well constructed body, all Cruze models will feature, count ‘em, 10 standard airbags: two front, two side, two front knee, two head curtains and two rear side.
2010 Chevrolet Camaro Black at 2008 LA Auto Show
Here are some fun 2010 Chevrolet Camaro sales facts. Up until May 11, 2010 (that was yesterday), black has been the most popular color for the new Chevrolet Camaro ever since it went on sale – accounting for 22.17 percent of all Camaros sold or a total of 22,893 units. The second most popular color is Silver Metallic accounting for 10,639 of all units sold (11.23 percent), followed closely by Victory Red with a total of 10,439 units sold (11 percent).
After her two children were all grown up and living their own independent lives, Ivy finally decided to retire. Aware that such a hardworking life deserved the proper recognition, Stan, her loving husband of 31 years, asked her what she wanted. Ivy was quick to reply; she told her husband that she wanted "an oldie car." With his support, she began her hunt for the right classic ride, eventually settling on a Chevy Bomb in the city of San Juan Capistrano, California. Fortunately, the '50 Deluxe already had a nice paintjob, clean interior, and an airbag suspension to allow it to drop low and sit on the pavement. On the negative side of things, the car did need some work, and Ivy knew she would need to find a trustworthy mechanic to bring the ride to a safe level for her desired casual cruising trips.
Over the course of the next three years, the father and son duo known as the "Louies" over at Car Connection in Logan Heights, California, worked hard to get everything mechanically up to par. When the ride was ready for its debut, Ivy's good friend, Xavier "The Xman" from San Dieago's 92.5 FM radio station, told her to bring her "Purple People Eater" over to the Old Town district for a big Cinco De Mayo car show event. Ivy had voiced her concerns that the Lowriding community might not welcome her, but as she soon found out, they welcomed her with nothing but open arms. She met individuals from other car clubs and solo riders - from the youngsters to the OGs, as well as men and women - and they all gave her props for her beautiful ride.
Chevrolet Corvette Z06
The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is one of the best bargains in the sports car category – if you can call $74, 285 a bargain, that is. Undoubtedly, it is a great deal considering the performance you get with it, and now it’s an even better value proposition thanks to some choice upgrades borrowed from the even crazier Corvette ZR1.
A re-tuned exhaust, new tires and some cosmetic bits are standard, but the big news is the Z07 option package, containing Brembo ceramic brakes, ZR1-like 20-spoke wheels, Michelin PS2 tires and GM’s famous Magnetic Selective Ride Control shock absorbers, which can alter the handling characteristics at the touch of a button. Hit the jump to see a 10 minute video outlining the changes to this year’s Corvette Z06.
The GS has the same 6.2-liter, 430-hp V8 found in the regular Corvette, and is offered as either a coupe or a convertible. Either way, it includes a number of Z06-style upgrades, among them bigger brakes, a sport-tuned suspension, wider front and rear fenders, and a front splitter and tall rear spoiler, as well as fender stripes and vents and unique alloy wheels. These aren't all cosmetic enhancements. Many of them improve the car's aerodynamics and handling so that it hugs the road even more tenaciously than a regular Corvette.
Designed as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Corvette's racing efforts at Le Mans, the Carbon Edition Z06 gets the suspension and brake package from the ZR1. Those same carbon-ceramic brakes are also found on the Ferrari F430, so it's no cosmetic upgrade, though the pizza-platter-sized flecked black discs do look sinister behind the blacked-out wheels.
A slew of sports cars have made it to the India [ Images ]n market and many more are expected to be launched soon. The recent buzz that is doing the rounds is that General Motors [ Images ] might bring its Chevrolet [ Images ] Corvette to India sometime in the future.
While talking to a business daily Timothy E Lee, president, international operations of General Motors discussed GM's plan of selling internationally popular models in India. According to him powerful cars like the Camaro and Corvette might be sold via special boutiques in small numbers.
Chevrolet Corvette C6 comes with exposed headlamps, 6.0 L LS2 V8 engine that has the capacity of producing 400 hp at 6000 rpm and 542 Nm torque at 4400 rpm.
Chevy is not alone. The recently launched Nissan 370Z may also be in India. The car has two variants with both manual and automatic transmission. Powered by a 3.7L, 3696cc, V6, CVVTCS (continuous variable valve timing control system) with VVEL (variable valve event and lift) technology the engine is capable of producing 332bhp power at 7000rpm with 365Nm torque at 5200rpm. The car has a mind blowing top speed of 257kmph.
Similarly, there is news of the Porsche 911 turbo S making it to India with a price tag of a whopping Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million)! The 911 Turbo S might come with a six-cylinder boxer boosted by two exhaust gas turbochargers with variable turbine geometry capable of producing 530 bhp power and 700 Nm torque.
