Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Chevrolet Electric Spark might be pushed back by 2 years

Chevy e Spark Green Model 2012

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.

Chevy's new Cruze promises a competitive entry

2011 Chevrolet Cruze RS
2011 Chevrolet Cruze RS
US Chevrolet dealers are looking forward to the arrival of an important new models, the Chevrolet Cruze in their quest to reclaim market share in today's competitive compact market segment.
Chevy's new Cruze model will replace the aged and lackluster Cobalt line, and is based on the GM's Delta global compact platform shared with several other compact lines. The Cruze is already produced for numerous other world markets, and promises to be a significantly better vehicle than its predecessor in almost every way.


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.

First 2011 Chevrolet Silverado Heavy Duty Pickup Truck Built

2011 Chevrolet Silverado Heavy Duty
General Motors unveiled its new 2011 Chevrolet Silverado Heavy Duty range at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show back in March, but the first production pickup rolled off the assembly line in Flint, Michigan, yesterday afternoon.
Production of the revised GMT 900 heavy-duty pickups commenced yesterday, and the first example to roll down the assembly line was a bright red, regular cab 2011 Silverado 2500 HD, equipped with the revamped 6.6-liter Duramax turbo-diesel V-8. The second truck off the line was nearly identical, albeit it was ordered as a crew cab. The first Silverado HD was destined for Strawberry Point, Iowa, while the crew cab is being shipped to Sumner, Washington.

For 2011, GM’s HD pickups receive significant upgrades to both the frame and diesel powertrain, allowing it to compete against the latest [Dodge] Ram Heavy Duty and Ford F-Series Super Duty pickups. These upgrades give GM’s trucks additional payload and towing capability -- in fact, when paired with the revised Duramax (which produces 397 horsepower and 765 pound-feet of torque), a regular cab, two-wheel-drive, short-bed 2500 HD is rated to tow 17,000 pounds, roughly 1200 pounds more than the 2010 2500 HD models.

Read more: http://wot.motortrend.com/6649810/auto-news/hello-hd-first-2011-chevrolet-silverado-heavy-duty-pickup-truck-built/index.html#ixzz0p5nn5ww1

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

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.

Chevrolet Cruze Eco Gets Automatic Transmission

2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco

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.

First Drive: Chevrolet Cruze Eco

Chevy Cruze Eco

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.

Chevy Cruze Eco

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.

Chevy Cruz Eco

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.

Black is most popular Chevrolet Camaro color so far

2010 Chevrolet Camaro Black

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).

1950 Chevrolet Deluxe

1950 Chevrolet Deluxe
Sailing from the San Diego area, Ivy Westmoreland has always dreamed of cruising a classic car down the city'd alm tree-lined streets. That dream spawned from the many beautiful summer days she spent as a child in Southern California, watching the culture, now known as Lowriding, emerge within the urban streets of her hometown. Even though she diligently focused her time on obtaining a college education, raising two children, and working to manage the responsibilities that come along with being a great wife and mother, Ivy never lost sight of her automotive dream. As the saying goes, 'it's all about timing and finally, that time came for Ivy just five years ago.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Gets More Awesome For 2011

Chevrolet Corvette Z06

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.

2011 Corvette honors 50th anniversary of marque's first Le Mans win

2011 Corvette
2011 Corvette

It's been 50 years since Chevrolet first took a class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the 1960 Briggs Cunningham Corvette. General Motors has decided to mark the occasion by swaddling the very first 2011 Chevrolet Corvette in the same livery worn by the champion. The car wears blue stripes and other decals as homage to the company's racing history, but it also packs a few performance tricks from the Chevrolet playbook at the same time. The special-edition 2011 Corvette boasts both the Z06 and CFZ packages, which means there's 505 horsepower on tap courtesy of a 7.0-liter aluminum V8.