Chevy Cruze Tries To Crack Small-Car Market

Chevy Cruze

I was driving on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey when I spotted a car I didn’t immediately recognize, at least not from behind. As I caught up with it I was impressed by its attractive shape and subtle chrome accents. Is that a Chevrolet badge on the trunk? Oh — that’s the new Cruze compact sedan.
Wait a minute – I’m driving one of those.
Sometimes you have to see a car in motion to appreciate its looks. Even after days of test-driving the Cruze I didn’t consider it especially handsome until I saw someone else driving one. Sure, it looks fine sitting still. But on the highway, where small cars tend to look like endangered species searching for a place to hide, the Cruze looks wide, muscular and confident — like it belongs there.
That’s part of the image Chevrolet wants to project as it positions the new Cruze to compete with the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, the long-established powerhouses of the compact segment. In the past, Chevy’s entries in the market have fallen short of consumers’ expectations, sometimes by a great distance. Its predecessor the Cobalt was bland and seemed to be designed for rental fleets. Before that car arrived, the long-running Cavalier built a reputation as a perennial money-loser.
One advantage for the Cruze is its size. It is a bit longer than its rivals but appears to be significantly larger on the outside. Styling is attractive, with a look that is bolder than the Corolla and Civic but more mature than the Mazda3.

2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Carbon Edition Price

 

Chevrolet has just announced the pricing details of the 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Edition. The production of the 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Edition is expected to begin in early first quarter of 2011. The company has priced the new vehicle at $90,960. Including option boxes, you will get a fully loaded 2011 Z06 Carbon Edition for $99,925.

The 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Edition features the Brembo carbon ceramic brakes with dark gray metallic calipers and black 20-spoke 19-inch front/20-inch rear wheels rolling on Michelin PS2 tires. For the first time the Magnetic Selective Ride Control is offered on the Z06 along with enhanced cooling.
When it comes to the exterior enhancements, the company has included a choice of Inferno Orange or Supersonic Blue colors adding to the Black headlamps and mirrors, a ZR1-style body color spoiler, body color door handles, carbon fiber raised hood, and black carbon fiber rockers and splitter.

First Chevrolet Volt Delivered

After months of hype and speculation, the Chevrolet Volt has finally hit the stands. Earlier today, retired airline pilot Jeffrey Kaffee took delivery of the first production Chevy Volt to hit the roads. Kaffee had traded in his 2005 Toyota Prius and claims he paid $42,000 for the vehicle that he purchased from Gearhart Chevrolet in Denville, NJ.
The Chevrolet Volt that Kaffee took over was one of the first 360 units that shipped out of the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. Other units from this first lot will be delivered to dealerships in New York, Washington D.C., Texas and California.
First unveiled four years ago at the Detroit Auto Show, the Chevrolet Volt has garnered a lot of attention from the automotive circles. General Motors has invested and marketed the Chevy Volt in hopes that the car could provide the much needed jolt for the company that was bailed out by the government just over a year back.