Chevrolet Camaro at Delhi Auto Expo

General Motors is planning to unveil its pony car or muscle car Camaro at the upcoming Delhi Auto Expo in January. The model was initially designed by General Motors to compete with Ford Mustang but in India it is coming as a part of brand building exercise for the company. General Motors has not confirmed any plans so far to launch the car in the Indian market.

The fifth generation Camaro went into production in March earlier this year. General Motors is expected to showcase the same model at the Expo. In the international market Chevrolet Camaro is available in 10 exciting colour snapped in two flavors, the V6-equipped LS trim and the V8-powered SS model. Other available features include a wireless cell-phone link, USB port, satellite radio, and remote engine start. Its 2-door convertible model is due to arrive in the overseas market by mid-2011.

Chevrolet launches Wi-Fi for 7 new models

General Motors is keeping up with the latest technology by adding dealer installed Chevrolet Wi-Fi by Autonet Mobile to seven new Chevy models. The Equinox, Traverse, Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Avalanche and Express models will be the first available with this option.
General Motors is keeping up with the latest technology by adding dealer installed Chevrolet Wi-Fi by Autonet Mobile to seven new Chevy models. The Equinox, Traverse, Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Avalanche and Express models will be the first available with this option.

A 3G network is used to connect to the Web creating an in vehicle hotspot that extends up to 45 meters around the car. Able to handle multiple devices with speeds up to 1.5 mbps, enough for streaming video.
This will be handy on the family holiday but Chevrolet expect the Wi-Fi technology to be used mainly for business purposes.

“Chevrolet Wi-Fi by Autonet Mobile enhances commuting, family vacations and work,” says Chris Rauser, Chevrolet Accessories Manager. “It benefits active families on the go, as well as professionals who need immediate information at remote job sites. Its uses are almost endless.”

It usually costs $399 ($443 AUD) but until December 31 it is $199 ($220AUD) with a two year contract. It also has a $29 ($32AUD) monthly service fee as well as the cost of installation.

Chevrolet Cruzes to 40 mpg with Cobalt Replacement

The Chevrolet Cruze will offer 40 mpg fuel economy courtesy of a 1.4-liter turbocharged four cylinder engine.

Not lucky enough to live in Southern California and hop on the Chevy Volt when it debuts next year? Chevrolet will offer customers a more practical and immediate solution for their gas woes in the form of the Cruze, the compact replacement for the existing Cobalt.

Although Chevy will offer several engine options, the 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder will deliver the best fuel economy – 40 mpg highway – along with a respectable 138 horsepower. Designers claim the Cruze is as “slippery” in wind tunnels as the EV1, the most aerodynamic car GM has ever engineered.

The Cruze will also offer 10 airbags, a dual-cockpit design inspired by the Corvette, and the same front fascia design that Chevy debuted with the Malibu.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze Chevy’s New Safe Word

“Leveraging Chevrolet’s design and engineering talent in Asia, Europe and North America, the Cruze brings to market a progressive, globally influenced design complemented by exceptional levels of quietness, quality and attention to detail,” the press release promised.

Chevrolet Cruze will get 40 mpg and offer 10 air bags

General Motors is unveiling the U.S. production version of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week, and it made clear that it hopes a few premium touches will help it make an impact in the small-car segment.

The Cruze will have a new, small-displacement four-cylinder engine, a 1.4-liter I-4 turbo with variable valve timing that is expected to deliver 40 miles per gallon on the highway.

Premium? Check out some of the features and options:

There will be 10 standard air bags -- frontal, side-impact, roof rail head curtain, rear seat side air bags and new knee air bags. Cruze will have electronic stability control with rollover sensing and a lot of electronics, like Bluetooth, USB connectivity, a navigation system, XM Satellite Radio and OnStar.

"Cruze is already a hit across Europe and Asia; and now, it's coming to America to challenge the status quo," said Brent Dewar, a GM Vice President, Chevrolet Global brand. "Along with the Volt electric vehicle, Cruze is the latest tangible example of how Chevrolet is working on exciting products that range from gas-friendly to gas-free."

Cruze goes on sale in the U.S. in the third quarter of 2010, but it has already logged more than four million miles around the world where it's being sold now. The U.S. version will be built in Lordstown Ohio.

Chevrolet delivers a modern muscle car in Camaro

Its macho styling, aggressive stance and eye-catching interior and exterior details have helped make the new Camaro a hit for Chevrolet and General Motors.

Maybe it was the Rally Yellow paint. Maybe it was the aggressive styling and lines.

But auto reviewer Scott Wasser found folks stopped and took notice as he tooled around in a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro.

Chevy pays homage to its Camaro heritage while highlighting state-of-the-art freshness in its 2010 model, according to Wasser.

The Camaro comes in three trim levels with starting prices ranging from $22,680 for an LS to $33,450 for a 2SS. Wasser's test car was a mid-level 2LT with a starting price of $26,580 that climbed to $37,345 with options and delivery fees.

"Part of its optional ($1,450) RS detail package is a circular 'halo' light that surrounds the Camaro's high-intensity discharge headlamps," Wasser writes. "BMW may have pioneered this feature and certainly is best known for it, but it works incredibly well with Camaro. It gives the stunning sporty coupe more than merely eye-catching styling; it helps give it personality."

The Camaro's ride, handling and mileage (17 city/29 highway) are unexpectedly good, but its great retro styling and feel trump all, Wasser says.

He wasn't a fan of what he describes as seriously restricted sight lines from the pilot's seat. But Wasser says the car is a home run nonetheless.

"It's thoroughly modern engineering and sleek styling should be a hit with anyone seeking a sporty coupe, but the Camaro's greatest appeal will be with those who want to own a piece of rolling nostalgia."

Chevrolet Volt: A sneak peek

Dan Neil drives a Volt prototype at Dodger Stadium, in one of the first chances for anyone outside of GM engineering to test the extended-range plug-in hybrid.

It accelerates with a big husky twist of its electric motor. Actually, you can even chirp the front tires if you push the go-button hard enough -- very unlike a golf cart. It corners confidently and brakes crisply and, if it's no Ferrari, it certainly won't embarrass itself on the 110 Freeway, otherwise known as the Pasadena Grand Prix.

It's comfortable, practical and -- graded on the curve of five-seat family hatchbacks -- reasonably attractive. Think German-made-dishwasher pretty.

But the question remains: Will the Chevrolet Volt -- General Motors' radical electric vehicle with a range-extending gas generator on board, due in November 2010 -- really work? Will it help GM leapfrog Toyota -- currently experiencing its own woes -- as a grandmaster of green-car technology? Will it help win back legions of disaffected customers? Will it wow EV enthusiasts in Southern California, who still haven't forgiven GM for building the Hummer H2 or forgotten the murder of its charismatic little electric car of the 1990s, the EV1?

The high-tech, Earth-friendly Volt could provide a bridgehead for GM in California, where the company's sales have plummeted about 50% from September 2008.

And by the way, while the Volt is saving GM, will it save gasoline?

"Absolutely," says Andrew Farah, the Volt's chief engineer. "It's going to work and work better than people realize. . . . I'm proud as hell of this thing."

The Volt is a series hybrid EV that is propelled by a 120-kilowatt (160-horsepower) electric motor. Drawing on energy stored in its 16-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, the Volt has an all-electric range of about 40 miles. If the battery is depleted, a 1.4-liter four-cylinder generator kicks in to supply electricity to the traction motor.

The advantage of this design is that if drivers don't exceed 40 miles of driving daily (and most don't), and if they plug in at night, they won't use any gas at all. If they need to go farther, they can, burning gasoline.

The Volt splits the difference between the greenness of an EV and the freedom of a gas-powered car. It will be the first such car to come to market.

GM hasn't announced pricing, but it's widely speculated the car will sell for under $40,000. Buyers will get a $7,500 tax credit on the car, for a net cost of $32,500 or less. That would still make the Volt thousands more expensive than a Toyota Prius or Honda Insight hybrid.

It would be hard to overstate the importance of the Volt to the image of GM -- not least because GM, battered by bankruptcy and a lingering reputation as the Darth Vader of fuel economy, has been trumpeting the car in advertising for well over a year. That strategy carries its own risks.

"GM likely feels the massive pre-intro hype for the Volt is probably more valuable than any post-intro disappointment it may yield," said Karl Brauer, editor of Edmunds.com, the consumer auto research website. "The company is well into its second year of cashing in on the car's promise of near-zero emissions and 200-plus mpg. Will there be a year plus of scolding by the press if the car ultimately bombs? No, a few weeks at most."