New Chevrolets perform well in Euro NCAP crash tests

General Motors (GM) reports that its two newest Chevrolet models, the mid-sized Cruze and the smaller Spark, have performed well in the latest round of Euro NCAP crash tests. The Cruze was awarded the top five-star rating, while the Spark was awarded four stars; it reportedly scored 69 points out of a possible hundred in the tests, leaving it just one point short of winning a fifth star.

The Cruze was the first car subjected to the Euro CAP tests to score maximum points on both the frontal offset collision and side impact tests. The company attributed the good results in part to extensive use of high-strength steels in the Cruze's body structure, and also pointed to the active safety systems fitted to the car such as electronic stability control and electronic brake-force distribution.

The Cruze and the Spark are the latest models from the former Korean Daewoo operations whose products have been sold in Europe with Chevrolet badges since a GM takeover a few years ago. If GM had gone ahead with its divestment of Opel and Vauxhall, the Cruze and the Spark would have been been of central importance to GM in its efforts to maintain or improve its position in Europe; now the relative positioning of Opel/Vauxhall and Chevrolet, which to some extent occupy the same market territory, will probably have to be looked at afresh.

The Cruze, a sister car of the new Vaxhall Astra (which also received a five-star Euro NCAP rating in these latest results), has generally been well received, although it has been held back by the fact that initially at least it has only been available as a saloon, rather than with the hatchback body style favoured by European buyers.

2011 Chevrolet Volt Pedestrian Alert System

November 25th, 2009 Earlier this morning, we wrote about GM's announcement that engineers developing the 2011 Chevrolet Volt have partnered with the National Federation of the Blind to figure out "a safe level of sound" from the company's first extended-range electric vehicle. Our subsequent interview with Tony Posawatz, vehicle line director for the 2011 Volt extended-range electric car, helped us understand some details of the Volt's Pedestrian-Friendly Alert System that we hadn't known. Drivers to sound the alert For one thing, the system will be driver actuated, rather than automatically producing sound at neighborhood speeds. Drivers will trigger it just like the "flash-to-pass" function now built into many turn-signal/light-switch combination levers. The goal, Posawatz said, was to produce an "automotive quality sound" that pedestrians would instantly recognize, without confusing it for the horn. He described it as "a series of low horn audio signals or cues," but said the precise sound is "still being fine-tuned." Lights as well as sound At speeds under 35 miles per hour, the system not only emits that characteristic sound, but also flashes the Volt's lights. Though flashing lights may not be useful to vision-impaired pedestrians, they add an additional layer of warning for children, runners, cyclists, and others who may be unaware that a two-ton vehicle is driving silently toward them. The alert sound is distinctive enough, Posawatz said, that it may become a way for Volt drivers to acknowledge each other, just as Corvette drivers and Harley-Davidson riders signal each other as they pass. Hybrids hit pedestrians more The imminent arrival of all-electric cars like the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and the 2012 Nissan Leaf has raised the level of concern among advocates for the blind about the lack of noise from hybrids running in electric mode. Recent preliminary data from a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study appears to show that hybrids hit pedestrians more often than non-hybrid vehicles. With statistical information now demonstrating that risk, carmakers are lining up to work with groups like the NFB. At speeds under 35 miles per hour, the system not only emits that characteristic sound, but also flashes the Volt's lights. Though flashing lights may not be useful to vision-impaired pedestrians, they add an additional layer of warning for children, runners, cyclists, and others who may be unaware that a two-ton vehicle is driving silently toward them.

The alert sound is distinctive enough, Posawatz said, that it may become a way for Volt drivers to acknowledge each other, just as Corvette drivers and Harley-Davidson riders signal each other as they pass.

Hybrids hit pedestrians more

The imminent arrival of all-electric cars like the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and the 2012 Nissan Leaf has raised the level of concern among advocates for the blind about the lack of noise from hybrids running in electric mode.

Recent preliminary data from a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study appears to show that hybrids hit pedestrians more often than non-hybrid vehicles. With statistical information now demonstrating that risk, carmakers are lining up to work with groups like the NFB.

1963 Chevrolet Impala SS - Green With Envy

Life can move in mysterious ways sometimes, and at the end of the day, it's funny how some things work out. Take the case of 28-year-old Tommy Garcia of Lexington, South Carolina. As a child, he grew up around classic cars, and at the age of sixteen, he realized that he had the passion to buy one. For four years, this dream of owning a classic car evaded him, until it finally became a reality when Tommy turned twenty. What's the reason behind the four year delay, you might ask? Well, finding a classic Impala in the South can prove to be easier said than done, as most frames are depleted with rust or simply falling apart from lack of care. In Monetta, South Carolina, Tommy found a '63 Chevrolet Impala SS that was ripe for a rebuild. It was originally purchased for a complete transformation, however, the car's owner had lost his passion and drive for the project.

Tommy stepped in, offering a respectable dollar amount as well as promises to provide updates on his rebuild for the previous owner. His sincerity and business sense swayed the owner, and he allowed Tommy to buy the vehicle. Ecstatic, Tommy put the Chevy on a trailer and brought it back home. The first step in the building process was to make sure the mechanics were in working order. The Impala was brought to Bernie Hajack, a very capable and certified Chevrolet mechanic. Bernie removed the stock motor and rebuilt it from the ground up, using the original factory specifications as his measuring stick. Supreme Plating, out of California, was the destination shop for the majority of the car's chrome additions.

With the help of his father, Tommy was able to focus his attention on the car's suspension. The Garcia men lifted the heavy Chevy frame in their family's garage, and built a perfect hydraulic set-up. Tommy and his dad installed a four-pump chrome setup with 17-inch Pro Hopper whammy tanks, ultimately finished off with polished Hi-Jacker blocks and stainless steel hard lines and also, four Deka batteries line the sides of the trunk for proper weight distribution.

The father and son combo sought out to give the Impala perfect detail, so they decided to strip the '63 down to the bare metal. The replacement parts necessary were taken with the Impala to Richard Wright, Jr.'s Custom Paint & Body in Lexington, South Carolina, where Chris "Goofy" Stewart completed the body work. Richard pulled the Chevy into the paint booth and laid down an Orion Silver basecoat, and several coats of House of Kolor Kandy Organic Green with a green flake. A friend, Mike Louder, added the finishing touches on the roof by spraying a similar mixture of paint to the basecoat, while Jeffrey Brewer went to work, laying down the patterns that Tommy had previously designed.

Chevrolet Volt is challenging for GM

• 
• 2011 Chevrolet Volt Picture

  The Chevrolet Volt goes into production in less than a year, and GM is working on getting the bugs out. | November 23, 2009 | General Motors Corporation

Chevrolet launches a product placement and an awareness campaign

the car will be the center piece of what Chevrolet describes as the “world’s largest school show-and-tell”.

The auto manufacturer will provide a lesson plan to teachers about the Volt through Weekly Reader, an educational materials developer for math curriculum and vocabulary tests.

“Today's middle school students are tomorrow's leaders, so Chevrolet is teaming up with Weekly Reader to provide a fun yet educational experience themed around electricity,” explained Maria Rohrer, a representative from Chevrolet. “Electricity is the new fuel of the 21st century and will help shape the future of the automobile.”

Chevrolet says that the event will tackle the basics of electricity and why it is important and how it can transform the American auto industry. The event will be held at the Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles and will be broadcasted on the Web.

A look at the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox FWD LTZ

2010 Chevrolet Equinox FWD LTZ

BASE PRICE: $22,440, for FWD LS; $24,190 for AWD LS; $23,360 for FWD LT; $25,110 for AWD LT; $28,045 for FWD LTZ.

AS TESTED: $31,685.

TYPE: Front-engine, front-wheel drive, five-passenger, crossover sport utility vehicle.

ENGINE: 3-liter, double overhead cam V-6 with direct injection.

MILEAGE: 17 mpg (city), 25 mpg (highway).

TOP SPEED: NA.

LENGTH: 187.8 inches.

WHEELBASE: 112.5 inches.

CURB WEIGHT: 4,200 pounds.

BUILT AT: Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada.

OPTIONS: 3-liter V-6 $1,500; power sunroof $795; trailer equipment $350; 18-inch aluminum wheels $250.

2010 Chevrolet Equinox SUV refined, stylish

Chevrolet's sport utility vehicle named for the first day of spring had a rebirth this year, and the resulting 2010 Equinox is the best ever.

A crossover SUV that's based on a car-like chassis, the Equinox has stylish new looks, a refined ride, handsome interior and new, more fuel efficient engines.

The face borrows from the attractive front styling of the Chevy Malibu sedan and Chevy Traverse SUV. A two-tier grille and prominent hood, plus graceful side lines, create an attractive-looking SUV that makes even the Honda CR-V look a bit dowdy.

A compact SUV since it debuted in 2005, the Equinox also grew an inch here and there this year and looks on the outside larger and more substantial than before.

Best of all, the addition of a fuel-sipping four-cylinder engine gives it a better fuel economy rating — 22 miles per gallon in city driving and 32 mpg on the highway — than the top-selling Toyota RAV4 and the CR-V.

Starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, of $23,185 is lower than last year because of the smaller, base engine. But it's a tad higher than the starting retail prices for the new CR-V, at $22,255, and the new RAV4, at $22,300. All prices are for base models with four-cylinder engines, automatic transmissions and two-wheel drive.

The lowest-priced, 2010 Equinox with all-wheel drive starts at $24,935.

The interior is new, with nicely styled center stack of controls, comfortable seats and ice blue ambient lighting. Sure, there's a lot of hard plastic in there but fit and finish on the tester were excellent, and controls were ergonomically designed and easy to operate.

The ride was what impressed me most. Compared with the clumsy-feeling suspension of the old Equinox, the ride in the new model is downright refined.

The suspension — independent front struts and independent four link at the back — managed road bumps well, with just a few ba-boom sounds on rough stuff.

The Equinox had to manage both the road bumps and the considerable weight of the vehicle, which starts at 3,770 pounds with four-cylinder engine and goes to 4,000-plus pounds with V-6.

Despite the weight, which is more than that of the CR-V and RAV4, passengers rode above the road fray and felt only slight vibrations now and then. In fact, the Equinox provides quite a substantial, safe feeling to everyone inside. Some of this is due to the widened front track of the vehicle, which gives it a strong road presence.

That presence is backed up by government crash tests, which give the new model across-the-board five-out-of-five stars in laboratory front and side crashes.

The interior was surprisingly quiet, even though the test model was the uplevel Equinox LTZ with 264-horsepower, 3-liter, direct-injection V-6. I heard low, confident engine sounds while accelerating — never anything loud or raucous.

Understandably, the V-6 drinks unleaded gasoline at an average rate for a heavy SUV, resulting in a government fuel economy rating of 17 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. This is the same fuel mileage rating as several other six-cylinder-powered smaller SUVs, such as the sporty BMW X3.

But the ride and handling of the Equinox isn't so much sporty as it is poised and comfortable.

The six-speed automatic shifts smoothly and tries its best to deliver top mileage. And powered by the V-6, the still-compact SUV can tow a healthy 3,500 pounds.

In contrast, the 2010 Honda CR-V, which comes with only a 180-horsepower four cylinder, can tow a maximum 1,500 pounds.

Neither the RAV-4 nor the CR-V comes with a six-speed automatic transmission.

But Chevy also puts the six-speed tranny in the Equinox with the 182-horsepower, 2.4-liter, direct-injection, four-cylinder engine. This helps explain the noteworthy 32 mpg in highway driving for the four-cylinder model.

In comparison, the lighter weight RAV4 has top government mileage of 22/28 mpg, while the lighter weight CR-V tops out at 21/28 mpg.

Of course, no one goes from garage at home directly onto the freeway, so the everyday reality isn't going to be 32 mpg.

But with an 18.8-gallon gas tank in the four-cylinder model, the Equinox can travel a combined city/highway route of some 375 miles on a single fill-up, according to government figures.

There's even a first-ever noise cancellation technology for Chevrolet in the four-cylinder model. It uses microphones inside the vehicle to detect booming sounds and then seeks to cancel them out with counteracting sound waves from the audio system speakers.

Honda has had a similar system in its larger vehicles, such as the Odyssey minivan and Pilot SUV, for years.

But the Equinox's four-cylinder can feel a bit sluggish for such a heavy vehicle. It produces peak torque of 172 foot-pounds at 4,900 rpm, which comes at a higher rpm than the 172 foot-pounds at 4,000 rpm in the RAV4.

The tester had a disturbing low buzz/rubbing sound whenever I made sharp U-turns. It seemed to come from the power steering. And I had to be careful when turning around because the model with optional 18-inch tires needed some 40 feet of turnaround space. This compares with the 34.8 feet turning circle in a base RAV4.