- Filed under: Spy Photos, Minivans/MPVs, Euro, Crossovers/CUVs, Chevrolet
Jalopnik has caught spy shots of a fleet -- well, two -- of the new Chevy Tacuma minivans bound for Europe. If they are indeed replacing this Chevy Tacuma as well as that aardvark masquerading as a minivan, the Uplander, then it looks like things are about to get a lot more spacious over yonder pond. Supposed to be about the size of a Mazda5, the Tacuma appears to have front-hinged rear doors, which might make it more CUV than minivan. Also, the Tacuma is also supposed to be built at GM's Hamtramck plant in Michigan. If so, that would make it bedmates with the Chevy Volt, and, as Jalopnik speculates, perhaps another good home for a hybrid drivetrain...
[Source: Jalopnik]
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- Filed under: Safety, Crossovers/CUVs, Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Saturn
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety took some GMC Acadias and smashed them up to see how the big crossovers hold up against immovable objects, and unlike recent tests conducted for the Chevy Equinox and Pontiac Torrent, the news is positive. An AWD Acadia SLE acted as a stand-in for all of the Lambda models - Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, Saturn Outlook, and all Acadia trims included. It didn't matter whether the IIHS attacked the front, side, or rear - the CUV earned a "good" rating in all directions. With the standard fitment of Stabilitrak, the IIHS also bestowed a Top Safety Pick crown on GM's big haulers. The Lambas now have both a five-star rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick designator about which to brag.
[Source: Inside Line]
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- Filed under: Auction Action, Chevrolet, Celebrities, Special/Limited Editions
Click above for more images of the Batmobile, circa 1989
Built atop a lowly Chevrolet Impala chassis (or two), we don't imagine that the next owner of the Batmobile in this auction will be pulling too many Batman-esque stunts. Still, to own one of the vehicles used by Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger in the 1989 Tim Burton-directed movie is pretty cool. A few salient facts: This sucker is 20-feet long and 8-feet wide, so you're going to need a Bat Cave-sized garage. It's powered by a (probably anemic) Chevy 350 V8, so it's fuel mileage theoretically approaches that of the fictional turbine engine depicted in the flick. Lastly, the new owner will need you to sign a Warner Brothers purchase agreement, which we hear is pretty limiting in what it allows you to do with the car. Still, how many people can actually say, "I think I'll take the Batmobile to work today?" Therefore, we deem this car epic. Thanks for the tip, BMW122487!
[Source: eBay Motors]
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- Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GM
Credit goes to our friends at Jalopnik for orchestrating the shot you see above, which took some quick planning and a lot of luck. General Motors recently held a sneak peak media drive for the Chevy Camaro V6 out in San Diego, and unfortunately only the biggest buff books and Edmunds Inside Line were invited (tsk, tsk). Jalopnik decided to crash the party the best way they know how - by showing up driving the Camaro's two biggest competitors, the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger. Classic Jalopnik, and how they managed to find two black ones we'll never know.
This is the first published picture of all three modern muscle cars together, at least that we know of. Jalopnik EIC Ray Wert and his team weathered an extremely miffed GM PR person to get it, and word is we'll have video later of the heated exchange. What GM got miffed about is unknown, since last we checked San Diego had no laws against driving your car and parking it on public streets. Now if you'll excuse us, we have to rummage through our junk folder to find the invitation to this event that we're sure GM sent and we somehow never got.
[Source: Jalopnik]
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- Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Chevrolet
Click above for gallery of the 2010 Camaro SS
We've had fun looking at the new Camaro in LS and LT trim, and even the RS appearance package livens things up a bit, but if we're to be honest, we really only care about the SS model. Fortunately for us, new photos of the Camaro Super Sport have found their way online thanks to Kevin Kolvenbach who goes by the handle of RagSS on the forums. It's claimed that RagSS took these pics, which we find suspect considering their high quality. Well, maybe he took this one. Regardless, they were taken and we're told show the Camaro SS basking in the sun around Hudson Valley, New York, another claim we doubt considering the type of vegetation and, oh, we don't know, large mountains in the background. Go west, young man.
With a 6.2L LS3 V8 producing 422 hp and 408 lb-ft of torque, the SS will be the cream of the Camaro crop for now and probably some time to come, as its power level puts the SS nearly on par with the base Corvette. While the Camaro SS may lack many of the Corvette's other attributes, we're fairly certain Chevy doesn't want to start cannibalizing Vette sales.
[Source: AutoInsane]
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- Filed under: Economy, Sedans/Saloons, Plants/Manufacturing, Paris Motor Show, Chevrolet, GM
Click above for more new live shots of the 2011 Chevy Cruze
Yesterday's announcement by General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner that his company would invest $500 million in the U.S. to build the 2011 Chevy Cruze was perhaps most welcomed by the workers at GM's assembly plant in Lordstown, OH where the car will be built. That plant is getting a $350 million shot in the arm to gear up for the Cruze, which appeared on stage with Wagoner for the announcement. The car on hand was only a foam model, but it looks ready to drive away in (just don't lean on the doors), and these new images give us a few more views of the Cruze not afforded by the official images of a red car released by GM yesterday. Cruze news will probably be hard to come by until October when the car makes its official world debut at the Paris Motor Show, so until then we're left wondering how well it will match up against the likes of the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, next-gen Focus and the rest of the compact sedan segment.
[Source: GM, Photos by Bill Pugliano/Getty and David A. DeNoma]
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- Filed under: Coupes, Chevrolet, GM
Of all the places for Chevy reveal the 2010 Camaro SS, it's chosen a GM-sponsored photo spread for Conde Nast. The free supplement's zeitgeist is "Fashion Rocks" and in keeping with the theme, they've chosen the decidedly un-rocking Fergie as the musical icon to accompany the Camaro SS on glossy stock.
Comparing the image above with the pictures Chevrolet released last month, you can clearly see the SS badging, deeper fascia and upgraded brakes, reported to be sized 14-inches up front and clamped by calipers by Brembo.
The Camaro SS will be packing a 422 hp (estimated), 6.2-liter V8 and will go on sale in March of next year, along with the V6 RS models.
[Source: InsideLine]
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- Filed under: Economy, Sedans/Saloons, Plants/Manufacturing, Chevrolet
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2011 Chevy Cruze
The 2011 Chevy Cruze is a big deal. It's not Tom Cruise big, but when was the last time GM offered a truly competitive small car? The Cobalt has been around since 2005, and the Cavalier dates back to 1982. So it's been at least 26 years of Chevy offering a back of the pack small car. The Cruze is a bit different, having been developed not by GM's designers and engineers in North America, but by its European and Asia Pacific teams. It will debut at the Paris Motor Show in October and go on sale in Europe and Asia next year. About a year after that the Cruze will go on sale in the U.S., and that version will be built at GM's plant in Lordstown, OH. GM CEO Rick Wagoner was at the plant today to announce a $500 million investment in its U.S. operations to build the Cruze here, with more than $350 million earmarked for the Lordstown plant where the current Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G5 are built.
The Lordstown plant will likely build the new Cruze side-by-side with the Cobalt and G5 for a while until the latter two are phased out. It rides on GM's new compact Delta platform, which itself will eventually underpin a number of new products including the highly anticipated Volt, the next-gen Astra and an upcoming MPV to replace the Euro-only Zafira that's likely coming to the U.S., as well.
UPDATE: Two live shots of the Cruze from today's announcement from GM's Lordstown plant have been added to the gallery.
[Source: GM]Continue reading GM announces $350 million for Lordstown plant to bulid Chevy Cruze
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- Filed under: Time Warp, Trucks/Pickups, Auction Action, Etc., Chevrolet
You've got thirty grand and you want a pickup truck, do you A) buy new, or B) hit eBay for a million-mile Silverado. Frank, who had a mild brush with celebrity when the odometer on his truck hit seven-figures recently, would like you to buy his truck. The 1991 Chevy Silverado 1500 is still on its original 350 small-block, though it's chewed up 5 trannies. Frank raves on and on about its remarkable engine and wants it to go to a collector who will appreciate it, but still go out for a ride from time to time. It is an impressive mileage total, but really, who's going to question that a small block V8 is one of the best engines ever? Maintenance has apparently been rather thorough, which is a help keeping any car alive, though we're surprised it hasn't been ravaged by the tinworm. Frank's auction ends in three days and so far hasn't moved beyond its starting bid of $29,999.99. With Employee Pricing back, however, you can get a brand new Chevy Silverado Regular Cab with a short box and zero miles for just $19,899.
[Source: eBay]
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- Filed under: Car Buying, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GM, HUMMER, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn
Wow, there are some great deals to be had at the moment from General Motors. Not the least of which is on the Corvette, specifically the Z06 model, which we've had nothing but good things to say about, even at its $72K asking price. Now that GM is offering all of its models at employee prices, that cost drops by about ten grand! A Z06 for $62,653? Yes please... if only our meager blogging budgets would allow it. Similarly, a Caddy XLR-V can be had for $84,771.80 -- about a $15,000 discount.
Need an SUV? May we suggest a Hummer H3 for about $23K? Those in the market for a luxury sedan could certainly do worse than a Cadillac STS-V for $66,640.88 after some $14K in savings. Of course, practical shoppers can take five-grand off their Saturn Aura XR sedan and end up paying just $21,634.28 for the privilege. We're having way too much fun with this and there is plenty of other news we need to cover, so visit this site, find your best deal and leave it in the comments. Update: fixed spelling mistake in the title, thanks guys!
[Sources: Kicking Tires, GM]
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- Filed under: Economy, Sedans/Saloons, Euro, Chevrolet, GM
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2011 Chevy Cruze
They're here! The first official pics of the 2011 Chevy Cruze have been released by General Motors, and we're not ashamed to say it - we like it. Of course, we're comparing it to the current small car in GM's lineup, the Cobalt, so the bar is pretty low. That said, GM's new small car takes the split-grille motif made famous by the Malibu and makes it more interesting with sharp creases rather than rounded corners. The front end features headlights that extend up and "point" to the A-pillars, and a strong character line running the length of the vehicle sits below a concave bend that sweeps up to meet the windows.
GM claims that fit and finish of the Cruze will be world class for a small car, and that its interior will use "grained surfaces, soft-touch materials and low gloss trim panels" to improve its perceived quality. Unfortunately, no shots of the interior were provided, but you can catch a glimpse in this rear 3/4 shot.
The Cruze will be a global car, and as such it's going on sale in Europe first. It will makes its global debut at the Paris Motor Show in October, where European customers will be the first to check it out in person before it goes on sale in March 2009 overseas. It will be available at launch with a 112-hp 1.6L engine, a 140-hp 1.8L and a 150-hp 2.0L turbodiesel. The North American version will likely get GM's upcoming direct injected 1.4L four-cylinder. The Cruze will also offer a five-speed manual and GM's first application of a six-speed automatic in a small car.
The kicker? The 2011 Chevy Cruze will be built at GM's plant in Lordstown, OH where the current Cobalt and Pontiac G5 are built. Though it'll be built right in our own backyard, the Cruze reportedly won't be available in the U.S. for at least a year or two.
Check out AutoblogGreen's report on the new Cruze to discover its close connection with the Chevy Volt.
[Source: GM]Continue reading GM releases official pics of 2011 Chevy Cruze
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- Filed under: Trucks/Pickups, Etc., Commercial Trucks, Chevrolet, GM, GMC
It's an epic poem that could have been written by Byron: you suffered a nasty breakup and met a new girl, you dated for a while, things were looking outstanding, you proposed... and then the bottom dropped out of the medium-duty truck business. We've seen it all before. And now that it's happened, Navistar has backed away from it's non-binding commitment to purchase GM's medium-duty truck operations.
GM and Navistar only had a memorandum of understanding, so there appears to be no harm, no foul in Navistar getting icy feet. The brief announcement of the dissolution presents it as a mutual affair: "Due to significant marketplace and economic changes, GM and Navistar have decided not to renew the memorandum of understanding to purchase GM's medium duty truck business," but we imagine GM standing at the altar, watching its Navistar groom bolt from the church and hop in a taxi.>
GM is still talking to Navistar and looking at other ways to dump find a good home for its medium duty truck business. A shame, because they make some fine vehicles.
[Source: GM]
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- Filed under: Supercars, Chevrolet, Rumormill
While the world watches in awe as the Corvette ZR1 wretches the performance crown from its competitors, some people are already concerning themselves with its successor. How could GM possibly improve on its best 'Vette yet? Popular Mechanics speculated on what the 2012 Corvette could have in store, and some of the answers they've dug up are a bit surprising. Dual clutch gearboxes? Nope. Mid-engine? Nope. How about losing a few cylinders? Heresy! Before all of the V8 loyalists get their panties in a bunch, remember that you can do a lot with a twin-turbo six. While the Nissan GT-R is the latest example of huge pressure-induced horsepower from a six, the Jaguar XJ220 and past Noble efforts have proven the engine configuration more than adequate. While we don't have any problem with the idea of a high-boost 3.6-liter direct-injection sixer, we know that there's still plenty of room for a range-topping V8 engine and we feel confident that America's preeminent sportscar will soldier on with one -- at the very least -- as an option.
[Source: Popular Mechanics]
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- Filed under: Supercars, Chevrolet, First Drive
Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Last week, General Motors' Bowling Green, KY assembly plant began manufacturing the fastest, most powerful production Corvette in its 55-year history. We got our first official look at the 2009 Corvette ZR1 at the Detroit Auto Show in January and, at that time, Chevrolet officials hadn't finalized the numbers. Over the intervening months, GM continued to tease us with bits of information, including the ZR1's 205 mph top speed, 638 horsepower, 605 lb.-ft. of torque, and 7:26.4 lap time at the Nurburgring. Throughout all of this, we've been waiting patiently for one of the most anticipated invitations of 2008: the ZR1 First Drive.
That wait finally ended a few weeks ago when we got the call to arrive at GM's Milford Proving Grounds. All we needed was cooperative weather. As the sun crested the horizon on the appointed day, the darkened skies threatened to put the kibosh on our time with the King. But a few hours later, the clouds dissipated and the fun was officially underway.
UPDATE: Video of Corvette ZR1 on the Lutz Ring added after the jump.
Photos Copyright (C)2008 Chris Shunk / Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.Continue reading First Drive: 2009 Corvette ZR1 [w/VIDEO]
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- Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Sports/GTs, Chevrolet
Click above for a high resolution image
An American supercar with lightweight components, sport suspension, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires, aerodynamic body kit, and menacing black wheels. No, we're not talking about the Dodge Viper ACR. It's Katech's new ClubSport package for the Corvette Z06. The Detroit-based company has the credentials to build a 'Vette for the track. After all, it's responsible for building the race engines that go into the Le Mans-winning Corvette C6R race cars and the SCCA SPEED World Challenge cars. For the ClubSport, Katech adds a 14-inch, six-piston Brembo brake system, Moton ClubSport suspension, 15-spoke wheels, sticky Michelin tires, Katech appearance package, carbon fiber air intake, lightweight exhaust system and more. Also on the options list are leather race seats, A/C and radio delete, roll bar, and six-point harnesses. Add one of Katech's fully built motors, and the ClubSport will surely put down some pretty impressive numbers at the track. Full details on the ClubSport can be found in the press release after the jump.
[Source: Katech via CorvetteForum.com]
Continue reading Katech unveils track-oriented Chevrolet Corvette Z06 ClubSport
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Archive for the 'CHEVROLET' Category
Thursday, September 27th, 2007
Filed under: Car Buying, Trucks/Pickups, Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM, GMC
General Motors had a good August, bucking the industry trend with a year over year sales increase. A big part of that success came with zero-percent financing on the Silverado and GMC Sierra, and the General is looking to ride the wave by extending free loans through October first. GM isn’t stopping with pickups either. Several 2007 models are getting an additional $1,000 on the hood, including the Yukon, Impala, and G6.
GM has done a pretty good job of staying off incentives through 2007, but the last few months have been brutal. Even some automakers from across the Pacific, who traditionally shy away from cash on the hood, have felt the pinch. GM hasn’t announced additional production cuts, but if the incentives don’t work, the Detroit-based automaker may have little choice.
[Source: Detroit News]
Posted in World Cars, Cargo cars, Automotive News, CHEVROLET, GMC, Trucks, Pickups | No Comments »
Friday, June 1st, 2007
Filed under: Trucks/Pickups, Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM, GMC
A few weeks back, the top brass at GM stated that they intended to remain competitive in the hyper-competitive full-size truck market, and now we know just how serious the General is about protecting its truck turf. Beginning last Saturday, all 2007 extended and crew cab Silverados will have zero-percent financing for up to 60 months. GM spokesman John McDonald was quoted by Automotive News as saying that GM wanted to remain competitive with challengers that have been using “increasingly heavy spending” to move pickups.
While this news isn’t exactly great for GM, there won’t be many truck buyers complaining. It’ll be interesting to see if Ford and Toyota further escalate the prodigious cash giveaway in a truck market that is more competitive than ever.
[Source: Automotive News (subscription req’d)]
Posted in World Cars, Cargo cars, CHEVROLET, GMC, Trucks, Pickups | No Comments »
Sunday, April 15th, 2007
Troy Clarke, president of GM North America, shows the new 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Tuesday at the North American International Auto Show at Detroit’s Cobo Center.
Posted in World Cars, Passenger Cars, Automotive News, CHEVROLET | No Comments »
Friday, April 13th, 2007
Detroit News Readers’ Choice Awards
2007 Chevrolet Camaro concept
General Motors
The Chevrolet Camaro convertible concept will be unveiled at the GM Style event on the eve of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Jan. 5, 2007.
Posted in World Cars, Passenger Cars, Automotive News, CHEVROLET | No Comments »
Saturday, May 6th, 2006
Details info: Alternative names:
Chevrolet Avalanche SUT
Sales Company:
Available version:
1500 5.3 V8 aut.
1500 5.3 V8 aut. 4WD
2500 8.1 V8 aut.
2500 8.1 V8 aut. 4WD
Previous version:
Variation:
Cadillac (United States of America) Escalade EXT
Cadillac (United States of America) Escalade
Info:
For 2003 the Avalanche safety story gets even better. The 2003 Avalanche provides the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system for child seats in the rear seat for the center and left passenger seats.
Posted in CHEVROLET | No Comments »
