2012 Indy 500 Pole Sitter Ryan Briscoe takes the Corvette ZR1 Pace Car for a ride around Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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Volt Generates First Time Interest in Chevrolet

The Chevrolet Volt is winning new customers to the brand from the competition with the Toyota Prius topping the list of most traded-in vehicle followed by the Toyota Camry, Honda Civic and BMW 3 Series. 

“I owned a Prius for six years and loved it. I was one of the first to sign-up for the plug-in (version),” said Steve Glenn of Santa Monica, Calif.   “While I was waiting for it to ship, I learned that the Volt would qualify for the HOV stickers, so I did a test drive. I fell in love then. It’s faster, better appointed and gets far better gas mileage than the Prius (or the plug-in). I've driven it over 1,000 miles and I've only used five gallons of gas.”

Access to high-occupancy vehicle lanes, also known as carpool lanes, is a desired commuter perk in traffic-clogged California.

“Volt is a game changer for us in northern California,” said Shaun Del Grande, president, Del Grande Dealer Group in San Jose. “On a daily basis new customers are coming into our dealership to check out the Volt because of its breakthrough technology and superior fuel economy.  Our dealership is seeing new customers who are trading in Prius and Civic models, and we’re just getting started with electric vehicles.”

In a recent survey, Volt owners expressed their passion for the vehicle with 93 percent stating that they would buy the car again.

“Nearly seven in 10 Volt buyers are new to Chevrolet,” said Volt marketing manager Cristi Landy.  “With new customers coming to the brand because of the Volt, our dealers have a great opportunity to establish lasting relationships and introduce them to our entire Chevrolet product line up.”

The Volt has a total driving range of up to 379 miles, based on EPA estimates. For the first 35 miles, the Volt can drive gas and tailpipe-emissions free using a full charge of electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gas-powered engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range another 344 miles on a full tank. Volt owners have travelled more than 10 million miles since the vehicle launched late last year. Roughly two-thirds of those miles were powered by grid electricity.

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4 million cars and trucks a year.  Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality.

Courtesy of GM Media

GM to Break Ground on Chevrolet Colorado Plant Expansions in Missouri

The 2014 Chevrolet Colorado pickup is growing even closer to reaching North American dealers: General Motors will break ground today on a plant expansion in Wentzville, Missouri, where Chevrolet will manufacture the truck for North American consumption.

We should note first that the pickup in question is the new Chevrolet Colorado, an all-new model that will replace the current model year Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, which are made in Shreveport, Louisiana. The new Colorado will be based on the international Colorado pickup that was recently released in several other international markets. That truck was designed and engineered primarily by a team from Brazil, and initially released in Thailand.

The latest iteration, on sale outside the United States, has a selection of two Duramax diesel engines: one 2.5-liter I-4 that makes 150 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, and one 2.8-liter I-4 with 180 horsepower and 346 pound-feet of torque. That power is sent through either a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. The truck is available with regular, crew, or extended cabs, and the cabs have anywhere between 16 and 30 cubbies on the interior to store items (depending on the size).

As for the American version, we expect the finished product to be fairly similar to its international twins, but we still have no firm specifications for U.S.-spec content or powertrains. We do know now that the Chevrolet Colorado mid-size truck will only be released after GM introduces its full-size trucks, the Silverado and GMC Sierra, so it won’t arrive in dealers before 2014. We’re not sure exactly what equipment or powertrain options will stay when the truck comes to the United States–the current Colorado/ GMC Canyon doesn’t have a diesel option–and we don’t even know what it’ll be called. While the Thai version is called the Colorado, GM hasn’t confirmed the American truck’s name–in fact, we hear a few South American markets will know the truck as the S-10.

No matter what it’s named (or if it’ll also spawn a GMC sibling), the truck will certainly be made at GM’s plant in Wentzville, which presently builds the GMC Savana and Chevrolet Express full-size vans. The plant is now running on a two-shift schedule (after GM added 400 employees and one shift early this year), and the plant expansion tied to the Colorado program is expected to save or create some 1260 jobs.

Courtesy of AutomobilMag.com

Here is a Wednesday Maintenance Tip!

Coolant-antifreeze eventually degrades and becomes contaminated. Flush it from your cooling system as recommended in your manual (typically every two years; every five years for newer coolants). Failing to do so can damage your radiator, clog your heater core, and cause the thermostat and water pump to fail.

Chevrolet Volt Saves Supertanker of Gas

Chevrolet Volt owners collectively have saved a supertanker of gasoline since the electric car with extended range went on sale, compiling 40 million miles on electricity and avoiding the use of more than 2.1 million gallons of gasoline.

“With each click of the odometer, Chevrolet Volt owners are measuring their contribution to reducing America's dependence on foreign oil and to preserving the environment,” said Cristi Landy, Chevrolet Volt marketing director.  “Volt owners are also saving at the fuel pump with more than $8 million in combined savings.”

Chevrolet recently introduced a rolling ticker on its website that showcases real-time daily driving statistics for Volt owners based on OnStar data. Results in total number of miles driven, electric miles driven and gallons of gas saved are viewable. As of today:

40 Million Total Electric Miles (EV) driven equivalent to:

    -16,373 trips across the United States (2,443 miles from New York to Los Angeles)
    -1,606 trips around the Earth (24,901 miles each)
    -167 trips to the Moon (238,657 miles each)

2,130,000 Gallons of Gas Saved equivalent to:

    -50,714 barrels of gas saved (42 gallons of gas per barrel)
    -$8,000,000 saved at the gas pump (based on $3.80/gallon of gas)
    -387 U.S. semi-truck tankers of gas saved (5,500 gallons of gas each)
    -One supertanker  of gas saved (2 million gallons of gas)

“Our Volt owners are driving the vehicle exactly as the car was designed,” Landy said. “Sixty percent of the time our owners are driving electric, but the extended range is providing additional miles when they need it. This shows that you don’t have to change your daily driving habits to drive the Volt.”

The Volt has a total driving range of up to 379 miles, based on EPA estimates. For the first 35 miles, the Volt can drive gas and tailpipe-emissions free using a full charge of electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gas-powered engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range another 344 miles on a full tank. Typically Volt owners drive an average of 900 miles between fill ups at the gas station.

Courtesy of GM Media

Leaving the hotdogs and apple pie for others, Chevrolet is out to revive baseball in 12 communities around the country by awarding a dozen winners of its “Diamonds & Dreams” program with refurbished baseball facilities.

Smart Driving Could Save $100 a Month at the Pump

With the official start of the summer driving season fast approaching, Chevrolet is reminding consumers of some easy ways to maintain their vehicles and drive smarter to help improve fuel economy and save money at the pump.

To demonstrate 10 common mistakes drivers make that hurt their fuel economy, General Motors fuel economy engineers Ann Wenzlick and Beth Nunning drove identical Chevrolet Cruze LTs with an EPA estimated at 24 mpg city and 36 mpg highway, on a typical workday commute. For the route, they drove both cars for 20 minutes, including city and highway driving as well as stopping for coffee.

The results show that sweating the small stuff could save drivers as much as $100 a month in fuel costs. Wenzlick averaged 37 miles per gallon using efficient driving habits in a properly maintained Cruze. Driving inefficiently and ignoring common maintenance, Nunning managed only 21 miles per gallon. The difference means Nunning would get 250 fewer miles per tank of gas, while Wenzlick would save $100 a month – or $1,200 a year – assuming 15,000 miles and $4 a gallon for gas.

“Ann and Beth’s results support data from OnStar that shows the fuel economy of drivers in identical cars can vary by 75 percent,” said Roger Clark, manager of the GM Energy Center. “With a well-maintained car, the best drivers get up to 25 percent more miles per gallon than average. When you combine a poorly maintained car with inefficient driving habits, the fuel economy of the worst drivers can be 50 percent below average.

“The fuel economy of every vehicle is greatly affected by how you drive, and how you care for your vehicle,” Clark said. “Often, relatively small changes to your driving habits and vehicle maintenance can make the difference between being on the bottom, or the top, of the fuel-economy scale.”

Five Driving Tips to Save at the Pump

Here are five things Ann Wenzlick did to drive more efficiently in her Cruze:

1.Get out of the drive-through lane.
    “While Beth waited in the drive-thru with her car running, I shut off the engine and went inside for my morning coffee. Idling for 15 minutes burns through an average of a quarter of a gallon – adding another $1 to the cost of your latte.”
    
2.Take it easy
    “In the city, I accelerated smoothly while Beth demonstrated one of the most common mistakes we see on the road: Jumping on the gas at every light, only to hit the brakes as she caught up with the traffic ahead. Such aggressive driving isn’t going to get you home any faster, while driving smoothly can improve your mileage by 20 percent.”
    
3. Driving 70, not 80.
    “On the highway, I drove 70, compared to Beth’s 80. Again, a 10-mph difference likely won’t add much time to your daily commute, but it will save you up to four miles per gallon on the highway.”
    
4. Use cruise control
    “I tried to maintain a constant speed during our drive, while Beth’s fluctuated with traffic. Try using cruise control when possible, and maintaining a constant speed over time, which is much more efficient than speeding up and slowing down over and over again.”
    
5. Roll up the windows
    “One of the most common questions we get is ‘Is it better to drive with the A/C on, or off?’ At slower speeds, turning off the air conditioning can save you a little, but I always roll up the windows on the highway. Beth was driving with her windows down, and the increased air pressure acted like a parachute trying to slow her down – consuming much more energy than air conditioning ever will.”

Five Vehicle Mistakes That Hurt MPG:

Here are things that contributed to Beth Nunning’s poor fuel economy:

1. Low tire pressure
    “All four tires on my car were five pounds under their recommended air pressure. That’s not enough to change how the Cruze drives, but it does make the engine work much harder to turn the wheels. Check your tires at least once a month, as a tire that is 10 pounds under pressure can cut your fuel efficiency by more than 3 percent.”
    
2. Using roof ornaments
    “To show support for my Detroit Tigers, I put up window flags on my Cruze for every home game. But, when the boys hit the road, the flags will come down. At highway speeds, up to a third of your fuel is used to overcome wind resistance, so even small changes to your vehicle’s aerodynamics will have a big impact in fuel economy.”
    
3. Carrying extra junk in the trunk
    “I had six bags of water-softener salt in the trunk I bought on sale at the hardware store. But, according to EPA estimates, every 100 pounds of weight can reduce fuel economy by 2 percent. While I saved at the checkout, that 240 pounds of salt added almost 5 percent to my fuel costs for the trip.”
    
4. Ignoring the “check engine” light
    “I called OnStar to run a remote diagnostics check on my Cruze, because the check engine light was on. Turns out the light was on because the gas cap was loose. But more serious engine problems can cut your fuel economy by up to 40 percent.”
    
5. Not bundling errands
    “An engine at operating temperature is up to 50 percent more efficient than a cold engine. So, when possible, it’s much better to run five errands in an afternoon, than running one errand every day of the week.

Regular Vehicle Maintenance Tips That Can Save Money in the Long-run:

1. Make your tires last
    Properly inflated tires will improve your fuel economy, and they will last longer. Also rotate tires at manufacturer-recommended intervals.
    
2. Use the recommended grade of motor oil
    Motor oil that says “Energy Conserving” on the performance symbol of the American Petroleum Institute contains friction-reducing additives that can improve fuel economy.
    
3. Check your owner's manual for the most effective octane level for your car.
    For most cars, the recommended gasoline is regular octane. In most cases, using a higher-than-recommended octane gas offers no benefit – and costs more.
    
4. Batteries can make or break you
    Check battery life, replace or charge your current battery and make sure battery cables are free of corrosion. Many breakdowns occur because batteries aren't delivering full cranking power.
    
5. Get regular engine tune-ups and car maintenance checks.
    According to the EPA, tune-ups improve performance as well as gas mileage. Check your owner’s manual for recommended maintenance schedules and follow them. This will avoid fuel economy problems due to worn spark plugs, dragging brakes, low transmission fluid, or the transmission failing to go into high gear.
   
6. Be skeptical about any gizmo that promises to improve your gas mileage. The EPA has tested supposed gas-saving devices – including “mixture enhancers” and fuel line magnets – and found that very few provided any fuel economy benefits. The devices that did work provided only a slight improvement in gas mileage. In fact, some products may damage your car’s engine or cause a substantial increase in exhaust emissions.

 

Courtesy of GM Media

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Cruze, Malibu Among Nation’s Most Comfortable

In today’s automotive marketplace, drivers looking for a particularly comfortable new vehicle don’t have to spend a particularly large sum of money, and they don’t have to sacrifice fuel economy, either. They do, however, need to visit their local Chevy dealerships, since the Bowtie brand recently put two vehicles—the Chevrolet Cruze and the new 2013 Chevy Malibu—on KBB.com’s honor roll of “10 Most Comfortable Cars under $30,000.”

The Cruze earned its prize by “including an acoustic-laminated windshield, triple-layered door seals and wheel-well liners for a quiet cabin. And supportive front seats matched with perhaps the smoothest highway ride in the segment. For compact comfort, the Chevy Cruze is a big winner.”

Further enhancing the car’s comfort are features like hydraulic ride bushings and an isolated engine cradle, both of which help reduce noise, vibration and harshness in the Cruze’s cabin.

Boasting an MSRP that starts at $16,800, the Cruze also is a big winner in the EPA’s fuel-economy ratings. In fact, the Cruze Eco—priced from $19,325—leads its segment in highway fuel efficiency and showcases overall marks of up to 28 mpg city/42 mpg highway/33 mpg combined.

The redesigned 2013 Malibu stood out for KBB.com as a vehicle that offered “the practicality and affordability of a typical midsize sedan along with a roomy, upscale cockpit and a suspension system capable of taming America’s endless supply of dilapidated asphalt.” Notable as well: Chevy claims the much-improved Malibu will be the quietest car the brand has ever sold, thanks to extensive sound-reduction measures and world-class aerodynamics.

Chevy dealers are currently offering the new Malibu in its own 37-mpg Eco model, with an MSRP of $25,235, while the rest of the lineup scheduled to start reaching dealers later this year.

Courtesy of Chevrolet In The News

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2012 Chevrolet Traverse Named USAA ‘Best Value’

The 2012 Chevrolet Traverse crossover utility is the best value among large SUVs, according to USAA’s Best Value vehicles list, which identifies the top 2012 automobiles in 16 categories that give consumers the most for the money.

The Traverse offers better safety ratings, lower insurance premium costs, higher fuel economy, better overall reliability and a lower suggested retail price compared to other vehicles in the same category, according to USAA, which provides insurance, banking, investment and retirement products and services to 9 million members of the U.S. military and their families.

“The Chevy Traverse is a family vehicle without compromise,” said Maria Rohrer, Chevrolet Traverse marketing director. “It offers space for up to eight people, with the utility, flexibility, fuel economy, and safety features families on-the-go desire.”

Best Value automobiles offer the best financial value of all vehicles USAA evaluates as part of a broader rating system called USAA Preferred, which uses quantitative data to evaluate vehicles’ cost, safety and reliability, among other key factors. Nearly 80 cars, trucks and minivans are currently designated as USAA Preferred vehicles. The Best Value list represents the vehicles at the top of each category.

The Traverse is General Motors’ best-selling crossover and is offered in LS, LT and LTZ models (with two LT trim levels: 1LT and 2LT), in both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations.

Product highlights include:

EPA-estimated 17 city, 24 mpg on the highway (FWD models) with a cruising range of up to 520 highway miles
Most storage capacity of any vehicle in its segment with up to 116.4 cubic feet (3,296 liters) of maximum cargo space
Seating for up to eight without compromising space and comfort
Second-row Smart Slide seat feature, for easy access to the third-row seats
Six standard air bags
Class-leading towing capacity of 5,200 pounds (2,358 kg)
Rear-seat entertainment system with second-row controls, XM Satellite Radio including NavTraffic real-time traffic feature (with navigation system) and Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity
Family of 17-, 18- and 20-inch wheels.

Chevrolet has sold more than 334,000 Traverses since 2008. It has been recognized by third-party consumer and safety organizations with top safety ratings and consumer Best Buy awards.

The Traverse is built at GM’s Lansing Delta Township Assembly. It has a retail starting price of $29,510.

Chevrolet is saluting the nation’s active duty and retired service members this month by providing an exclusive “Honor” badge to customers who buy an eligible vehicle through the General Motors Military Discount program. The brand also will donate $100 to Cell Phone for Soldiers for each eligible vehicle sold.

The GM Military Discount is also available to active, reserve and retired members and spouses of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, National Guard and Coast Guard. The discount, ranging from $400 to $4,000, is available on most Chevrolet cars, trucks and crossovers, depending on the model and options selected. The discount can be combined with most current incentives.

The GM Military Discount offers an additional $750 discount on selected Chevrolet, Buick and GMC vehicles to eligible members of USAA. To date, 169,000 vehicles have been sold taking advantage of the USAA incentive. General Motors’ support of the military began in 1917 when 90% of GM’s truck production was directed toward WWI war manufacturing. Today, more than 60,000 GM employees have served in the U.S. military.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

About USAA
USAA provides insurance, banking, investment and retirement products and services to 9 million members of the U.S. military and their families. Known for its legendary commitment to its members, USAA is consistently recognized for outstanding service, employee well-being and financial strength. USAA membership is open to all who are serving or have honorably served our nation in the U.S. military – and their eligible family members. For more information about USAA, or to learn more about membership, visit USAA online today.

About General Motors Military Efforts

With nearly 5,000 military veteran employees, General Motors’ support for the United States armed forces spans generations. Today, Chevrolet assists Cell Phones for Soldiers, Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans, the Fallen and Wounded Soldiers Fund, a variety of employment and grassroots initiatives, and is the Official Vehicle of the Army-Navy game. The GM Military Discount program offers the industry’s best discounts on most Chevrolet, Buick and GMC vehicles for active-duty, reserve and retired service members and their spouses. GM’s military community can be found on Facebook.

Courtesy of GM Media

Camaro ZL1 Joins the 11-second Club

The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is officially in the “11-second” club, as engineers recently turned an 11.93-second/116-mph quarter-mile elapsed time run in a showroom-stock Camaro ZL1 automatic. A Camaro ZL1 manual ran an 11.96-second ET at 117 mph.

Only a few other production vehicles can run the quarter-mile as quickly as the ZL1. Fewer yet can also run 0-60 in 4 seconds, reach a top speed of 184 mph and lap the famous Nürburgring in 7:41.27 – all with the street-legal, factory-issued components and no time-consuming equipment adjustments at the racetrack.

“The ZL1 is great at everything and we’re very proud of that,” said Tony Roma, Camaro ZL1 program engineering manager. “You can take it to the drag strip and run 11-second quarter-miles all day long. You can also take it to a road course, where it’s balanced, handles well, and does exactly what you want – including lapping Virginia International Raceway’s Grand Course in under three minutes – and yet the ZL1 is sophisticated enough to use as a daily driver. It’s a supercar you can drive every day.”

For perspective, the Camaro ZL1 is so quick that some drivers who experiment with “drag radial” tires or full racing slicks may find themselves going too quick for most NHRA-sanctioned racetracks, where a five-point roll bar is required for vehicles running 11.49 or quicker. The 11.93-second ET in a stock ZL1 tested by the engineers wore the factory-issued Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar G:2  tires developed specifically for it, putting the car only a scant 0.44-second away from that additional racing safety requirement.

Tuned for the drag strip

The original, special-order 1969 Camaro ZL1s are still revered for their legendary performance on the drag strip and Chevrolet was keenly aware that customers for the new, 21st century edition would undoubtedly test its straight-line mettle in quarter-mile increments.

The Camaro team re-engineered 30 percent of a Camaro 2SS to make the ZL1, including special modifications just for the drag strip.

“We know many of customers will take their ZL1 to the drag strip,” said Gordon Rojewski, driveline development engineer – and who is also an experienced drag racer and owner of a turbocharged, 920-horsepower street car. “Some may just go once, to experience the full potential of the 580-horsepower LSA engine. Others may be more serious, going every other weekend with a set of slicks in the trunk. As such, we set out to make sure the ZL1 would perform for them – on the first pass and on the 100th.”

For example, to withstand the heavy loads of repeated hard launches, the ZL1 features a stout 9.9-inch rear differential mounted in a robust cast iron center section. It also features a standard differential cooler that can lower the temperature by 100 degrees F for improved performance and longevity.

The ZL1 also features asymmetrical half-shafts: a 60mm hollow shaft on the right and a 33mm solid shaft on the left. The different torsional stiffness rates of the shafts work in conjunction with the limited-slip differential to minimize the chance of wheel hop at launch. Engineers modified the rear suspension, as well, to accommodate an 18-inch wheel, for owners who want to fit a set of drag-radials with taller sidewalls to improve their ETs.

Even the ZL1’s exclusive Performance Traction Management (PTM) was tuned for the drag-strip. It integrates third-generation Magnetic Ride Control, launch control, traction control, electronic stability control and electric power steering response to enhance performance. Launch control (manual transmission only) automatically modulates engine torque for the best-possible acceleration without excessive wheel spin. When the driver pushes the throttle to the floor, the system holds a predetermined engine speed until the driver releases the clutch. Then, the system modulates engine torque 1,000 times per second to maximize the available traction.

Mode 5 of launch control is uniquely calibrated for drag strips that use VHT or similar traction-enhancing compounds on the starting line. In addition to validating the system for the stock tires, engineers also tested it with 18- and 20-inch racing-type drag radial tires in anticipation of the specialty tires many drivers will use at the track. Drag radials are very soft and provide nearly the traction of a full racing slick, allowing the car to launch at a higher rpm without wheel spin, which can translate into an even quicker ET.

Proven with 1,000 hard launch tests

To test the chassis and suspension components to ensure they were up to repeated hard-start launches typical at the drag strip, engineers subjected the ZL1 to the grueling “Woodward Avenue Schedule” at the GM Milford Proving Ground.

Named for the famous cruising route that cuts north through Detroit’s suburbs and has been the venue for untold thousands of unofficial launch capability demonstrations since the 1960s, each test cycle is a hard-launch, standing-start drag race up to 100 mph. The ZL1 was subjected to 1,000 test cycles before its driveline was stamped “approved”.

“The Woodward Avenue Schedule was a really brutal test, but it told us the Camaro ZL1 would live up to the way we knew our customers would drive it on the track,” said Rojewski.

The Camaro ZL1 is on sale now with a suggested retail price of $54,995 – including a $900 destination charge. The 6L90 six-speed automatic transmission includes TapShift control and is a $1,185 option. The Camaro ZL1 convertible goes on sale this summer.

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality.

 

Courtesy of GM Media

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The new Impala has been revealed and it is, in a word, stunning.