August a Record Month for Chevy Volt Sales Thanks to Big Discounts; But is it Really Good News?

All-electric and hybrid car sales so far account for just 3.5 percent of total vehicle sales in the U.S. this year. Not exactly what their makers expected when they launched these models.

At a first glance, the situation is improving for General Motors, as its Volt extended-range hybrid sold a record 2,800 units last month. Year-to-date Volt sales have so far reached 13,000 units, which certainly compares very well to the 7,700 cars that were sold in 2011.

For example, before the discounts, Bunnin Chevrolet in Culver City, California was selling three to five Volts per month. Last month it shifted 36 cars, mostly leases, and sales manager Chad Kelman told The Detroit News that the dealership is having a hard time keeping enough units in stock.

Read more »

Chevrolet Promotes Upcoming 2013 Malibu Turbo with Another Test Track Video

General Motors is evidently placing a lot of focus on the sportier characteristics of the soon-to-be launched 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Turbo, as for the second time in the past couple of months, it has released a video of the car on the track.

Mark Meyers, GM Global Vehicle Performance Manager, tries out the Malibu Turbo LTZ at the Milford Proving Grounds and shares his thoughts about the most potent version of Chevrolet's new mid-size sedan.

Read more »

GM Wants to be the Best in Customer Loyalty, Gain More than US$4 Billion Annually

The Holy Grail in any industry is customer loyalty. All manufacturers are fighting to improve their retention rate, that is, the percentage of customers who, when the time comes to replace a product, will remain loyal to the brand.

The automotive industry is no different. In the U.S. market, the current leader is Toyota, with a 58 percent retention rate. General Motors’ percentage is around 52-53 percent, close to the automotive industry average. Clearly, GM execs think that this should change; and there’s a very good reason for that.

Read more »

Tuned Corvette Z06's Drifty Burnout Almost Turns Sour [NSFW]

There's nothing wrong with getting excited about your freshly updated ride, especially if said car happens to be a badass looking and sounding Chevrolet Corvette Z06 C6, but you shouldn't let your guard down either.

In this video, we have the driver of a murdered-out Z06 with Texas license plates receiving his car after what we assume to be an aftermarket upgrade.

As the young man gets ready to enter the 'Vette, the person behind the camera politely asks him how much the rims cost, only to receive the answer..."Too much".

Read more »

Now That's Going to Leave Some Skid Marks…

Sure motorcycle wheelies can be fun to watch but it's far more entertaining and rare to see a car lifting its two front wheels up in the air, which is what happened at a recent "Holley LS Fest", an event that celebrates anything powered by General Motors' LS V8 engine.

A specially modded and obviously, very powerful, fourth-generation Chevrolet Camaro gave the spectators something to talk about at the event when it took off on the strip heading towards the sky not once but twice, fortunately, without anyone getting hurt.

Read more »

GM Refutes Reuters’ Claim That Each Volt Costs $89,000 to Build, Though it’s Still Losing Money

Despite a rather high US$39,995 sticker price for the base edition of the Volt, Chevrolet’s range-extended hybrid has sold a record 2,831 units in August. So all is well for GM?

In the case of the Volt, the answer is a bit complicated since it’s not your run-of-the-mill gasoline- or diesel-powered car. It’s a problem shared by every hybrid and all-electric vehicle manufacturer: the development costs, the tooling, the battery packs and the powertrain, when added up, simply make for a very high price.

Read more »

Software Glitch Causes Delays in Deliveries of Certain 2012-2013 GM Models Including Cadillac ATS

General Motors may have increased its US sales in August by 10 percent compared to the same month in 2011, but last Wednesday it notified its dealers to stop deliveries of some of its most popular models.

The reason is a software glitch on the OnStar communication system that affects the 2013 Chevrolet Cruze, Equinox and Volt, the Cadillac ATS, SRX and XTS, the Buick Verano plus the GMC Terrain.

GM spokesman Alan Adler said that the issue has been identified as the system failing to alert the OnStar call center in an accident that the vehicle’s airbags are not deployed, like a rear-end collision.

Read more »

Drivers Mourn Friend's Death by Illegally Shutting Down an Atlanta Highway to Perform Donuts

We understand that each person or a group of people can have their own way of dealing with the loss of a loved one, but to honor a friend that passed away by illegally shutting down an entire highway to perform donuts with muscle cars in the middle of the day is taking it one-step too far.

It all happened earlier this week on Interstate 285 in Atlanta, Georgia, when a group of friends in several vehicles including a Chevrolet Camaro, a Pontiac G8 sedan and a Firebird Convertible had an entire highway stop and watch their antics.

Read more »

R&T Pits Corvette ZR1 Against Ferrari 458 Italia and McLaren MP4-12C in a V8 Showdown

The Corvette is one of the longest standing nameplates in the sports car world with a history that spans seven decades across six generations of models.

The current iteration of the Corvette (C6) has been in production since 2004 (as a 2005 model) and will soon be replaced by an all-new version set to appear at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show next January with sales to follow later in the year.

The pinnacle of the series, the ZR1, is the fastest and most expensive (at $112,600) production Corvette ever, but how does it compare against two of the newest and most capable V8-powered supercars in the world, the Ferrari 458 Italia and the McLaren MP4-12C?

Read more »

Chevy Said to Use Opel Designed 1.6-liter Turbo Engine in the U.S., Could Sprout Sonic SS

It seems that the American hot hatch game could be getting even hotter. A report from GM Inside News (GMI) tell us that the new 1.6-liter turbo developed by GM’s European subsidiary Opel, will be finding its way stateside within the next couple of years. Read more »

Chevy to Debut 2013 Spark Facelift, Orlando Turbo and Malibu Diesel at the Paris Auto Show

Besides the world premiere of the new Trax small SUV that we have already shown you, Chevrolet's Paris Motor Show stand will also host the European premieres of the 2013 Spark facelift, and new engine variants of the Orlando MPV and Malibu sedan.

Chevrolet has brought the European market version of the Spark subcompact in line with the North American specification model that just went on sale this year.

Read more »

It's Coming: GM Shuts Down Kentucky Factory Tours to Begin Preparations for Corvette C7 Production

Cue the ominous music; one of the most highly anticipated new models to make its way from Detroit, the upcoming 2014MY Chevrolet C7 Corvette, will soon enter production.

Although we’ve seen it speculatively animated and spied, Chevrolet has been tight lipped on any details regarding the future model before what we expect to be a 2013 Detroit Auto Show revealing.

Read more »

Florida Cop Fired and Arrested For Slamming Female Driver Suspected of Hit-and-Run Into Her Camaro

A police officer from Pensacola, Florida, was fired and arrested this week following a violent incident in which he slammed a female driver into her latest generation Chevrolet Camaro.

The video footage from Officer Christopher Geraci's vehicle shows the 33-year-old cop talking to Abbi Bonds, 29, who he had found on the side of the road talking on her cell phone.

Geraci approached the woman on suspicion of being involved in two hit-and-run incidents that occurred in the early-morning hours of August 2, according to her arrest report.

Read more »

GM to Invest $220 Million to Retool Ohio Plants for the Next Generation Cruze Sedan

Technically, the current generation of the Chevrolet Cruze went on sale in the United States and Canada in the fall of 2010 as a 2011 model, but the compact sedan model was first introduced as the Daewoo Lacetti in South Korea in 2008 before GM discarded the Daewoo nameplate and replaced it worldwide with the bow-tie brand.

Therefore, for General Motors, the Cruze has essentially entered its fourth year in production, which means the company has already started work on its replacement.

Read more »

2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS with 138HP 1.4L Turbo Priced from $20,995

The sportier looking 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS equipped with GM's 1.4-liter Ecotec turbocharged gasoline engine will begin production in U.S. this October and arrive in dealerships shortly after with a starting price of $20,995 when equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox.

If you prefer not to press a clutch to change gears, there's also a six-speed automatic transmission version priced at $22,280. In both cases, the price includes destination charges.

Read more »

New Chevrolet Colorado Pickup Truck, Trailblazer SUV and Cobalt to Make European Debut in Moscow

This year's edition of the Moscow International Motor Show (August 29) in Russia is picking up steam with plenty of automakers having chosen the event to host their world and European debuts.

For its part, Chevrolet will perform the European premieres of three new models including the Colorado pickup truck, its 7-seater Trailblazer SUV sibling and the Cobalt compact sedan.

Read more »

Chervolet Compact SUV

Small SUVs are making waves all around the world. Chevrolet announced its Trax a while back & has just revealed more details about its baby SUV.

It might look like a beefed up Beat from afar, but the only thing similar between the two is the familiar family face with the bow tie. What you see here is the all new Trax, a compact SUV that is soon to hit international & the Indian market soon.

"Trax provides Chevrolet an entry into a growing small SUV segment & delivers the flexibility, great fuel economy & car-like handling that urban explorers require," claimed Chevrolet Europe's president & managing director Susan Docherty at the teaser announcement.

Externally, Chevrolet is keeping within its traditional design aesthetic, albeit tailored for a more muscular appearance which the company hopes evokes power while keeping the overall dimensions as compact as possible. Inside, Trax delivers a message of clean sophistication that is complemented by useful convenience features such as an instrument cluster combining digital readouts with analogue displays. Storage amenities in the new Trax are plentiful. Besides a 358-litre boot, they include various bins above & on both sides of the centre stack, as well as a tray under the passenger seat. Further stowage can be made available under the cargo floor.
 The European engine line-up will include a 1.4L turbocharged petrol unit, a 1.6L petrol engine as well as a 1.7L turbo-diesel engine. The AWD system is available on variants that come with the 1.4L turbo petrol or the 1.7L diesel engine. The 1.7L diesel engine will deliver a power output of 130 PS & a maximum torque of 300 Nm. This is the most likely unit that could be selected for the Indian version.

There is also an array of standard passive & active safety systems will ensure that occupants are effectively protected in the event of an accident. Trax will be equipped with six airbags, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) including Hill Start Assist (HSA), Traction Control (TC), an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution.

With stern competition expected from the likes of the Ford Ecosport which is due pretty soon as well, the compact SUV segment looks all ready to roll. The Trax will debut at the Paris Motor Show & will be sold in more than 140 countries.

Plastic is Fantastic: Corvette Celebrates 60 Years of Advanced Lightweight Construction Materials

One can argue that the horsepower game between sports cars manufacturers is really getting out of control. Proof, if any was needed, is the latest crop of supercars like the Ferrari F12berlinetta and the Lamborghini Aventador, to name just two, that have an output which, not so long ago, would be suited to a Formula 1 car.

And that’s without considering the likes of the Bugatti Veyron and the upcoming Ferrari F70 and Porsche 918 Spyder…

On the other hand, you can never have too much of a good thing – and more power means better acceleration and a higher top speed, which is certainly a good thing for gear heads.

Read more »

Chevrolet COPO Camaro Completes Quarter Mile Run in 8.88 Seconds

The 2012 Chevrolet Central Office Production Order (COPO) Camaro was revealed in concept form at last year's SEMA show in Vegas. As it went from concept to production, the drag strip-prepped Camaro came with a choice of a 7.0-liter (427 c.i.) V8 or a 5.3-liter supercharged (327 c.i.) V8.

Only 69 examples of these $89,000 (€72,000) high performance Camaros will be manufactured in honor of the 1969 ZL1 COPO Camaro.

Read more »

1,100HP-Strong Chevrolet Pickup Truck Terrorizes Sports Cars on the Highway

The makers of the TX2K12 video series have shared a clip of a highly modified Chevrolet pickup truck challenging numerous tuned sports cars including a Corvette, a Dodge Viper, an older generation Chevy Camaro, a Ford Mustang, and even an 800-hp Toyota Supra – all on public roads in Houston, Texas.

And yes, as you probably already have figured out, there's nothing legal nor safe about these street races…

Read more »