It’s On: 2012 Chevrolet Volt Begins National Launch

 

The innovative Chevrolet Volt went on sale last year and quickly earned praise from customers and industry observers alike. The only challenge? It was just available in seven markets. But Chevy is up to that challenge this year: Already available for ordering in all 50 states, the Volt kicked off its national launch campaign for the rest of the country in July, when North Carolina utility companies took delivery of 27 Volts—with the Carolinas’ 128 Chevrolet dealers slated to begin receiving Volts for retail customers in August.

The initial delivery of Volts was courtesy of a collaboration between GM, the Electric Power Research Institute and the utility companies, and was made possible by a $30.5 million grant administered by the U.S. Department of Energy‘s Recovery Act Transportation Electrification Initiative.

“In-home and workplace charging experience is critical to market acceptance of electric vehicles,” said Britta Gross, GM director of Global Energy Systems and Infrastructure Commercialization. “Together with EPRI and leading utility companies such as Duke Energy and Progress Energy, we will transform transportation and make electric vehicles relevant and available to the mass market.” [Continue reading...]

Chevy Sonic Gets Eco-Friendly Paint Job

 

"To many buyers, the shine and sparkle of their new car is a key purchase driver. With the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, the only subcompact car made in America, drivers can admire the gloss knowing the latest paint processes were applied in a new eco-friendly paint shop to ensure high quality with less environmental impact.

General Motors is the first automaker in the United States to use a unique water-based “three-wet” paint process.  Fast becoming a global trend, the process eliminates the need for a primer bake oven, normally used between the primer and color-coating layers. The Orion Assembly Center allows three layers of paint to be applied one after another while still wet before a single trip though the oven.   

This process reduces the paint shop footprint by 10 percent, providing additional floor space and reducing the energy needed to heat and cool these areas. This process also upholds the car’s glossy sheen, reflectiveness and durability expected to last years beyond the purchaser’s final car payment.

“Cutting our greenhouse gas emissions and reducing our energy consumption were key to implementing our water-based ‘three-wet’ paint process,” said Mauricio Pincheira, paint manager at Orion. “We want to provide a durable paint that impresses our first-time Sonic customers and maintain the tough environmental standards we have across the company.”

Orion’s new paint shop was engineered to minimize energy use while reducing solvent emissions.  By using the three-wet process, a thin film pretreatment, and exceptionally lean design methods, Orion’s paint shop uses 50 percent less process energy per vehicle than the shop it replaced. It is also heated by natural and landfill gas, which results in less emissions than coal-fired boilers." [Continue reading...]

First 2012 Camaro ZL1 Offered for Sale Goes for $250,000

"The first 2012 Camaro ZL1 offered to the public sold for $250,000 at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Las Vegas on Saturday evening.

The car was offered by Fairway Chevrolet-Buick-GMC in Las Vegas, with 100 percent of the auction proceeds benefitting the YMCA of Southern Nevada.

Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group, placed the winning bid and is expected to take delivery of his new Camaro in the first quarter of 2012. His will be the only 2012 Camaro ZL1 coupe produced with a Carbon Flash Metallic exterior. It will be the 69^th ZL1 produced at the Oshawa Assembly Plant, in tribute of the legendary 1969 Camaro ZL1, of which only 69 were produced. 

“Our family has been involved with the YMCA for more than 25 years,” said Greg Heinrich, president of Fairway Chevrolet. “In that time, I have seen firsthand how the ‘Y’ helps young people, families, and seniors in our community. Today, the community’s dependence on the YMCA of Southern Nevada is greater than ever, with the Y sponsoring one out of four members."[Continue reading...]

Chevrolet Takes The Lead In Michigan State Police Tests

 

"The 2012 Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle (PPV) and the brand’s 2012 police lineup beat the competition at the recent Michigan State Police testing in Chelsea and Grattan, Mich. The tests proved that Chevy’s lineup was more than ready for active duty in the State’s law enforcement organizations.

The Caprice PPV in particular was best-in-class in the 60-0 mph braking test for the second straight year, with a 125.8 ft. stopping distance. That was four feet less than the Ford Police Interceptor Taurus AWD turbo. Caprice also posted a best-in-class top speed for the second consecutive year increasing 6 mph to 154 mph compared to 148 mph for the Ford Police Interceptor Taurus AWD turbo." [Continue reading...]

GM Helps Solve The Solvent Problem

 

"From extended-range electric vehicles like the new Chevrolet Volt to landfill-free manufacturing facilities around the globe, General Motors continues to grow its ability to shrink its environmental footprint. And coincidentally, one of the company’s latest breakthroughs involves both its products and its plants: GM is now introducing a flame-treatment technology that allows paints to stick to plastic vehicle parts without the need for solvent-based primers, which can have a negative impact on air quality.

That’s vital, because while solvent-based primers are traditionally used to help paint stick to plastic parts, disposing of the waste solvents is an expensive, energy-intensive process. So, when GM learned of the new technology through its relationship with the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment—a working group of U.S. automakers, their suppliers and the Environmental Protection Agency—the company was quick to put it to use.

The new method of applying paint leverages a high-efficiency robotic system that modifies the surface molecules of the plastic parts so that they better bond with the paint—eliminating the need for adhesion-promoting primers. And not only does it benefit the environment, but it’s also faster and more efficient than spraying primer. In fact, the savings will pay for the capital expenses necessary to deploy the new system in less than four months according to GM." [Continue reading...]

New Ecotec 2.5L Engine More Efficient, Refined and Powerful

 

Chevrolet today revealed details of the all-new Ecotec 2.5L four-cylinder engine. More efficient, refined and powerful than its predecessor, the new power plant will be the standard engine in the 2013 Malibu.

The 2.5L is expected to deliver an estimated 190 horsepower (140 kW) and 180 lb.-ft. of torque (250 Nm) – about 12 percent more horsepower and 16 percent more torque than the current Ecotec 2.4L, while offering estimated highway fuel economy of more than 30 mpg (final fuel economy numbers are pending).

The new 2.5L will be available next summer, marking the debut of the all-new Ecotec engine family. Increased efficiency was the top development priority, achieved in part through lower engine friction. It was reduced by an average of 16 percent across the entire speed range, using new technologies such as a variable-displacement oil pump and an actively controlled thermostat. GM proprietary computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis techniques were used to develop an all-new combustion system with a higher compression ratio, which also helped boost efficiency. [Continue reading...]

2013 Chevrolet Malibu Is One Smooth Ride

 

"Thanks to painstaking measures employed by GM engineers, the all-new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu sedan is expected to have the best ride and handling in its segment when it’s launched next year.

The Malibu will ride on an award-winning global architecture that’s been tweaked for European-style precision with comfort tailored to North America’s diverse range of driving conditions.

“Our development team has been everywhere with the new Malibu, tuning the ride on rural back roads, suburban boulevards, urban freeways and just about every other type of road imaginable,” said Mark Moussa, global chief engineer. “The result is the most finely tuned Chevrolet mid-size sedan ever, with controlled dynamics in all driving conditions.”

Aside from finely tuning the Malibu’s platform, engineers also incorporated a number of elements to enhance the sedan’s driving dynamics even further including:[Continue reading...]"

2012 Chevrolet Sonic Named An IIHS Top Safety Pick

 

"General Motors is showing signs of truly bucking its history of giving small cars short shrift in many areas. With all-new 2012 Chevrolet Sonic that arrives later this fall, along with the excellent new Chevrolet Cruze that's one of our best-rated small cars, GM is shaping up to have a fully competitive—and very safe—lineup of fresh new small cars.

Further evidence it's not just talk: The Sonic isn't even on sale yet, however the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has already crash-tested it—and the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic earned an excellent set of scores, including top 'good' ratings in frontal and side impact tests, rollover safety, and rear protection." [Continue reading...]

Camaro ZL1 Delivers 580 Horsepower and Exclusive Technologies

 

The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1’s supercharged 6.2L engine is SAE-rated at 580 horsepower (432 kW) and 556 lb.-ft. of torque (754 Nm) – making it the most-powerful production Camaro ever.

The ZL1’s outstanding power is complemented by advanced powertrain and chassis technologies, including exclusive Performance Traction Management and third-generation Magnetic Ride Control.

“The Camaro ZL1 delivers supercar performance and technology in the sports-car segment,” said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer. “For sheer power, the ZL1 delivers more horsepower than a Ferrari 458, more torque than an Aston Martin DB9 V12, and a better power-to-weight ratio than a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS.

“The Camaro ZL1 also features exclusive chassis and traction technologies,” Oppenheiser said, “to offer the best of all worlds – including balanced handling for the track, acceleration for a drag strip, and the comfort of a daily driver.” [Continue reading...]

Chevy Equinox Employs Sound Strategy For More MPG

 

When developing the Chevrolet Equinox, engineers at General Motors utilized stereo headphone technology to help give the popular crossover segment-leading fuel economy.

The 2011 Chevy Equinox gets 32 miles per gallon on the highway, four mpg better than segment competitors like the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape – all rated at 28 mpg. It achieves this rating by enabling the crossover’s engine to run at a lower RPM. However, this posed a new challenge for noise and vibration engineers.

“There’s a boom, or very low frequency rumble that comes from the engine when it runs in that RPM range,” said Noise and Vibration Development Engineer Jim Vallance. “We knew if we could deaden those booms, we could run the engine at the lower RPM, which would provide a significant boost to fuel economy. So we started kicking around ideas and came up with noise cancellation like you see in some high-end stereo headphones.”

Vallance and his colleagues at GM’s Milford Proving Ground came up with a solution — an Active Noise Cancellation module. This module detects when the engine is running in the 1,000 – 1,500 RPM range and immediately creates a sound-killing countermeasure through the vehicle speakers, essentially eliminating the unwanted sound. [Continue reading...]

Chevy Cruze Graduates To KBB.com Best For Back-To-School List

 Preparing for the start of the new school year can be a challenging time, especially when it also involves shopping for a new vehicle. As the experts at Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com note, meeting the needs of parents and pupils alike requires a ride that is safe, affordable, reliable and fuel-efficient, but also good-looking, versatile and fun-to-drive—just like the Chevrolet Cruze, which was recently named to KBB.com’s “Top 10 Best Back-to-School Cars 2011.”

KBB.com editors called the Cruze an impressive car that is “nice enough inside that they might think you’re borrowing your more sophisticated older brother’s car. In addition to a well-appointed and quiet cabin, the Cruze can comfortably seat five and has a large trunk for books and gear. It also features OnStar telematics with emergency crash response—something mom and dad will love knowing you’ll have just in case.”[Continue reading...]

Tips for the Ultimate Labor Day Barbecue

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

 

We would like to wish all of you a very happy and safe Labor Day Weekend!