And you think Korean cars’ 5-year “standard” warranties are more than competitive. Watch out, ’cause Chevy’s about to throw in a sneaky left hook at everyone in the industry by offering an 8-year warranty for the Volt.

General Motor’s confident since the battery “exceeded (their) performance targets and is ready to hit the road,” according to GM director Micky Bly.

But before you start considering getting the Volt, keep in mind that the 8-year/100,000-mile warranty will only cover the car’s battery pack.

The Volt is GM’s answer to the blossoming electric car industry with hopes of bringing the fight to rival Toyota and put a dent at the Prius’ hybrid dominance.

While, it’s the longest-ever in any electric car, what’s the point of having your batteries covered while the rest of the car won’t?

One of the reported drawbacks of driving a hybrid or an EV is that they’re so silent, a number of pedestrians have come to harm just because they weren’t able to hear the car coming.

With health and safety a huge factor in car development, such a consideration must be taken by automakers making EVs and hybrids. Chevrolet is considering just that for the Volt.

Chevy is currently testing a noise-emitting device that’s designed to warn pedestrians that the car is coming. The system works by emitting a series of chirps once the system detects pedestrians in the car’s proximity.

“Vehicle sound is not noise; it’s an audio cue and information – for everyone,” says chief engineer Andrew Farah.

This is a positive thing for the impaired but for the rest of the population, whatever happened to stop, look, and listen?

For those wanting to own a top-down version of the Chevy Camaro, you migt have to wait for a little over a year before that one hits the market.

GM CEO Frtiz Henderson told live chat participants over at FastLane Blog that the Camaro Convertible will be a 2012 model that will be made available come first quarter of 2011.

The nice thing about the live chat is that some normal people (Camaro fans, mostly) get to pitch in with the questions.

When someone asked whether a four-door Camaro will be made, Henderson replied that GM does not “see a 4-door camaro in our future. We will continue to look for performance opportunities across our lineup, including in sedans. ”

GM does have a lot of damage control to do after the company delcared bankruptcy early in the year. It’s a good thing for them that many consumers still believe in Detroit over Euro-made cars.

But if there’s one thing that they should’ve learned is to boost their cars quality.

The Chevrolet Aveo is a pathetic little car. Sure, it probably worked in some markets where any American brand will be considered “quality” but even the Suzuki Swift can kick its ass. Probably that’s why General Motors decided to give their small car market an twist with the 2010 Chevrolet Agile.

The Agile is primarily for the Brazilian market and will be made available to dealers by October of this year. The car’s just perfect for such a market where even a 1.0L 4-cylinder engine will suffice.

“The Agile goes beyond a traditional hatchback. Our task was to conduct a vehicle for a demanding client. Great design, interior space and a crossover, i.e. a car transpired versatility to attract customers from a different urban public or to a surfer who loves the countryside,” General Director of GM Design Mercosur Carlos Barba said.

We really wonder what differentiates this to the current Aveo, and perhaps GM will make a bad move if ever they use it as the basis for the new Aveo. The Agile looks unimpressive and definitely a disappointment compared to the sketches revealed last month.

If ever I’ll be in the market for a small car, I’d steer clear for Chevrolets.

For those who are fearing that the fall of General Motors has brought about the doom of certain American classics, fear not. GM has announced that models like the Corvette will continue to see daylight. GM has confirmed the production of the next-generation Corvette – the C7 – by 2012.

The announbcement was made as part of GM’s two-year product plan for its four brands – Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC. While GM has built a boatload of crap cars over the years, they have relied on their American classics to buoy their sales with sports cars like the Corvette and the Camaro.

The C7 is reported to retain the current Corvette’s front-engine RWD layout. The new car will have a smaller and lighter body made from carbon fiber and aluminum. Whether this is for performance or for econmentalist efforts, we still have to find out.

It is also rumored that the car might get a smaller engine which gives reason for them to put the car on a diet to continue to match the power-to-weight ratio of the current-gen Corvette. A supercharged engine is also believed to be part of the plans.

The car is expected to go on sale by 2012 as a 2013 model.

Thanks to Transformers and the revival of pony cars, the Chevy Camaro is one of the most popular cars in General Motors’ fleet. Anyone who likes driving down open highways in muscle cars might be wondering when will a convertible Camaro be out.

Thanks to the troubles GM is in, there might be a longer wait before the convertible will come out. The project has already been pushed back twice and the latest news says that it has been pushed back for a third time.

The production run was scheduled to commence before the years ends by December this year so that it will be made available by 2010. However, GM’s bankruptcy filing and the horrible financial climate pushed the launch date to May of next year.

Now, GM pushes it further, with productions set to start by the first quarter of 2011 just in time for a launch in the second quarter. That’s a long delay for those who had been anticipating the car. At least the project’s still alive.

Now that General Motors is very much poised to sell its Opel brand, the company is planning on releasing a UK-spec Chevrolet Volt that will go head-to-head with the Opel / Vauxhall Ampera in the United Kingdom. Both vehicles are scheduled for a 2012 release.

Initial reports from some months back had GM rebadging the Volt as the Ampera for Europe. Of course, the company can’t really do that now because it is selling Opel to Magna International, a deal expected to be finalized by September.

There will undoubtedly be many similarities between the Volt and the Ampera once both come off the wraps in a couple of years. That is especially true for the power train, since both cars will have essentially the same petrol-electric hybrid system. The petrol engine in both acts as a generator that will extend the electric motor’s life once the charge is gone.

The Vauxhall Ampera is expected to have an appearance that is traditionally European. The UK-spec Chevrolet Volt, on the other hand, is expected to come with less-advanced equipment but should come with a slightly less-expensive price tag.

There have been reports that General Motors is developing a new Buick-branded crossover that will have a two-mode plug-in hybrid system, the same one developed for the Saturn Vue.

GM had already expressed intent to adapt the two-mode hybrid system for other brands within the company. With Saturn’s impending sale to Penske Automotive, new technology slated for Saturn is fair game for GM to apply to its other brands. A confirmed recipient of the two-mode hybrid system is the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox.

Just like with the initial plans for the Vue and new strategies for the 2010 Equinox, expect a full plug-in hybrid system to follow the two-mode hybrid variant. Some are saying that GM could also be eyeing the Cadillac SRX crossover as another platform that will utilize the Saturn two-mode hybrid system. With either the Buick or the Cadillac, GM can apply the new two-mode system on higher-price-range products.

Production of either the Chevrolet Equinox plug-in hybrid or the planned Buick one isn’t slated until 2011.

Chevrolet will be updating the Corvette sports car range for 2010 and is expected to introduce the new Grand Sport model. The entire line will be given updates, from the base trim up to the ZR1 supercar.

The Corvette Grand Sport model retains the LS3 engine, still good for 430 horsepower and 424 lb.-ft. of torque. The new version is faster, taking 4 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph. That’s about 0.2 seconds faster than the base 2009 Coupes. The model has wide-body styling along with a new racing suspension.

It takes the place of the Z51 model, but provides better handling thanks to wider wheels, wider tires, updated shock absorbers, new specs for the stabilizer bar and springs, and new gearing. There’s also an optional two-mode exhaust boost that boosts power to 436hp.

Kerbeck Corvette, the world’s largest Corvette dealer, revealed that the Grand Sport model starts off at $55,720, some $6,205 more than the base Coupe from 2009. If you want the convertible, it’s gonna set you back $59,530.

GM is working on some nifty upgrades for the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette, including a new Launch Control system that should be a staple in the manual variants.

According to GM engineer Tadge Juechter, this new Launch Control system will be able to provide drivers with the optimal traction when they start at full throttle. The system is also capable of modulating torque 100 times per second. Unlike in some other sports cars, Launch Control in the new Corvettes won’t be liable for voiding the car’s warranty.

The ZR1 model also gets new stuff. The main addition is a Performance Traction Management, which integrates systems such as Active Handling, Traction Control, and Selective Ride Control. Additionally, Chevrolet will be rolling out Z06 and ZR1 models in the reintroduced Torch Red color scheme. Side airbags, new interior colors and new interior trims will also be offered for all models.

Corvette will also be reintroducing the Grand Sport Model for the 2010 model year. It will have wide-body styling elements along with a performance-enhanced race suspension.

Source: Motor Authority

Many car manufacturers all over the globe are still mired in problems, financial or otherwise. It’s no secret that some of the most affected by the automotive industry struggle are the various auto shows held in key markets. The upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show is no exception, already seeing a host of pull-outs from major automakers.

Chevrolet could be next in line to withdraw from the show. While Chevy’s spokespersons have yet to confirm any actual decision being made on the matter, many are expecting the company to back out.

“It remains a case of ‘watch this space and see what happens’,” said a spokesman. “It may be prudent to miss the show, as we’ve not got anything major coming up to launch and we want to spend as much as we can on the Spark launch in 2010, but no decision has been made.”

With Chevrolet’s European sales dropping by 17.6 so far in 2009, and with no big exhibition on the slate, it’s not really a surprise if the company joins Honda, Mitsubishi, and Nissan. The event will be held in September.

Source: Autocar

Despite GM’s wobbly future and reputation for building not so great cars, Camaro fans will always be Camaro fans. And what a treat it would be to see one built from scratch. Fortunately for Rick Hendrick, top dog of Hendrick Motorsports, he was the lucky man who got the first ever 2010 Chevrolet Camaro to roll out of Chevy’s Oshawa assembly line.

Thank the YouTube gods again for this clip showing his Camaro being built.

General Motors is still struggling to stay afloat but won’t stop delivering packages for their existing lineup. What we have here is the GT1 Champion Edition Package for the Chevrolet Corvette which is actually their tribute to the Corvette C6.R that competed in the Le Mans and American Le Mans GT1.

The package features a ZR1 full-width spoiler that matches the body color, chrome wheels and C6.R decals on the body. Inside, the car gets a leather treatment with race-y accent stitching and embroidery. The package is completed by a special engine cover, 45U Velocity Yellow or 41U Black headlights, and Z51 Performance Package and NPP Performance Exhaust for the coupe and convertible ‘Vettes.

The package is available for the Corvette Coupe 4LT, Convertible 4LT or Z06 3LZ, and will go on sale later this spring starting at $7,840.

General Motors has said that a new high-performance Chevrolet Camaro Z28 is in the works, with the planning and design stages already done. However, it is still uncertain whether the car will roll off the assembly lines as a production car given the company’s current financial troubles and the general detraction of consumers from gas-guzzling, environment-unfriendly high-performance sports cars.

The new Z28 would have had a 6.2-liter LSA supercharged V8 engine taken from the Cadillac CTS-V. The engine will be mated to a six-speed manual or an equivalent automatic transmission system. With this setup, the car produces 556 horsepower, with a 0-60 time of below four seconds.

Car enthusiasts have been clamoring for a new high-performance Camaro release that would utilize the latest technology that GM has managed to put into production. Especially given the following of those Camaro concepts in recent years, it’s no surprise that enthusiasts and hardcore followers come up with sweet renderings like the one from the Camaro5 forums.

It’s unlikely that we will get to see a new Z28 anytime soon, given the economic climate and the premium on green fuel-efficient cars.

Source: Motor Authority

General Motors has revealed a group of concept cars that will be included in the upcoming Transformers movie sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The Chevrolet Stingray concept and Chevrolet Beat concept, off to production as the 2011 Chevtolet Spark, were showcased at the Chicago Auto Show.

The automotive cast will feature four Chevrolets. The Camaro Concept-based Bumblebee banners the group, while newcomers Sideswipe (Stingray Concept), twin bots Mudflap and Skids (Beat Concept), and Jolt (Chevrolet Volt) spice up things a bit. General Motors vehicles riddled the first film, with Bumblebee, Ironhide (a GMC Topkick C4500) and Ratchet (a converted Hummer H2).

“Chevrolet is thrilled to again be part of one of the most anticipated movies in years,” said GM North America vice president for Chevrolet Ed Peper. “‘Transformers’ gives us a great opportunity to connect with young people on their terms, with a dynamic, environmentally friendly image. The new characters represent the change going on in Chevy showrooms. From the exciting Camaro, the 21st century sports car, to the game-changing Volt, there’s more than meets the eye at Chevrolet today.”

Source: Motor Authority

Bosch’s trademark electronic stability control (ESC) system and transmission electro-hydraulic control module (TEHCM) will be included in the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse, helping improve the crossover’s overall safety and comfort.

The addition of the technology from Bosch further augments the outstanding features of the 2009 Traverse, which won the highest safety honor given by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). ESC is an active system equipped with a range of sensors that measures and compares the car’s movement with what the driver tells the vehicle to do. This allows the system to detect loss of control and vehicle instability and then help the driver regain control by making adjustments to keep the vehicle in a stable path. Meanwhile, TEHCM allows smooth shifting through the use of sensors and actuators.

“We work with our customers to develop transmission products and software solutions that are adapted for each specific manufacturer’s performance requirements,” said Bosch Gasoline Systems North America regional president Sujit Jain.

In line with Bosch’s intent to usher in the “next generation of transportation”, improved car safety and comfort are really important. The quality of vehicles is improved, and consumer interest is generated by offering a reliable product.

Source: North America International Auto Show Official Site

Hennessey Performance Engineering, a Texas-based company that specializes in high-performance sports and muscle cars, has come out with their own customized Camaro, called the Limited Edition 2010 HPE700 Camaro.

HPE provided power boosts to the standard supercharged V8 from GM, allowing the HPE700 to go 705 horsepower at 717 lb.-ft. of torque. It also takes styling cues from the Corvette ZR1 plus an option to upgrade the brakes to the ZR1’s 15-inch carbons. This adds to the upgraded suspension and lightweight wheels. It also features a rear lip spoiler, front splitter, and side rockers made from carbon fiber.

HPE President and CEO John Hennessey encapsulates what the HPE700 is all about: “The HPE700 Camaro allows our customers to combine supercar power and performance with classic American muscle car looks in a modern, daily-drive usable sportscar with a backseat and a trunk!”

The Camaro has always been a favorite for tuning and customization, and this latest variant from HPE looks to be on par with the best of them. It’s also exclusive—the first batch of the HPE700 open for auction only for the 2009 Barrett-Jackson auction registered bidders.

Source: Lethistorylive

In yet another effort to provide good fuel efficiency for bigger platforms, General Motors announced that the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox crossover will feature a four-cylinder Ecotec engine equipped with direct-injection technology.

The 2010 Equinox is said to give 30 mpg on highway traffic. The 2.4-liter engine produces 180 horsepower with 172 lb.-ft. of torque at 4900 rpm. Moreover, the engine has better numbers than the new Ford 2.5-liter I4 (170 hp at 28 mpg).

GM also announced that there might also be a 3.0-liter V6 with direct-injection for the 2010 Equinox. This engine is good for 255 horsepower and 214 lb.-ft. of torque. It’s engine will make use of an isolated fuel-injection to reduce noise.

GM Global Powertrain and Global Quality Executive Vice President Tom Stephens said that GM has “been rolling out the technology across our portfolio as quickly as we can so that our customers will have additional fuel savings options. Direct injection is a state-of-the art engineering solution because it enables improved fuel economy and lower emissions without sacrificing power.”

Source: Left Lane

After members of the Detroit Big 3 were criticized for using private jets to attend previous meetings in Washington, GM CEO Rick Wagoner arrived for this meeting in a Chevrolet Volt prototype. This is part of the campaign to secure some $25 billion to keep the three manufacturers viable until they can recover from the current economic troubles.

Wagoner drove the entire 525 miles from Detroit in a vehicle that stands for the efforts of Chevrolet in coming up with low-emission and high-mileage vehicles. GM will also showcase a new Volt concept in Capitol Hill.

“It’s fair to say that last month’s hearings were difficult for us, but we leaned a lot,” said Wagoner. He added that keeping GM afloat “is a job worth doing.” But it seems that the sympathy of people have waned over the past month. A mere 36 percent of respondents in a recent survey were in favor of handing the Big 3, compared to a much more sympathetic reaction in November surveys.

That’s one point for effort, at the very least. Of course, Wagoner should still pray that everything isn’t too late.

Source: Autocar

The SEMA Show, the annual Las Vegas performance car extravaganza, is always a hotbed for unique customized car models. The 2008 show saw the unveiling of the Chevrolet Camaro Black – a dark, high-performance Camaro modded using a host of GM performance parts.

Most notable among the Camaro Black’s features are: classy five-spoke wheels, unique front splitter, side skirts, and sinister red rings on the headlights. All these are overlaid on the matte black exterior finish. The windows and tail light lenses are also tinted. No doubt about it, the Camaro Black looks very daunting and classy. No details were disclosed regarding engine specs and other components ‘neath the hood, but expect at least a 300-horsepower V6.

This is clearly GM taking advantage of the SEMA exposure to hype up the Camaro further, as well as to show off its performance parts. Along with other modified models (the SS and the one-of-a-kind Dale Earnhardt, Jr. custom were also shown at the SEMA show), Chevy feeds public interest until the car rolls off the assembly lines and to dealerships in Spring of 2009.

Source: Left Lane

If you’d want to help GM stave off bankruptcy, then you might want to buy one of these new 2010 Chevrolet Camaros which you can order starting today. And all you have to shell out is $22,995 for the V6-powered LS and $30,995 for the V8-powred SS. Both already include the $750 destination charge.

GM will start building these cars in their Oshawa, Ontario plant by mid-February of next year and they’ll be delivering them to their lucky owners shortly afterwards. The battle of the pony car is sure to escalate then.

The LS model comes with the 3.6L V6 that dishes out 300 jp and 273 lb.-ft. of torque. It’s mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. For the badder SS model, power comes from the 6.2L LS3 v8 that generates 422 hp and 408 lb.-ft. if you opt for the manual version. The automatic version sacrifices 22 hp and 13 lb-ft in the power ratings.

As standard, you’d also get 4.5-link independent rear suspensions, four-wheel disc brakes, traction control, a range of wheels ranging from 18- to 20-inch wheels.

From here on out, General Motors should be focusing on marketing the Chevrolet Volt. They’ve made quite a buzz with all the hype surrounding this vehicle until they revealed its production version celebrating their centenary.

One of the first things they can toy with it the numbers. GM claims that it can do 40 miles running as an EV. Once the batteries have run out, the 1.4L engine would take over and that gas sipper will be able to take the Volt another 300 miles. Dubbed as the world’s first production plug-in hybrid, the car will charge like any electrical device via your home socket. A full charge takes 3 to 8 hours depending on the amount of juice used.

So the range and charging time numbers are pretty much set but I have to agree that the final MPG ratings for this car is yet to be seen. GM should be really happy if they get the EPA to rate the Volt as an EV for regulatory use since EVs use a totally different formula (not based on combine city/highway cycles). By those standards, the Volt would get a rating of more than 100 mpg.

100 mpg can be the magic number GM can use for their marketing campaign. Three-digit MPG ratings probably be enough for not too nitpicky consumers not to even consider the Toyota Prius. Oh and how about cheesy captions like “We’re giving you a mile for every year we’ve been around.” Hehe.

Source: Automotive News (subscription required)

I love how Stephen Colbert eventually got out of Jon Stewart’s shadow and be king of his own show. Forget Bill O’Reilly, Stephen Colbert does it better. Anyway, it was GM’s Bob Lutz’ turn to be invited to the show and boy, did he get the treatment from Colbert.

Fresh off celebrating GM’s 100 years (and crying over the billions of dollars lost in recent years), GM unveiled what could be their saving grace – the first mass-produced plug-in hybrid – the Chevrolet Volt.

Heck, Bob Lutz is just so damn outspokenly proud of the thing that it’s interesting to see him on The Colbert Report. Colbert throws in some really uncomfortable questions into the mix and Bob Lutz answers with some flair.

But the Chevy Volt getting you laid? Let me just laugh. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Whew. This posting blitz has been all about hybrids. I’ll try to look for other newsbits on non-hybrid vehicles after this but hey, General Motors just celebrated its 100th birthday so why not give them a feature that isn’t related to other automakers. Thanks to the YouTube gods, we finally get this video featuring GM’s plug-in hybrid, the Chevrolet Volt.

GM’s saving grace? Check it out.

While Toyota and GM are duking it out for the plug-in hybrid market, Japanese automaker Honda smartly(?) avoids turning the fisticuffs to an all out brawl by deciding not to take the plug-in route. Honda cites that today’s battery technology is still unsuited for a plug-in application.

Right now, hybrid technology is still tossing coins over lithium-ion batteries (as what’s found in the Volt) and nickel metal hydride (as what’s found in the Prius). While lithium-ion batteries are more efficient than nickel metal hydride ones, lithium-ion only holds half the energy of gasoline by weight. Honda thinks that a lot of work needs to be done to make hybrids be as efficient as internal combustion powered vehicles.

Hmm… Given all that I know about science and engineering, Honda seems to be making a convincing argument. Still, you can’t discount the fact that they’ve placed a lot of effort in launching their lease-only hydrogen fuel cell vehicle- the FCX Clarity. If they could perhaps sway market interest to FCHVs, then the Prius-Volt rivalry will be moot.

Source: Bloomberg