2011 Chevrolet Volt Price Gouging Banned At AutoNation

2011 Chevrolet Volt Price Gouging Banned At AutoNation

Earlier this month, sister-site Green Car Reports posted news about less-than-scrupulous dealers already telling potential customers for the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Volt that there might be a significant markup–as much as $20,000–on the first batch of cars because of limited supply. And as terrible as that sounds, Chevrolet has no power to stop the practice from happening and can only recommend customers shop around if they’re being faced with steep premiums on the Volt.

There is some good news, however. One place customers interested in the Volt should definitely look up are dealerships that fall under the AutoNation Inc. group. This is because the firm is banning its dealers from charging more than sticker price for the Chevrolet Volt–as well as the 2012 Nissan Leaf all-electric vehicle.

This means customers can expect a basic price of $41,000 for the Volt and $32,780 for the Leaf, before any federal or state credits are included. The three-year lease price for the Volt will be around $350 a month, with a $2,500 down payment–only a dollar more than the lease for the Leaf, despite the Volt’s much higher purchase price.

The first Chevrolet Volts are expected to appear in dealerships this fall, while the Leaf officially goes on sale in December.

AutoNation has 27 Chevrolet and 24 Nissan dealerships across the country, and any of its staff that are found to be price gouging on the new electric vehicles will be facing the possibility of termination.

2011 Chevrolet Volt Will Get 50 MPG In Gas Mode

2011 Chevrolet Volt Will Get 50 MPG In Gas Mode

It’s been one of the most-asked questions about the 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car: So what kind of gas mileage will it get?

Despite confusion around Chevy’s claim of 230 miles per gallon, what people wanted to know was simple: After the battery is depleted, when the car’s gasoline-powered generator switches on, what gas mileage does it get?

2011 Chevrolet Volt

2011 Chevrolet Volt

First Chevrolet Volt battery pack built at Brownstown Township plant, January 2010

First Chevrolet Volt battery pack built at Brownstown Township plant, January 2010

Now we have an answer. The Volt’s chief engineer, Andrew Farah, said in a briefing yesterday that not only was the 2011 Volt achieving its target of 40 miles of electric range, but it was also meeting the goal of 50 miles per gallon in so-called range-extending mode.

GM has long said that unlike pure electric cars–for example, the 2011 Nissan Leaf, which has a range of up to 100 miles–the Chevy Volt will have the cruising range of a standard car, which it has said will be “at least 300 miles” on top of the 40 miles on electricity.

Its range is extended when the 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine starts up after that 40 miles. But the torque it produces is used solely to turn a generator that sends power to the electric motor turning the front wheels; the engine does not mechanically power the car.

Fleets of pre-production Volts have logged more than half a million miles, including cold weather testing in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada–a traditional evaluation site due to its Arctic location–with hot weather tests coming this summer in Yuma, Arizona.

The first Volt traveled down the production line in Hamtramck, Michigan, at the end of last month, and Farah said everything is on schedule for regular production to start in the fourth quarter of this year (October through December).

The Volt’s lithium-ion battery pack design has undergone the equivalent of 850,000 miles of testing in GM’s battery lab. The first production packs were assembled at the Brownstown plant in January.

Farah also noted that General Motors continues to discuss with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency how to rate the Chevrolet Volt’s “gas mileage,” so that standards for window stickers are ready by the time the car goes on sale in November or December.

[Detroit News]

Corvette

Corvette

Last week, Karl-Friedrich Stracke, GM’s vice president of global vehicle engineering, set to rest rumors of a mid-engine next-generation Chevrolet Corvette.

That got a lot of attention among Corvette fans.

But a footnote to the story was that Stracke said not only that a hybrid Corvette was possible, but that such a powertrain would be “an interesting idea.” He noted that Porsche has announced it will add hybrids across its lineup, to meet new fuel efficiency regulations.

Hypothetically, Stracke said, a carmaker might offer a very small number of standard powertrains in its sports car lines “for a small amount of very excited car enthusiasts,” with the bulk of the line offering hybrid power and far better fuel economy.

Silverado Hybrid Badge

Silverado Hybrid Badge
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2009 cadillac escalade hybrid platinum

2009 cadillac escalade hybrid platinum
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Call us prescient

Well, we hate to say it, but … we told you so!

Almost a year ago, we suggested that a hybrid Corvette model might not be the end-of-civilization apocalypse that many Corvette buyers seemed to believe. In fact, we noted that a Corvette hybrid could offer 750 horsepower or more.

But aren’t hybrids wimpy little performance blobs? Well, if you’re a Corvette driver stuck behind a Toyota Prius, sure.

But hybrid-electric technology comes in many flavors, and GM’s Two-Mode Hybrid has a lot of power potential to be unlocked.

Torquey Two-Mode Hybrids

Now used only in full-size sport utilities and pickup trucks, the Two-Mode system is set up for nothing if not torque. As fitted to the 2010 GMC Sierra Hybrid and 2010 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid large pickups, it happily handles towing up to 6,100 pounds.

The big hybrid system uses a pair of 40-kilowatt electric motors, providing a total of 108 added horses, and far more torque than that increase would suggest.

Suppose you paired that horsepower boost–all of it with maximum torque from 0 rpm, like any electric motor–to the 556-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 stuffed into the 2010 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe we drove last week?

Add 200 horses

Better yet, beef up the motor outputs in the next-generation system, using lessons learned from current Two-Mode installations, with a goal of adding 200 horsepower on top of engine output.

Silverado Hybrid Info Display

Silverado Hybrid Info Display
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Add a lightweight lithium-ion battery pack optimized to deliver maximum voltage quickly, and all of a sudden, you’ve got a much faster Corvette with 750 horsepower that still gives you vastly better fuel economy. Which might just run rings around today’s Corvette ZR1.

(For the record, the EPA rates today’s 2010 Chevrolet Corvette at 16 miles per gallon city, 24 mpg highway.)

Porsche hybrids promising

With rave reports on the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car from driver Patrick Long, and that company’s plan to build a limited production run of its rapturously received 918 Spyder hybrid supercar, suddenly “performance hybrid” sounds kind of appealing.

Even in a Chevrolet Corvette. Whose next generation, known to insiders as the C7, is scheduled to arrive for the 2013 model year.

Because in the end, whether it comes from an engine or an electric motor, horsepower is horsepower.

[AutoWeek]

Rossi SixtySix Instills RetroFuturism To The Corvette

Rossi SixtySix Instills RetroFuturism To The Corvette

etroFuturism can be defined in two ways. One is the design concepts done in the past that predicted what the future would look like, the Jetsons cartoon is a good example. The other definition is the use of classically-styled items used as a basis for modern designs, and the Rossi Motor Company’s SixtySix is a great example.

Rossi Motor Company has been working for several years to create a body conversion for the current Chevrolet Corvette that looks like a modern version of the C2 Sting Rays built between 1963 and 1967, which most consider the best looking generation of Corvettes. The body conversion isn’t be too hard of a task thanks to the ‘Vette’s construction.

The styling is a modern interpretation of the Sting Ray and takes some styling cues from across the model range, like the 1963 only split rear window and the stinger hood from the 66-67 models. Some savvy sports car fans will also see a bit of Iso Grifo in it as well. The interior will only get some minor changes.

The car will come in six colors, which are generally described as black, red, maroon, blue, pearl white, a charcoal gray and yellow. Rossi will start out with a brand new Corvette and build-to-order a SixtySix in five days. The cost is a bit overpriced, at $130,000 which includes the price of a brand new Corvette.

The car will be unveiled to the public this weekend at the 22nd Annual EyesOn Design in Detroit.

For more info, hit the links below.

[Source: Corvette Blogger, Rossi]

2011 Chevrolet Orlando

2011 Chevrolet Orlando

Chevrolet stated early last year that it would bring a production version of 2008’s Orlando concept vehicle to North American markets sometime in 2011, however, just weeks after revealing the updated Volt MPV5 concept, itself a new iteration of the Orlando design, the automaker has reversed the decision, instead choosing to focus on sales of the Equinox and other models.

The Orlando is based on the same front-wheel drive Delta platform that underpins cars like the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and Volt plug-in hybrid, and despite its compact proportions the upcoming crossover will be able to seat seven.

Being based on the Delta platform means the Orlando could have entered production at the same Hamtramck plant in Detroit that will build the Cruze and Volt sedans. However, the new crossover is still a crucial model in Chevrolet’s global lineup, so production and sales are planned for European and South Korean markets.

These latest spy shots capture a 2011 Orlando prototype undergoing testing in Europe. They reveal that the production Orlando will keep the boxy design, swept-back roof, and blunt front-end of the concept, although it appears that the sliding door and split tailgate configuration of the show car have been dropped in favor of a conventional four-door body and vertically lifting tailgate.

Expect a similar powertrain lineup to the one in the Cruze, which means a range of four-cylinder gasoline engines in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms. A plug-in hybrid version using the Voltec system borrowed from the Volt may also make an appearance according to previous comments from former GM exec Bob Lutz.

credit:http://www.thecarconnection.com

2011 Chevrolet Cruze Impresses Critics In First Drive

2011 Chevrolet Cruze Impresses Critics In First Drive

It has been a little while since we have actually reported on the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze here at AllSmallCars.com. That might be because the Volt has been taking the spotlight with the flood of news and excitement prior to its launch later this fall. That or it could be the shock at its entry-level price. None of that is a problem with the new for 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and what’s more is that it has impressed our Frist Drive experts over at The CarConnection.com. When is the last time you have heard that about a small, economy, American-made car?
2011 Chevrolet Cruze

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

Truly, GM seems to be getting their act together from the “German engineered” Buick Regal, electrified Volt and global c-segment Cruze. Our college, Bengt Halvorson, recently drove the Cruze through the traffic congested highways and streets of Washington D.C. The general impression coming out of that experience is that Toyota better watch out because the Cruze is night and day from the previous Cobalt or Cavalier models. Halvorson gives high praise to the front interior legroom (being 6’ 6” we can see why) and says that the noise levels and control layout makes you feel like you are in higher-end sedan. Other high points include the feel of the 1.4-liter Turbocharged engine in the LT2 and LTZ trim levels, 15.4 cubic inches of trunk space and steering feel. Round that out with a starting price of $16,995 and you have yourself a very competitive small car from GM.

Okay, okay, so there are some negatives about the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze as well. Most notable is probably the “conservative” exterior design. Now, I tend to agree that the design doesn’t jump out and grab you like that of say the 2010 Nissan 370Z, but for a small, entry-level sedan I think it is still miles above the Cobalt. Other negatives that were mention included a little more body lean in corners than one might like if they were driving in a spirited fashion and awkwardly low placement of the climate control. All in all, our expert reviewer was impressed…but will you be impressed as a consumer? We will just have to wait until the comments start rolling in.

Be sure to check out the in-depth First Drive Review of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze over at TheCarConnection.com

credit:http://www.thecarconnection.com

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

The Cruze offers two different suspension tunes, with LS and LT models getting a Touring chassis and 2LT and LTZ models getting a Sport chassis. The latter has 15-percent higher spring rates, retuned dampers, and rides a half-inch lower. Another key difference: Touring-suspension models have rear drum brakes, while Sport-suspension Cruzes have discs on all four wheels. Eco models get the tighter Sport suspension, but without the Watt’s linkage in back and with drum brakes instead of discs.

Soft, secure, serene

From the moment you set out, with all the windows rolled up, it’s readily apparent that while it’s no frisky Mazda3 or Mitsubishi Lancer rival the Cruze feels more mature, and like a much more expensive car. Sure enough, it’s been muted with measures like triple door seals, acoustical headliner materials, nylon baffles in the body panels, and special mounts and other measures throughout powertrain components, but it altogether comes across as a mature, comfortable sedan. The rather soft, absorbent ride also fits that personality.

We drove three different test Cruzes—two LTZ models and one LT2—and on one of the LTZ models we noticed a pronounced difference on how it responded to full throttle, hesitating for a moment and balking to downshift. It’s quite possible the transmission hadn’t yet recalibrated to our more abrupt driving style. Other than that, we only noticed a few minor ergonomic issues: Namely, that the climate controls felt awkwardly low, and my knees nudged them either when driving or in the shotgun position.

All 2011 Cruze models include keyless entry, power accessories, air conditioning, a six-speaker sound system with auxiliary input, and a six-month subscription to OnStar’s Directions and Connections services. We got a chance to use the latter for help in finding our way back into the city after making a wrong turn and found the service, in which an operator answers and beams navigation directions to the car, tremendously useful. Once the directions are in, the vehicle will correct if you miss another turn.

Mid-range LT models add items like a USB port, Bluetooth, and remote start, while the LTZ, which we spent the most time with (ours stickered at less than $23k) gets automatic climate control, heated mirrors, park assist, and a snazzier gauge cluster, as well as optional heated seats. A real screen-based nav system is also on offer.

Overall, at a starting price of just $16,995, the new Cruze delivers the refinement that was missing from the previous Cobalt, but it still lacks the zippy driving feel that might win some shoppers over. Perhaps that will be yet to come in a new SS.

The 2011 Chevy Cruze certainly isn’t a car that will set your heart racing, but it manages to combine the refined ride quality and tactile interior of a Volkswagen Jetta with the no-nonsense, space-efficient packaging of the Toyota Corolla or Hyundai Elantra. Count us as extremely impressed.

credit:http://www.thecarconnection.com

First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze

First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze

The Cruze’s cabin is a very comfortable place to spend the daily commute or a long day on the Interstate, and it’s amazing, for a small car, that this small sedan can fit even the largest or lankiest occupants. The standard manual seat in the Cruze is height- and tilt-adjustable, while the power seats on the LT2 and LTZ models we drove adjust to a wide range of drivers. And the legroom, in front, is phenomenal. GM (don’t forget, current or former employer of Whiteacre, Wagoner, and Lutz, all tall) went out of its way to accommodate tall occupants, and even added two extra inches of front-seat travel (and the steering wheel tilts and telescopes in all trims), so that even this 6′-6″ driver was challenged to push the pedals with the seat back all the way. The lower cushions provide more thigh support than those in most rival small-car models, and only the Volkswagen Jetta comes close for legroom.

The backseat is what reveals the Cruze as a compact, not mid-size, sedan. It’s not nearly wide enough to fit three adults comfortably across, and two adults just barely fit, with headroom a little right for taller occupants and legroom a little harder to get into than it should be, and that’s mostly the result of the surprisingly short back doors. With the front seats all the way back, there’s not much legroom, but in a moderate position there’s plenty. The trunk, however, is a huge 15.4 cubic feet, with a large underfloor compartment on most models.

The Cruze is being launched with two different engines and two different transmissions. Entry-level Cruze LS models will come with a new 136-horsepower, 1.8-liter version of GM’s well-established Ecotec family, while the rest of the lineup—including LT and LTZ trims—will come with a 1.4-liter Ecotec turbocharged four. This engine makes a modest 138 horsepower but also turns out a stout 148 pound-feet of torque at a low 1,850 rpm. GM also assures that the 1.8-liter engine makes 90 percent of its torque from 2400 rpm all the way up to its redline. Both engines can be had with a six-speed automatic or six-speed manual.

While 1.4T models will begin to trickle out this next month, the 1.8-liter models won’t be out until October. All the Cruzes we drove this past week, in Washington, D.C., surrounding suburbs, and Virginia countryside, were LT or LTZ models with the 1.4T engine and the six-speed automatic transmission.

Don’t let 1.4 liters scare you away

The 1.4T might be the smallest-displacement four you can recall in decades in an American-built car, but it’s a flexible, docile engine that always seemed to manage to churn out more torque than we expected. Once started it settles to a very smooth, quiet idle, and throttle response is quick. We especially appreciated the nice, linear—almost German—feel of the throttle, which was a refreshing change of pace compared to the on/off, touchy accelerators we’ve noticed in many small cars of late. The six-speed automatic shifts smoothly and has a very low first gear for quick takeoffs (with a wide span resulting in a very deep overdrive sixth); there aren’t any paddle-shifters, but there’s a manual gate.

Over 35 miles of driving on congested freeways and urban streets leading into Washington, with plenty of stop-and-go and rapid takeoffs—a “hard commuting,” worst-case scenario that’s bound to be on the low side—we saw about 24 mpg from the trip computer. Otherwise we saw readings in the upper 20s in about 150 more miles of mixed driving.

Just as in the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta, which colleague Marty Padgett drove for the first time this past week, the 2010 Chevrolet Cruze doesn’t have an independent rear suspension. Increasingly so, that’s re-becoming the norm for small cars, and as GM has shown here, it doesn’t sacrifice much. With the help of a Watt’s linkage, which helps keep the rear tires fully in contact with the road even when the surface is choppy, the Cruze feels confident around tight bends, though with a bit of body lean that discourages much enthusiasm. That’s too bad, as the steering is excellent. With a rack-mounted electronic power steering system, the 2011 Cruze steering has a nice, settled feel on center and gentle load-building off-center, a little light but with just a bit of feedback from the road.

credit:http://www.thecarconnection.com

The Basics

The Chevrolet Corvette has long been a top performance bargain, but with improvements over the past two years, plus upgrades for 2011, the lineup just keeps getting better.

The 2011 Chevrolet Corvette is a two-door coupe or convertible available in a range of performance trims, including base, Grand Sport, Z06, and ZR1. It competes against the world’s best sports cars and supercars, including the Nissan 370Z and GT-R, Porsche Boxster and 911, Dodge Viper, and even Italian exotics—depending on the trim chosen.

The base Corvette coupe and convertible offer sport and style, the Grand Sport kicks it up a notch with track-worthy upgrades, the Z06 is a pure-bred supercar, and the ZR1 goes over the top with speed, power, and raw ability.

credit:http://www.thecarconnection.com

2011 Chevrolet

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General Motors announced today that it will invest in startup Bright Automotive, which hopes to start final production engineering of its Idea plug-in hybrid delivery van design later this year.

GM Ventures, the automaker’s venture investing arm, already provided funds to Bright this week; formal agreements are to be signed later this year. It seems unlikely that the old, bureaucratic, pre-banktuptcy General Motors would have done the deal in that order.

Bright IDEA plug-in hybrid delivery van, prototype

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GM Logo

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2011 Chevrolet Volt pre-production prototype, January 2010

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2011 Chevrolet Volt MPV5 concept, Unveiled at 2010 Beijing Motor Show

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Bright Idea: lightweight, high-efficiency van

Based in Anderson, Indiana, Bright Automotive unveiled its design for a plug-in hybrid light delivery truck in April 2009. We were able to drive the Idea prototype, briefly, around the time that Bright said its van would achieve an electric range of 40 miles.

The lightweight Bright Idea van is propelled by an electric motor driving the rear wheels, which allows a low load floor in the van body.

A 13-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack gives it the 40 miles of electric range, after which Bright said the front-mounted engine and transmission in its prototype will drive the front wheels, returning 36 miles per gallon in range-extending mode.

(Bright did note that its range and efficiency numbers were based on an unloaded van.)

Dump Dodge, Go GM?

The prototype we drove had a range-extending 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine from a Dodge Caliber. We suspect that Bright may now switch to a GM engine–perhaps even the 1.4-liter range extender used in GM’s 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car.

If its route covered 80 miles each day, the IDEA would run half on electric power and then half on gasoline. The last 40 miles would use about 1.1 gallons of gasoline, giving an effective total fuel efficiency of 70 mpg over 80 miles. If the route were only 60 miles, though, the effective gas mileage would rise to more than 100 mpg.

In either case, the Bright IDEA’s fuel economy will be vastly higher than that of its competition, including Ford’s new Transit Connect small delivery van, which is powered by a four-cylinder gasoline engine rated by the EPA at 22 mpg city, 25 mpg highway.

No Volt Van prospects

Earlier this year, GM showed a concept for a taller five-seat Volt people carrier it calls the Volt MPV5. But it has said nothing about any plans for commercial vehicles based on its Voltec extended-range electric vehicle powertrain.

Bright clearly gains several key assets from the deal: Cash to finish development engineering and launch production of the Idea, access to GM’s global parts bin, and the legitimacy conveyed by GM’s backing that may make its vans a less risky purchase for fleet managers.

And, “perhaps just as importantly,” in the words of Bright chairman and CEO Reuben Munger, in GM “we gain a strategic partner that is a world leader in electrification.” Bright is also pursuing low-interest loan guarantees from the U.S. Department of Energy’s advanced-technology vehicle manufacturing program.

First deal for GM Ventures

GM, on the other hand, will get a stake in the success to a high-mileage small commercial van that’s technologically far more advanced than its competition. And one that could add some incremental volume to production of its expensive electric drive components.

Bright is the first investment made by GM Ventures, formed earlier this year and headed by Jon Lauckner, formerly GM’s head of vehicle development. Once the papers are signed, GM will own a minority stake in Bright Automotive.

“Our funding of Bright Automotive,” Lauckner said, “will accelerate the introduction of advanced propulsion and light-weight technologies in the commercial vehicle market.”

[Bright Automotive, General Motors]

[Article Source : allcarselectric.com ]