New Chevrolet Colorado Roughens Up with Double-Cab Rally Concept

The Buenos Aires Motorshow is proving to be an important event for GM as after the debut of the Chevrolet Cobalt Concept, the Detroit automaker released the first details on its second design study, the Colorado Rally Concept.

We first saw the Colorado as single-cab concept truck at the Bangkok International Auto Show earlier this year.

The Argentine study is a double-cab racing version of that concept fitted with a bevy of off-road accessories and components such as the front and rear bumper hooks and tow winches, an adjustable suspension that allows the driver to increase the ride height by 5 inches and special acrylic windows.

The Colorado Rally Concept is powered by a 2.8-liter turbo diesel engine coupled to an all-wheel drive system and rides on massive 18-inch machined aluminum wheels shod in 305/60 R18 tires.

The production version of the all-new Colorado in both single- and double-cab formats is slated to debut later this year.

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GM Unveils New Chevrolet Cobalt Sedan Concept at Buenos Aires

Here in the good ‘ol US of A, General Motors replaced the Chevrolet Cobalt compact car with the new Cruze sedan. In South America, however, it’s another story as the Detroit brand has given birth to a new Chevy Cobalt that is being revealed in pre-production form at this week’s Buenos Aires Motor Show (June 17 to 26) in Argentina.

Developed by General Motors Technical Center in South America, the four-door sedan Cobalt Concept is slated to enter production within the next year. GM’s press blurb doesn’t mention anything about the Cobalt’s underpinnings, but judging from the size of the car, it appears to be based on the Chevy Sonic (Aveo in Europe) saloon.

GM said that the Cobalt will be sold globally offering buyers a choice of four cylinder engines ranging in displacement from 1.3 to 1.8 liters, with automatic and manual transmissions, running on ethanol (flex fuel), gasoline or diesel.

The specific concept model is equipped with an aero kit comprising of front and rear aprons, side skirts and a discreet boot lid spoiler, plus 17-inch alloy wheels in 255/45 R17 rubber and twin exhaust outlets.

The interior has also been upgraded with plush two-tone leather seats, chrome trim, twin sunroof and even an infotainment system with LCD screens integrated into the front headrests.

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Chevrolet Improves 2012 Cruze’s Fuel Economy by 2MPG and Adds New Standard Features

General Motors is releasing a model year update for its Cruze compact sedan. There are no styling changes as the company focused its attention on improving the car’s fuel economy and equipment features.

Thanks to a lower axle ratio for the 2012 models equipped with a six speed automatic transmission, the standard Cruze with the 138HP 1.4-liter turbocharged engine returns 38 mpg compared with 36 mpg for the current model, while the Cruze Eco with the same powetrain setup delivers 39 mpg instead of 37 mpg.

The Cruze Eco with the standard six-speed manual gearbox remains unchanged for 2012 returning 42 mpg on the highway.

Other than that, GM has enhanced the standard features across the range with the addition of Bluetooth phone connectivity, USB port, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, cruise control, leather-wrapped steering wheel and a leather-wrapped shift knob. These features were part of the $525 Connectivity Plus Cruise option package on 2011 models. According to the Detroit automaker, the option was ordered by 90 percent of American customers.

“Chevrolet is committed to responding to what customers want and making it easier for them,” said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “Adding these previously optional features streamlines the ordering process and answers the call of what our customers told us should be standard.”

Additional standard equipment on the 2012 Cruze includes:

• Remote keyless entry
• Air conditioning
• Audio system with AM/FM/CD and MP3 playback
• SiriusXM Satellite Radio with three-month trial service
• Driver information center with average and instant fuel economy feedback, tire pressure readout, oil life remaining and more
• Rear defogger
• Power windows
• Fuel-saving rack mounted electric power steering.

New equipment on the 2012 Cruze includes:

• Keyless entry and keyless start available on 2LT and standard on LTZ
• Touch screen navigation system with 7” color display available on Eco, 2LT and LTZ
• 16-inch five-spoke machined-face alloy wheels are standard on 1LT
• 17-inch five-spoke alloy wheels with four-wheel disc brakes are standard on 2LT
• Compact spare tire and wheel standard on all models except Eco with manual transmission and 1FL (fleet)
• Fog lamps are standard on LTZ
• Exterior colors: Blue Granite Metallic, Blue Topaz Metallic and Victory Red (with RS appearance package only)

Cruze’s standard safety features include:

• Ten standard air bags – the most in the segment – including frontal, head curtain side air bags, front and outboard rear-seat side-impact air bags and knee air bags
• StabiliTrak electronic stability control with rollover sensing, traction control and anti-lock brakes
• Collapsible pedal system, which allows the pedals to detach during a crash to reduce the risk of leg or ankle injuries
• OnStar with Automatic Crash Response.

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GM Shows 2012 Chevy Impala Police Car with 302HP V6, Says its 28% More Fuel Efficient than Ford Crown Vic

In a rather odd move, General Motors has gone ahead and revealed the police patrol version of the 2012 model year Chevrolet Impala before we get to know the full details on the retail model. The Detroit automaker stated that the 2012 Impala for the public will go on sale this month and will get the additional horsepower and fuel economy of the police derivative.

The highlight of the 2012 Impala redesign in both police and retail forms is the adoption of the GM’s new 3.6-liter V6 engine with direct-injection technology coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission. The six-cylinder unit delivers 302-horsepower and according to GM’s engineering tests, it offers the 2012 Impala a very respectable 0-60mph (96 km/h) sprint time of 6.6 seconds.

Despite the 72-horsepower increase over the 2011 Impala police car, which features a 230HP 3.9L V6 engine matched to a 4-speed transmission, the new powertrain returns an estimated fuel economy of 17 mpg city and 27 mpg highway. GM said that these numbers correspond to a 3 mpg improvement over previous Impala models 28 percent better than the soon-to-be retired Ford Crown Victoria.

Along with the new engine and transmission, the 2012 Impala Police car will be the first of the series to adopt GM’s electronic stability control technology called StabilTrak, while upgrades to the brake system shorten vehicle's 60-0 mph stopping distance to 132 feet. A fine-tuning of the steering and suspension systems promise to reduce body roll and improve handling, while GM has also fitted the police version with Goodyear’s Eagle RS-A all-season tires that have a W speed rating (up to 140 mph or 225 km/h).

"The enhancements to the 2012 Impala's powertrain, steering and suspension produce a new vehicle that has improved performance, handling and safety features for police and general consumers," said Darren Post, vehicle line director for Impala. "And they'll see a savings at the fuel pump."

Expect detailed information and pricing on the retail versions of the 2012 Impala to be released within the next couple of weeks.

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2012 Chevrolet Impala

Nissan Leaf vs Chevrolet Volt: Who will Win the Sales Battle?

Even though the new Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt are two very different cars when it comes to details, they do have a common denominator: they are the most technologically advanced eco-friendly vehicles that are mass-produced and readily available in the U.S. market. That said, it’s interesting to see how they’re doing in sales this year.

Believe it or not, it’s a fierce neck-to-neck sales battle so far in 2011 with only 17 cars separating the Leaf from the Volt. Nissan has delivered 2,184 examples of the pure-electric Leaf from January to the end of May, while GM has sold 2,167 units of Chevrolet’s extended range electric vehicle in the same period.

However, that may soon change as Chevrolet has just expanded the availability of the Volt from seven states plus the District of Columbia to all 50 states in the USA. GM also lowered the base price of the 2012MY Volt by $1,000 to $39,995 (or $32,496 after applying a $7,500 federal tax credit), but the Chevrolet is still significantly more expensive than the Leaf which retails for $32,780 ($25,280 with the tax credit).

Via: USAToday

2011 NISSAN LEAF EV

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2011 CHEVROLET VOLT