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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2012 Buick Regal GS Officially Rated at 270HP, up from 255HP

The official performance and fuel economy numbers on the 2012 Buick Regal GS are out. When GM revealed the Buick’s sports sedan in production trim at the Detroit Motor Show this past January, the company estimated that the Regal GS was good for 255HP and a 0-60mph time of less than 7 seconds.

Now GM announced that the Regal GS’ 2.0-liter direct-injected turbocharged four-cylinder engine has been SAE-certified to deliver 270 horsepower (201kW) and 295 lb.-ft. of torque (400Nm) fat 2,400 rpm or an estimated 0-60 mph performance of 6.7 seconds, or 0.9 seconds slower than the car’s European sibling, the Opel Insignia OPC that features a 325HP V6 and AWD.

Power in the North American model is channeled to the front-wheels only through a six-speed manual gearbox, with GM stating that the Regal GS gets an estimated fuel economy of 28 mpg (8.4 lt/100km) on the highway

“The Regal GS 2.0L turbo delivers the highest specific output of any production engine GM has ever offered, and at 135 hp per liter is the most power dense engine ever certified by SAE,” said Mike Anderson, Ecotec global chief engineer and program manager.

“We’ve been combining direct injection and variable valve timing with boosted engines since 2006, and there’s no question the Regal GS turbo has the responsiveness and acceleration of some V-6s, while delivering the fuel economy you’d expect of a four-cylinder,” Anderson added.

The new 2012 Regal GS will go on sale in the States this fall with prices to be announced closer to launch.

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