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...]"