Chevrolet News
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Chevrolet announced today that it would build the electric motor for its upcoming Spark EV battery electric car in a plant in Maryland. The carmaker also released the power specification for the motor, which will offer 85 kilowatts (114 hp) of peak output and roughly two-thirds of that in sustained operation. That will be far more horsepower than in the gasoline version of the 2013 Spark, which will be fitted with a 83-horsepower, 1.2-liter four-cylinder engine. That's the smallest engine GM has sold in any model since the three-cylinder Geo Metro almost 20 years ago. "I wish I could give you...
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Where Will Chevy Spark EV Be Built? Maybe It's Michigan?Two weeks ago, Chevrolet unveiled its 2013 Spark minicar and confirmed that it would offer a Spark EV all-electric model--a story GreenCarReports broke the night before. But within a few days, an intriguing question came up: Where does GM plan to build its first new all-electric car since the late...
John Voelcker -
Which Cars Are Getting Traded In For Electric Cars? We Find OutIn the last nine months, we’ve seen over 10,000 plug-in cars sold in the U.S. alone, with Nissan taking the lion’s share of new plug-in car sales with its 2011/12 Nissan Leaf. Mass-produced electric cars still very much a niche market, so anyone buying one can be legitimately thought of...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Chevrolet Volt V 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid: Which Is Cheaper To Drive?If you need a plug-in car that is capable of traveling long distances between charges but can’t afford the 300-miles per charge option offered by the 2012 Tesla Model S, the chances are you’re looking at buying a plug-in hybrid. But which of the two main plug-in hybrids on offer today...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Should Range-Extended Cars Have a "Battery Saver" Mode?At the 2011 Geneva Motor Show back in March we learned an interesting bit of information about the 2011 Chevrolet Volt's European cousin, the Opel Ampera. Unlike the Volt, the Ampera is to be equipped with a "battery saving" mode, whereby the driver can hold back the electric mode for when they...
Antony Ingram -
2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ Sedan: Weekend Test Drive"Bracket creep" is the phenomenon where each successive generation of a car gets slightly bigger. It's what allowed the Honda Civic to evolve from the 1973 model, which today we'd call a minicar, to the compact it is today. The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, deemed a subcompact by GM, is a prime example of...
John Voelcker -
We love our readers, because they often have eagle eyes far more acute than our own. Take, for instance, Neal Riley. Reading our article on the 2013 Chevrolet Spark launch, which included official confirmation of the news on the all-electric Spark EV model that we broke last night, he asked: If the battery is really a 20-kilowatt-hour capacity pack and the car gets 18 miles per kwh as depicted in the dashboard picture, the range computes to 360 miles per charge. Now that would be really great. Am I wrong in my findings? That's a great question. Put another way, Neal is asking whether GM has...
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GM To Start Work on Next-Gen EN-V Electric Pod Car ProgramIt's been a big morning for General Motors, with news coming left and right from its big media event in Detroit to celebrate Chevrolet's 100th birthday. In addition to confirming the 2013 Chevy Spark minicar and its all-electric Spark EV model, GM has announced a new Trailblazer sport-utility...
John Voelcker -
GM Officially Confirms 2013 Chevy Spark Minicar, Spark EV Electric VersionGeneral Motors has just officially, finally confirmed news that this site has previously reported: The 2013 Chevrolet Spark minicar will be launched in the first half of next year An all-electric Spark EV model will be offered in selected regions of the U.S. and other markets New front-end styling...
John Voelcker -
GM's First New Battery Electric Car: 2013 Chevrolet Spark EV To Launch In U.S.GM [NYSE:GM] had hoped to announce its latest green vehicle tomorrow morning, at a nice, orderly, staged press event to celebrate Chevrolet's 100th birthday. But one of its hometown papers jumped the gun and broke the news: The largest domestic car company will launch a small battery electric...
John Voelcker -
2012 Chevrolet Sonic: What Do You Want To Know About New Subcompact?The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is the first subcompact car built in the U.S. in a very long time, and one of several new Chevy models that aim to lift the carmaker's overall fuel efficiency. We'll be driving at least three separate 2012 Sonics within four weeks, so we're seeking your input. What do you...
John Voelcker -
GM Makes 2012 Volt Production Line Tweaks, Delays 2nd ShiftEarlier this year, General Motors announced that it would start a second shift at its Detroit-Hamtramck factory some time towards the end of 2011 to meet its production goals for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt. But on Friday the company announced that it was shelving plans to introduce a second shift...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
The mild-hybrid system that General Motors calls eAssist (on the 2012 Buick Lacrosse and Regal models) will also appear on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco version. But now it appears that the system will spread further across GM's product lines, with a report on GMInsideNews that it will appear on both the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain crossover utility vehicles for the 2014 model year. With the 2013 Malibu launching solely in its highest-mileage Malibu Eco form at first, demand for the 2.4-liter EcoTech engine with the hybrid alternator-starter attached is expected to decline once an...
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2012 Chevrolet Sonic Goes Extreme To Attract New CustomersWhen automakers start designing a new car, it’s customary to have a specific demographic of customer in mind. This not only helps to design a car which best suits the needs of a particular subset of buyers, but it also gives the advertising teams something to aim for when coming up with crazy...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Electric-Car Sales: Does GM Have A Chevy Volt Sales Problem?It's that time of month again. Car sales reports spewed forth from the High Gear Media teletypes yesterday (September sales were up), and analysis stories followed. On the electric-car front, Nissan sold 1,031 Leaf battery-electric vehicles and Chevy shifted 723 Volts. While that's an improvement...
John Voelcker -
2012 Chevrolet Sonic Subcompact Named IIHS Top Safety PickThe influential Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has designated the subcompact 2012 Chevy Sonic one of its Top Safety Picks.
John Voelcker -
2012 Chevrolet Sonic: First DriveWe found the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic to be fuel-efficient, comfortable, and in 1.4T form, the most refined model in this class, and one of the most engaging to drive.
Bengt Halvorson -
Yes, The 2012 Volt Uses Gasoline (When You Need To Pee)Remember Apple’s popular Mac Vs PC adverts, in which John Hodgman’s haggard PC was constantly bettered by Justin Long’s smug Mac? After a while, Microsoft -- the firm to which the Get A Mac campaigns were so obviously targeted against -- chose play off Apple’s criticisms and...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
When the second ever 2011 Chevrolet Volt made rolled off the production line at General Motor’s Detroit Hamtamck facility last year, it was destined to be auctioned off in order to help raise funds for the public school system in Detroit. In that particular auction, a brand-new Chevrolet Volt was auctioned off to the highest bidder in aid of a charity -- but what happens when a Chevrolet Volt becomes the donated gift from an anonymous benefactor? Covering events at last weekend’s Green Drive Expo in Richmond, CA, Autobloggreen reports that during the event an anonymous woman stood...
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GM To Develop Electric Cars In China With SAIC, Longtime PartnerMaybe you can beat 'em and join 'em at the same time? That may be what General Motors is hoping with its announcement this morning that it would develop electric cars with its longtime Chinese partner SAIC. In Shanghai this morning, GM CEO Dan Akerson and SAIC Motor Corp. chairman Hu Maoyuan signed...
John Voelcker -
2011 Chevrolet Equinox Sounds Quiet Enough For Better MPGThere are many ways of making a vehicle more fuel efficient. Improvements in engine technology, materials, rolling resistance and aerodynamics can all contribute towards making a car easier on gas than its predecessor. How about making it quieter? You may think making a car quieter at speed might...
Antony Ingram -
Chevrolet Volt: Ultimate Guide To Everything You Need To KnowThe Chevrolet Volt is now here, on sale in most states, and ready to plug in--and to answer all your questions about what it is, how it drives, how to buy it and how to wade through all its new technology, there's only one solution. Here, you'll find High Gear Media's comprehensive coverage of the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Chevrolet Sonic Hits Magic Mark: 40-MPG Highway RatingIt's not always true that the smallest cars get the best gas mileage. In many cases, compact cars get mileage equal to or better mileage than their shorter, stubbier subcompact brethren. The new 2012 Chevrolet Sonic subcompact has managed to crack the magic 40-mpg highway mark, though. Estimates...
John Voelcker -
2012 Chevy Sonic Proves Small Can Be Safe, Earns Top Safety PickThe IIHS has named the 2012 Chevy Sonic a "Top Safety Pick," signifying that the car has scored high in crash testing and comes with standard electronic stability control.
Kurt Ernst