When the Chevy Cobalt first hit the scene as a 2005 model, it was a much better car than the basic transportation it replaced, but it was still a bit too Cavalier-looking for some. All that is scheduled to change for the 2010 model year, as the bow-tie will unveil a new Cobalt based of the same global Delta platform that will also underpin the Volt and next Saturn Astra.
Brenda Priddy and her voyeur minions caught a well-disguised 2010 Cobalt roaming the streets, and while it looks like it was doused in silly-string, we can still see plenty of promise. Most noticeably, the 'Balt's profile looks much more refined than that of the current model, with a more graceful greenhouse and prominent nose. Thankfully, the handsome two-tier grill looks to be making its way over from the Malibu, which will help further separate the Cobalt from its economy car past. A sedan and coupe will be available, and we're assuming that we'll see a new, faster Cobalt SS, as well.
High gas prices already have the Cobalt selling in record numbers, and if GM can pull off a better Cobalt by next summer, the amount of them leaving dealer lots should grow considerably. Hit the read link below to see the spy shots. Thanks for the tip, noe!
Click above for high-res gallery of ZR1 on the 'Ring spy shots
Corvette Chief Engineer (and Autoblog commenter) Tadge Juechter said last week that the new ZR1 "will be able to take the production-car track record at any racetrack" and should lap the famed Nurburgring race track in Germany in "seven minutes, twenty-something seconds." Considering Nissan just posted a new official lap time of 7:29 for the GT-R and that the GT-R V-Spec is reportedly clicking off laps in 7:25, them sounds like fightin' words. Well, the ZR1 is officially being flogged around the Ring as we speak, though no one has yet to report a lap time for this gorgeous red prototype that was spotted by KGP photographers. BridgetoGantry.com reports that yesterday there was a helicopter over the track "chasing something that sounded very V8 and awfully supercharged," so perhaps lap times will soon be forthcoming. We imagine the supercharged LS9 V8's 628 horsepower and the ZR1's 205-mph top speed will not disappoint.
General Motors has informed its dealers that production of some of its 2008 full-size trucks and SUVs has been halted due to the ongoing American Axle strike. The affected vehicles include the GMC Yukon, Denali, Sierra heavy-duty regular and extended cab, its commercial-duty pickup and variants of Chevrolet trucks and Tahoes. According to the General, a basic lack of parts is the reason for the stoppage and dealer orders for the week of May 8th and May 15th have been cancelled. While a lack of production is bad news for any automaker, we can't help but think that it couldn't have come at a better time for the General as SUV and truck sales are down overall.
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Corvette ZR1.
Corvette ZR1 chief engineer Tadge Juechter recently sat down to participate in a live chat on GMNext to answer questions about Chevy's new supercar, with topics ranging from fuel-economy to production numbers.
GM hasn't run its fuel economy test yet, but in a previous release from the General, it expects the ZR1 to be the most fuel-efficient 600-hp vehicle on the market. Juechter did say that the ZR1, "will be somewhat less [fuel-efficient] than a Z06," which is currently rated at 15/24 by the EPA, "and we expect a small gas-guzzler tax [on the ZR1]." Production will be limited to 2,000 units each year for worldwide consumption and pricing will be revealed sometime this month.
Juechter went on to say that ZR1 accessories wouldn't be made available for lesser Corvette models, so buyers won't be able to option up for carbon-ceramic brakes or Michelin tires on their Z06s. When asked if engineers considered all-wheel-drive for the ZR1, he emphasized that making the vehicle as lightweight as possible was a top priority and that an AWD system "would have added too much mass." And on the topic of price gouging by dealers, Juechter said only one thing: "We're strongly encouraging dealers to charge MSRP." Good luck on that.
The battle of the diesel-powered half-tons is about to begin, and today General Motors revealed more details on its entrant: the 4.5L Duramax turbo-diesel V8. Thanks to a narrow-angle V block, the 4.5L turbo diesel will fit in the same space as the General's small-block V8, which does give us hope for additional applications beyond just its half-ton trucks. Large SUVs are surely going to get the engine as an option eventually, but maybe GM can find a passenger car or two down the line that would benefit from the tons of torque this engine will produce. GM says the 4.5L turbo-diesel will produce 310 horsepower and 520 pound-feet of torque, while bumping fuel efficiency by 25%. In order to help it meet Bin 5 and LEV 2 emissions standards as well as be 50-state legal, the engine will feature both a diesel particular filter and NOx after-treatment system that uses urea to knock out those pesky nitrogen-based particles. Another engineering coup for the 4.5L turbo-diesel is that GM has reduced its parts count thanks to a design that includes integrated aluminum cylinder head exhaust manifolds and an integral cam cover intake manifold. You'll be able to buy the new diesel in model year 2010 Chevy Silverados and GMC Sierra half-ton pickups, no doubt for a sizable premium over their gas-powered counterparts.
Local UAW contract negotiations aren't going well for General Motors, and today they took a turn for the worst as union members at the automaker's Fairfax assembly plant in Kansas walked off the job at 10AM EST. The bulk of GM's hot-selling Chevy Malibu are produced at the Fairfax plant, with a lesser number of the four-door sedan being built at the automaker's Orion plant in suburban Detroit. Last month GM sold 17,050 Malibus, a 39.5% increase in volume over April 2007. The local union in Fairfax had given GM a number of ultimatums, extending them since the first was established for April 22nd. We're not exactly sure what issue is at the heart of these contract negotiations, but The Detroit News reports that at least one bone of contention is the plant requesting seniority to snag transfer jobs, while the other issues remain undisclosed.
General Motors has been able to weather a 10-week strike by union members against American Axle, one of its main suppliers, as only production of large trucks and SUVs have been affected. Another strike at its Lansing Delta Township plant where the large Lambda CUVs are built has also only served to reduce inventories of vehicles that are seeing a slow down in sales. While the General can withstand a reduction of inventory for vehicles that currently aren't selling as well as they were before because of high gas prices and a slump in the housing market, the Malibu is gaining popularity with consumers month over month. The Fairfax and Orion plants were already producing at capacity to keep up with demand, so today's strike will assuredly hurt the automaker where it matters most: the bottom line. We'd expect GM to act quickly to end the strike, as money is being lost by the hour while Malibus aren't being built.
The Nissan GT-R's 7:29 lap record won't stand for long if Chevrolet has anything to say about it. Speaking with InsideLine, Corvette Chief Engineer, Tadge Jeuchter, says that the ZR1, "will be able to take the production-car track record at any racetrack," and that although Chevy doesn't have a production version of the uber-Vette at the Nurburgring yet, they're expecting a lap time of "seven minutes, twenty-something seconds." That sounds like smack-talk to us. But while the ZR1 might have the potential to best the GT-R's 'Ring time, the 550-600 hp elephant in the room is the forthcoming GT-R V-Spec, which is already putting down (roughly-timed) laps around the North Loop in the 7:25 realm. Let the battle begin. We're making popcorn now.
This just in: Rick Wagoner has told reporters that the Chevy Volt is still on for a 2010 release, saying that so far, there have been no hang-ups that could potentially delay the arrival of General Motors' forthcoming Ultra Super Image Flagship -- currently in the last-gen Chevy Malibu phase of its gestation period. We'll chalk up Rick's comments as one of the "regular updates" he promised the media back in January when he tempered expectations somewhat by applying the "fluid" tag to the Volt's timeline. We assume his latest remarks mean things are proceeding nicely in Voltland, which is good, because the car that will battle the 'lectro-Chevy for the hearts, minds and greenbacks of the enviro-chic -- Prius v3.0 -- will throw down the gauntlet in the General's backyard come January. It'll be interesting to see whether GM responds to Toyota's reveal with some big new Volt-related showcase at the 2009 North American International Camaro Show. Time will tell, and we're sure many more updates are in store between now and then.
The hopes and dreams of electric car aficionados for a purely battery powered successor to the late, lamented EV1 may soon be satisfied. Or not. It all depends on ... you guessed it, the battery. However, the latest utterings from Maximum Bob have people buzzing again. Mr. Lutz spoke to EV site PetroZero the other day and intimated that a purely battery-powered variant of the upcoming Volt is a possibility, leaving the range extender on the cutting room floor. This is actually not a new idea and dates back to the earliest dates of the Volt program. During a media briefing back in December 2006 several weeks before the Volt's public release, the Volt team showed us images like the one above that included several different powertrain configurations. The premise was to demonstrate the flexibility part of E-Flex. This included a variant with a larger battery and no engine to charge it. This pure EV was described as something that could be built if and when the range and more importantly the cost of the battery reaches a point where it could be successful in the market. Ditching the battery. on the other hand, won't happen because the inefficiencies inherent in transforming from mechanical to electrical to mechanical power without a battery to store regen energy and grid power just wouldn't make sense.
Finally, the PetroZero article indicates that Lutz will be driving the first Volt prototype within the next week. Lutz's use of the word prototype rather than mule led the author to believe this was an actual car with Volt bodywork. We checked with GM's Rob Peterson, who confirmed that such actual prototypes are still many months away and Lutz would actually be driving the Malibu-bodied mule that is now running with a lithium ion pack installed.
Recent spots for Armor All that feature NASCAR's perpetually unshaven Tony Stewart almost make one forget what emblem is now placed on the front of his race car. The television commercials show Stewart staring longingly at a shiny Chevrolet Corvette, despite the fact that he now rolls around the track in a bestickered-to-look-like-a Toyota Camry. Even though Stewart's contract with Joe Gibbs racing extends through 2009; rumor has it that he has been in talks with Haas CNC Racing to put him back behind the bowtie logo by next year. The team gets its Chevy engines and race support through Hendrick Motorsports. There is also an indication that Stewart is interested in a 50-percent stake in the Haas CNC team.
A more controlling team role seems like one that would better suit a vocal driver like Tony Stewart, as he would only have himself to yell at after one of his media outbursts. Plus, any problems with team management would be between he and himself. The situation's likelihood is still a bit far fetched at this point though, as Joe Gibbs Racing seems unwavering in releasing Tony Stewart from his contract early.
[Source: Star Tribune, Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty]
When the Chevy Cobalt first hit the scene as a 2005 model, it was a much better car than the basic transportation it replaced, but it was still a bit too Cavalier-looking for some. All that is scheduled to change for the 2010 model year, as the bow-tie will unveil a new Cobalt based of the same global Delta platform that will also underpin the Volt and next Saturn Astra.
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