Chevrolet HHR News

Owners of 2006-08 Chevrolet HHRs should bust out their screw drivers because General Motors will be issuing a recall for deficient instrument panel storage bin latches. The weak latch does not meet federal safety compliance test standards, as it allows the dash bin door to swing open under specific crash conditions. The NHTSA was none too pleased with the possibility of passenger injury from insecure objects. Storage bin latch reinforcement kits will be sent to HHR owners at the General's expens

Click image for enlargement and one additional scan

click image to enlarge

Add $200 to the price of a Chevy HHR and you can get yourself a modern-day two-seater panel wagon. Chevrolet says pricing for the Panel will begin at $16,750 "for a well-equipped LS model." The LS has the 2.2L 149hp engine. While the official press release claims the HHR Panel is rated at "30 mph in highway driving" we seriously hope they mean 30 mpg in highway driving. It'll also be available in an LT version which has the 2.4L 175hp engine, also rated at 30 mpg. No official word on LT pricing,

The Chevy HHR has been quite the sleeper hit for General Motors. Through September, 85,662 units of the High Heritage Roof retro wagon have been sold, with sales up over 14% so far this year over last. That still puts the HHR about 20,000 units behind its direct competitor, the Chrysler PT Cruiser, but sales of that model are up only 5%. And General Motors is capitalizing on the HHR by introducing new variants for consumers to consider. The Damon Lavrinc

The production version of the high performance Chevy HHR SS is nearing completion, as these spy shots host over at Winding Road indicate. The black-and-white checkered tape job is but a formality and will soon enough be removed to reveal a deep front air dam that shields the intercooler required for the 2.0-liter turbo Ecotec underhood. While there's no confirmation this 260-hp powerplant will be the mill of choice for the HHR SS, it's an extremely likely candidate. The only other prominent body