Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Lutz Update: Volt moves from Malibu to Cruze mules]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/21/lutz-update-volt-moves-from-malibu-to-cruze-mules/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/21/lutz-update-volt-moves-from-malibu-to-cruze-mules/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/21/lutz-update-volt-moves-from-malibu-to-cruze-mules/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Things are moving along quite nicely with the development of the Chevy Volt. According to Bob Lutz, test mules of the extended-range electric vehicle are now being built atop the soon-to-be-released Chevy Cruze. This is a logical progression since the production Volt will share its Delta underpinnings with the new compact from General Motors when it finally goes on sale in 2010. Prior to these latest mules, the test cars used last-gen Malibu shells that Lutz and the team affectionately referred to as "MaliVolts." Predictably, Mr. Lutz praises the new Delta platform, and we have every reason to believe that it will be leaps and bounds better than its Cobalt forebear, just as that model is light-years ahead of the Cavalier it replaced. Lutz goes on to say that the battery pack, motor and internal combustion engine are all working very well together, even in the freezing cold temperatures around Detroit these days. It all sounds rather promising, though it'd be even better if that first paragraph on the FastLane Blog weren't necessary, right?

[Source: GM FastLane]

Lutz Update: Volt moves from Malibu to Cruze mules originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bob lutzBobLutzchevy cruzechevy cruze mulechevy voltchevy volt mulechevy volt muleschevy volt productionChevyCruzeChevyCruzeMuleChevyVoltChevyVoltMuleChevyVoltMulesChevyVoltProductiondeltadelta platformDeltaPlatformmalivoltFri, 21 Nov 2008 17:58:00 EST<![CDATA[Cruze news: Cobalt replacement to get turbo'd 1.4-liter and 40 mpg]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/14/cobalt-replacing-chevy-cruze-to-get-turbod-1-4-liter-and-40-mpg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/14/cobalt-replacing-chevy-cruze-to-get-turbod-1-4-liter-and-40-mpg/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/14/cobalt-replacing-chevy-cruze-to-get-turbod-1-4-liter-and-40-mpg/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Rising fuel prices, both in the U.S. and abroad, means that automakers can now offer similar engines in vehicles sold throughout the world. According to Automotive News, General Motors' next small car, the Chevrolet Cruze, will be offered with a new 1.4-liter force-fed four-banger, putting out between 120 and 140 horsepower and returning fuel mileage in the 40 mpg range.

The first version of the Cruze will be a sedan, but other body styles, including hatchbacks and wagons, are likely to come to market soon thereafter. The Cobalt-replacing Cruze will be built in Lordstown, Ohio, and sales will begin next Spring in Europe after the production version of the car is shown in Paris this October.

Gallery: 2011 Chevy Cobalt - spy shots


[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Cruze news: Cobalt replacement to get turbo'd 1.4-liter and 40 mpg originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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click above for high-res gallery of next-gen Chevy Cobalt spy shots

Workers at GM's Lordstown, OH plant just got another shot of good news from the General: the next-gen compact car from Chevrolet will be built there. The Chevy Cruze will replace the Cobalt, which recently had a third shift added to its production, and will make its initial debut at the Paris Motor Show in October. Europeans will get the first shot at the new car with sales beginning in April of 2009. The U.S. won't get the car until the following year, as the Lordstown plant begins phasing out the Cobalt and ramping up production of the Cruze in June of 2010. Both cars will be built simultaneously for a short time, according to UAW Local 1714 President Dave Green, who represents the workers at the Lordstown assembly plant.

A look at recent spy shots has our interest piqued over the new small sedan. Styling looks to be worlds better than the just decent Cobalt and the promised forty miles per gallon sounds like just what the doctor ordered in the face of ever-increasing gas prices. Thanks for the tip, Tony!

Gallery: 2011 Chevy Cobalt - spy shots


[Source: WKBN News]

Chevy Cruze to be built in Lordstown originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2011 chevy cruze2011ChevyCruzechevrolet cobaltchevrolet cruzeChevroletCobaltChevroletCruzechevy cobaltchevy cruzeChevyCobaltChevyCruzedeltadelta platformDeltaPlatformlordstownlordstown ohiolordstown-ohlordstown-ohioLordstownOhioWed, 09 Jul 2008 13:32:00 EST<![CDATA[Big plans for GM's new Delta small-car platform]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/26/big-plans-for-gms-new-delta-small-car-platform/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/26/big-plans-for-gms-new-delta-small-car-platform/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/26/big-plans-for-gms-new-delta-small-car-platform/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

GM's new compact front-wheel-drive platform created to replace the Delta platform is longer with a longer wheelbase than its predecessor. This will give allow it to underpin at least eight new models in a range of segments and markets around the world. Compare that to the current Delta platform, which sits under just six models (including the current Cobalt and coming Astra), all of them small or mid-sized vehicles.

The as-yet-unnamed platform is expected by 2012 to be produced in volumes exceeding one million units per year. It will form the basis for small, economy models to be sold in emerging markets for under $10,000, as well as luxury models sold in Europe for $40,000, and everything in between. The extra length will also allow it to underpin a small Chevy minivan or CUV, as well as a 7-passenger SUV replacement for the Opel Zafira. Other variants include the next-gen Saturn Astra in 2009 or 2010, a South-Korean-market Daewoo, a European Chevrolet, a China-market Buick, the Chevy Volt, and a potential Saab model.

The new platform will also allow GM to exploit the economies of scale that it can't do now with the Delta, because region-specific engineering has often made the platform unusable in some markets. The new platform "will be identical across the globe," and the same suppliers will be used in many cases, hopefully allowing GM to take real advantage of the global platform its been working on for some time now. In the mean time, the Cobalt is expected to ditch the Delta platform in favor of the also front-wheel-drive Gamma platform, and the Pontiac G5 will be put on the Alpha rear-wheel-drive platform, all according to Automotive News. Mmm... a RWD Pontiac G5 would almost make up for the current model.

[Source: Auto News, sub. req'd]

Big plans for GM's new Delta small-car platform originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Nov 2007 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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