Autoblog

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General Motors won't be bringing the Beat to the U.S., but some version of the Groove or Trax will replace the Aveo by 2011. Speaking with Automotive News, Chevy veep Ed Peper said that the bow-tie brand would get something "very similar to one of those vehicles," but in order to meet U.S. crash test standards and accommodate consumer's taste, the new compact five-door would grow in size.

Of the three concepts that debut in New York last year, the Beat will be the first to reach consumers -- in Europe and other markets in 2009 -- and will be built atop GM's global minicar platform in Shanghai. However, the yet-to-be-named Aveo replacement will be underpinned by GM's Gamma small-car platform and will likely be assembled in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

While GM's decision to bring a more stylish small car to U.S. consumers is certainly good news, we can't help but still feel slighted that the Beat won't be offered in the States and that we'll have to put up with the Aveo for another three years as the only sub-compact offering from the General.



[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

GM thinks that the Corvette ZR1 is pretty much the baddest machine on four wheels, period. This was driven home today in a post on the Fastlane Blog by Chevy general manager Ed Peper. Seeing him advocate his brand's (and GM's) flagship is far from surprising, and as he rattles off the car's positives, it seems like pretty standard-issue public relations fare. It's only as he wraps up that he seems to get a little exercised over some folks' habit of turning all Corvette-related conversations into pushroad vs. overhead-cam arguments. In response, he namechecks some very heavy hitters -- the Porsche 911 GT2, the Ferrari 599 GTB, and the Lambo LP640 -- as he casually pulls the gloves off, matter-of-factly stating that the ZR1 has a better power-to-weight ratio than all of them. Then, in his parting shot, he dons the brass knuckles and calls out any and all comers who would challenge the Corvette ZR1's abilities with two simple words: "Bring it."

You know what it is when this kind of smack talk starts flying around? It's fun. And we haven't even heard from Lutz yet.

[Source: GM Fastlane Blog]

Promising the best possible fuel economy for whichever type of vehicle its customers choose, GM's Bob Lutz and Ed Peper trotted a full lineup of green vehicles from their arsenal. The Aveo5, Impala E85, Malibu Hybrid, Tahoe Hybrid, Silverado Hybrid, Volt, Equinox Fuel Cell, Beat and Groove were used to show off that Chevy will be the brand carrying the greenish flame most prominently into the future for GM. Lutz talked about having a whole range of options available to meet future trends, from hybrids, to flex-fuel burners, to fuel cells, to electrics like start/stop technology and good old-fashioned economy cars that get great fuel economy.

Ed Peper, the General Manager of GM's Chevy division, has had a very good North American International Auto Show. It began with the unveiling of the Camaro Convertible concept at the automaker's celeb-studded kickoff event. It continued with a pair of awards for the new Silverado pickup truck and the reveal of the Volt concept, an exciting "green" vehicle concept that commanded everyone's attention. Finally, on the last day of the press preview, he introduced the completely-new 2008 Chevy Malibu, a stylish family sedan that is going to make waves when it's released later this year.

Through all of that Ed found time to sit down with us to talk about all the above and Chevrolet in general -- where it is now, and where it's headed. He's an engaging and enthusiastic ambassador for his brand, and he answered everything we threw his way, giving us insight into:

• The feasibility of seeing a Volt-like production car
• What kinds of powerrtrains we can expect for the Camaro
• How closely the production Camaro's appearance mirrors the concept's
• How Chevy will use the SS brand going forward
• When we should (or, more importantly, shouldn't) expect to see the next Impala
• Thoughts on the potential impact of the new Toyota Tundra in a segment that Chevy and the other domestics dominate

It begins below and continues after the jump. Enjoy.

Ed Peper - Division General Manager, Chevrolet
North American International Auto Show
January 8, 2007

Autoblog: Ed, thanks for being with us. Obviously, you're having a good show. Talk to us about yesterday (Sunday, 1/7) and the night before and how that worked out for the Chevrolet brand.

Ed Peper: We are really excited to start the show with the GM style event on Saturday night and it was just a great collection of designs and stars and music kind of all put together. And for the final vehicle to come down that runway and be the Camaro convertible concept in Hugger Orange with (gunmetal) blue stripes -- it was just an incredible moment to come down that runway to a standing ovation. It was just great.

We interviewed Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper at the Detroit Auto Show earlier today. While we won't have the full interview up for you until sometime tomorrow, there was one tidbit of information that we wanted to share with you straightaway, and it relates to the next-generation Impala.

Many of us presumed that we'd get to see the car sometime during this auto show season. That's not the case. GM's immense new product onslaught was such that we simply assumed that we'd be seeing an Impala this year, an assumption that Ed corrected us on. He couldn't give us any specifics about timing, but if the Impala turns out to be one of the stars of '08 Detroit show, let's just say we wouldn't be the least bit surprised.

Ahh, we love nothing better than a little drama in the automotive industry.

Autoblog's Eric Bryant reported on Wednesday a little snafu involving the trailer truck hauling the Chevy Camaro, which drove right past a press conference featuring the Dodge Challenger concept. Vines called the stunt a "wuss move" on GM's part and even mixed it up in the comments section of Eric's post, saying that he applauds GM for reintroducing the Camaro, "albeit one year later than our Challenger."

But what does GM have to say about the whole thing?

At a GM press event yesterday (during which the Dodge Challenger did not make an appearance -- too bad, we say, we would have liked to have seen what kind of antics Vines was no doubt mulling in return), Chevy general manager Ed Peper told Autoblog that Chevy's intentions were innocent, and that what Vines describes as an attempt on GM's part to upstage his press conference was really just coincidental. His comments echoed those of Chevy spokesman Terry Rhadigan as quoted in the Detroit News on Wednesday, but we wanted to hear it for ourselves.

"The Camaro happened to go by," said Peper. "We don't try to do that. We're all for good, fair competition, but everyone should have the space to do what they need to do."

Peper told us that the truck carrying the Camaro was merely enroute from one media event to the next. With GM's news this week that the Camaro will go to production, the car has become a hot commodity, purportedly causing its presence to be requested at back-to-back events. In the morning, the "Cruiser's Blast" put on by Detroit radio station WJR-AM enjoyed the Camaro's company at Fox & Hound's up in Pontiac, while the press conference put on by the Woodward Dream Cruiser's organizers in the afternoon hosted the Camaro next in Pleasant Ridge. For those not familiar with the Detroit area, Pleasant Ridge is about 20 miles downstream from Pontiac-- an impressive distance with all of the congestion on Woodward for the Dream Cruise.