Autoblog

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 expense. Recipients will have the option of performing the modification on their own or taking it into a dealership for the necessary repair. Notices will begin flowing once sufficient parts are available, which should be by November.

[Source: Automotive News, sub req'd]

click above to view more high-res pics of the 2008 Chevy HHR

General Motors stepped up and sent a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration informing them of a defect with the Chevrolet HHR that could pose a head injury risk. After testing the retro-wagon back in December, it was discovered that vehicles not equipped with the optional "roof rail" airbags fail to meet the fed's crash standards. The recall affects 181,516 2006-2008 HHRs and Chevrolet dealers will begin installing an energy-absorbent piece of plastic to the headliner on all affected models next month.


[Source: NHTSA]

Taking a short break from wrangling the new HHR SS around the track at the Bondurant School for High Performance Driving (see above -- that's me), we got a chance to speak with some of the engineers behind the SS series of vehicles, among others. We took that opportunity to ask whether or not GM has considered using the alcohol-based E85 fuel as a high performance option -- as opposed to just marketing E85 as a "green" fuel. Perhaps not too surprisingly, the idea has been considered at General Motors. E85 happens to have a very high octane rating. The fuel burns at a comparatively low temperature, meaning that additional power can be extracted from a given amount as compared to gasoline. Turbocharged vehicles offer an excellent opportunity to tap into that additional available power, so the fact that it was left off the HHR SS probably means that we're not likely to see that angle of the corny-fuel any time soon.

The General has been on a roll as of late with new vehicles like the Saturn Aura, Cadillac CTS, Chevy Malibu and its line of redesigned trucks and SUVs that have been garnering good reviews and the attention of customers. We were invited to test drive the new Chevrolet HHR SS to see if they've knocked one out of the park, hit a foul or, ahem, missed the ball completely when transforming the little retro-mobile into a Super Sport. Our driving and vehicle impressions can be found after the jump, but for starters, remember these two key phrases: launch control and no-lift shifting. Intrigued? We were.

Click image for a gallery of leaked HHR SS info

A member of ChevyHHR.net dropped us a line to let us know that his local Chevy dealer had gotten some 2008 Chevy HHRs yesterday. One of his first orders of business was to grab the new owners manual and start flipping through the pages. His perusal bore fruit, as on page 2-47, he found the following passage in the "Cupholder(s)" section (shown at right):

"If your vehicle is an SS model, the automatic transmission vehicles have a cupholder in front of the shifter."

This serves as the first official-ish confirmation (Chevy has not yet made any formal announcements related to the HHR SS) that the 2008 HHR SS will be offered with an automatic in addition to the 5-speed manual that's referenced in the brochure that was leaked earlier in the month. The next question, of course, is which automatic will be offered?

Thanks, Ryan!

[Source: ChevyHHR.net (registration req'd)]

Click image for enlargement and one additional scan

Yesterday saw the posting of the complete Porsche 911 GT2 Brochure on the web, making the automaker's official introduction og the car a formality. Today over at ChevyHHR.net, one of the forum members posted a brochure scan showing the 2008 Chevy HHR SS in its full glory for the first time. The topic of the HHR SS has been somewhat controversial, with some readers (and Autobloggers, for that matter) expressing concern that it's going to represent a further dilution of the SS moniker. Back in January at the Detroit Auto Show, however, we were assured by Chevy general manager Ed Peper that the Bowtie division would only apply "SS" to truly worthy vehicles going forward (hence the appearance of the 3.6 V6-powered Equinox Sport and not Equinox SS).

Follow the jump for more. Thanks to Josh for the tip!

[Source: ChevyHHR.net]

Click the image above for full-size, high-res pics.

In an effort to drum up enthusiasm for Chevy's new HRR panel wagon, The General decided to enlist the help of some art students and the results hit on both the sick and sweet sides of the spectrum.

The "Skull from Hell" version (seriously, check the red headlamps) of the HHR was developed by Jim McCammon, hailing from Detroit's College for Creative Studies, and was picked by a number of suits, including Bob Lutz, as the winner of the design contest. The idea, we're assuming, is to appeal to that much coveted 18-25 year-old Death Metal demographic that's moving out of their parent's basement and heading out on tour.

The other skinned wagon took a slightly more practical approach as a flower shop delivery van. Regardless, both vehicles can come equipped in either LS or LT trims, with a 149 HP 2.2-liter or a 175 HP 2.4-liter four. No matter the mill, GM boasts that you'll still get 30 MPG on the highway -- sans amps and flowerpots, mind you.

We've put together a gallery of both vehicles below, and if you really want us to, we'll grab a few live shots on Thursday.

As evidence by the complete transformation of Saturn from a plastic-bodied, college car brand to an imported reflection of the European Opel brand, General Motors is serious about sharing its platforms the world over. To that end, the company has announced that all future Chevrolet products will be built to accomodate left- or right-hand drive. It's reported that it will take five or six years for the process to be completed, since certain vehicles like the Chevy HHR were never developed with right-hand drive in mind and must complete their product cycles before right-hand drive can be engineered into their designs. New and upcoming vehicles, however, will be available soon. GM has already confirmed that the upcoming Camaro, for instance, will be capable of being built in right-hand drive, which gives those markets around the world that drive on the other side of the road some hope for seeing Camaro muscle on sale in their countries.

[Source: Newspress]

Call it a value-add of sorts. Perhaps Chevrolet is hoping that some of the goodwill towards Audi amongst enthusiasts will rub off on their HHR. Either that or someone was asleep at the switch. On page 2 of the February 5th issue of Automotive News, a new Chevy ad depicts a tribal-tattoo-patterned HHR. Above said retro-wagon happens to be a series of interlocking rings. While the rings don't appear to be Audi's actual logo, they're close enough.

We can't help but wonder why the photographer didn't flag this from the get-go, and as it went down the line, someone, somewhere, either with GM or its ad agency certainly should have noticed and considered it. No word on whether heads have rolled, but we're sure there was at least one stern talking-to upon discovery of this anomaly.

Thanks to tipster Christian.

[Source: German Car Blog]

click image to enlarge

General Motors announced this afternoon the impending arrival of the HHR Premiere Edition to Chevy's lineup. The Premiere Edition is actually a package option that will only be made available on 4,000 HHRs at a price of $995. For the extra G you get a unique Cappuccino Frost Metallic paint job and Ebony/Gray two-tone interior (no pics of that available yet). The Premiere Edition is based on the range-topping 2LT model that's powered by GM's 2.4L Ecotec four-cylinder producing 175 horsepower. Special touches for the PE over a standard 2LT include the use of black chrome on the exterior trim and wheels rather than bright chrome, smoked lenses on the headlights and foglamps, color-keyed body bits including the running boards and rearview mirrors, an acent stripe below the beltline, an aero wing spoiler above the rear hatch, black roof rails, a leather steering wheel and custom floor mats. Though obviously just an appearance package, the Premiere Edition does set itself apart from the obnoxiously colored orange, red and purple HHRs we always see driving around. However, this limited edition HHR will be the first one with a base price above $20k.

Check out GM's press release after the jump.

[Source: GM]