Auto news and reviews from Car Buyer's Notebook.com: Chevrolet Archives

August 13, 2008

Corvette kicks off GM's Woodward Dream Cruise activities

There's no better place for Chevy's performance icon to make an appearance than right in its own backyard on Woodward Avenue as General Motors kicks off its Woodward Dream Cruise activities with a special appearance of the latest model of the all American icon--the 2009 Corvette ZR1--at a private function for media on Thursday, August 14, at 3:45 pm at Athens Coney Island.

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August 12, 2008

GM Offers More Fuel-efficient Pickup Trucks, SUVs

DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. is releasing new, more fuel-efficient versions of its full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles later this fall. The XFE -- or extra fuel economy -- versions of the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks and Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs will get one mile per gallon more in both city and highway fuel economy than non-XFE versions.

The boost will give them a total of 15 miles per gallon in the city and 21 on the highway. The XFE pickups and SUVs will be available in the fourth quarter of this year.

August 10, 2008

Chevrolet Launches New Advertising During Olympics

DETROIT - Chevrolet kicks off new advertising during Friday's Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games. The ads highlight Malibu and the rest of Chevy's fuel-efficient lineup, Silverado as America's Best Truck and the all-new Traverse as the crossover with an unmatched combination of features.

They will play a prominent role in the brand's marketing initiatives for the remainder of 2008 and will be complemented online, with micro Web sites and other digital initiatives.

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Chrysler Mexico Sets a New Sales Record in July

Mexico City -- Chrysler Mexico and its Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge brands established a new monthly sales record in July, with 9,859 units sold, an increase of one percent compared to same month in 2007.

It was the best July sales ever in Mexico and the best accumulated year-to-date sales since 2001. During the January-through-July time period, sales reached 69,973 units, 2.7 percent more than the same period in 2007.

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August 6, 2008

Video: Taking a lap in the Cobalt SS

Join John Heinricy, an executive in GM's Performance Division, as he takes you for a ride in the new Chevy Cobalt SS!

GM Certified Used Vehicles to List Entire Inventory Onine

DETROIT - GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry's top-selling manufacturer-certified used vehicle brand*, announced it has reached an agreement to list the entire national inventory of GM Certified Used Vehicles and Saturn Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles on EveryCarListed.com, a new consumer automotive listings site.

The EveryCarListed.com relationship provides shoppers a new online resource that makes it easy for them to research and find GM Certified Used Vehicles.

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August 2, 2008

GM Reports July Sales Down 26.7%

DETROIT - GM today announced July sales results, highlighted by continued strong performance in small and midsize cars and crossovers. GM dealers in the United States delivered 235,184 vehicles in July, down 26.7 percent.

Weak industry conditions caused by a challenging U.S. economic environment, higher fuel prices and inventory shortages in critical segments such as compact cars contributed to the overall sales decline for the month.

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August 1, 2008

General Motors to Showcase Historic Motorama Vehicles

More than fifty years ago, General Motors' traveling Motorama showcased dramatic concept "Dream Cars" as interpretations of future automobile design.

From 1949 through 1960, expressive vehicles including the Cadillac Lemans and Firebird I traveled the United States as a statement of General Motors design leadership.

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July 25, 2008

GM Celebrates J.D. Power Recognition at Fairfax Assembly Plant

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The General Motors Fairfax Assembly team today celebrated their successful performance in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Initial Quality StudyTM (IQS). The facility manufactures the Chevrolet Malibu and the Saturn Aura midsize sedans.

The all-new, 2008 Chevrolet Malibu earned a segment award in the very competitive Midsize Car Segment by achieving exceptionally high levels of quality. Additionally, the Fairfax Assembly facility was awarded the Bronze Plant Quality Award, for the least manufacturing defects and malfunctions, ranking the facility third out of 67 assembly facilities located in North and South America.

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GM to Broaden Employee Discounts

DETROIT -- General Motors Corp., hoping to boost demand amid a drastic downturn in the U.S. auto industry, will offer employee discounts to nonemployees on a limited basis.

GM Sales Chief Mark LaNeve rolled out the plan in an email to employees late Thursday. Employees can give one employee discount away between now and the end of July, a GM spokeswoman said.

"All active GM employees in the U.S. have the opportunity to provide one employee discount to anyone you know who is considering the purchase of a new vehicle," Mr. LaNeve said in the email.

GM's New Interactive Site Goes "Undercover" to Educate Consumers

DETROIT - What would happen if you turned more than 20 undercover film and surveillance professionals with eight cameras loose to show the potential drawbacks of buying a used vehicle that is not manufacturer certified?

That's what GM's Certified Used Vehicles team did and the results were not at all surprising.

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OnStar Opens "Crisis Assist" Emergency Services to Those Affected by Dolly

DETROIT - OnStar reminds its subscribers in Southeast Texas that a simple push of the OnStar button in GM vehicles will put them in contact with specially-trained Crisis Advisors.

OnStar's Crisis Assist capabilities include specially trained Crisis Advisors, who will help with:

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John Middlebrook to Pace Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in Corvette Z06

INDIANAPOLIS - In 1997, when John Middlebrook served as Chevrolet's general manager, he said: "Corvette is now, and will continue to remain Chevrolet's flagship.

It is our technological and image showcase. Even more importantly, Corvette stands as the most singularly dramatic example of what we mean by 'Genuine Chevrolet.' Corvette is much more than just a car. It's a love affair. Words alone fail to convey the passion it inspires."

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U.S. Postal Service Receives Hydrogen Powered Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle from General Motors

Irvine, Calif. -- General Motors Corp. and the U.S. Postal Service are joining forces again to deliver mail using hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles.

The two organizations announced today that the U.S. Postal Service becomes the latest entry into Chevrolet's Project Driveway, the world's first and largest market test of fuel cell vehicles to date.

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July 23, 2008

GM Announces Second Quarter Global Sales of More Than 2.28 Million Vehicles

DETROIT - Record-setting sales performance in GM's Latin America, Africa and Middle East, Asia Pacific and Europe regions during the second quarter of 2008 helped General Motors sell more than 2.28 million vehicles globally during the second quarter 2008.

GM sales outside of its North America region grew 10 percent (up 116,000 vehicles). Compared to second quarter 2007, GM's total sales were down 5 percent, reflecting continuing economic pressures and labor disruptions in the U.S. market, which pushed North America sales down 20 percent (236,000 vehicles).

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July 22, 2008

The Rebirth of Camaro

By Bob Lutz, GM Vice Chairman

Well, it's finally here.

It feels like we've been talking about the Camaro for a long time, but it's just been a couple of years since the concept car's unveiling at the Detroit auto show, and now the production car is officially in the public eye, as of yesterday, July 21, 2008.

As promised, this is a Camaro for the new millennium, with subtle design nods to its rich heritage, and, I have to say, this is the best Camaro ever, in my opinion.

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Chevrolet Unveils The 2010 Camaro

DETROIT -Chevrolet introduced the production 2010 Camaro today. It is a heritage-inspired sports car for the 21 st century, combining great looks and performance; advanced technology and surprising efficiency - including 26-mpg estimated highway fuel economy. Sales begin in the first quarter of 2009.

Built on GM's new, global rear-wheel-drive architecture, the Camaro is offered in V-6-powered LS and LT models, as well as the V-8-powered SS. All models and powertrain combinations include fuel-saving six-speed transmissions.

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General Motors Partners to Commercialize Plug-in Vehicles

San Jose, CALIF - General Motors announced today that it will collaborate with the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) - more than 30 of the top electric utilities in the United States and Canada -- to accelerate the introduction of plug-in electric vehicles.

General Motors will work with EPRI and the utility companies on everything from codes and standards to grid capability to ensure that when the Volt goes to market, the infrastructure is ready - and customers can realize the full potential of these revolutionary vehicles as soon as they leave the showroom.

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July 21, 2008

GM Webcast to unveil 2010 Camaro

Today, Monday July 21, 2008 at 4 pm EDT Chevrolet will unveil the production version of the 2010 Camaro in a live webcast hosted by Ed Peper of Chevrolet and Ed Welburn of GM Design.

To watch the live Camaro reveal go to http://camaro.gmnext.com and click on the "Camaro webcast" link.

Chevrolet Kicks Off World Series Ticket Promotion

CHICAGO -- Chevrolet has launched the Chevy World Series Ticket Promotion on OnSite Network screens that are most watched by Cubs and White Sox fans. The campaign launched on July 18 and will run through the end of August.

To play, customers can visit any of the 18 leading independent sports bars that are participating in the promotion. OnSite screens in these locations will feature ads encouraging consumers to text in with information including the bar where they are watching the ad.

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July 18, 2008

General Motors Forging Ahead

By Bob Lutz, GM Vice Chairman

As you've no doubt heard me say before, we've made a lot of progress in the past few years at General Motors. And we've delivered on what we said we would do. We've tackled the legacy costs. We've improved our quality. We went from having, at least in North America, some mediocre products to having acclaimed products that are selling extremely well, especially on the passenger car side. In June, for example, in a slow market, our retail car sales were up 8 percent.

We continue to reinvigorate our product portfolio. We're pursuing advanced propulsion technologies that will greatly reduce dependence on petroleum. And, we're reacting to the swiftly changing market conditions here in the U.S.

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July 14, 2008

GM Achieves Sales Record in Latin America, Africa and Middle East

Miramar, FL - General Motors Latin America, Africa and Middle East (GM LAAM) region broke another record in Q2 2008 selling 346,100 vehicles, up 52,100 units over the same period in 2007.

GM's volume increase of nearly 18 percent for the quarter again exceeded the industry growth rate of 13 percent. In addition, GM's market share in the region climbed to 17.5 percent for the quarter, up .7 share points year-over-year.

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July 12, 2008

GM's new small car to be built in Ohio

The first Chevrolet built on a new global platform will be called the Cruze and get 45 miles per gallon, General Motors Corp. said Wednesday.

The compact car, which replaces the Chevy Cobalt, will be built around the world including at GM's Lordstown, Ohio, plant.

"This is one of the first global vehicles GM has talked about and it will be a Chevrolet Cruze no matter where it's sold," said Nancy Libby, a Chevrolet spokeswoman.

Chevrolet developed the name as a derivative of "cruise," Libby said, noting, that "it's something we think will work globally."

July 10, 2008

GM posts record sales of 1.16 million vehicles in Europe

Zurich -- In the first half of 2008, General Motors (GM) sales in Europe reached a record of 1,160,935 vehicles, an increase of 31,613 units (or 2.8 percent) compared to the same period of 2007. The company market share was 9.5 percent.

"GM is successfully managing to keep its sales momentum in Europe, thanks to an aggressive strategy for growth in Eastern and Central Europe. Despite the headwinds in some of the major western markets, I'm proud to say that our multi-brand strategy is paying off and thanks to a great teamwork we are quickly managing to leverage growth in the key new markets of Europe," said Carl-Peter Forster, GM Europe President.

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July 9, 2008

Cruze: Chevy names new global compact

Detroit - Chevrolet announced today that its all-new entry in the compact segment will be called Cruze. The new Chevrolet will make its global debut at the Paris Motor Show in early October.

Cruze was developed by a global design and engineering team and will be built in multiple locations around the world.

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July 7, 2008

GM Weighs More Layoffs, Sale of Brands

DETROIT -- Bruised by a deep sales slump and a half-century-low in its stock price, General Motors Corp. is preparing to cut thousands more white-collar jobs and is considering whether it should sell or shutter more of its brands, people familiar with the matter said.

Both moves are part of a broader re-evaluation of GM's strategy and of its ability to meet an internal projection of returning to profitability in 2010, these people said. The job cuts are likely to be approved when GM's board of directors meets in early August, these people said.

The company has already decided to put its Hummer division up for sale. Discussions among top executives about the number of brands have intensified in recent weeks, and signal a potential major shift in thinking by the company -- especially by Chief Executive Rick Wagoner. As top executives review future cars and trucks earmarked for various brands, "nothing is off the table," several people said. All but Cadillac and Chevrolet, which GM considers core to its business, are undergoing close scrutiny, other people said.

July 3, 2008

GM May Sell New Mini-Cars to U.S. Buyers

General Motors Corp., the automaker that popularized the Hummer, may sell a mini-car four feet (1.2 meters) shorter than its biggest offering and more than a foot shorter than anything else it markets in the U.S. to win back buyers scared off by high fuel prices.

GM may bring the production version of the Chevrolet Beat to the U.S., people familiar with the plan said. The car, which would normally be reserved for markets such as Asia and Latin America, gets as much as 40 miles a gallon, a fuel efficiency topped in the U.S. only by hybrids.

The possible American introduction of the Beat would be one step in a fleet downsizing and shift away from fossil fuel-based vehicles that the people said is already under way at Detroit- based GM.

July 2, 2008

GM Extends Zero Percent Financing Deals

DETROIT -- General Motors notified its dealers this morning that it will be extending its 0 percent financing sale through Monday, July 7.

The sale conditions remain the same -- 0 percent financing for 72 months on most GM vehicles. The so-called 72-hour sale ran from June 24 through June 30.

July 1, 2008

GM Reports June Sales Down 18.5%

DETROIT - GM today announced June sales results, highlighted by an 8 percent rise in retail car sales and continued strong performance in crossovers.

Despite the significant decline of industry market volume and the limited availability of some of GM's most popular models, GM dealers in the United States delivered 265,937 vehicles in June, down 8 percent (18.5 percent unadjusted). Truck sales declined 6 percent.

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GM Offers Low APR on Certified Used Vehicles

DETROIT - GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry's top-selling manufacturer-certified used vehicle brand*, today announced a nationwide GMAC rate incentive program on select GM Certified Used Vehicles, including Chevrolet Impala and Malibu models.

The new rate incentive offer, effective July 1, 2008, through September 30, 2008, provides well-qualified GM Certified Used Vehicles buyers with 2.9% APR financing for terms up to 48 months, or 3.9% APR financing for terms up to 60 months from GMAC Financial Services on 2003-2008 models of Chevrolet Impala and Malibu** vehicles purchased from participating GM Certified Used Vehicles dealers.

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June 30, 2008

GMnext Takes Music Fans Backstage At Rothbury Festival

DETROIT - The adventure continues as GMnext Plug In marks the halfway point of its global tour of music festivals, with Tenacious D's Kyle Gass interviewing bands backstage at the Rothbury Festival, July 3 - 6.

Following his recent appearances at the Rock on the Range Festival in Columbus , Ohio, Southside Festival in Germany and Pinkpop in the Netherlands, Kyle will once again be the face of GMnext Plug In at Rothbury.

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June 27, 2008

Chevrolet Announces Pricing For The 2009 Traverse

DETROIT - Chevrolet announced the 2009 Traverse crossover will carry a MSRP of $28,990, including a $735 destination charge, for the 2WD LS model. It goes on sale this fall.

"With its great styling, leading fuel economy and comprehensive roster of equipment, the Traverse is a great expression of Chevrolet value," said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager.

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Shell and General Motors Open Hydrogen Fueling Station in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, CA - The first public hydrogen refueling station in California with integrated hydrogen and gasoline refueling is now open, providing drivers in Chevrolet's Project Driveway another location to refuel their Equinox fuel cell vehicles, currently on the roads throughout Southern California.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl and Graeme Sweeney, Executive Vice Presid

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