Helen and John Taylor of Melbourne, Australia have turned hypermiling into their life's work. This summer they are in the U.S., aiming to break their own record of 67 mpg for a 9,600-mile drive through all 48 contiguous states, using an unmodified 2011 Chevy Cruze Eco.
Chevrolet confirmed that it would in fact be selling its first diesel-powered car in the United States in more than two decades.
According to GMInsideNews.com, an independent website, General Motors will begin selling the Chevy Cruze with a diesel-engine option for the 2013 model year. It will be the company’s first diesel-powered passenger car in U.S. in decades. The diesel Cruze could compete on efficiency with the gas-powered Cruze Eco model, while delivering much better performance. With automakers planning an impressive roadmap of new efficient models, consumers will also have to expand their worldview by learning which alternative technologies best suit their driving needs.
The recent announcement of the $41,000 price tag on the Chevy Volt disappointed many fans—and spurred debate about the taxpayer dollars required to bring the plug-in hybrid to life. But the new Chevrolet Cruze shows how General Motors is hedging its bets on the Volt’s high-cost components by installing them on a high-volume model. G.M. is expected to hundreds of thousands of the $17,000 Cruze, which is available as a 40-mpg Eco model. Think about the economics.
Chevrolet’s Cruze is, well, Cruisin’. Since its launch in Europe in the spring of 2009, Chevy’s first global compact car has racked up a total of 270,000 sales in more than 60 countries. Add another 70,000 sales with versions from Holden in Australia and Daewoo in South Korea. The U.S. is the last stop on an international rollout. American dealerships will begin sales in September.
On Monday, Ford announced that the 2011 Ford Fiesta equipped with the 6-speed automatic transmission will be rated at 40 miles per gallon on the highway. It’s not official yet, but the Chevrolet Cruze Eco is also expected to join the 40-mpg club when later this year. Look Ma, No hybrid! And still delivering better than 40 miles per gallon on the highway. The upward trend could push hybrids towards 60 MPG.
Hybrids are a great way to max out on MPG, but a new breed of conventional gas-powered cars are promising better than 40 miles to the gallon—at least on the highway. The all-new Chevrolet Cruze Eco, due out in late 2010, is one of those contenders. Last week, we gave it our first drive on a closed course at GM’s Milford Proving Grounds.
Chevrolet will use the 2010 New York Auto Show, kicking off this week, to formally unveil the Cruze Eco—a conventional gas-burning car that could give hybrids a run for the money. When it hits dealerships in late 2010, it will be the only conventional US model to break 40-mpg, either on the highway or in the city.
In the past, the Detroit auto show was all about theater. Pulsating music, fog machines, and sexy models. Some of that remains, but at this year’s show, starting next week, automakers are getting real. After years of spending millions of dollars on glitzy displays but fighting higher efficiency standards, car companies are finally putting their energies into the battle for leadership in advanced fuel-saving technology.
The volume of announcements regarding hybrids, electric cars and other green offerings at the Los Angeles Auto Show expands every year. However, this year’s media days held few surprises for car fans following the green scene. Carmakers mostly confirmed and reiterated commitments to bring previously announced alternative vehicles to market.
