Chevy News Articles
Key to Hybrid Minivans: Getting Small
When will we ever get a hybrid gas-electric minivan? That’s been the most frequent question over the years from hopeful (but frustrated) hybrid shoppers. After all, they say, Japan has had hybrid minivans for about a decade. The explanation that Japan’s minivans are much smaller than US models—and therefore better suited for Toyota and Honda [...]Bob Lutz Slams 'Right-Wing Talk Show Guys' Over Volt
He makes no bones about being a Republican. Yet Bob Lutz, even though he might not work for General Motors anymore, still has plenty of choice words for some fellow Republicans, specifically “the right wing talk show guys,” whom he feels helped put a real kink in the Chevy Volt’s sales curve. During an interview [...]Long-time GM Consultant: Chevy Volt Won’t Save Company
Unless General Motors makes fundamental changes in its basic decision-making process, the company will be “back at the public trough again and again until the public finally grows weary and allows its demise.” That’s the view of Rob Kleinbaum, an auto industry business consultant who has worked or consulted for GM for the last 24 [...]40 MPG Is New Norm for Small Cars
Is the line between gas-electric hybrids and small internal-combustion-only cars starting to blur? 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 [...]Chevy Volt Production Line Restarts a Week Early
General Motors’ Detroit-Hamtramck plant is back to producing Chevy Volts and Opel/Vauxhall Amperas a week earlier than scheduled due to encouraging March Volt sales of 2,289 units. GM had shut down the plug-in hybrid’s assembly line for an initially scheduled period of five weeks to help curtail excess supply, but says it is now optimistic [...]Chevy Volt Will Have "Mountain Mode"
Larry Nitz, GM’s director of hybrid electric power engineering, today said that the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid will have a “mountain mode,” as a standard feature, in addition to the normal and sport mode. In a conference call with journalists, Nitz said the new mode will allow Volt drivers to set a larger reserve capacity [...]Oil Prices and the Pace of Auto Innovation
The price of oil dropped below the psychological barrier of $100 a barrel today—despite hurricane-damaged oil rigs in the Gulf, rebel groups declaring an “oil war” in the Niger Delta, and a barrage of negative news from Wall Street that previously led speculators to drive up the cost of petroleum. The current drop in oil [...]The Chevy Volt’s 230 MPG Rating. What Does It Mean?
(Updated August 12) General Motors announced on Tuesday that the Chevy Volt could get a government in-city fuel economy rating of “230 miles per gallon.” While the potential for a three-digit mpg rating is grabbing headlines, figuring out what it means is another matter. What’s the significance of MPG in a vehicle which seldom or [...]Magna E-Car Systems and GM Test Electric Crossovers in Canada
Last week Magna E-Car Systems and General Motors of Canada announced a joint project to evaluate a fleet of nine battery electric Chevrolet Equinox crossovers. The converted vehicles are to be studied by a number of interested stakeholders as a step toward possibly producing these types of electric vehicles. “Collaboration between automakers, suppliers, utility companies [...]Feds Open Probe on Volt Battery Fires, GM Responds
Following news of an industry wide federal electrified vehicle investigation announced two weeks ago, General Motors has since found itself the subject of a preliminary probe after impacted Chevy Volt batteries caught fire, and GM is responding to allay concerns. On Friday the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) said following two fires created this [...]