GM will procure the vehicle from Nissan and distribute it through the Chevrolet dealer network.

The 2015 City Express, based on the Nissan NV200, is Chevrolet’s first entry into the small van segment in the U.S. and Canada.

It will join the full-size Express van as part of the Chevrolet lineup in the fall of 2014.

Nissan currently sells a version of the vehicle as the NV200 in numerous markets globally, including the United States and Canada.

An electric version of the NV200 is available, but no word yet as to the inclusion of an electric version of the City Express under this agreement.

“Our fleet customers have asked us for a small cargo van, so this addition to the Chevrolet portfolio will strengthen our position as the partner of choice for all of our customers,” said Ed Peper, U.S. vice president of GM Fleet and Commercial Sales. “It’s quite common in many parts of the world to leverage available manufacturing resources to bring transportation solutions to market for our customer’s benefit. It’s just smart business!”

Chevrolet said its entry into this segment will allow business customers to purchase all of their vehicles from one manufacturer, and service them through the largest dealer network offering even more convenience for their business.

Designed for small businesses to large fleets looking for a small, fuel-efficient, cargo carrying vehicle, the City Express will be available in LS and LT trim levels.

Contrary to the NV200, which is also available as a passenger version, the City Express will be – for now – solely a cargo vehicle.

The City Express is powered by a 2.0 liter DOHC 4-cylinder engine rated at 131 horsepower and 139 pound-feet of torque. The engine is preliminarily matched with a CVT transmission.

The post Nissan’s NV Becomes Chevy’s City Express appeared first on HybridCars.com.

Tenneco is a global supplier to General Motors on the new midsize vehicle platform, supporting Chevy Malibu production in North America, China and Korea, as well as the Buick Regal and LaCrosse models in North America and China, and the Opel Insignia model in Europe.

Tenneco said is supplies both hot- and cold-end emission control systems for the 2.4L Ecotec four-cylinder engine, 2.5L Ecotec four-cylinder engine and the new Ecotec 2.0L turbocharged engine.

Tenneco collaborated with GM engineers to provide lightweight solutions in the Malibu’s exhaust system including designs that reduce precious metal content and incorporate single wall muffler shells and hollow rods to lower cost and weight.

The company is also supplying front strut modules, rear shock absorbers and exhaust isolators.

“We’re proud of our partnership with GM and the global collaboration we provide to support the company with this important vehicle launch,” said Gregg Sherrill, Tenneco chairman and chief executive officer. “The Malibu launch requires engineering and manufacturing resources in key regions of the world, and Tenneco has the capabilities in place to accommodate these needs.”

For North America production, Tenneco manufactures the Malibu’s hot-end exhaust systems at its Smithville, Tennessee and Seward, Nebraska facilities, and supplies converters from Litchfield, Mich.

Cold-end exhaust systems are produced at the company’s Cambridge, Ontario and Seward, Nebraska plants. Ride control components are manufactured in Hartwell, Georgia and Kettering, Ohio, and exhaust isolators are supplied from the company’s Suzhou, China facility.

Tenneco’s emission control technical centers in Edenkoben, Germany, Grass Lake, Michigan and Shanghai, China provided engineering and system integration support.

The post Tenneco Supplies Clean Air Technologies Components for All-New Chevrolet Malibu appeared first on HybridCars.com.

At the same time, Chevrolet said that “their experience contributes to an out worldly total of 150 million electric-powered Volt driving miles – roughly the distance from Earth to Mars.”

Knowing this from the monitoring the company does of the performance and driving habits of Volt owners who have agreed to it, Chevrolet can say that the typical Volt owner who regularly charges the vehicle is going 900 miles between fill-ups of the gas tank feeding the gasoline engine that powers the Volt’s on-board generator.

Per Chevrolet, that avoids about $1,300 a year at the pump.

MPGe is a measure of the average distance traveled per unit of energy consumed. The EPA uses it to compare the consumption of alternative fuel vehicles, plug-in electric vehicles and other advanced technology vehicles with the fuel economy of conventional internal combustion vehicles expressed as miles per U.S. gallon of gasoline.

According to Chevrolet, some drivers are all but avoiding gasoline. The company released the following Volt owners statements to back this up:

“I have driven more than 23,500 miles in my Volt in 21 months, and have been to a gas station twice,” said Brent Waldrep of Auburn Hills, Mich. “The last time, was in August (2012), and I still have about 65 percent of that tank left. I go about 9,000-10,000 miles between fill ups.”

Chevrolet said Waldrep is atypical, but he is not alone.

“It’s been more than 5,000 miles and I’ve only filled up once not including the dealer fill,” said Larry Read of Canyon Lake, Texas.

Volt owner Paul Friday of San Jose, Calif.

Paul Friday of San Jose, Calif., says he gets about 7,000 miles between fill-ups and adds about three gallons of gas to his Volt every three months.

“We’ve seen and heard from our Volt owners that they are achieving fantastic performance numbers with their vehicle as many are beating the EPA label estimates,” said Cristi Landy, Chevrolet Volt marketing director. “Our Volt owners are showing the performance potential of driving electric, and having fun doing it.”

More results and comments from Volt owners can be found at www.facebook.com/chevroletvolt.

For the first 38 miles, the Volt can drive gas and tailpipe-emissions free using a full charge of electricity stored in its 16.50-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gas-powered generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range up to another 344 miles on a full tank.

The post Some Chevrolet Volt Owners Hardly Use Gas At All appeared first on HybridCars.com.

GM revealed early Spark owners indicate their most important reasons for purchasing a Spark were fuel economy and price to value.

Clearly, people interested by the Spark also like color. GM said 23 percent of Spark owners are choosing Salsa Red, making it the Spark’s most popular exterior color. Jalapeno Green and Denim Blue are the second- and third-most popular Spark colors.

GM also realized fifty-one percent of Sparks are purchased by women, which is a proportion greather than any other Chevrolet vehicle. Meanwhile, nearly 54 percent of Spark purchases are conquest sales – buyers who are new to the brand. More than one in five buyers is coming from an import car brand.

Chevrolet dealers have sold more than 12,000 Sparks since it went on sale in the summer of 2012. Originally launched in 18 markets, the Spark will be available in all 50 states in 2013.

The Spark is rated at an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 38 mpg highway.

The Spark offers more passenger and cargo room than other mini cars, with 225 percent more cargo room than a Scion iQ and 20 percent more than a Fiat 500.

Launched in Korea in 2009 and now available in almost every country in the world, the Spark came to the U.S. market in response to the growing popularity of mini cars among U.S. consumers.

An electric version of the Spark will be the next step in the Spark lineup. The 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV will be priced under $25,000.

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