Posted on 11/17/2009 11:18:30 AM PST by Reaganez
DETROIT – Chevrolet affirms its commitment to fuel solutions and building refined, eco-friendly vehicles with the debut of the U.S. production version of the Cruze sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show, on Dec. 2. The Cruze, along with the much-anticipated Volt electric vehicle, will give visitors to the L.A. show a close-up view of Chevrolet’s expanding lineup of gas-friendly to gas-free products.
“With expected highway fuel economy up to 40 miles per gallon, Cruze will be extremely gas friendly while the Volt electric vehicle can be operated gas-free," said Brent Dewar, vice president, Chevrolet. “Chevrolet's focus is on forward-looking technologies to the benefit of our customers, such as the highly efficient, small-displacement turbocharged engine in the Cruze or the Volt electric vehicle with extended range.”
The Cruze has already launched to high acclaim in Europe and Asia and has undergone refinement for America. It goes on sale in the U.S. in the third quarter of 2010 but has already logged more than 4 million miles in quality and durability testing worldwide, making it one of the most globally tested Chevrolet products prior to a U.S. launch.
Cruze is designed to achieve class-leading highway fuel economy using a new family of efficient engines that include a 1.4L turbo. It will lead the way for Chevrolet in small-displacement, turbocharged engines that are designed for excellent fuel efficiency and durability – while also being fun to drive.
Defying preconceptions of what a compact car can be, Cruze will offer a more spacious interior and cargo capacity than the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, and upscale infotainment amenities such as a navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity and XM Satellite Radio. Ten standard air bags that provide a safety cocoon for occupants – along with OnStar– also make it one of the safest vehicles in the segment.
The Chevrolet Volt is an electric vehicle with extended-range capability. It is expected to drive up to 40 miles on electricity without using gasoline or producing tailpipe emissions. When the Volt’s lithium-ion battery is depleted of energy, an engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the total driving range to more than 300 miles before refueling.
Chevrolet will announce plans for initial retail markets where the Volt will be sold. Chevrolet will also announce the winner of a nationwide consumer competition to name a Volt unique paint color. Consumers determine the winner by voting now for their favorite of three finalist names at www.chevroletvoltage.com, until 8 a.m. Eastern time on Dec. 1.
From Nov. 27-29, the Volt will be on display next to Bloomingdale’s at the Westfield Century City mall in West Los Angeles. During regular mall hours, visitors to the Chevrolet Volt display may get two free tickets each to the L.A. Auto Show, while supplies last. The L.A. Auto Show opens to the public Dec. 4.
Production for the Volt is expected to begin in late 2010. Pricing has not been announced.
The Chevrolet show exhibit also will feature the all-new, 2010 Chevrolet Camaro sports coupe and Chevrolet Equinox compact crossover SUV. The popularity of these vehicles helped Chevrolet boost sales by 9 percent in October, including a significant 31-percent increase in retail sales.
The Camaro continues to distance itself from its closest competitor as a fuel-efficient interpretation of a 21st century sports car, achieving 29 miles per gallon on the highway when equipped with the popular 304-horsepower direct injected V-6. Camaro has been a leader in the regular sports car segment for the last five months.
Demand for the Camaro continues to be strong, as Chevrolet now has more than 36,000 sold orders for the car.
The all-new 2010 Equinox is a compact crossover that combines distinctive design, extensive functionality and outstanding efficiency. At 32 mpg highway, the Equinox gets better fuel economy than the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV-4. It even beats the Ford Escape Hybrid while costing $7,000 less.
In just a few short months, Equinox has captured 10 percent of the critical compact crossover segment, its best share since August of 2007 and up 4.6 percent from a year ago. More than half of 2010 Equinox customers traded in a non-GM vehicle (based on internal PIN data). Demand is so strong for the Equinox that the plant where it is built recently added a third shift. __________________
PC mobiles suck! Only a Dolt would buy a Volt.
VW has mid-sized vehicles (diesels) already getting 50mpg.
Very true.
Methinks it’s too late. If GM had hired more engineers and fewer MBAs 30 years ago, they might have a vehicle that closer than one sigma to the left of state of the art.
They didn’t and they don’t.
And given the Obamaloon clowns “aiding” GM now, we’re dealing with folks to whom elementary math (let along engineering) is obviously a stumbling block.
GM is toast.
Ever notice the huge number of televised Govenment Motors commercials? GM had 3 full page adds in the NYT last Sunday.
Thanks to our tax dollars.....
I will NEVER own another GM vehicle. This IS unfair competition.
Don’t care what they come out with. Never again GM.
Their VW Rabbit truck in the 70’s got 44mpg.
How convenient that this “article” sings the praises of GM and the apparent successes... but completely ignores the reality that in the same time period, GM still lost well over $1.2 BILLION dollars just in this last quarter.
I won’t deny that Chevrolet has a real winner with the new Camaro. But the Volt? Expect to see it on the roads in liberal bastions like California. But what about the rest of the country, where 40 miles wouldn’t even get you where you are going, and there probably isn’t the proper electrical outlet at your destination?
Yep! Two roller skates....One for each foot.....
The Escape Hybrid crushes the Equinox in city mileage.
The Cruze is not that impressive next to what you can already get.
The Volt is a niche vehicle at best, although some greenies may love it.
“23 years ago, Chevy sold cars that got 45-50 mpg. And they were inexpensive, too.”
Isn’t this the same car that 23 weeks ago was trotted out in grand fashion as getting 230 mpg?
GM lost 1.2B after 1 time charges of 2.4B in repayed loans.
Americans don’t want diesal cars.
Volt will sell in numbers that will meet or exceed expectations.
Yes,it won’t sell in middle American but GM does not expect it to in the next decade. It will sell were Prius sells.
After 40 miles the Volt runs on gas at about 50MPG you dolt.
If GM goes down in will take the supplier network that feeds Ford as well as Chrysler with it. There goes the American auto industry.
GM is on the way back.
I love America more than I hate Obama or bailouts.
Hoping GM fails is like hoping US troops die in Iraq because you don’t like the President.
Stupid and short seighted.
Did I hope or call for GM to fail? Your post borders on anger at me... and I fail to see what I posted to draw such heat.
I beg to differ on diesel cars - I know a bunch of folks who were on the waiting list for the VW diesels when they finally started coming in last year. I can list off probably a dozen names of people who REALLY want a small diesel pickup truck (like what is sold in most of the rest of the world by Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Nissan, Toyota, and others), but you can’t buy them here. For that matter, I really was eyeballing diesel when I bought my new truck a couple weeks ago - a Nissan, built in Canton, Mississippi. American workers.
The remainder of the problems sit almost entirely on excessive government regulation (and no party has clean hands over that).
I lay the blame for the US Auto Industry and their woes primarily at the feet of the unions. They have sucked every drop they could, like a bunch of careless leeches, then keep on sucking (see the UAW vote that rejected the union leadership’s recommendation).
I just don’t see electric vehicles gaining much market for quite some time. The infrastructure to support them in a way that really makes them attractive just doesn’t exist.
And again, how much highway driving does one really want to do in a Volt that is going to run out of juice and have to kick in a puny gas engine?
The one company that chose to stick out the fall and massive hole dug in the US Auto Industry without taking government bailout funds, FORD, announced a PROFIT this last quarter - a decent one at that. AT the same time, GM has hinted that some of the bailout money the received will likely be used to prop up their overseas interests.
I hope GM does come back - and breaks free of the slavery to the Federal Government. Notice that I did commend GM/Chevrolet for the real winner in the Camaro. GM now produces a handful of other vehicles that I find appealing. But when I was shopping for my truck, I spent about 5 minutes on the lot when I got to thinking that I just couldn’t support Socialism (at least not intentionally). So I marked GMC and Chevrolet off my shopping list. That limited my shopping to Ford, Dodge (and even that was a bit of a stretch), Nissan, and Toyota. The Ford dealer didn’t really want to sell the truck I picked out (played too many games with the numbers for my taste - wouldn’t really negotiate in good faith), Dodge was just too much cashola, and Toyota just couldn’t quite get to the price I was willing to pay. So the end result was the Nissan.
But at no time have I ever “wished” for GM to fail. In the past, I have expressed that I did not think the government takeover was the right course of action. I really believe had they taken the same steps that Ford did early-on, they could have avoided that, and might very well already be back in the black.
And I posted this whole response without calling you a name.
refined, eco-friendly vehiclesOh, and FYI, no more burning coal. So, you'll be takin' the bus, because otherwise you'll deplete your monthly ration of electricity.
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