Chevrolet auctioning yet-to-be-revealed Camaro Convertible

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Auctions, Chevrolet

2011 Chevrolet Camaro convertible teaser – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s been an increasingly popular practice to auction off a hot new model to some lucky winner before it hits showrooms, and the 2011 Camaro convertible doesn’t plan to be left out. General Motors is auctioning the first sample of the topless pony car in Las Vegas at the Barrett-Jackson Auction on September 24, with proceeds going to the YMCA of Southern Nevada. There’s a press release after the jump and a few high-res teasers below in case you want to start saving up.

Gallery: Chevrolet Camaro Convertible teasers

Gallery: Chevy Camaro Convertible Concept

[Source: GM]

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Chevrolet auctioning yet-to-be-revealed Camaro Convertible originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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1957 Chevrolet NASCAR Black Widow to be auctioned at Barrett-Jackson live tonight

Filed under: Car Buying, Motorsports, Classics, Coupe, Auctions, Chevrolet, Specialty, Racing

1957 Chevy Black Widow

1957 Chevrolet NASCAR Black Widow tribute – Click above for high-res image gallery

For most all of its 62-year history, NASCAR has been a battleground for U.S. automakers, each of whom sought superiority on the race track as a way to sell more of their cars.

In 1957, Chevrolet decided to create a race car that would dominate NASCAR and establish Chevrolet as the car to beat in the minds of buyers across the country. Known as the “Black Widow,” the 1957 Chevrolet was one of the most feared race cars of the decade.

Live on SPEED Thursday at 8:30 PM ET, a professionally restored “Black Widow” tribute car will be auctioned off at the Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas Collector Car Event. Like all cars at Barrett-Jackson, it will be auctioned at no reserve, meaning the highest bid takes it.

The story behind the Black Widow is an interesting insight into how NASCAR and the automobile manufacturers functioned back in the day. Bone up on your history after the jump.

Gallery: 1957 Chevrolet Black Widow

Continue reading 1957 Chevrolet NASCAR Black Widow to be auctioned at Barrett-Jackson live tonight

1957 Chevrolet NASCAR Black Widow to be auctioned at Barrett-Jackson live tonight originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevrolet Camaro CPU Edition zooms onto desktops

Filed under: Etc.

Chevrolet Camaro computer

Camaro PC – Click above for image gallery

Although it might not qualify as “revolutionary,” we can certainly describe it as “eye candy meets robust technology.” That’s what you get here in the guise of a 20-inch-long Camaro model turned into a personal computer. A hood ornament serves as the power switch, working headlights and taillights indicate you’re up and running, and DVDs slot into the front bumper.

A full array of ports is out back, and along with your dual-core Atom chip you can rev up to 8 GB of RAM, a 500 GB hard drive and Windows 7 Home Premium. There are eight color choices, but your $1,239.99 does not include a keyboard, monitor or mouse, so just as with the real Camaro you might want to make sure you have some dosh left over for accessories. A full array of photos is in the gallery below. Hat tip to Scot S.

Gallery: Camaro Computer

[Source: Chevrolet]

Chevrolet Camaro CPU Edition zooms onto desktops originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 18 Sep 2010 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Promo clips show off Chevrolet’s Paris debuts

Filed under: Videos, Paris Motor Show, Chevrolet, GM

2011 Chevrolet Aveo interior – Click above to watch the videos after the jump

Curious about the new products that Chevy is bringing to the Paris Motor Show? You’ve already seen the Cruze hatchback, Aveo, Orlando and Captiva here on Autoblog, but you haven’t seen them in motion. More importantly, though, we see the first glimpses of these new cars’ interiors.

We’re kinda digging the gauge cluster on the Aveo (above), which has a very motorcycle-inspired look to its single large, round tachometer and digital cluster. Love it or hate it, the interior appears to be a major step forward from anything GM has ever put out in the subcompact class before. Similarly, the Cruze hatchback and Orlando have what appear to be nicely appointed two-tone duds.

Hit the jump to watch all four videos for yourself. The Cruze is batting lead-off, followed by the Captiva, Aveo and Orlando. And once you’ve taken in the videos, partake in the below poll by telling us which Cruze you prefer; the sedan or the five-door. It may not be a fair fight since the hot hatch is a “show car” with design elements that may not make production, but who says a tussle has to be fair?

[Source: YouTube / Sports Car Illustrated]

View Poll

Continue reading Video: Promo clips show off Chevrolet’s Paris debuts

Video: Promo clips show off Chevrolet’s Paris debuts originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2010 Chevrolet Malibu 1LT

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Chevrolet, GM, Reviews

Can This Aging Sedan Hold Out Until Help Arrives?

2010 Chevrolet Malibu

2010 Chevrolet Malibu – Click above for high-res image gallery

The year was 2007. The top-selling mid-size sedan, the Toyota Camry, was garnering a lot of praise from its most recent refresh, and automakers were furiously scribbling on notepads trying to get their next round of competitive vehicles out the door. General Motors had been going through a long string of bad press due to lackluster quality on the vast majority of its vehicles, and a big change needed to take place.

Enter the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. When it launched, GM was proud not only of its design and engineering, but of the improved quality and higher-grade craftsmanship that had been put into its new mid-sizer. The new Malibu made a big splash – so much so that it was named the 2008 North American Car of the Year, and the well-to-do sedan started selling in droves.

But now it’s 2010, and since the Malibu’s launch we’ve seen new versions of the Mazda6, Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata and Subaru Legacy, not to mention first-time entries into the segment like the Suzuki Kizashi. The initial praise that the Camry enjoyed in 2007 is now fading fast, and the Malibu has two more years left until an all-new model arrives. So with all the stiff new competition on the block, does the Malibu still lead the pack, simply keep up or something worse?

Continue reading…

Gallery: Review: 2010 Chevrolet Malibu

Photos copyright (C)2010 Steven J. Ewing / AOL

Continue reading Review: 2010 Chevrolet Malibu 1LT

Review: 2010 Chevrolet Malibu 1LT originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Chevrolet Cruze ads ramp up

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM

Chevrolet Cruze first ad screen cap

First Chevrolet Cruze commercials – Click above to watch the videos after the jump

The first production copies of the 2011 Cruze are likely heading to a nearby Chevrolet dealer as you’re reading this, and that means that General Motors’ advertising blitz can’t be far behind. Actually, it starts after the jump. From where we sit, it appears that the Bowtie’s new C-segment sedan is ready to do war with the competition, and Chevy clearly has its eyes trained on the segment’s sales leader. The first 30-second spot with actor Tim Allen’s voiceover is aptly titled “Dear Corolla,” and it chides the Toyota mainstay for not offering as standard equipment keyless entry, Bluetooth connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation.

The second spot doesn’t aim directly at any one competitor, choosing instead to play off of the Cruze’s role as the new kid in the C-sized segment. Chevy’s ad gurus chose to pull out a pair of brief quotes made by auto news outlets that liken some of the Cruze’s best attributes to that of distinctly pricier competition, and we’re betting that at least one of those publications will sound familiar.

Both spots strike us as a bit paint-by-numbers marketing for such an important launch, though it’s good to see that GM isn’t shrinking away from one of its biggest competitors. Hit the jump to view both videos and judge for yourself. The Corolla commercial comes first, followed by the “New Kid” spot.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Video: Chevrolet Cruze ads ramp up

Video: Chevrolet Cruze ads ramp up originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevrolet Cruze configurator goes live

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Sedan, Chevrolet

2011 Chevrolet Cruze Configurator

Heads up, compact fans; the configurator for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze has officially gone live. If you’ve got a few hot seconds to spare as your work week comes to a close, you can build up your new Bowtie fuel miser any way you so please. It doesn’t take long to click off enough options to have the Cruze sitting pretty at just shy of $26,800 including destination. Of course, that kind of coin will fetch you a sunroof, spare tire, RS appearance package, navigation and just about everything else your heart could desire in LTZ trim.

Of course, the frugal among you can sink your teeth into a $16,995 LS model, complete with a naturally aspirated 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine, six-speed manual transmission and not much else. If it were us laying down the coin, we’d probably hold off until we got word exactly how much Chevrolet is going to ask for the super-efficient Eco model. Thanks for the tip, Scott!

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze: First Drive

Photos by Zach Bowman, Copyright (C)2010 AOL

[Source: Chevrolet]

Chevrolet Cruze configurator goes live originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevrolet signs Tim Allen as brand’s new voice

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM, Celebrities

Tim AllenGeneral Motors has officially announced that television and movie star Tim Allen will be the new “voice of Chevrolet,” starting with a series of ads that will begin airing on September 7. These ads will be for the all-new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, and while Allen is a big-name with a very recognizable voice, GM’s vice president of marketing, Joel Ewanick, reminds us that “the car will be the star.”

Allen is best known for his starring role on the long-running 1990s sitcom Home Improvement, as well as his roles in The Santa Clause movies and as the voice behind Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story trilogy. In addition, Allen is also a well-known automobile enthusiast and has an extensive car collection. He is a native of Detroit, Michigan, and has a strong love for classic American muscle cars.

Look Listen for Tim Allen in four 30-second GM spots, scheduled to hit your television screen in the coming weeks. GM says that the Cruze’s marketing campaign will ramp up as the cars begin to arrive at dealerships in greater volume. For the full details, hit the jump to read GM’s press release.

[Source: General Motors | Image: Michael Schwartz/WireImage.com]

Continue reading Chevrolet signs Tim Allen as brand’s new voice

Chevrolet signs Tim Allen as brand’s new voice originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris Preview: GM unveils Chevrolet Cruze hatchback for Europe

Filed under: Concept Cars, Budget, Europe, Paris Motor Show, Hatchback, Chevrolet

Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback

Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback – Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors will be expanding Chevrolet of Europe’s lineup by adding a five-door Cruze, and while we won’t get our first look at this new hatchback for a few weeks, GM has decided to preview it early with a few pictures on the web. Sure to be one of the major draws at the Paris Motor Show in just a few weeks, the liftback ought to compete nicely with the 2012 Ford Focus five-door, but don’t expect GM to offer the more functional Cruze in the United States. “Americans don’t like hatchbacks,” remember?

Much like the Aveo RS and Buick Regal GS from this year’s Detroit Auto Show, GM calls the Cruze hatchback a “show car,” but in this case, that means that it’s somewhere between the stages of concept and prototype. Don’t expect the body to change, but we can easily see the front LED light bar and larger wheels being scrapped for the sake of cost-cutting.

Chevrolet says it will begin selling the Cruze hatchback across Europe in mid-2011 and pricing will be announced closer to the model’s on-sale date. Follow the jump for the full details in GM’s press release. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

Gallery: Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Paris Preview: GM unveils Chevrolet Cruze hatchback for Europe

Paris Preview: GM unveils Chevrolet Cruze hatchback for Europe originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevrolet Volt will not be eligible for HOV-lane access until mid-2012

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Government/Legal, Hatchback, Chevrolet, Nissan, Electric

Prospective owners of the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf shouldn’t get too excited about driving in California carpool lanes as soon as they take delivery. Late Tuesday night California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed SB 535 into law, extending access to the high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes to certain very low and zero emissions vehicles. This new class of vehicles known as Enhanced Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicles (enh-ATPZEVs) and includes plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles like the Leaf and Toyota’s Prius PHEV.

Unfortunately, there are some caveats. SB 535 doesn’t take effect until January 1, 2012 and even then only 40,000 of the special stickers needed for HOV access will be made available. In order to qualify, the vehicle has to be rated as an enh-ATPZEV, which brings up the second problem for Volt drivers. A General Motors spokesperson confirmed that the 2011 and 2012 Volt will not be enh-ATPZEV certified. The requirements to earn the enh-ATPZEV label are significantly tougher than the standard ATPZEV. Given the escalated development of the Volt, GM didn’t have enough time to calibrate and verify that the plug-in hybrid would meet the standard over a 10-year/150,000-mile period.

That’s also why the Volt battery only has the eight-year/100,000-mile warranty required for the non-enhanced ATPZEV. GM spokesman Rob Peterson verified that the Volt will be updated to enh-ATPZEV in mid-2012 when the 2013 model is introduced. In the meantime, you’ll just to make sure to bring a friend if you want to ride in the carpool lane.

UPDATE: We just got word from Nissan that the Leaf is eligible for the All Access stickers under a previous bill passed (AB 1500) earlier this year. That means if you take delivery of a Leaf today, you can be flying in the HOV lanes tomorrow.

[Source: General Motors]

Chevrolet Volt will not be eligible for HOV-lane access until mid-2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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