Tag: chevy

Video: Watch MT test the 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray Z51

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Chevrolet, GM

2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray Z51 handling test - video screencap

We’re (patiently) waiting for our first chance to drive the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, but it appears Generous Motors have given some other publications the opportunity to test the new car early, including the fine folks at Motor Trend.

For its latest episode of Ignition, MT puts the new Chevrolet flagship through its paces on the track, including a 0-60 run, figure-eight, quarter-mile sprint, 60-0 braking and lateral acceleration test. Additionally, the Vette is taken out on to public roads and is given the full review treatment in high-definition video glory. We won’t spoil all of the details for you – scroll down below to check out this Motor Trend video for yourself.

Continue reading Watch MT test the 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray Z51

Watch MT test the 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray Z51 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Chevy Impala goes from bottom to top of Consumer Reports sedan rankings

Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet

It’s got a new design, it’s got new objectives, it’s got a five-star crash-test rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it’s a central part of what could be Chevrolet’s “strongest, most competitive retail sedan lineup ever,” and now the 2014 Chevrolet Impala has added Turnaround Artist to its resume, going from last to first in Consumer Reports‘ large sedan ratings.

As if it didn’t earn itself a couple of beers for that alone, the triumph is all the more noteworthy because the Impala is the first domestic sedan in 20 years to reach that position. CR only began rating cars with a score in 1992, and since then the number one slot has been from Japan 11 times, Europe nine times.

The Impala conquered with features like its “surprisingly agile handling,” “excellent braking,” “generally high-quality materials” and a technology interface that is “refreshingly intuitive and easy to use.” Going beyond its segment in worth, whereas the previous Impala scored a 63, this one scored a 95; only the BMW 135i coupe and Tesla Model S have scored higher. And wait until you get to the part where it’s considered “competitive with… the Audi A6 and Lexus LS460L….”

Yeah, you read that right. And you can read even more of it in the press release below.

Continue reading Chevy Impala goes from bottom to top of Consumer Reports sedan rankings

Chevy Impala goes from bottom to top of Consumer Reports sedan rankings originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: Updated J.D. Power APEAL study shines on VW Group, Chevy

Filed under: Car Buying, Chevrolet, Porsche, Volkswagen

2013 Volkswagen full line parked in field

J.D. Power has just revealed the results of its 2013 APEAL Study, which looks at which brands have the most appealing cars based on sales figures, dealer inventory, brand loyalty, transaction and trade-in prices. The study was revamped for 2013, and places a larger focus on the new tech and infotainment options available to customers. All told, study participants gauged their vehicles on 77 different attributes, delivering a score out of a 1,000 points.

The Volkswagen Group had the greatest success of any corporation, topping the APEAL rankings with the Audi Allroad, Porsche Boxster, Porsche Cayenne, VW GTI and Passat. Chevrolet had the highest number of awards for a single brand, though, with the Avalanche, Sonic and Volt all taking home a prize.

The best brand overall was Porsche, which scored 884 out of a possible 1,000 points. The top Japanese brand was Lexus with a score of 847, while the top American brand was Cadillac, at 841. The best mainstream brand was Ram, which received a very respectable 817. The industry average for this year’s study was 795, with 16 brands, all of which were mainstream, falling below the average.

There were a few surprises for the individual model awards, as well. The Buick Encore took the sub-compact CUV class, while the Ford Mustang was the winner of the mid-size sporty car segment. The Lincoln MKZ beat out the BMW 3 Series, Cadillac ATS, and a spate of others to capture the compact premium car segment. Finally, the redesigned Land Rover Range Rover was the first vehicle outside of the large premium car segment to net the highest overall score. For more details, scroll down to read the official press release.

Continue reading Updated J.D. Power APEAL study shines on VW Group, Chevy

Updated J.D. Power APEAL study shines on VW Group, Chevy originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Jul 2013 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2014 Chevy Sonic to offer short-term limited-edition colors

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Crossover, Chevrolet, Design/Style

2014 Chevy Sonic - front three-quarter view - Deep Magenta Metallic paint

When Chevrolet launched its subcompact Sonic, it made a splash with a bright paint dubbed Inferno Orange. The metallic citrus shade was a genuine retina searer, featuring prominently in the car’s early marketing efforts as its so-called ‘launch color.’ But Inferno Orange is now gone from the Sonic’s order sheets, and the rest of the car’s color palate is more traditional and – dare we say it – a bit sober.

But that’s about to change – Chevy has just announced that it will begin releasing a range of limited-edition short-term paint colors beginning with the “chromatic plum” shade seen above, Deep Magenta Metallic. The striking hue came about after witnessing the successful launch of the Chevy Spark in Techno Pink. The special paint will only be available from August through October, but Chevy hasn’t revealed if it is capping the number of vehicles it will produce in this shade.

Chevy says that Deep Magenta Metallic will be followed up by Cool Blue, a shade the company describes as “a grayish, dirty blue.” The latter will be available from November until March, and another new shade, Dragon Green, will join the Sonic’s permanent color choices sometime in the first quarter of 2014. Interestingly, the company says that a typical Chevy vehicle receives “10 to 12 color options throughout its lifecycle.” The Sonic already received a similar number of paints before Deep Magenta Metallic and it’s still relatively early in the car’s lifecycle, so clearly Chevy sees small car buyers as being receptive to a broader range of color choices.

Continue reading 2014 Chevy Sonic to offer short-term limited-edition colors

2014 Chevy Sonic to offer short-term limited-edition colors originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Jul 2013 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2014 Chevy Impala nets five-star crash rating from NHTSA [w/video]

Filed under: Sedan, Safety, Technology, Videos, Chevrolet

The 2014 Chevrolet Impala is officially a safe car, earning a five-star safety score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program.

GM General Director of Vehicle Safety and Crashworthiness, Gay Kent, says that the 2014 Impala was “designed to provide excellent crash safety,” and there’s a long list of safety features to back up that statement, some of which are firsts for Chevrolet. Only a few years ago luxury brands, such as Mercedes-Benz and Volvo, were pioneers of radar-based safety technologies. Now the technology has trickled down to more affordable cars, such as the 2014 Impala, which also features traffic-sensing radar (a first for a Chevrolet), adaptive cruise control that adjusts vehicle speed and can stop it in gridlock traffic, crash-imminent braking, collision alerts and lane departure warning. The car also has a rear-mounted video camera paired with an ultrasonic system to help with parking, 10 airbags and the list goes on.

Of course, driver aides such as traction control, stability control and anti-lock brakes come standard on the Impala, too, as does OnStar, GM’s GPS-based service that will send an emergency call for help if it senses the vehicle was in a crash.

Scroll down to read the press release about the full range of safety features that earned it a five-star crash rating, and be sure to check out the video of the crash test below.

Continue reading 2014 Chevy Impala nets five-star crash rating from NHTSA [w/video]

2014 Chevy Impala nets five-star crash rating from NHTSA [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Chevy’s famed Bowtie still looking dapper at 100 years

Filed under: Classics, Etc., Chevrolet

2014 Chevrolet Camaro front end - focus on Bowtie emblem

The Chevrolet Bowtie, that iconic badge that’s adorned an estimated 215 million cars and trucks, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The Bowtie originally debuted on the 1914 Chevrolet H-2 Royal Mail and H-4 Baby Grand.

Rumors have long surrounded the Bowtie logo’s origins, with some claiming it was borrowed from the wallpaper of a French hotel and others saying it came from Chevrolet founder Louis Chevrolet’s homeland of Switzerland. William Durant, co-founder of Chevy, even had family members say differently.

Regardless of where the logo came from, since its first appearance on a pair of 1914 models and its appearance with the Chevrolet name in a 1913 edition of The Washington Post, it’s become one of the most identifiable symbols in America, even though it has gone through a number of subtle evolutions (check out the gallery above to see what we mean). We look forward seeing it for a long time.

Continue reading Chevy’s famed Bowtie still looking dapper at 100 years

Chevy’s famed Bowtie still looking dapper at 100 years originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: 2014 Chevy Camaro SS Convertible caught naked in the wild

Filed under: Spy Photos, Convertible, Performance, Chevrolet

2014 Chevy Camaro SS Convertible spy shot - top up - silver

While we had our first genuine look at the 2014 Camaro SS back at the New York Auto Show this spring, we hadn’t yet gotten a glimpse of the droptop version of the pony car, until now.

Nabbed near Chevy’s home turf in beautiful Milford, MI, the ’14 Camaro SS Convertible looks ready for prime time as-is. We’ll be honest: From the shoulder-line up, this new Camaro looks almost identical to the outgoing car, with no apparent changes to the folding soft top or rakish A-pillars. Below the waist, the convertible shares the revised front hood, nose and revamped rear treatment with the SS coupe.

This particular SS Convertible is wearing a new set of 20-inch five spoke wheels, as well as a beefy quad exhaust setup out back. Sharp-eyed readers will also notice that the Chevy test driver isn’t terribly pleased with getting his picture taken. Gentle souls should avert their eyes for images four and five of our gallery…

2014 Chevy Camaro SS Convertible caught naked in the wild originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Chevy ad compares Spark EV with Ferrari 458 Italia

Filed under: Budget, Technology, Videos, Hatchback, Chevrolet, Specialty, Electric

2014 Chevy Spark EV - front three-quarter view

Chevrolet’s new commercial for the 2014 Spark EV emphasizes the little hatchback’s performance over pretty much everything else, and it even goes as far as to compare it to a Ferrari 458 Italia. That’s right, the electric bubble is pitched in the commercial as having a higher torque figure than the Ferrari – and it does, with a massive 400 pound-feet ready to be unleashed.

That doesn’t translate into a quicker car, however, as the 458’s V8 with 570 horsepower and not-exactly-quaint 398 lb-ft gives it a 0-60 time of 3.0 seconds compared to the Spark EV’s 7.6-second run.

“We think the fun-to-drive element is an area for us to differentiate ourselves,” Sam Basile, executive chief engineer for GM’s global minicars and emerging-market vehicles, told Automotive News.

EV makers who aren’t Tesla might want to take note of the Chevrolet ad, because, as the novelty of clean electric propulsion wears off, the Spark EV has planted something else in our minds: quick electric propulsion for the masses. That is, if its sales weren’t limited to California and Oregon.

Watch Chevy’s refreshing commercial below.

Continue reading Chevy ad compares Spark EV with Ferrari 458 Italia

Chevy ad compares Spark EV with Ferrari 458 Italia originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Chevy delays next Cruze until 2015

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Chevrolet

2016 Chevy Cruze - front three-quarter view

The Chevrolet Cruze has proven to be a popular global car for General Motors. So popular, in fact, that the General is in no rush to replace the compact and is using the opportunity to build more engineering changes into the car’s design. Originally, we were expecting the next-gen Cruze to debut late next year for the 2015 model year, but according to Reuters, Chevrolet has pushed this timetable back by about a year. With the new Cruze now set to go on sale in December of 2015, it will likely carry a 2016 model year designation.

Other than riding on GM’s new D2XX platform, we have had little intel about the next-gen Cruze, so we have no clue what changes are being made to the car. What does seem evident is that Chevy is looking to prevent the Cruze launch from suffering the same kind of flop as the 2013 Malibu, which required emergency updates just one year after its launch. As the article points out, the Cruze has helped spur GM’s post-bankruptcy turnaround, and by the 2014 model year, it will be the oldest car in its US portfolio.

Chevy delays next Cruze until 2015 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: 2014 Chevy SS order guide surfaces

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Performance, Chevrolet

Aside from what it’s like to drive the 2014 Chevrolet SS, there is really nothing we don’t already know about the new performance sedan, a fact confirmed when the order guide for the car popped up in our email. SSForums.com has managed to get its hands on the anticlimactic order guide for the rear-wheel drive Chevrolet showing all of the standard features and the few options that will be offered.

We already knew that the only options on the car will consist of your choice of five exterior colors, a $900 sunroof and a $500 spare tire option that replaces the tire inflation kit, and the rest of the order guide matches up with what Chevrolet already told us about the SS. Even so, this is an exciting car, and as we wait for the SS to go on sale (sometime during the fourth quarter of this year), fans – and potential owners – of this full-size performer should enjoy perusing the leaked order guide to aid in their daydreaming – or their ordering.

2014 Chevy SS order guide surfaces originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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