Chevrolet is marking its return to the Super Bowl after a four-year absence with no less than seven ads that will air before, during and after the game. This one is called 'Ms Evelyn' and its GM's second commercial for the Camaro after the Transformers TV spot that we showed you yesterday. The advert will air on TV after the presentation of the MVP Award, which is sponsored by Chevrolet, but you can get a sneak peak in the video after the jump.
Via Camaro5
As an automotive blogger that also works in the IT industry, I feel I have a somewhat unique perspective on in-car technology. Whereas a new car may have a three to five year buffer between upgrades and replacement models, for electronic devices such as mobile phones and computers it's more like six to eighteen months.
This brings up an interesting conundrum: what to do when the sat nav or Bluetooth devices in your car age more quickly than the car itself? Few people this side of Dhiaa Al-Essa can afford to replace their car every six months, so the answer - to automakers at least - is to do the same as software companies: roll out upgrades.
It could be something as simple as the dealership checking your oil and tire pressure remotely to recalibrating the transmission or updating the car's sat nav system. San Francisco based Cisco Systems has even constructed an experimental dashboard out of LCD panels that acts as a giant touch screen: driver's can drag and drop instruments, personalize the look and feel of said instruments and add new functions such as g-force meters.
The obsolescent of in-car technology is becoming more and more of a concern, especially in the light that market research firm R. L. Polk reveals that many of us are keeping our cars for up to 9 years. Advances in computing technology in our car's ECUs and other systems are also bound to cause headaches for automakers in the future.
As Dirk Schlesinger, a senior director in Cisco’s Internet business solutions group explains, "Complexity is killing the industry. We can’t change the silicon fast enough."
Software updates, a common enough occurrence when your car is taken in for a service in this day and age, may soon be rolled out automatically and via the internet or satellite, like they are for computer software.
In the words of Dave Evans, Cisco’s chief futurist: “The car is becoming the most sophisticated piece of computer equipment you own.”
That's as good as maybe, but with technology such as Ford AppLink giving its drivers access to Pandora or Twitter from behind the wheel or GM / Mercedes-Benz's OnStar and Mbrace systems allowing remote support for driver's and their vehicles, one thing is for sure: the future is closer than we think.
By Tristan Hankins
Source: NY Times
Next up on our list of automotive-related commercials that will air during the Super Bowl XLV game on Sunday is the Chevrolet Camaro ad from General Motors. Once again, the Detroit carmaker is playing the Transformers card with the Camaro turning into Bumblebee, and well, you can see the rest in the video that follows.
All in all, Chevrolet will air five 30-second commercials during the big game including “Misunderstanding,” featuring the Cruze Eco; “Discovery,” with the Volt; “Tommy,” showcasing the Silverado HD; and “Al’s Chevrolet,” starring the Camaro.
The company will also air a longer-form Chevrolet spot during the “Glee” episode following the Super Bowl as well as a second Camaro ad named "Ms. Evelyn,” which will be shown after the presentation of the MVP Award.
All of Chevrolet's ads at this year’s Super Bowl were created by the Goodby, Silverstein & Partners agency. Chevrolet returns to the Super Bowl after a four-year absence.
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The continuing crisis in Egypt has prompted several automakers including General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and BMW to shut down their factories in the country, while other companies like Volkswagen, have been forced to completely stop vehicle deliveries as it was uncertain if the cars would reach their destinations, according to a company spokesman.
“We decided to close our assembly plant in Egypt due to the unstable political situation,” Nissan spokesman Mitsuru Yonekawa told Bloomberg News on Monday.
GM international operations spokesman, Johan Willems, told Autonews Europe: "All of our employees in Egypt as well as our plant property is safe and secure. Our local team in Cairo is assessing the situation and will decide to commence normal operations once the conditions permit."
As well as bringing production to a stop to ensure the safety of their workers, certain carmakers such as BMW and Mercedes are also evacuating expatriate employees and their families.
At the time being, it remains unclear when automakers will resume production in Egypt.
Source: Autonews Europe [Subscription required]
General Motor today celebrated the start of regular production of the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible at its Oshawa assembly plant in Canada. The drop-top version of the Detroit firm's muscle car will go on sale in the U.S. in February and will be available with two engine options and four trim packages with prices starting from US$30,000 MSRP including an $850 destination fee.
The entry-level 1LT (US$30,000) and 2LT (US$33,500) Camaro Convertible models are powered by a 3.6-liter direct injection V6 motor rated at 312 horsepower and 278 lb.-ft. or 370 Nm of torque, and can be equipped with either a standard six-speed manual gearbox or an optional six-speed automatic transmission.
Those seeking more power can opt for the 1SS (US$37,500) or the 2SS (US$40,500), which are offered with a choice of two 6.2-liter V8 powertrains, , including the L99 with 400HP and 410 lb-ft of torque on automatic-equipped vehicles and the LS3 with 426HP and 420 lb-ft on manual-equipped models.
Customers can choose from nine production exterior colors with tops offered in black or tan, while all convertible models are fitted with a rear parking assist system as standard.
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The Chevrolet Volt is currently available for sale only in a few states across the U.S., the reason being that GM was initially cautious and wanted to probe customer interest first. It turns out customers like the plug-in hybrid / extended range model (take your pick) more than anticipated, so Chevrolet today announced that it’s fast-tracking the national roll-out to match customer interest.
“We’re accelerating our launch plan to have Volts in all participating Chevrolet dealerships in every single state in the union by the end of this year”, said Rick Scheidt, U.S. vice president, Chevrolet Marketing. “This is the right thing to do for our customers and our dealers who are seeing increased traffic onto their showroom floors”.
According to Chevrolet, nationwide orders through participating dealers will be a reality by the second quarter of the year, while deliveries in all 50 states are expected to be well under way during the fourth quarter, six months sooner than originally planned.
Currently, the Volt is available in the Washington D.C. area, California, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Texas. Michigan deliveries are set to begin this spring, with 11 more states to be added to the list in the third quarter.
By Csaba Daradics
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Marc Keinath is a very lucky man. Not only did he survive a horrific crash in his 2004 Malibu, but he also received a brand new replacement, courtesy of General Motors. Earlier this week, Mr. Keinath was driving along Interstate 75 in Genesee County, Michigan, when he was caught off-guard by a patch of black ice and spun out of control. While he eventually regained control of the car, unfortunately, a tractor-trailer hauling 20 tons of sugar smashed into the rear of the Malibu and then fell on top of it.
"As parts of the roof of the Malibu began to yield under the tremendous weight of the trailer, Keinath fully reclined his seat to give him more room inside, reached for his cell phone and dialed 911," said GM in a statement. Miraculously, the Malibu withstood the immense pressure and Mr. Keinath was able to walk away with no serious injuries.
“This is an incredible story of survival that shows you just never know what’s going to happen on the road”, said Rick Scheidt, executive director at Chevrolet. “When you look at Marc’s Malibu, you would never expect anyone would ever walk away from it”.
“It’s been a heck of a week for me”, said Keinath. “I want to thank God for giving me a second chance at life, the firefighters and first responders who helped me, and Chevy for making a car that can hold a semi”.
By Csaba Daradics
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What started a few years back with the re-branding of Daewoo's portfolio to Chevrolets in select markets including Europe, is now being rolled out globally with the replacement of the nameplate in South Korea. From now on, all of the company’s new product introductions will be under the Chevrolet badge, while GM Daewoo Auto & Technology will change its company name to GM Korea Co. The Detroit automaker said the name change is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter this year.
"This important new brand strategy is designed to strengthen our commitment to the Korean market, recognizing it as one of the strongest-performing countries within GM’s global operations," said Mike Arcamone, President and CEO of GM Daewoo. “We cannot afford to sit still, and instead, choose to make a bold move with the launch of Chevrolet in Korea."
GM noted that three Daewoo models including the Alpheon (a re-badged Buick LaCrosse) sedan and the Labo and Damas mini cars, will not carry the Chevrolet nameplate and will be marketed under independent brands.
Outside the U.S., Chevrolet is planning an aggressive vehicle launch plan this year with the introduction of eight new models including the Camaro, Orlando MPV, Aveo sub-compact, plus an unnamed new SUV model and a new premium midsize sedan.
The Detroit automaker said that GM Daewoo has "played a lead role" in the design, engineering and manufacturing of the Chevrolet Cruze global compact sedan, the new Chevrolet Spark global mini-car, and the new Chevrolet Aveo global small car, adding that currently one out of every four Chevrolet vehicles is manufactured in Korea.
“Chevrolet has enjoyed success in mature markets in North America and Europe, as well as in emerging markets in Asia Pacific, CIS countries, and Latin America,” said Arcamone. “We are confident our customers in Korea will embrace Chevrolet as well.”
If there's one company that knows a thing or two about tuning GM's products, it's Lingenfelter. The Indiana-based tuning firm has just announced its latest package for the Cadillac CTS-V series, which covers the sedan, station wagon and coupe models. In stock form, the CTS-V's 6.2-liter supercharged V8 churns out 556HP and 551 lb.-ft of torque.
Lingenfelter's engine tune includes a variety of mods such as ported LSA cylinder heads and the addition of LPE's GT9 ZR1 supercharger camshaft, which help push the V8's output to more than 700-horses at the crankshaft. The long-time GM tuner also tried out a CTS-V Coupe with a manual transmission on the dyno, with the test yielding 623HP and 617 lf-ft at the rear wheels. Follow the jumps for a video and detailed info on the tuning package.
Lingenfelter Cadillac CTS-V Turnkey Package:
- Engine removal and removal of supercharger assembly, cylinder heads and camshaft
- Lingenfelter CNC porting & polishing of LSA cylinder heads for optimal flow
- 2.165" diameter hollow stem intake valves
- 1.59" diameter high temperature inconnel exhaust valves
- Lingenfelter multi-angle valve job, cc chambers, surfacing and spring height adjustment
- Competition Cams valve springs, titanium retainers, 10 degree locks
- Lingenfelter GT9 camshaft
- GM Head gaskets & head bolts
- 2.55" diameter steel supercharger drive pulley - powder coated black - 8 rib
- 8 rib serpentine belt
- Lingenfelter LS9 solid supercharger isolator coupling
- Port and polish supercharger front cover
- Lingenfelter air intake duct
- K & N Air Filter
- Lingenfelter 10% overdrive harmonic balancer
- 63 lbs/hour fuel injectors
- Fuel injector connector change
- 160 degree thermostat
- Professional installation
- Engine testing and expert ECM tuning
- Chassis dyno testing before and after installation
- Excellent drivability, highway mileage not adversely affected
- Lingenfelter certificate of authenticity
- Lingenfelter 2 year/24,000 mile warranty
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A supposedly official preliminary spec sheet of Cadillac's forthcoming new small luxury sedan surfaced on the internet today. We're not going to call it a leak just yet as we're not at all certain for its authenticity. That said, we'd advise you not to take anything you read on the paper after the jump for granted.
Labeled as the 2014 Cadillac ATS, the spec sheet says the Detroit firm's BMW 3-Series rival will be offered with three engine options including a 270HP 2.0-liter turbocharged four-banger and a 330HP 3.6-liter V6 for the standard versions, and a 470HP 6.2-liter V8 for the M3-challenging ATS-V. The four-and six-cylinder models are said to be hooked up to an 8-speed automatic transmission, while the flagship V8 comes with a 6-speed auto.
While we can't vouch for the numbers and data shown on the spec sheet, we can tell you that the ATS, or whatever else GM decides to name its new entry-level sedan, is expected to hit the market within the next two years.
Via: Cheers and Gears & Atsforums
With the global market showing faint signs of recovery, 2010 was a good year for Chevrolet. The American automaker managed to shift 4.26 million vehicles worldwide or an average of one vehicle every 7.4 seconds. The brand’s share of global sales grew by 0.35 points as it accounted for about 5.8 percent of all vehicles sold worldwide. According to GM, Chevy was the only Top 5 manufacturer to increase its total market share last year.
Fourth quarter sales totaled 1.14 million units, of which 416,826 vehicles were sold in December, marking the 15th consecutive monthly increase and best December ever in the company’s history.
“Chevrolet’s dedication to compelling designs, quality, durability and great value is a winning formula that resonates with consumers around the world”, said Joel Ewanick, GM global chief marketing officer. “We will continue to listen to our customers and do our utmost to deliver what it takes to bring them into the Chevrolet family”.
Brazil, Russia, India and China – also known as the BRIC countries – accounted for about 33% of Chevrolet’s sales posting an increase of 2 percentage points over 2009..
In Brazil, Chevrolet retailed 657,697 vehicles, which is an all-time record and an impressive 78% increase compared to five years ago. It was a record-breaking year in India as well, with sales surpassing 100,000 units for the first time, while in China the manufacturer experienced a sales growth of 63%, with a total of 543,700 vehicles sold. In Russia, demand was up about 12% and Chevrolet remained the most popular international brand in the country.
Chevrolet sales jumped 12% in Europe as well, resulting in a best-ever overall market share of 2.5%. A total of 477,000 vehicles were delivered in 2010, as the maker achieved positive results in 21 countries.
The U.S. remains Chevrolet’s largest market with total sales reaching 1.57 million vehicles (+16%). The brand represented more than 70% of GM’s overall sales.
Last year saw the introduction of several important models, such as the Volt plug-in hybrid, Cruze compact car and Silverado full-size pickup truck in the U.S.; New Sail small car and Spark mini in China; Viva pickup in Brazil and Orlando compact minivan in Europe.
The five best-selling Chevrolet nameplates in 2010 were:
1. Silverado full-size pickup truck, 435,269 units
2. Cruze compact car, 334,976 units
3. Aveo small car, 322,234 units
4. Malibu midsize car, 221,550 units
5. Impala full-size car, 183,551 units
By Csaba Daradics
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