Chevrolet Introduces Z-Spec Accessories for 2012 Sonic

No, Coca-Cola has not turned Chevy’s upcoming Sonic subcompact into a mobile marketing tool for carbonated soft drinks. What you see pictured here is a Z-Spec accessorized 2012 Sonic and it will debut at the New York International Auto Show to officially launch Chevy’s new line of aftermarket bits that will be available before the end of the year. Chevrolet gave us our first look at its new accessory lineup with the Z-Spec concept versions of the Cruze, Spark and Volt at the 2010 SEMA show.

For the new Sonic, which replaces the Aveo in the States, the Z-Spec range will initially focus on cosmetic improvements.

Available bits will include a full bodykit comprising of front and rear aprons, rocker panel extensions and a silver exhaust tip, contrasting mirror caps and roof spoiler, contrasting upper and lower grille surrounds and a body graphics package like the one you see here.

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BMW Invests More in its 'i' Project, Snatches Chevy Volt’s Lead Engineer from GM

BMW recently acquired Frank Weber, formerly head of Opel/Vauxhall's product planning division and lead engineer on Chevrolet's Volt. Automotive News Europe reports that he will become head of BMW's vehicle architecture and integration division.

Weber will be in control of EfficientDynamics (the green stuff), driver safety/assistance tech, and "full vehicle concepts and architecture", as well as bringing a whole bunch of electrical wizardry and know-how to BMW's nascent electric future.

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2013 Chevrolet Malibu Photo Slips Out on the Internet

Thanks to an official photograph that leaked onto the internet last night, we now have our first glimpse at the exterior of all-new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The new mid-size sedan from GM appears to sport a robust look with a sculpted face featuring the classic split Chevrolet grille. Read more »

Ugur Sahin’s Sexy Corvette: Limited Run Soleil Anadi Sports Car Coming to Monaco

Dutch industrial designers Ugur Sahin Design have taken the wraps off the romantically named Soleil Anandi, a gorgeous-looking coupe / concept based on the group’s Z03 Concept of 2007. This latest effort takes the taut lines of the Z03 Concept and refines them in a spectacular – and apparently production-ready – fashion.

With its forward raked and blacked out rump, sculptured flanks and shark-like nose, the Anandi incorporates Corvette styling cues both past and present. Think of it as a modern day interpretation of the Stingray of the 1960s. And what a better place to present it than in Monaco which has a reputation for offering the most exclusive and exotic goods and services to the uber-rich.

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Definitely not a Safety Feature: The Broken Chevy Cruze Wheel that Launched 2,100 Inspections [with Video]

Thanks to the worldwide web of ours, we now have some video of the one and only (so far) recall-inducing 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. For the full story, check out our previous post here. The nitty-gritty is that a guy, his wife, one of their mothers, and their 19-month-old son were in the car when the steering wheel decided it wasn't really needed anymore and took a hike...at 65 miles per hour.

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Mean Green Machine: Geiger Cars Boosts the Chevrolet Camaro SS to 564 Ponies

It seems that the 426HP Chevrolet Camaro SS wasn't powerful enough for German aftermarket specialist Geiger Cars that decided to spice up Chevy’s pony car. The result is the Camaro Super Sport HP 564, an upgraded version of the standard car that attracts attention foremost for its flamboyant black and green paint scheme.

The car sports an aero kit comprising of a front spoiler lip, side skirts and a redesigned rear bumper that features a large air diffuser. The huge 22-inch black alloy wheels as well as the black central stripe and the black racing numbers on the doors contrast with the green paint job. On top of the rear fenders, the Geiger Camaro sports a “Supercharged” logo, which hints at how the engineers managed to increase the output of the 6.2-liter V8 engine.

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2012 Chevrolet Camaro Officially Unveiled, gets Revised V6 with 323HP and Interior Upgrades

For the 2012 model year, Chevrolet offers the Camaro with a host of improvements to celebrate the iconic pony car's 45th anniversary. The 3.6-liter V6 engine has been upgraded to develop 323 horsepower at 6,800 rpm, an increase of 11 horsepower over the 2011 engine while fuel consumption remains at 30 mpg (7.84 l/100 km) on the highway.

The revised engine is 20.5 pounds (9.3 kg) lighter and benefits from a thorough rework, including new cylinder head design, larger intake valves, new fuel pump and optimized-flow fuel injectors, among other changes.

2012MY Camaro SS coupes will be available with a new FE4 sport suspension, which improves handling. “We applied lessons learned from extensive track testing to better refine the suspension geometry for flatter cornering, a more neutral balance during hard turns, and minimized understeer at the limit,” says Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer.

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GM Recalling 2,100 Chevrolet Cruze sedans after Steering Wheel Comes Loose in one Car

Following a single incident on March 1, 2011, when a GM was notified of a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze that had been brought to one of its dealerships with a steering wheel that had come loose from the steering column, the Detroit automaker decided to issue a voluntary recall on certain Cruze vehicles. According to GM, during manufacturing, the steering wheel might have been improperly fastened and could detach from the steering column.

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Chevrolet Shows First Photograph of 2013 Malibu’s Interior

The painstakingly slow drumbeat continues in advance of the official world premiere of the all-new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu at both the Shanghai Auto Show in China and the New York International Auto Show in the USA later this month, with the second teaser photo providing our first look at the mid-size sedan’s interior. Read more »

GM Claims Volt Owners Seeing up to 1,000 Miles Range without Filling up

General Motors says owners of the Volt are driving up to 1,000 miles (1,610 kilometers) before they need to fill up. “A sample of our early Volt customers suggest that they drive 1,000 miles before they fill up the gas tank,” Tony Posawatz, vehicle line director for the Chevrolet Volt, told Bloomberg news.

However, the official driving range of the Volt, measured by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is much smaller than the GM executive's claims. The Volt's electric-only driving range is 35 miles (56.3 km), with another 344 miles (553.6 km) possible as the gasoline generator kicks in. The combined range therefore sits at 379 miles (610 km), way below the claimed 1,000 miles.

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Chevrolet Celebrates 100th Anniversary with 2012 Centennial Edition Corvette Package

The Chevrolet brand turns 100 this year, and unlike some people that like to hide their age after a certain point, the automaker is out to tell the world. Among the many celebrations planned for this occasion is the presentation a special 2012 Centennial Edition Corvette with a black color scheme and unique design elements.

“Racing and performance are the roots of Chevrolet, a tradition carried forward today by Corvette,” said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “The Centennial Edition not only celebrates our 100 years, it once again pushes Corvette forward for a new generation of sports car fans.”

The 2012 Centennial Edition will be available as a special package on all Corvette models, including the Grand Sport that features a 6.2-liter V8 pumping out 430HP, the Z06 that comes equipped with a 505HP 7.0-liter V8 and the flagship ZR1 with its 638-hp supercharged LS9 V8 engine.

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New Malibu to be Offered in Australia as a Holden, will Sit Between the Cruze and the Commodore

Last week, GM released the first teaser photo of its upcoming Chevrolet Malibu ahead of its global debut on Monday, April 18. The next generation of the Malibu is the first Chevy mid-sized model designed for the global market and will be sold in up to 100 countries around the world including Australia where it will be launched under the Holden brand.

The Holden Malibu will arrive in Australia for the first time in 2012 with a range of four cylinder engines, effectively replacing the unpopular Epica, a badge-engineered version of the South Korean Daewoo Tosca, which itself had taken the place of the Vectra.

“The Malibu will play an important role within the Holden line-up, providing a spacious and efficient four-cylinder alternative for Australian customers,” said Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mike Devereux.

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Stunning Chevrolet Mi-ray Roadster Concept Premieres at Seoul Motor Show

GM's Korean subsidiary lifted the wraps off the Mi-ray hybrid roadster concept at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show today, as a tribute to Chevrolet's 100th anniversary this year. The aggressive-looking Mi-ray (which means “future” in Korean) was developed by the GM Advanced Design Studio in Seoul and pays homage to the bow-tie brand's sports car heritage.

The roadster uses styling cues from Chevy's 1963 Monza SS and the 1962 Corvair Super Spyder, but also from aircrafts, with its aerodynamic fuselage being reminiscent of modern jet fighters. Elements like the scissor-doors, the pronounced wheel-arches and the sharp front bumper add further drama to the Mi-ray's appearance.

The car's bodywork is made of lightweight materials such as carbon fiber and carbon fiber reinforced plastics, while the turbine-shaped wheels (20-inch front/21-inch rear) are made of aluminum-carbon fiber composite.

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Chevrolet Teases All-New Global Malibu Sedan, will be Sold in Nearly 100 Countries [with Video]

This is the first official photo of the all-new Chevrolet Malibu show car that will debut simultaneously at the Shanghai Auto Show in China and the New York International Auto Show in mid-April. And if you’re wondering why GM made plans to show it in China, that’s because unlike the current model that’s offered only in North America, the new Malibu will be a global vehicle that will be sold in nearly 100 countries on six continents and built in multiple locations, including China and two facilities in the United States.

“This Malibu takes Chevrolet’s established and award-winning nameplate to new places and introduces it to new audiences around the world,” said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet. “Whether the Malibu is sold in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, or Australia, it has been engineered from the ground up to meet the needs of customers around the world.”

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Power to the People: Late Model Racecraft's Twin Turbo Camaro Pushes out 1,810 Horses

The folks over at Late Model Racecraft pride themselves for being “Home of the world's quickest and fastest stock suspended LSX”. In one of their latest tunes, they crafted a twin-turbocharged Chevrolet Camaro for owner Kelly Bise who will race the car at the Texas Mile event this weekend. The insane Camaro was thrown on a dyno to see how much power is sent to the rear wheels. The result? 1,809.6 ponies. Impressive, to say the least. Listen to the sounds of the beast in dyno-testing video after the jump.

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Chevrolet Rolls Out 2011 Cruze BTCC Racer

GM has pulled the wraps off its Silverline Chevrolet team’s 2011 cars, with which it will campaign in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship [BTCC]. The two Cruze racers enter the 2011 season with a new livery, consistent with that of the WTCC cars, and featuring prominent sponsorship from Silverline, as well as a series of other sponsors including Dunlop, Holiday Inn, Auto Express and Evo.

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VIDEO: Corvette ZR1 ALMS Ad Belittles BMW, Ferrari and Porsche, but Ends up Losing to M3s in Sebring…

Just before the season opener of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at the Sebring International Raceway in Florida this past weekend, GM aired an aggressive commercial touting its 638-horsepower-strong Corvette ZR1. The ad claims that the firm’s engineers had to reduce the stock ZR1’s LS9 engine output by 168HP in order to compete in the race and “just to be fair against Porsche, Ferrari and BMW”.

For one, the Corvette ALMS racers are actually powered by a V8 loosely based on the Z06’s LS7 engine (see the second video after the jump). Perhaps most importantly, the Corvettes finished third and fourth in the GT class in Sebring behind two BMW M3 GTs… Videos follow after the break.

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GM Renames Camaro to 'Ke Mai Luo' in China, Priced from $76,400!

At next month’s Auto Shanghai in China, General Motors will launch the local market version of its flamboyant pony car, the latest generation of the Chevrolet Camaro - but with a twist; it will carry a different name in China. “The Camaro will have a sonorous Chinese name — 科迈罗 (Ke Mai Luo),” said GM in a statement today without giving any further explanations. And yes, just for the fun of it, we tried Google translate but nothing interesting came other than this (if you separate the words): ‘Section Main Luo.’

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New Chevrolet Colorado Show Truck Unveiled Ahead of Bangkok Premiere

General Motors has lifted the wraps off the pre-production version of its next generation Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck in advance of the Bangkok International Auto Show on March 25, where it is making its global public debut. The Colorado Show truck will lead to a toned down production model that will be revealed within the next few months and first go on sale in Thailand later this year. The Detroit automaker is keeping mum about whether or not the Colorado will come to the States.

“Although this is a show vehicle, the basic proportions and form convey the vision for the next-generation Colorado that we will bring to market,” said Brad Merkel, GM's global vehicle line executive.

“It reflects a stylized version of the new truck, one that takes into account rugged dependable truck capabilities for commercial use as well as sophisticated refinement for personal-use needs.”

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Caught on Tape: SUV Rear-Ends Sports Reporter During Live TV Shot

We can think of many things going wrong during a live TV show, but an SUV backing up straight on a reporter isn’t one them. The indecent happened when ‘10News’ sports director Ben Higgins was reporting live from Tucson, Arizona on the NCAA basketball tournament. Fortunately for Higgins, his cameraman stepped in and stopped the Chevy driver before anything worse happened. Watch the video after the break.

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