Original Story: detroitnews.com
Sterling Heights — General Motors Co.'s Chevrolet brand will showcase performance concepts of several cars during the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show next month in Las Vegas.
GM's largest brand on Thursday, from its Heritage Center here, revealed some of the vehicles it intends to show at the large trade show, which is closed to the public. Chevy will showcase an SS Sport, two Sonic concepts, an Impala Blackout concept and a variant of the Cruze RS during SEMA, Nov. 4-7. Trade Show Displays allow company brands and marketing messages stand out from the competition.
"We really want to become the brand of choice when it comes to personalization, performance and capability," said Jim Campbell, GM's U.S. vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports. "When it comes to personalization, or individualization, or customization, that's really important because people really want to express their personalities."
Chevrolet will showcase 28 vehicles at SEMA this year, including five vehicles it worked with partners to build. It also will show crate engines, transmissions and accessories. A Tonneau cover is a great accessory for concealing cargo.
"These concepts suggest possibilities of how to personalize each model and amplify Chevrolet's performance leadership," Paul Edwards, vice president of Chevrolet marketing, said in a statement.
In the past, some Chevy concepts shown at SEMA have developed into production models or special editions such as the Sonic Dusk and a Hot Wheels Camaro. Demand and interest from the show could lead Chevy to produce some of the latest concepts or to take parts of them and apply them to production vehicles.
The SS Sport includes enhancements from the vehicle's Australian roots, including a Some Like it Red Hot exterior color not available in the U.S.
"We pulled some of the accessories and parts from Australia and put it on the car," said Dave Ross, GM's design manager of special builds.
The SS Sport concept features Holden logos in the wheel caps, floor mats and cargo tray. The SS Sport has black stripes on the hood and deck lid, a black rear spoiler and grille and black 20-inch wheels.
The SS is powered by the LS3 V-8 engine, kicking in 415 horsepower and 415 foot-pounds of torque.
Campbell said GM and Chevy will gauge interest from SEMA attendees about the SS Sport.
"Based on the feedback, we think there's a good chance it'll come to market," Campbell said.
The Impala Blackout uses an LTZ model, and adds a lot of black features such as a grille surround, black bow-tie, black door handles and black mirror caps, a "little bit more sinister approach to the Impala," said Todd Parker, a GM senior design manager.
The Impala Blackout has an all-black interior and features a 3.6-liter V-6 engine.
Depending on interest in the concept, Parker said the Impala Blackout is "something that's very doable in the future."
Chevy also previewed its Sonic Performance concept that includes engine performance, suspension and brakes and appearance enhancements. It includes a Chevy stage kit that allows the turbo engine to produce more horsepower. A Sonic Accessories concept in white features a matte black stripe, white headlamp rings, black grille surround, mirror covers and rear spoiler, plus a Chevy suspension kit to lower the ride height. It also unveiled a Cruze RS Plus concept that builds on the RS model, adding a wildfire metallic exterior paint, matte black twin-stripes and a custom rear spoiler.
Showing posts with label Chevrolet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chevrolet. Show all posts
24 October 2014
01 November 2010
What You Should Know About The Chevy Volt
Forbes
Five points to clear up some of the misinformation about the new electric car.
The Chevy Volt is generating a lot of interest, and no wonder. GM has often been content to follow the trends, and it's suddenly coming out with a car that's far ahead of the pack. By all means visit your local GM dealer (soon to have solar electric vehicle charging) and kick the tires, but here are some critical facts to remember:
1. It's not all-electric. There was a big hoopla on the Web about this, with angry bloggers saying that GM had "lied" when it said that the car is all-electric, all the time. It's really a tempest in an oil can. At 70 mph, with the battery power depleted, the gas engine drives the wheels. In all other circumstances, including the first 25 to 50 miles, it is always electric. GM, which was trying to protect a trade secret, shouldn't have been so insistent about the car being 100% electric, but its choice in this case makes sense and improves its overall sustainability.
2. Results will vary. The mileage you'll get out of the battery pack will vary, depending on how you drive--and that's true of all electric cars. First GM said the Volt (a four-, not five-seater, by the way) got 40 miles on the pack, then 50, then 25 to 50, but in fact you may get all of these outcomes. Nothing depletes a battery pack faster than highway driving. The Volt is probably best described as a plug-in hybrid, but there are key differences. The Toyota ( TM - news - people ) Prius plug-in hybrid I'm testing now becomes a standard Prius after 13 miles of electric driving. The Volt starts its gas engine, but uses it as a generator to supply power to the electric motor; you're still in an electric vehicle. Plug-in hybrids don't offer many benefits to people with long commutes because most of your travel will end up on the gas engine. The Volt, with its unique drivetrain (only the Fisker Karma is similar), will thrive under such conditions and stay electric.
3. It's not cheap, but there are options. At $41,000, the Volt is nobody's idea of an economy car (though it will sip fuel). The best bet is the three-year, $350 a month lease, which matches the deal on the much-cheaper Nissan Leaf. You'll need to put down $2,500 to get the lease, but that seems reasonable enough. And remember that the Volt is eligible off the top for a $7,500 federal tax credit. Is it also eligible for a $5,000 California rebate? No, because it's not an AT-PZEV. That stands for Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle, and for 2011 the Volt will be only a ULEV, or ultra-low emission vehicle. But GM is promising that the car will qualify for AT-PZEV sometime in 2012, and cars after that should be eligible for the rebate (if any money remains in the state's depleted coffers).
4. Only some of us can buy them. The Volt will roll out at the end of the year, in seven states: California, New York, Michigan, Texas, New Jersey, the Washington, D.C., area and Connecticut. Fifty-state availability is on the horizon, and GM will introduce new launch markets over an 18-month period. Nissan has adopted a similar strategy with the Leaf, and the Coda will be in California only. That gives stealth electric vehicle carmakers like Wheego a chance to sell its LiFe vehicle in all 50 states for at least a year, until the big guys get there.
5. There's no range anxiety. After the 25 to 50 all-electric miles, there are 300 more miles on tap with the generator supplying electricity to the motor. This is one of the crucial differences between the Volt and battery electrics, and it gives the Volt range comparable to any other car on the road. GM has been heavily touting this as a market advantage over cars like the Leaf, but time will tell if it really matters all that much. GM's own studies purport to show that 78% of American commuters travel less than 40 miles a day. Range anxiety might fade as familiarity with electric vehicles grow, in which case the advantage might not seem as pronounced as it does now.
1. It's not all-electric. There was a big hoopla on the Web about this, with angry bloggers saying that GM had "lied" when it said that the car is all-electric, all the time. It's really a tempest in an oil can. At 70 mph, with the battery power depleted, the gas engine drives the wheels. In all other circumstances, including the first 25 to 50 miles, it is always electric. GM, which was trying to protect a trade secret, shouldn't have been so insistent about the car being 100% electric, but its choice in this case makes sense and improves its overall sustainability.
2. Results will vary. The mileage you'll get out of the battery pack will vary, depending on how you drive--and that's true of all electric cars. First GM said the Volt (a four-, not five-seater, by the way) got 40 miles on the pack, then 50, then 25 to 50, but in fact you may get all of these outcomes. Nothing depletes a battery pack faster than highway driving. The Volt is probably best described as a plug-in hybrid, but there are key differences. The Toyota ( TM - news - people ) Prius plug-in hybrid I'm testing now becomes a standard Prius after 13 miles of electric driving. The Volt starts its gas engine, but uses it as a generator to supply power to the electric motor; you're still in an electric vehicle. Plug-in hybrids don't offer many benefits to people with long commutes because most of your travel will end up on the gas engine. The Volt, with its unique drivetrain (only the Fisker Karma is similar), will thrive under such conditions and stay electric.
3. It's not cheap, but there are options. At $41,000, the Volt is nobody's idea of an economy car (though it will sip fuel). The best bet is the three-year, $350 a month lease, which matches the deal on the much-cheaper Nissan Leaf. You'll need to put down $2,500 to get the lease, but that seems reasonable enough. And remember that the Volt is eligible off the top for a $7,500 federal tax credit. Is it also eligible for a $5,000 California rebate? No, because it's not an AT-PZEV. That stands for Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle, and for 2011 the Volt will be only a ULEV, or ultra-low emission vehicle. But GM is promising that the car will qualify for AT-PZEV sometime in 2012, and cars after that should be eligible for the rebate (if any money remains in the state's depleted coffers).
4. Only some of us can buy them. The Volt will roll out at the end of the year, in seven states: California, New York, Michigan, Texas, New Jersey, the Washington, D.C., area and Connecticut. Fifty-state availability is on the horizon, and GM will introduce new launch markets over an 18-month period. Nissan has adopted a similar strategy with the Leaf, and the Coda will be in California only. That gives stealth electric vehicle carmakers like Wheego a chance to sell its LiFe vehicle in all 50 states for at least a year, until the big guys get there.
5. There's no range anxiety. After the 25 to 50 all-electric miles, there are 300 more miles on tap with the generator supplying electricity to the motor. This is one of the crucial differences between the Volt and battery electrics, and it gives the Volt range comparable to any other car on the road. GM has been heavily touting this as a market advantage over cars like the Leaf, but time will tell if it really matters all that much. GM's own studies purport to show that 78% of American commuters travel less than 40 miles a day. Range anxiety might fade as familiarity with electric vehicles grow, in which case the advantage might not seem as pronounced as it does now.
22 October 2010
Review: Chevy's easy-driving Volt could be your only Car
USA Today
Chevrolet's 2011 Volt battery car, due in at least a few customers' hands in December, represents a staggering amount of engineering in order to be sure you never notice all that sophistication.
Except for the gee-whiz instrument panel, you might figure you were in a normal car. And that's stunning, because Volt combines an electric motor, a generator that itself sometimes works as a motor and a small gasoline engine to create a drivetrain that uses no gasoline for 25 to 50 miles, then sips it.
Most impressive, though, is that the Chevrolet Volt is a premium execution of a pleasant-looking, easy-driving small car — one you'd probably be satisfied to have as your only vehicle (assuming you don't need a big car or roomy back seat).
The General Motors engineers who created the Volt are reading from the right page in the reality manual: The driver should be able to behave normally and still get commendable fuel economy. The car should do the work. If the driver wants to help by motoring so gently as to create a trailing queue of aggravated, road-raged motorists, so be it. But that's not necessary to achieve low fuel consumption.
If Volt, as well as Nissan's Leaf and Mitsubishi's i-MiEV electrics and other alt-power machines due soon are to become mainstream — the only way they'll matter in the battle to cut petroleum use — they have to let drivers be drivers. Volt does.
Strongest impressions from the drives:
•Styling. Engaging, not ridiculous. Looks snazzier than the Chevy Cruze, with which it shares some underpinnings. You can even get a Volt in colors other than Boring Blue or Somber Silver. Quirky interior door-panel patterns are silly, though.
•Dynamics. Volt combined the best features of electrics and conventional vehicles.
Instant torque of the electric motor made the car quick in traffic, less so at highway speed.
Volt lacked the road racket and wind noise that mark some small cars. The drivetrain was quiet, free of the whine and other faint, unpleasant noises that accompany some electric machines. Smooth, too — electrics inherently are.
Like a good conventional car, Volt steered nicely (though you can't say the electric power steering had a lot of the beloved road feel). It rounded corners with sufficient agility to satisfy drivers whose other car isn't a Miata or Corvette. It stopped promptly (though brakes feel quite unnatural if you're new to the so-called regenerative braking used by electric and hybrid vehicles, because it helps recharge the batteries).
•Controls. Mostly normal. You're quickly at home, confident behind the wheel. It takes a few times to remember the car is on when you push the start button — no engine noise or tachometer as telltales.
You also can choose driving character.
Normal driving mode is as expected. Sport gives you the same power in the end, but delivers less pressure on the go pedal. Mountain revs the gas engine harder to keep the batteries fuller to let you cruise over passes without strain.
You can keep the shifter in Low instead of Drive for more forceful regenerative braking. That charges the battery more aggressively. It also slows the car dramatically simply by letting off the throttle. Sport/low was our favorite combo — nicely edgy, responsive.
•Gauges. Less conventional, because they're monitoring different things. How far you have left on the battery before the gas engine will kick on. How much gas you're using once it does. What that combination of electric only, then gas help translates into as a miles-per-gallon equivalent. And the normal alt-power car ability to watch a screen depict the power flow among the components.
You can choose what's shown — in other words, you can avoid having to view the silly and distracting sci-fi readouts.
•Battery. A 400-pound T-shape that fits under the floor along the center tunnel, and across under the back seat, swiping room for a middle rear seat and making rear-seat folding a bit awkward.
The plug-in charge cord is easy to use. One comes with the car for use with the common 120-volt circuit. Optional: a 240-volt set-up. It charges in about four hours, vs. more than twice that on 120.
The battery is heated, cooled to keep it at best operating temperature, so performance, Chevy says, is little affected by extreme temperatures.
•Range. Our test drives in prototype and pre-production Volts over the months suggest 35 to 40 real-world miles on a charge before the gas engine kicks in and turns a generator to keep the car going.
About 350 miles, battery and gas combined.
There's an undercurrent of criticism about that, as if Volt's somehow impure. But so what? Most of the time, you drive on battery power only. Some of the time, you burn gas to keep the juice flowing. No place to plug in to recharge? No problem. Fill the gas tank and drive on.
How, exactly, is that anything but genius?
ABOUT THE 2011 CHEVROLET VOLT
•What? Four-seat, four-door, front-wheel-drive compact hatchback sedan powered by an electric motor. On-board gasoline engine turns a generator to provide electricity when the lithium-ion battery pack runs low. Under certain high-speed cruising conditions, some torque from the gas engine is routed to the transmission to help drive the car, but even then the electric motor is providing most of the power.
That occasional use of gas engine to help power the wheels has triggered an argument over whether Volt is really an "electric" car or should be considered a new type of gas-electric hybrid. Chevy calls it an "extended-range electric."
•When? First few in customers' hands in December.
•Where? Built at General Motors' Detroit-Hamtramck plant, which also builds GM's Cadillac DTS and Buick Lucerne big sedans. Lithium-ion battery packs assembled at GM plant in Brownstown Township, Mich.
•Why? Need an alternative-power machine to be taken seriously as an eco-conscientious automaker. Green image might not sell many pricey Volts, but might sell more Chevrolets through so-called halo effect. And drastic measures such as electric power needed to meet federal fuel-economy rules that could be up to 62 miles per gallon by 2025.
•How much? $41,000 including shipping, but some buyers will qualify for a federal tax credit up to $7,500 as well as state and local clean-car incentives.
•How powerful? Electric drive motor rated 149 horsepower and 273 pounds-feet of torque. Gas engine used to run a generator is 1.4-liter four-cylinder rated 84 hp.
•How big? Compact, about the same as Chevy Cruze conventional sedan on which Volt is loosely based. Volt is 177.1 inches long, 70.4 in. wide, 56.3 in. tall on a 105.7-in. wheelbase.
Weighs 3,781 lbs. Rated to carry 802 lbs. of people, cargo.
Cargo space behind rear seats: 10.6 cubic feet.
•How thirsty? Depends on how you measure.
Chevy says it'll go 25 to 50 miles on battery-only with a full charge. Our full-charge range: 35 to 37 miles.
The preproduction test vehicles' trip computers typically showed about 80 to 100 miles-per-gallon-equivalent (mpg-e, or 1 to 1.25 gallons per 100 miles) in modest trips of 50 to 100 miles, roughly — long enough to run down the batteries and rely on gas-generated electricity.
Chevy says Volt would get in the "high 30s" if you never plugged it in to recharge and simply let the onboard gas engine and generator supply the juice.
Automakers and federal regulators are hustling to come up with an index that'll let shoppers compare fuel use of a Volt and other electric-based machines with the familiar mpg ratings.
•Overall. If the size suits, what's not to like, except the price?
Except for the gee-whiz instrument panel, you might figure you were in a normal car. And that's stunning, because Volt combines an electric motor, a generator that itself sometimes works as a motor and a small gasoline engine to create a drivetrain that uses no gasoline for 25 to 50 miles, then sips it.
Most impressive, though, is that the Chevrolet Volt is a premium execution of a pleasant-looking, easy-driving small car — one you'd probably be satisfied to have as your only vehicle (assuming you don't need a big car or roomy back seat).
The General Motors engineers who created the Volt are reading from the right page in the reality manual: The driver should be able to behave normally and still get commendable fuel economy. The car should do the work. If the driver wants to help by motoring so gently as to create a trailing queue of aggravated, road-raged motorists, so be it. But that's not necessary to achieve low fuel consumption.
If Volt, as well as Nissan's Leaf and Mitsubishi's i-MiEV electrics and other alt-power machines due soon are to become mainstream — the only way they'll matter in the battle to cut petroleum use — they have to let drivers be drivers. Volt does.
Strongest impressions from the drives:
•Styling. Engaging, not ridiculous. Looks snazzier than the Chevy Cruze, with which it shares some underpinnings. You can even get a Volt in colors other than Boring Blue or Somber Silver. Quirky interior door-panel patterns are silly, though.
•Dynamics. Volt combined the best features of electrics and conventional vehicles.
Instant torque of the electric motor made the car quick in traffic, less so at highway speed.
Volt lacked the road racket and wind noise that mark some small cars. The drivetrain was quiet, free of the whine and other faint, unpleasant noises that accompany some electric machines. Smooth, too — electrics inherently are.
Like a good conventional car, Volt steered nicely (though you can't say the electric power steering had a lot of the beloved road feel). It rounded corners with sufficient agility to satisfy drivers whose other car isn't a Miata or Corvette. It stopped promptly (though brakes feel quite unnatural if you're new to the so-called regenerative braking used by electric and hybrid vehicles, because it helps recharge the batteries).
•Controls. Mostly normal. You're quickly at home, confident behind the wheel. It takes a few times to remember the car is on when you push the start button — no engine noise or tachometer as telltales.
You also can choose driving character.
Normal driving mode is as expected. Sport gives you the same power in the end, but delivers less pressure on the go pedal. Mountain revs the gas engine harder to keep the batteries fuller to let you cruise over passes without strain.
You can keep the shifter in Low instead of Drive for more forceful regenerative braking. That charges the battery more aggressively. It also slows the car dramatically simply by letting off the throttle. Sport/low was our favorite combo — nicely edgy, responsive.
•Gauges. Less conventional, because they're monitoring different things. How far you have left on the battery before the gas engine will kick on. How much gas you're using once it does. What that combination of electric only, then gas help translates into as a miles-per-gallon equivalent. And the normal alt-power car ability to watch a screen depict the power flow among the components.
You can choose what's shown — in other words, you can avoid having to view the silly and distracting sci-fi readouts.
•Battery. A 400-pound T-shape that fits under the floor along the center tunnel, and across under the back seat, swiping room for a middle rear seat and making rear-seat folding a bit awkward.
The plug-in charge cord is easy to use. One comes with the car for use with the common 120-volt circuit. Optional: a 240-volt set-up. It charges in about four hours, vs. more than twice that on 120.
The battery is heated, cooled to keep it at best operating temperature, so performance, Chevy says, is little affected by extreme temperatures.
•Range. Our test drives in prototype and pre-production Volts over the months suggest 35 to 40 real-world miles on a charge before the gas engine kicks in and turns a generator to keep the car going.
About 350 miles, battery and gas combined.
There's an undercurrent of criticism about that, as if Volt's somehow impure. But so what? Most of the time, you drive on battery power only. Some of the time, you burn gas to keep the juice flowing. No place to plug in to recharge? No problem. Fill the gas tank and drive on.
How, exactly, is that anything but genius?
ABOUT THE 2011 CHEVROLET VOLT
•What? Four-seat, four-door, front-wheel-drive compact hatchback sedan powered by an electric motor. On-board gasoline engine turns a generator to provide electricity when the lithium-ion battery pack runs low. Under certain high-speed cruising conditions, some torque from the gas engine is routed to the transmission to help drive the car, but even then the electric motor is providing most of the power.
That occasional use of gas engine to help power the wheels has triggered an argument over whether Volt is really an "electric" car or should be considered a new type of gas-electric hybrid. Chevy calls it an "extended-range electric."
•When? First few in customers' hands in December.
•Where? Built at General Motors' Detroit-Hamtramck plant, which also builds GM's Cadillac DTS and Buick Lucerne big sedans. Lithium-ion battery packs assembled at GM plant in Brownstown Township, Mich.
•Why? Need an alternative-power machine to be taken seriously as an eco-conscientious automaker. Green image might not sell many pricey Volts, but might sell more Chevrolets through so-called halo effect. And drastic measures such as electric power needed to meet federal fuel-economy rules that could be up to 62 miles per gallon by 2025.
•How much? $41,000 including shipping, but some buyers will qualify for a federal tax credit up to $7,500 as well as state and local clean-car incentives.
•How powerful? Electric drive motor rated 149 horsepower and 273 pounds-feet of torque. Gas engine used to run a generator is 1.4-liter four-cylinder rated 84 hp.
•How big? Compact, about the same as Chevy Cruze conventional sedan on which Volt is loosely based. Volt is 177.1 inches long, 70.4 in. wide, 56.3 in. tall on a 105.7-in. wheelbase.
Weighs 3,781 lbs. Rated to carry 802 lbs. of people, cargo.
Cargo space behind rear seats: 10.6 cubic feet.
•How thirsty? Depends on how you measure.
Chevy says it'll go 25 to 50 miles on battery-only with a full charge. Our full-charge range: 35 to 37 miles.
The preproduction test vehicles' trip computers typically showed about 80 to 100 miles-per-gallon-equivalent (mpg-e, or 1 to 1.25 gallons per 100 miles) in modest trips of 50 to 100 miles, roughly — long enough to run down the batteries and rely on gas-generated electricity.
Chevy says Volt would get in the "high 30s" if you never plugged it in to recharge and simply let the onboard gas engine and generator supply the juice.
Automakers and federal regulators are hustling to come up with an index that'll let shoppers compare fuel use of a Volt and other electric-based machines with the familiar mpg ratings.
•Overall. If the size suits, what's not to like, except the price?
01 September 2010
Cruze Ads are Ready; Chevy aims to show Quality Compact
The Detroit Free Press
Chevrolet will launch advertising for the Cruze next week, as the mainstream brand seeks to convince customers it can make a high-quality compact sedan.
Cruzes will begin arriving at dealerships in mid-September. Chevrolet is targeting the car at 20-somethings and empty-nesters ages 45 to 65, seeking to lure small-car buyers who have flocked to vehicles like the Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla and shunned offerings from GM.
The Cruze marketing campaign, titled "Accolades," will highlight vehicle features being touted by General Motors and will emphasize how people outside the company view the car, said Margaret Brooks, marketing director for Chevrolet small cars, at a media event in Birmingham on Tuesday.
GM is also giving the Cruze its own marketing tagline, although Brooks declined to give more specifics about the advertising or the slogan.
Chevrolet, whose last tagline was American Revolution, has been looking for a replacement since July 2009.
In the Cruze advertising, GM may focus on key features such as the 36-m.p.g.-highway rating the standard version of the Cruze recently received, the car's 500-mile range in highway driving or its 10 standard airbags.
"You're probably not going to do it with a car that's 'As good as.' You've got to have a car that's better," said Chuck Russell, GM's vehicle line director for global compact cars.
GM is asking dealers to buy competing vehicles for their showrooms to allow customers to do side-by-side comparisons with the Cruze, Brooks said.
GM has also touted the value of the base-model Cruze, which starts at $16,995 with shipping, over base models of competing vehicles. For instance, the 2010 Civic starts at $16,405 with shipping, but lacks features such as the standard air-conditioning, power locks and keyless entry found in the Cruze.
In addition, GM said, Cruze customers with an OnStar subscription will be able to use one of OnStar's new smartphone apps to check their fuel range, oil life and tire pressure or remotely start or unlock the Cruze or honk its horn. OnStar is free for the first six months.
Cruzes will begin arriving at dealerships in mid-September. Chevrolet is targeting the car at 20-somethings and empty-nesters ages 45 to 65, seeking to lure small-car buyers who have flocked to vehicles like the Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla and shunned offerings from GM.
The Cruze marketing campaign, titled "Accolades," will highlight vehicle features being touted by General Motors and will emphasize how people outside the company view the car, said Margaret Brooks, marketing director for Chevrolet small cars, at a media event in Birmingham on Tuesday.
GM is also giving the Cruze its own marketing tagline, although Brooks declined to give more specifics about the advertising or the slogan.
Chevrolet, whose last tagline was American Revolution, has been looking for a replacement since July 2009.
In the Cruze advertising, GM may focus on key features such as the 36-m.p.g.-highway rating the standard version of the Cruze recently received, the car's 500-mile range in highway driving or its 10 standard airbags.
"You're probably not going to do it with a car that's 'As good as.' You've got to have a car that's better," said Chuck Russell, GM's vehicle line director for global compact cars.
GM is asking dealers to buy competing vehicles for their showrooms to allow customers to do side-by-side comparisons with the Cruze, Brooks said.
GM has also touted the value of the base-model Cruze, which starts at $16,995 with shipping, over base models of competing vehicles. For instance, the 2010 Civic starts at $16,405 with shipping, but lacks features such as the standard air-conditioning, power locks and keyless entry found in the Cruze.
In addition, GM said, Cruze customers with an OnStar subscription will be able to use one of OnStar's new smartphone apps to check their fuel range, oil life and tire pressure or remotely start or unlock the Cruze or honk its horn. OnStar is free for the first six months.
20 June 2010
Early Chevrolet Volt Buyers may get Free Home-Charging Kit
USA Today
DETROIT — Early buyers of the Chevrolet Volt electric car could receive a free home-charging station through a U.S. Department of Energy program, General Motors said.The Volt goes on sale late this year, and 4,400 customers will be eligible for a 240-volt charge station from ECOtality or Coulomb Technologies. In many cases, it will include the cost of home installation.
It's all being paid for through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
"Many owners will plug their Volt into a normal 120-volt electrical outlet, charge overnight and drive to work in the morning using only car battery power," Tony DiSalle, product and marketing director for the Chevrolet Volt, said Thursday in a statement. "For Volt owners who want to install a faster 240-volt charge station, we expect the Department of Energy project to save $1,000 to $2,000."
The program will collect data from customers to learn about average charge times and time of use so that the Energy Department can better understand how electric vehicles are used.
GM has said the Volt will be able to go 40 miles on an electrical charge alone. After that, an onboard gasoline generator will provide power to recharge the automotive batteries and keep the vehicle going.
Tony Posawatz, Volt vehicle line director, said a 240-volt charger will recharge the car in about four hours.
He said some of the program's engineers already have installed 240-volt outlets to charge test versions of the Volt at home.
"These guys would never use any gas on the weekends unless they would drive the Volt up north," he said. "We're learning through the whole process that the charging experience is important to us."
Meanwhile, electric and hybrid vehicles are expected to help increase the sale of global alternative-fuel vehicles by 28% this year compared with last, according to a new report by J.D. Power and Associates. That outpaces an expected 8% industrywide increase this year.
As U.S. sales rebound, J.D. Power expects the U.S. market to account for 55% of hybrid sales in 2015.
11 June 2010
Dealers Mystified by Chevy Move
Detroit Free Press
If GM had ordered the use of Chevy over Chevrolet, this decision for consistency’s sake might have made sense, a few Chevy dealers told the Free Press today.
But to go back to an older, longer, traditional name — over a hipper, shorter name in this digital era — has them scratching their heads and trying to play nice with the “new” GM, which has been out of bankruptcy for just over a year now.
“I want to be a team player,” said Steve Cook, owner of Cook Chevrolet-Buick, just north of Flint. But, he added, he would continue to use the word Chevy in his ads and elsewhere “unless they are very committed.”
He said he agreed that going to Chevy alone would have made better sense.
Another dealer, who requested to be anonymous for fear of retribution from GM, was less diplomatic about GM’s decision to prefer Chevrolet over Chevy.
“They have lost it. I just read it. My kids love Chevy. Is my son going to say a Chevrolet Camaro?” he said. “No way. Ugh. … Crazy.”
Don Kahan, who owns a Chevrolet dealership in Lee's Summit, Mo., hadn’t heard about GM’s Chevy memo until called by a reporter. He said he would need to reflect on the decision, but noted: “It’s totally impractical to use a long word. Chevy has been associated with Chevrolet for so long.”
Finally, he added, that he prefers the shorter Chevy in digital communications. His email ends with “kahanchevy.com.”
But to go back to an older, longer, traditional name — over a hipper, shorter name in this digital era — has them scratching their heads and trying to play nice with the “new” GM, which has been out of bankruptcy for just over a year now.
“I want to be a team player,” said Steve Cook, owner of Cook Chevrolet-Buick, just north of Flint. But, he added, he would continue to use the word Chevy in his ads and elsewhere “unless they are very committed.”
He said he agreed that going to Chevy alone would have made better sense.
Another dealer, who requested to be anonymous for fear of retribution from GM, was less diplomatic about GM’s decision to prefer Chevrolet over Chevy.
“They have lost it. I just read it. My kids love Chevy. Is my son going to say a Chevrolet Camaro?” he said. “No way. Ugh. … Crazy.”
Don Kahan, who owns a Chevrolet dealership in Lee's Summit, Mo., hadn’t heard about GM’s Chevy memo until called by a reporter. He said he would need to reflect on the decision, but noted: “It’s totally impractical to use a long word. Chevy has been associated with Chevrolet for so long.”
Finally, he added, that he prefers the shorter Chevy in digital communications. His email ends with “kahanchevy.com.”
26 April 2010
Chevy Breaks from Longtime Ad Firm Campbell-Ewald
The Detroit Free Press
Move is latest creative shift for automakers
In another painful blow to Detroit's advertising community, Chevrolet is ending its 90-year relationship with Campbell-Ewald, the agency that drummed "See the USA in Your Chevrolet," "Baseball, Hotdogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet" and "Like a Rock" into the national consciousness.
Chevrolet is shifting its truck advertising to Publicis Groupe offices in Dallas and Seattle four months after that agency took over the account for Chevy's passenger cars and crossover vehicles. Chevrolet's creative account is estimated at $30 million a year, according to trade publication AdWeek.
"This is a big deal, another cultural shift for this town that's been rocked by a number of them over the last five years," said Peter DeLorenzo, a former Campbell-Ewald creative director and founder of Autoextremist.com.
Earlier this year, Chrysler ended a 65-year relationship with Troy-based BBDO as part of a strategy to choose separate agencies for its four brands.
"This was the knockout punch," said Mike Bernacchi, a University of Detroit Mercy marketing professor. "It goes to prove that it's a business, period. Relationships today unfortunately don't mean that much."
Jim Campbell, Chevrolet marketing vice president and no relation to the agency's founder, issued a statement thanking Campbell-Ewald for "their many years of dedicated and loyal service."
Bill Ludwig, Campbell-Ewald CEO, said the agency will continue to diversify its portfolio, 75% of which comes from clients other than Chevrolet.
Among those clients are GM's OnStar, Ghirardelli chocolates, Minneapolis-based Medtronic, Kaiser Permanente, a major health insurance company on the West Coast, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Wyndham Worldwide hotel and resort operator.
Campbell-Ewald has about 1,100 employees working in Warren, Los Angeles and San Antonio. A company spokeswoman said it was too soon to know how many jobs might be lost as a result of the Chevrolet decision.
Less than a year after their historic bankruptcy restructurings, General Motors and Chrysler have reached out to new agencies to reinvigorate brands that suffered through the uncertainty and shrinking market share that was part of their reinvention.
In January, Cadillac selected Bartle Bogle Hegarty of New York and London to succeed Modernista, a Boston-based shop that took over the account in 2006. Chrysler selected Fallon of Minneapolis to craft ads for the Chrysler brand and Portland-based Wieden and Kennedy to resuscitate Dodge's brand image.
Whether agencies from outside Detroit can change perceptions of domestic carmakers remains to be seen.
"Clients inevitably get the advertising they deserve," said Autoextremist's DeLorenzo. "It's only as smart and visionary as they are able to muster. It's easy to find fault with the agency, but it's much harder for any company to transform itself."
Chevrolet is shifting its truck advertising to Publicis Groupe offices in Dallas and Seattle four months after that agency took over the account for Chevy's passenger cars and crossover vehicles. Chevrolet's creative account is estimated at $30 million a year, according to trade publication AdWeek.
"This is a big deal, another cultural shift for this town that's been rocked by a number of them over the last five years," said Peter DeLorenzo, a former Campbell-Ewald creative director and founder of Autoextremist.com.
Earlier this year, Chrysler ended a 65-year relationship with Troy-based BBDO as part of a strategy to choose separate agencies for its four brands.
"This was the knockout punch," said Mike Bernacchi, a University of Detroit Mercy marketing professor. "It goes to prove that it's a business, period. Relationships today unfortunately don't mean that much."
Jim Campbell, Chevrolet marketing vice president and no relation to the agency's founder, issued a statement thanking Campbell-Ewald for "their many years of dedicated and loyal service."
Bill Ludwig, Campbell-Ewald CEO, said the agency will continue to diversify its portfolio, 75% of which comes from clients other than Chevrolet.
Among those clients are GM's OnStar, Ghirardelli chocolates, Minneapolis-based Medtronic, Kaiser Permanente, a major health insurance company on the West Coast, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Wyndham Worldwide hotel and resort operator.
Campbell-Ewald has about 1,100 employees working in Warren, Los Angeles and San Antonio. A company spokeswoman said it was too soon to know how many jobs might be lost as a result of the Chevrolet decision.
Less than a year after their historic bankruptcy restructurings, General Motors and Chrysler have reached out to new agencies to reinvigorate brands that suffered through the uncertainty and shrinking market share that was part of their reinvention.
In January, Cadillac selected Bartle Bogle Hegarty of New York and London to succeed Modernista, a Boston-based shop that took over the account in 2006. Chrysler selected Fallon of Minneapolis to craft ads for the Chrysler brand and Portland-based Wieden and Kennedy to resuscitate Dodge's brand image.
Whether agencies from outside Detroit can change perceptions of domestic carmakers remains to be seen.
"Clients inevitably get the advertising they deserve," said Autoextremist's DeLorenzo. "It's only as smart and visionary as they are able to muster. It's easy to find fault with the agency, but it's much harder for any company to transform itself."
09 December 2009
V.P. Of Chevrolet To Retire
Detroit News
The management shakeup at General Motors Co. continued late Wednesday with the surprise retirement of Chevrolet Vice President Brent Dewar, who had been appointed to lead the automaker's largest and most important brand five month ago.
Dewar, 54, was appointed to the job by ousted CEO Fritz Henderson in July after serving as GM Europe's vice president, sales, marketing and aftersales.
He is being replaced by James Campbell, 45, who ran GM's fleet and commercial operations, and will serve as Chevrolet general manager.
Dewar's last day is April 1. GM said he is retiring to spend more time with his family and pursue personal interests.
"Jim has a strong track record of building relationships and partnerships with dealers and customers, and deep Chevrolet experience," said Susan Docherty, GM vice president of sales, service and marketing. "His energy, drive for results and willingness to take risks are great assets for leading the growing global Chevrolet brand."
Campbell, who joined GM in 1988, has been involved in several vehicle launches, including the Chevrolet Impala, Monte Carlo, Colorado and Corvette. During his career, he has worked in field sales, retail incentives, marketing and customer-relationship management.
The move comes five days after Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre reshuffled senior management and promoted several younger managers. Also last week, GM's board of directors replaced Henderson after eight months on the job.
The Chevrolet position is a key job because GM anticipates the brand accounting for about 70 percent of its sales.
Chevrolet has arguably two of GM's most important launches next year with the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car and Cruze compact. The Volt is expected to help change perceptions about GM while the Cruze is expected to be a high-volume, fuel-efficient vehicle that gets up to 40 miles per gallon on the highway.
He is being replaced by James Campbell, 45, who ran GM's fleet and commercial operations, and will serve as Chevrolet general manager.
Dewar's last day is April 1. GM said he is retiring to spend more time with his family and pursue personal interests.
"Jim has a strong track record of building relationships and partnerships with dealers and customers, and deep Chevrolet experience," said Susan Docherty, GM vice president of sales, service and marketing. "His energy, drive for results and willingness to take risks are great assets for leading the growing global Chevrolet brand."
Campbell, who joined GM in 1988, has been involved in several vehicle launches, including the Chevrolet Impala, Monte Carlo, Colorado and Corvette. During his career, he has worked in field sales, retail incentives, marketing and customer-relationship management.
The move comes five days after Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre reshuffled senior management and promoted several younger managers. Also last week, GM's board of directors replaced Henderson after eight months on the job.
The Chevrolet position is a key job because GM anticipates the brand accounting for about 70 percent of its sales.
Chevrolet has arguably two of GM's most important launches next year with the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car and Cruze compact. The Volt is expected to help change perceptions about GM while the Cruze is expected to be a high-volume, fuel-efficient vehicle that gets up to 40 miles per gallon on the highway.
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