Monday, October 20, 2014

Camaro Gets Different Chassis for 2016




Although no photos leaks of what the new Camaro is going to look like, Chevrolet did confirm it will be using the Cadillac ATS coupe's chassis. The current Camaro chassis is a rear-drive modified version of the Holden Commodore by GM's Australian brand. The big move is due to the fact that GM no longer wants to be building vehicles in Australia in 2017, and this will ensure production will convert easily with no unneeded production shutdowns.



The Camaro will be on sale sometime next year but don't expect any spoilers until at least the North American International Auto Show, and GM says maybe not even then. Motor Trend has produced some spy pictures that showed what could be the 2016 Camaro all wrapped up, but they admitted they were not sure if they were on the right track.

The ATS chassis was designed to help the car compete with the BMW 3-Series. Out of all of GM's chassis, the ATS coupe's chassis is the closest fit to the Camaro. It is shorter in length, narrower, and weighs less than the current Camaro chassis. Chevy says it could help bring a little more of a European sports car feel when comes to the type of ride it will produce. But I'm not sure if that is a huge selling point for American sports car lovers.

The ATS already offers a four-cylinder turbo motor, and Chevy has confirmed that it is possible to see one in the Camaro as an option for 2016. Mustang, Camaros long time rival, already offers one, and since it would take no extra engineering to put a four-cylinder turbo in the Camaro to compete with Mustang, not to mention the European cars, I'd say the possibility is very real.  

Friday, September 19, 2014

All New Cadillac LTS RWD -- A Much More High-End Version for Cadillac in 2015

 The Flagship RWD Cadillac LTS Will Go Into Production Next Year


Although car lovers and GM lovers are already lucky enough to have beautiful high-tech Cadillacs to choose from, GM announces they will began building an even more top-end Cadillac for 2015.

The assembly of these new Cadillac cars will be taking place at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. It will be a rear-wheel drive vehicle and is expected to make its first debut sometime in the first half of the 2015 year.

The Hamtramck plant borders on Detroit and Hamtramck. As of now the plant produces the Opel Ampera, the Chevrolet Impala and the Cadillac ELR, and a luxury version of the Volt.

This is a project that GM is throwing $384 million at as an investment. Let's just hope after a rough Bankruptcy, they're not taking on more than they can chew. They have some very sweet sports and luxury cars, but let's face it, they're not the type of vehicles that keep the doors flying open at the dealerships. They may keep us looking at them on a computer screen or in a magazine, but the Average Joe is usually looking for something a little more practical.


 
  

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel Sales Are Down

 


It's been almost a year now since the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel went on sale, the first diesel passenger car that General Motors put on the market since 1986. 

General Motors had high hopes for the Cruze with the European turbodiesel engine, which was designed to compete with the well-established Volkswagen Jetta TDI. The Jetta and the Cruze are the only two competitive diesel compacts that are on the market today. 



So far General Motors has sold roughly 300,000 Chevy Cruzes for 2014, but only 5,974 (2.0 percent) were diesel models. Since GM was hoping on about 10 percent sales, the number is not a good number considering the Jetta TDI has sold 46,409 in the same period of time. But it should also be noted that one of the problems that the Cruze Diesel suffers from is the lack of marketing support it receives opposed to the already well-established Jetta Diesel.

Power Ratings
One thing the Cruze does have going for it is it has more power than the Jetta. The it is fitted with a 151-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel engine, which produces a substantial 264 lb-ft of torque. The only available transmission is a beefed-up six-speed automatic; unlike the diesel VW Jetta, there's no manual gearbox offered.

The current Jetta TDI has a 140-hp 2.0-liter turbodiesel that produces 236 lb-ft of torque. It should be noted, however, that Volkswagen is about to fit a new line of more powerful diesel engines across its entire small- and medium-size car range.


Fuel Economy 
The Cruze Diesel is rated at 33 mpg combined (27 mpg city, 46 mpg highway). That's higher than the Cruze Eco automatic, at 31 mpg combined (26 mpg city, 39 mpg highway) but lower than the automatic version of the VW Jetta TDI at 34 mpg (30 mpg city, 42 mpg highway).

To boost its fuel economy, the diesel Cruze also adopts some elements of the high-efficiency Cruze Eco gasoline model, including automated grille shutters that block airflow through the engine compartment at higher speeds to reduce aerodynamic drag.

What People Are Saying
The Cruze Diesel has received mixed reviews. It gets praised for its quietness, smoothness on the highway and a lack of noise, vibration, and harshness, but it's also been dinged for slow response and uneven power in stop-and-go city and suburban driving.

The 2014 Chevy Cruze Diesel isn't cheap. It's priced at $26,695 including delivery--or about $600 more than a Volkswagen Jetta TDI fitted with an automatic.

Compared to the comparably equipped gasoline version of the Cruze with 2LT trim level, there's a $2,400 additional cost to get the diesel.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Darth Vader Hot Wheels Chevrolet Corvette



 http://youtu.be/aDCx0PeVOTo
I have never personally seen Star Wars before ... but Corvette can attach their name to anything and make it work -- Hot Wheels, Star Wars, kids toys, big-boy-toys -- anything.  

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

2015 Cadillac ATS Video -- Looking Cool



The video was not supposed to be released so soon, but it's nice to see the 2015 Cadillac ATS looking good. The front end is sleek looking and the whole car just has a nice feel to it.

With a nice sticker price on this Cadillac, GM should enjoy a nice amount of these cars being sold, maybe even steeling some customers from some of their competitors. And if there is one thing for sure, with everything going on with GM right now, they can use the business.

Like always, Cadillac offers many great standard options, three different engine options, and two different transmission options.  

  • New coupe body style available
  • OnStar with 4G LTE and Wi-Fi hotspot capability standard
  • Cadillac DockSpot wireless charging available
  • Rear- or all-wheel drive
  • Manual or automatic transmission
  • Available Engines:
  • 202-hp, 2.5-liter I-4 (regular gas)
  • 321-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 (regular gas)
  • 272-hp, 2.0-liter I-4 (premium)
  • Transmissions:
  • 6-speed manual w/OD
  • 6-speed automatic w/OD and auto-manual

Saturday, June 21, 2014

2015 Hot Rod Camaro – Limited Edition

 
2016 Camaro


When the legendary HOT ROD Magazine corporation teams up with anybody to make a project car, you know it's going to be something special. Just like in 2001, when Dennis Barker at Todd Wenzel Chevrolet in Hudsonville, Michigan joined forces with the magazine to design Special Edition HOT ROD Camaros, they produced something special. And that's why they're back at it again this year to build 2015 Special Edition Camaros.

A 2014 Special Edition Camaro made its first appearance at the HOT ROD Power Tour on June 7, 2014, at Zmax Dragway. Although this one was a 2014 Camaro, outside one other 2014, the rest of the Special Editions Camaros will be 2015s.


When asked about it at the Power Tour, HOT ROD and dealership staff both admitted to having a hard time agreeing with each other on even some of the smallest details, but both sides say regardless the project was fun and the outcome was spectacular. 

There will be 67 of these Special Edition Camaros sold at the Todd Wenzel dealership. Each Camaro will be sold in all V-8 trim levels including convertibles and will have plenty of HOT ROD Special Edition items including: badges and emblems, stripes, embroidered headrests, floor mats, sill plates, Forgeline wheels and center caps, exhaust diverters, slotted rotors, billet valve covers, and plug wires. 




You will also have a choice of many different colors, and each Camaro will have many different optional dealership performance upgrades to choose from. 

Each Camaro will be built by the legendary Nickey High-Performance Company and will have decals to prove it. What makes these Camaros so cool, with only 67 built, you can bet that you will be the only one on your block that owns one.









Saturday, May 3, 2014

Chevrolet Tries to Prevent New Camaro Z/28 Cloning By Restricting Specific Parts






So the word is out, with the successful completion of selling out the 2014 Z/28s so fast, rumors sparked that Chevrolet would up the ante for 2015 and produce 2,500 Z/28s. That is no longer a rumor, there will be a total of 2,500 Z/28s built for 2015 as opposed to the 500 built for the 2014 year.

But more interesting than the limited edition Z/28 selling out so fast, to help keep the rarity of the Z/28s exclusive to the owners who actually shelled out the $75,000.00 for the Camaro, Chevrolet has made a move to prevent the cloning of a Z/28 by restricting the sale of certain parts.

Raging from high-performance parts to cosmetic, Chevrolet sent a list of 35 different parts to dealers that make up the Z/28 package and are not to be sold on the market to individuals or companies that can't prove the ownership of a Camaro Z/28.

Some of those banned parts include: the Brembo brake system and carbon-ceramic rotors, 19-inch wheels, rear differential, and rear axle, front fascia, the "flowtie" grille badge,  Recaro seats, hood scoop, fender flares, rocker panels, and rear fascia and spoiler, and the list goes on.

Now if it's the power of the Z/28 you are looking for, you can buy the power-plant in the form of a crate motor. The 505-horsepower 7.0-liter LS7 V-8 has been available since it was placed in the C6 Corvette ZO6.

It's easy to see why Chevrolet would want to put this plan into motion, but the question is just how long will this plan prevent cloning of Z/28s. They want to clone prestigious cars has been around since hot rodding its self. So even if Chevrolet won't sell these specific parts, aftermarket companies will see an even bigger market to make money. Nevertheless, no matter how many clones are out there, they can't take away from the authenticity of a real one and numbers don't lie. If you have a true Z/28, 1-of-500 or 1-of-2,500, you still have a significant piece of "Hot Rod History."