Classic Cars Chevrolet

General Motors, like the other two members of the Detroit Three, finds itself in some serious trouble in these times. With the economy in turmoil and the major American automakers looking for a bailout and some respite, General Motors is banking an awful lot of its hopes and dreams on the Chevrolet Volt.

With the international automobile market heading rapidly towards smaller, more reliable vehicles, it was about time that GM came up with a model it could call its own. Honda, Toyota, and Hyundai were all expanding into the United States with new factories and new opportunities, but the local automakers all seemed to lag behind and came across as lazy or uncaring.

GM is hoping that its Chevy Volt changes all of that and is hoping for an image overhaul to go with it. General Motors wants the Volt to say “we care.” The idea here is to show the world that American automakers can be on the cutting edge as well, even if it took an economic recession and some serious fiscal tumult to bring out the spirit of invention that once rolled through Detroit with such vigour.

In the end, it may be the Volt or it may be one of the other Chevy cars planned for the future that saves General Motors. For the time being, however, the Detroit Three will have to cling to hope and will simply have to wait and see.

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General Motors is hoping that they can keep China as a vital market and is banking on the release of three new models for the country to help hold down their position there.

The Buick Enclave SUV, the Chevrolet Cruze sedan, and the Cadillac CTS-V are all arriving in China with high hopes. The idea is for the vehicles to cover the wide range of customers in China and offer each customer base something new. From wealthy sporting types to individuals looking to purchase their first vehicles, General Motors is banking on this line-up to appeal to the masses.

The idea is, roughly, to remove the focus from the United States with the struggling economy. By focusing on China, General Motors is focusing on a region with proven growth.

“We have to recognize that the U.S. is where the problem is now. We’re growing in these other areas,” said Robert Socia, vice president of Shanghai General Motors. “The problems in the U.S. are finite and are attributable only to the U.S., and a little bit, to Europe.”

With that sense of growth in areas like China, it’s safe to say that General Motors is aiming at moving in a positive direction regardless of the economy or perhaps even in spite of it. For information on growth in China or on other Chevy cars, keep your browser locked here for frequent updates.

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Online petitions are often an interesting facet of the internet. Circulated amongst people with common interests to save or draw attention to a product that many deem worth the attention, they rarely do good unless they are circulated with enough publicity. In the case of “Save the Volt,” fans of the Chevrolet Volt are hoping their petition is circulated with enough signatures to generate some serious action on behalf of Chevrolet.

The petition reads as follows: “Dear Volt enthusiast: The auto industry is at the brink of collapse, and the Chevy Volt is in peril.” There is a link back to the Save the Volt! website and a letter to the United States government on behalf of the group. It is signed “Thanks, Lyle.” Lyle is Dr. Lyle J. Dennis, founder of the Save the Volt! website.

The goal here appears to be twofold: first to draw attention to the possibility that the Chevrolet Volt may be under some pressure to scale down or draw back on production in light of the current economic climate. Second, that the automotive industry’s economic issues may impact the production of environmental cars on the whole.

Whether you’re interested in the Save the Volt! campaign or other Chevy cars, head on down to your local dealer today for more information.

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It may not seem even human to envision NASCAR without some storming Chevrolet or Ford vehicle careening down the track at top speeds. Or audiences of NASCAR without a beat-up Ford of Chevy truck in the front yard while the television screams out race-by-race results on Sunday afternoons. That’s why it’s good news that Chevrolet and Ford have told NASCAR that they are still interested in the partnership.

With tough economic times, there’s nothing better than watching high-octane vehicles speeding around a track in circles doing things we could only dream of. The very fact that they can afford the gas prices alone is impressive, even for me. While I’m not a huge fan of NASCAR or most motorsports in general, I can appreciate why this is good news.

NASCAR boss Brian France, talking to reporters over the weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, acknowledged that the auto manufacturers “play a very important role in lots of ways with supporting teams, the branding and heritage.”

On Friday, GM and Ford revealed multibillion dollar losses for the third quarter of 2008. GM warned it could run out of cash in 2009 and, as such, also suspended acquisition talks with Chrysler. How this will impact the future remains to be seen, but it’s probably a good idea to take GM’s warnings seriously.

In the meantime, GM and Chevy cars continue to move off the lots at a relatively slow pace. Company execs are hoping for big-time turnarounds soon, as positive signs begin to come into focus about the economy, gas prices, and the general state of affairs in the country. With the goodwill still extended towards NASCAR, one can hope things start looking up real soon.

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With all of the talk of global expansion, General Motors is celebrating the opening of its first plant in Russia. The plant, which is located in St. Petersburg, opened November 11, 2008, with the St. Petersburg governor and Carl Peter Forster, the president of General Motors Europe, there for the occasion.

The Russian-made Chevrolet/General Motors plant has been in the works for quite some time and will represent a big boost in the European markets for the company. The plant is worth $300 million U.S. and is known as a “flexible assembly plant” in many circles because of its ability to construct a wide variety of vehicles with efficiency and speed.

The plant has 70,000 units of capacity, which is an impressive sum for the region and will help boost European production from Chevrolet/General Motors considerably. Other joint ventures and partnerships are said to be expected in the region, with the possibility of more Russian plants right around the corner.

While the American political world may not be friendly with Russia at this point and time, there is certainly nothing stopping Chevrolet/General Motors from opening the doors of commerce and exposing themselves to new markets ripe with potential. Business is business and these companies know how to play by the rules in order to benefit from economic situations.

Production of Chevy cars and trucks at plants like these help boost the international profile and, in turn, help local economies and dealers. Everybody wins.

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The Chevrolet Corvette has long been a vehicle of legendary proportions. People have lined up for miles to drive one, they make extraordinary sacrifices to own one, and they’re willing to drive their cars to top speeds normally unheard of behind the wheel of one.

There have been some classic Corvettes in the past, with many an iconic model filling the showrooms of previous years. The one question that any car company worth its salt asks in light of such an extravagant history is: how do we top it now? And Chevrolet has certainly asked that question time and time again, with each incarnation of the Corvette looking to build on top of what many consider to be perfection.

Enter the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. Is it perfect? Maybe. The ZR1 has a story, a soul, and a spirit. It also has a tremendous 638 horsepower and 604 pound-feet of torque from its 6.2-liter LS9, OHV 16-valve, supercharged, intercooled V8 engine with sequential fuel injection. Sound good so far? Power junkies will absolutely love this car, no question about it.

When Rick Wagoner came to Chevrolet car makers with a dream of making a Corvette with top-notch performance to follow up the 2001-proposed Z06 Corvette and said that he wanted an even higher budget and even more power, the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 was the result.

For more information on the ZR1 or any other Chevy cars, drop by your local dealer today.

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For many, the C3R Chevrolet Stingray Corvette project was just that, a project. It was the stuff of legends, the type of “project car” that would only exist in the realm of concept cars and other fantasy vehicles that many would only drive through their clouded dreams.

But all of that is about to change, as Chevrolet is really, truly getting ready to release the C3R Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.

For the most part, renderings of the C3R Chevrolet Corvette Stingray were all that existed. It looked somewhat like the 1969 Corvette Stingray and functioned like an homage to the vehicle. Computer generated mock-ups certainly turned heads, but few believed that a Corvette was going to be based on one. But now such a mock-up IS going to be used for a Stingray and that Stingray IS going to face a public release.

Enthusiasts of Chevy cars from around the world are excited beyond words at the idea of a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray built on the foundation of the 69 version. The sleekness of the design, the sex appeal, the power, and the grit is almost too much for today’s modern drivers to handle. And yet Chevrolet is actually doing it, proving that they have the willingness to still be a gutsy, tough car company after all these years.

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There have been all sorts of rumors floating around about Chevrolet’s brand new Corvette. Many have stated that the next-generation C7 Chevy Corvette will include a dual-clutch version, for instance, or that it will be able to fly through the air. Okay, so maybe that last one doesn’t have much of a basis in reality.

But I digress.

One of the rumors floating around about the C7 Chevy Corvette that is gaining some steam is that its release will be delayed because of current economic problems and because of a little something known as the CAFE regulations. The upcoming CAFE regulations are in regards to fuel economy standards. The regulations were passed by the United States House of Representatives and will serve to be part of a long-range energy bill that could threaten the production of vehicles that have less than desirable fuel economy standards.

Many are suggesting that the new Corvette might struggle in this area. The economic woes of Chevrolet and General Motors are perhaps also to blame for the rumors of delayed release.

There is more to this story than just rumors, sadly. A report from AutoWeek magazine has stated that Chevrolet has put production of the new C7 Corvette on “indefinite hold.” What that will mean for the car company and for other Chevy cars remains to be seen, but we will keep our eyes on the story and bring you all of the updates.

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We’ve been reporting lately on the attention that various car companies have been giving to Brazil. With the GPiX concept car, Chevrolet is granting the South American nation some attention as well.

One of the reasons that Chevrolet might have selected Brazil as the debut point for their GPiX concept car is that the rules in the automobile industry are different. The country’s high taxes on imports have played a significant role in local manufacturing, as more car companies are turning to local production facilities as opposed to challenging the shrinking import/export field. More cars in Brazil are homegrown, which has been good news for investors looking to spring up a factory or two. Honda, Toyota, and Nissan have all seen benefits in this fashion.

So it really was only a matter of time before Chevrolet got in on the deal as well.

Brazil is actually the world’s seventh largest automobile market, a fact that may surprise many. But Chevrolet, with the release of its GPiX concept car, are angling for more of that market share than ever before. The car company is tapping into a market that is hungry for crossover vehicles, which fits the bill for GM and Chevrolet quite nicely.

General Motors will clearly be dedicating more time to debuting other Chevy cars in Brazil in the near future.

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Chevrolet is adding a turbo-charged small sedan to its selection of vehicles, adding more versatility and speed to an already impressive line-up of vehicles. The 260-horsepower, turbocharged Cobalt sedan offers more power and oomph than most people are used to in a sedan of its type, turning some heads on the roadways of North America with its speed and style.

Chevy’s new 2009 Cobalt SS, along with Chevy’s two-door Cobalt SS coupe, are the two more powerful four-cylinder cars on the market. The most-powerful Honda Civic, the Si, gets 197-horsepower from its four-cylinder engine, while the Toyota Corolla’s top horsepower is 158, and the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V tops out at 200-horsepower.

In terms of power, the Cobalt SS even tops out some of Chevrolet’s other powerful sedans, including the Impala and the 2009 Malibu.

So if it’s a powerful little kick-butt machine you’re after, the four-cylinder Chevrolet Cobalt SS for 2009 is right up your alley. The speed and power are matched by the vehicle’s functions and driveability, as Chevrolet’s Cobalt SS looks the part as well. It is a good-looking car, not overly flashy, and comes across as a car that is downright ready for anything.

For more information on the Cobalt SS or other Chevy cars, drop by your local dealer today.

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