At the Washington Auto Show today, Chevrolet introduced a sticker.

Okay, the new Ecologic environmental labels that will be coming to all new Chevy vehicles – starting with the 2013 Sonic – is a lot more than an adhesive piece of paper. Last year, the EPA revamped its mileage stickers, and GM has realized that people like more information about the environmental impact of the vehicle they may be buying. GM North America President Mark Reuss said at the show today that, “Customers want companies to be honest and transparent about their environmental efforts and sustainability goals, and rightly so.” This is why the information on the labels will be verified by the independent organization Two Tomorrows. The label campaign will be backed up with a website that includes “more information on the audit process and environmental features for each vehicle with an Ecologic label.”

What’s on the labels? Information about the car from its time “before,” “on” and “after” the road. This means that environmentally friendly steps that GM uses in the manufacturing process (before), steps taken to improve fuel economy (on) and information on how much of the vehicle can be recycled at the end of its life (after). You can see a detailed example of the Sonic sticker by enlarging (clicking on) the picture above. Since Ecologic is going to be on all Chevy models, we’ll admit we’re interested to see how GM finds the eco side of the Camaro ZL1.

Continue reading Chevrolet introduces new Ecologic window sticker, coming first to Sonic

Chevrolet introduces new Ecologic window sticker, coming first to Sonic originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The eagle-eyed among you may have spotted something suspicious lurking on the Chevrolet Code 130R and and Tru 140S concepts, both of which debuted here today at the Detroit Auto Show. Each concept prominently features the legendary Chevrolet Corvette cross flag emblem, or at least appears to at first glance.

The Tru 140S wears the badges in question on the center caps of all four wheels while the Code 130R proudly displays them as integrated turn signals on the front fenders. According to Nicholas David, a senior exterior designer with General Motors and the man behind the Tru 140S, the cross flag emblems identify both concepts as members of a new “passion portfolio” within Chevrolet.

Once upon a time, the cross flags found themselves on a number of sport-oriented Chevrolet vehicles from the Corvair to the Corvette. As the years progressed, the badges fell off of every model but the Corvette. Now, David says GM wants to expand its family of sports cars, and each new member will feature the cross flags. With SS and RS models lining showrooms, GM isn’t exactly short on sports branding as it is. Fortunately, the cross flags likely won’t detail a separate trim so much as a family of vehicles.

It’s worth noting that while the emblems on the two concept twins are remarkably similar to the cross flags of the Chevrolet Corvette, they aren’t identical. The Corvette relies on a curled flag with a gold Bow Tie and a flur de lis on a red field, while the Code 130R and Tru 140S make due with just the Bow Tie.

Why do the Chevrolet coupe concepts have Corvette cross-flag emblems? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Motors has just unveiled the Tru 140S Concept at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, the second of it’s youth-oriented concepts. Spiritual sibling to the Code 130S Concept, the Tru 140S is designed to bring exotic styling to the compact segment. Based on the bones of the Chevrolet Cruze, the vehicle comes equipped with the same 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, though with a bit more power. The vehicle puts 150 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels via either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Like the Cruze, GM says a production version of the Tru 140S Concept could be capable of up to 40 mpg highway.

Like it’s rear-wheeldrive twin, the Tru 140S Concept would carry an MSRP of around $25,000 were it to go into production. And how likely is that to happen? GM has made it clear it intends to offer a more stylish, evocative compact vehicle in the near future. Given the fact that the Tru 140S rides on the Cruze platform, there’s a good chance we may see something like it roll out of GM in a few years. Consider our fingers crossed. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Chevrolet Tru 140S Concept is the meaner Cruze

Chevrolet Tru 140S Concept is the meaner Cruze originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An Aveo By Any Other Name Is, Indeed, Sweet

Whether General Motors likes it or not, the Sonic story starts in 2004, when GM decided to import a cheap, crummy little econobox from Korea. A product of its newest subsidiary, Daewoo, the Chevrolet Aveo had few charms. But it was available as a five-door hatchback, one of the few on the market at the time, and its starting sticker price was under $10,000. It was enough of a pitch that the car sold – and stuck around.

Some of us actually developed a modicum of affection for the little piece of junk. It’s not every new car that you can use and abuse and care not a whit about. If GM had marketed the Aveo as a disposable product, meant to be driven hard and left for dead, it might have disappointed fewer people. Instead, the Aveo was famously named the “Least Satisfying” vehicle of 2007 in a Consumer Reports survey.

Hundreds of thousands of Aveos have been dumped here over the years, often into rental car fleets where they would have even greater opportunity to reflect poorly on GM. The company sold some 48,000 Aveos in 2010, over 28,000 in 2011, and stragglers on dealer lots continue to find new homes even as you read this. So it’s no wonder the “new” GM doesn’t want us talking about the Sonic as its replacement. But that it is. And thankfully, it’s a good one. We’d even be willing to call it great if GM would work on a few of the details.

Continue reading 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ

2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is 42 MPG The Ultimate Answer To The Ultimate Question?

On paper, it sounds like an enthusiast’s dream. Start by trimming almost 100 pounds from the curb weight of the base Chevrolet Cruze. Then drop the optional turbocharged engine underhood, bolted to a six-speed manual transmission. Lower the suspension and mount some lightweight, forged alloy wheels. Finish it off by sticking a little spoiler on the decklid, along with a special badge.

Where do we sign up?

But the car we’ve described isn’t the stuff of boy racer fantasies; it’s not even a performance car at all. No, the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco is not meant to run circles around the competition on an autocross course as much as it is designed to pirouette its way around the Environmental Protection Agency’s fuel economy test. It’s the greenest machine to wear a Bowtie this side of the Volt, boasting a highway fuel economy of 42 miles per gallon. But that heady figure is accomplished without the benefit of any advanced hybrid powertrain technology. The Cruze Eco is an impressive package that proves GM’s smarts and gives the company further green bragging rights. That said, we’re not entirely sure it’s the Cruze we’d park in our driveway.

Continue reading 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco

2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Meeting The Next-Generation Chevrolet Mid-Size

It’s been a very long time since the midsize market went easy on American automakers, and recent years have conspired to make an uphill sales slog even steeper with a rash of new and redesigned models. Kia and Hyundai have taken up arms by offering buyers the stylish and efficient Optima and Sonata in an effort to dethrone longtime D-segment stalwarts like the Honda Accord and the freshly redesigned Toyota Camry. Not one to back away from a fray, Nissan has been busily sharpening the next-generation Altima to do battle with the rest of the war horses on the field, and Volkswagen has just recently unleashed a new Americanized Passat to riotous praise from the automotive press.

The barbarians aren’t just at the gates for automakers like Ford and General Motors. They’re picnicking on the front lawn.

Ford has turned to its global operations for help designing a new Fusion fit to beat back the invading hordes while General Motors has focused on transforming the aging Chevrolet Malibu into a weapon capable of carving out a more sizable market share. Built on new bones borrowed from the company’s Global Mid-Size architecture, the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu will boast an all-new direct-injection 2.5-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine by mid-2012 and a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder version will debut shortly thereafter.

But buyers who flock to Chevrolet dealers in the first quarter of 2012 won’t find those vehicles waiting for them on the show room floor. Instead, GM has moved to launch the new 2013 Malibu with just one engine option – it’s most efficient. Meet the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco.

Continue reading 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Meeting The Next-Generation Chevrolet Mid-Size

It’s been a very long time since the midsize market went easy on American automakers, and recent years have conspired to make an uphill sales slog even steeper with a rash of new and redesigned models. Kia and Hyundai have taken up arms by offering buyers the stylish and efficient Optima and Sonata in an effort to dethrone longtime D-segment stalwarts like the Honda Accord and the freshly redesigned Toyota Camry. Not one to back away from a fray, Nissan has been busily sharpening the next-generation Altima to do battle with the rest of the war horses on the field, and Volkswagen has just recently unleashed a new Americanized Passat to riotous praise from the automotive press.

The barbarians aren’t just at the gates for automakers like Ford and General Motors. They’re picnicking on the front lawn.

Ford has turned to its global operations for help designing a new Fusion fit to beat back the invading hordes while General Motors has focused on transforming the aging Chevrolet Malibu into a weapon capable of carving out a more sizable market share. Built on new bones borrowed from the company’s Global Mid-Size architecture, the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu will boast an all-new direct-injection 2.5-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine by mid-2012 and a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder version will debut shortly thereafter.

But buyers who flock to Chevrolet dealers in the first quarter of 2012 won’t find those vehicles waiting for them on the show room floor. Instead, GM has moved to launch the new 2013 Malibu with just one engine option – it’s most efficient. Meet the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco.

Continue reading 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It just wouldn’t be SEMA without a whole slew of Chevrolet Camaro coupes and convertibles staring us in the face, and this week’s Vegas show doesn’t disappoint. General Motors’ own booth features four rather interesting specimens, which you can see in the image gallery we’ve compiled here.

First comes the Camaro ZL1 Carbon Concept, which boasts a sinister Ashen Gray look with a smattering of carbon fiber bits and pieces. Power comes from the same 580 horsepower and 556 pound-feet of torque supercharged V8 that’s set to debut in 2012 in the ZL1.

Up next is the Camaro Red Zone Concept. Based on the convertible version of the Chevrolet pony car, this machine wears a coat of Crystal Claret that’s newly available for 2012 along with Chevrolet Accessories silver Ice interior pieces. The exterior features Accessory wheels and a full body kit, all available straight from the dealer. Finally, that stripe package you see will soon be available to Camaro owners.

The silver convertible you see in our gallery is the Camaro Synergy Series Concept, and it’s wearing a coat of Silver Ice plus black Synergy decals with red line inserts. Chevrolet Accessory black-painted wheels join a body kit and body-color grille.

Finally, there’s the Camaro 1LE Concept. As with other 1LE packages, this one has a suspension kit that is intended for road race circuits. It’s Victory Red exterior is set off by a flat black hood and hash mark extensions. Most of the underpinnings will be available on the ZL1 for 2012, including the magnetic ride suspension.

Read all about each of these concepts in the press release after the break.

Continue reading Chevrolet Camaro concepts storm the General Motors booth

Chevrolet Camaro concepts storm the General Motors booth originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you played with Hot Wheels as a kid (or as an adult, as some on the Autoblog team have admitted to doing), then you’ve probably imagined what it would be like to have the thing in full size. Chevrolet has tried to make that a reality, creating a Camaro concept car inspired by the “Custom Camaro” 1/64-scale model that was part of the original Hot Wheels collection released in 1968.

Making its debut at SEMA today, the Camaro Hot Wheels Concept features chrome green paint, ghosted Hot Wheels logos on the fenders, satin black wheels, a Euro-style rear fascia and taillights and black aluminum hood insert with milled heat extractors. Under the hood is the standard LS3 V8.

You can read a full list of the car’s features after the jump, and be sure to check out our live photos in the gallery above.

Continue reading Chevrolet Camaro Hot Wheels Concept fulfills a childhood fantasy

Chevrolet Camaro Hot Wheels Concept fulfills a childhood fantasy originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Every year, masses of Corvette aficionados descend upon a little town in Pennsylvania to celebrate their love of the long-running Chevrolet sports car. Here in Las Vegas at the 2011 SEMA Show, General Motors has decided to show its appreciation for the legions of Carlisle travelers with the Carlisle Blue Grand Sport Concept.

We don’t know if Chevy plans to offer this color scheme on production Corvettes, but we hope it does. The exterior is painted in a hue called Carlisle Blue, and it’s punctuated by Pearl White racing stripes and silver-painted Torque 2 wheels. We also like the Cyber Gray headlamps that are optional for 2012. What we like most, however, is the dry-sump 6.2-liter LS3 V8 under the hood. Feel free to peruse our image gallery, then check out the press release after the break.

Continue reading Chevrolet Carlisle Blue Grand Sport Concept celebrates Pennsylvania pride

Chevrolet Carlisle Blue Grand Sport Concept celebrates Pennsylvania pride originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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