Looking to treat the family to an educational vacation this summer? Then head to the Smithsonian Institute, where you’ll learn all about the three-point safety belt, the padded dashboard and the famous “Car Safety for Dummies” dummies. In honor of 75 years of automotive safety, as well as all the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration...
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Harley Earl was a man ahead of his time. Way back in 1950, he became the first automotive designer to hire women. But it wasn’t an “equality in the workplace” kind of decision – Earl’s “Damsels of Design” were brought onboard for their design talents. The reasoning behind his hiring strategy was simple. He believed...
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Episode 6 of the Corvette Racing Series is the big one; the team gets ready for the 24 Hours of LeMans race, a mere two days after their Laguna Seca event. Having to assemble and ship 14 tons of gear on 48 hours is no easy feat, but couple that with having to win the...
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General Motors is throwing its weight behind the Chevrolet Volt’s battery system by offering an 8-year, 100,000 mile warranty on the battery pack. Many potential consumers have expressed reservations about the longevity and durability of electric vehicle batteries, which can be extremely expensive to replace and are a relatively new technology that hasn’t seen widespread...
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General Motors is poised to sell more cars in China than in the United States this year, which would mark the first time the U.S. auto giant’s largest market wasn’t it’s domestic market. So far this year sales in China have exceeded those in the U.S., with a total of 1,209,138 units moved in China...
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At a recent meeting regarding their proposed IPO, General Motors outlined their new product plans through the year 2014. According to GM’s plans,70 updates vehicles will be launched by 2012, but most of the vehicles will be for global export markets rather than North America. While Opel and Vauxhall were confirmed to get 14 new...
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General Motors is preparing to announce at the end of the month that its revolutionary Chevy Volt is complete. According to a Micky Bly, GM’s executive director for electric vehicles, the American automaker is planning a big event some time in June. Currently, GM is making last minute adjustments to the car’s software, and recently...
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General Motors has confirmed that next month it will cease production of the DOHC Northstar V8, one of the most advanced engines the company has ever built. In its place, GM will use stop-gap measures including the current series of direct-injection V6 engines, as well as the company’s small-block V8s which use an archaic overhead-valve...
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In another boneheaded move by an overpaid marketing wonk, a Chevrolet executive wrote an internal memo, obtained by the New York Times, asking GM employees to refrain from referring to the Chevrolet brand as “Chevy”. According to the internal memo, Chevrolet sales and service VP Alan Batey and marketing head Jim Campbell said ; “We’d...
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We’re sure you’ll recall the story last week about how Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was robbed of his perfect streak by a botched umpire’s call. You may also recall our story that General Motors subsequently gave Galarraga a $60,000 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible. That little news item garnered almost as much attention as...
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After a two-year hiatus marked by a global recession and the bankruptcy of America’s largest automaker, General Motors will return to the Super Bowl for 2011. GM had planned to be a part of the massive sporting event advertising spectacle but pulled out of the event earlier this year. The move not only hurt the...
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Let’s get ready to ruuuuuuuummmmbbble. Reports from various blogs say that the Nissan Leaf will tip the scales at 3,500 pounds, the same as its arch rival, the Chevrolet Volt. While the Volt is a plug-in hybrid, with a gas engine and battery pack, the Leaf is a true electric car, with no internal combustion...
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The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is an important car for General Motors, with Chevrolet positioning the car as both a premium and compact car, something many Americans deem to be mutually exclusive. With advanced powertrains, a high quality interior and exterior styling that doesn’t scream “rental car”, Chevrolet has chosen to price the Cruze just a...
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Armando Galarraga will go down in history as the man whose perfect game was spoiled by a truly terrible call by umpire Jim Joyce. In his heart, as well as those of countless baseball fans, Galarraga really did throw a perfect game, but until Major League Baseball reverses the call, Galarraga will have to settle...
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A raft of new engines has helped Ford‘s Mustang leapfrog the Chevrolet Camaro in the pony car sales race, the first victory for the Blue Oval since the Camaro’s release last summer. Ford managed to sell 10,225 Mustangs, while Chevy only moved 8,931 ‘Maros in the month of May. While most critics considered the Mustang...
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We’ll start with the (sort of) bad news. The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro will cost you more – but not too much more – as the model year changes over. The top of the line 2LT and 2SS get a $350 price bump, to $28,075 and $35,145 respectively. Prices for the LS, 1LT and 1SS models...
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For General Motors, this could present a huge opportunity to offer something like a new generation S10, touting the virtues of affordable running costs and fuel economy.
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The Vauxhall/Opel Ampera, sister car to the Chevrolet Volt, is set to launch in Europe in 2012, but GM is already preparing a more powerful version in time for the car’s launch, according to AutoExpress. Nothing concrete has been announced, but sources indicate that a larger gasoline engine and a bigger battery will help make...
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A report out of Europe claims that BMW and General Motors are collaborating on a system that will scan road signs, including speed limit warnings and relay the information to drivers. The system still has a few kinks being worked out, but the objective is for the system to be able to display warning signs...
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GM is recalling 547 Cadillac SRX’s equipped with the 2.8L twin-turbo V6 due to potential engine failure if the car is run with regular, rather than premium fuel. In a statement released by NHTSA, the agency said that “The combination of regular fuel usage and aggressive driving maneuvers may induce pre-ignition.” If pre-ignition occurs, you...
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File this one under “completely out of left field.” GM engineers are looking for any possible way to cut costs from their Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, and anything is currently on the table. Among the possibilities being investigated is a rotary engine, a powerplant long abandoned by nearly every automaker except Mazda, who still produces...
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Given that Ford and Ram already compete in the 4/5 category with their F-450 and 4500 chassis cab rigs, a GM entry would seem a no-brainer.
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There have been some big blunders in the history of automotive naming. The Chevrolet Nova flopped in Spanish speaking countries because its name literally means “it doesn’t go”. The Ford Pinto’s name in Brazilian Portuguese has similarly negative connotations, literally meaning “a man with small genitals.” The latest casualty in the history of cars being...
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Believe it or not, this Chevrolet Trailblazer convertible (a one-off, thankfully), is not some backyard redneck conversion, but a professionally done job used for the Rose Bowl parade. With more passenger and cargo room the a Jeep Wrangler, the Trailblazer convertible is also a more unique alternative, but the vehicle comes with a few limitations....
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