Chevrolet Volt MPV5 at 2010 Beijing Auto Show

Chevrolet Volt MPV5 Concept

GM has been fortifying the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Volt. GM has been keen on infusion of fuel saving drive train in other vehicles including sedans and MPVs.

One of the first segment that GM hinted of inducting Voltec plug-in hybrid system was MPV, and in 2008 GM unveiled the Orlando concept which shares the same platform as the Volt.

Now in 2010, GM has debuted a concept crossover version of its Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle with the voltec plug in Hybrid system. The concept car is 18 centimeters longer, 7 centimeters wider and 18 centimeters taller than the production version, which is due for release in 2011. The five-passenger MPV features up to 1,764.1 liters of cargo space with the seats folded and 863.7 liters of space behind the second row.


The concept has been designed at GM Design studio in Australia & Detriot. GM says it can manage 51.5 km on pure electric propulsion. When the battery is drained, a 1.4-liter engine generator takes the charge to sustain the battery and provide up to 482 km of electric propulsion.

“The Volt MPV5 concept demonstrates the flexibility of the Voltec propulsion system, which can produce enough electric power to propel a range of vehicles, from a compact sedan like the Volt to a crossover like the Volt MPV5 concept,” said Doug Parks, GM’s Global Vehicle Chief Engineer for Electric Vehicles.

Preview: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze

2011 Chevrolet Cruze
The initial impression of Chevrolet’s new compact Cruze sedan is that it’s a mini-Malibu — and that opinion sits well with the bow-tie brass. Their intention is to deliver mid-sized comfort, dynamics and amenities, but at compact-sized pricing and fuel efficiency. And although pricing and final fuel numbers won’t be known for several months, this global product is right on target with its other objectives.

The Cruze is already available in 60 markets around the world, but North Americans won’t get their hands on it until the third quarter of this year. With the compact category evolving as the fastest-growing segment in the industry (it’s expected to be the second-largest in the United States by 2012), coupled with the consumer trend to downsize, the timing is right for this car. In fact, it is expected to be General Motors’ single largest volume small-car line globally.
During the preview at General Motors’ Milford proving grounds, Chevy executives described the Cruze as a “transformational” car for the brand, a product that will be sought after by consumers and will be better than competitive models such as the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. It’s expected to generate “huge volume for the brand” and, as a major player for GM globally, the team working on developing the North American edition is enduring unprecedented scrutiny.

As a result of that corporate focus, the Cruze is undergoing intensive testing here, even though it’s a model already on sale elsewhere. For example, although it has already earned five-star-equivalent crash ratings in several overseas markets, including Korea, China, India, Australia and Europe, the North American version is undergoing extensive additional evaluations at GM’s vehicle safety facility.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

2011 Chevrolet Cruze was enough to confirm that GM’s biggest challenge won’t be meeting or exceeding the competition, but sweeping away all those past perceptions of GM small cars.

Among GM’s homegrown compacts, the Cavalier was always a step behind the competition, while the current Cobalt, which the Cruze replaces, was reasonably comfortable and fuel-efficient but never a standout in most other respects.

To put it bluntly, it simply didn’t have the zippy yet refined feeling that a lot of today’s most acclaimed compacts like the Mazda3, the Volkswagen Jetta, the Honda Civic, or even the new Suzuki Kizashi or Kia Forte, all manage to some degree.

The Cruze, thankfully, finds that mojo without busting our bums in the process or giving up any features. And, as we’ll tell you more about below, it’s looking to be a product that will emerge near the top of the segment in every category.

But the 2011 Cruze doesn’t break entirely free from one mold: Its exterior is a little conservative, almost a little homely, and looks more like a blunted Malibu than it probably should. While most people will likely agree that the exterior styling of the upcoming 2012 Ford Focus, expected early next year, is a lot more visually exciting than that of the Cruze, a quick drive of the Chevy’s new compact sedan is all it took to convince us that it will be a very strong contender, and perhaps superior in many ways.

2010 Chevrolet Traverse LT FWD Road Test

2010 Chevrolet Traverse
Why did the front-wheel-drive Traverse use more dino-juice per fathom? Well, the EPA numbers differ by only 1 mpg in both city and highway tests (17/24 for the FWD model versus 16/23 for AWD), so any real-world fuel-economy advantage likely would be negligible anyway. The two weren’t driven on identical loops, which was a factor, and conditions often were wet during our test, making takeoff tricky with 281 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque coursing through just two wheels. We basically stayed in the throttle until we were moving at a satisfactory pace, so your mileage may vary—scratch that, will vary and surely improve with a more measured driving style.

During a dry day at the test track, the FWD Traverse posted a 7.3-second 0-to-60-mph time, 0.3 second quicker than the all-wheel-driver. It also won in the quarter-mile, but just barely: a 15.8-second jog at 91 mph versus 15.9 seconds at 88 mph for the all-wheel-driven crossover. Despite the weight disparity, braking performance from 70 mph was spot-on equal—which is to say dismal—at 194 feet. Skidpad grip was another repeatable experiment, measuring 0.79 g for both iterations.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

The all new 2011 Chevy Cruze has enough test miles on its tires to circle the Earth over 160 times. The Cruze made a lot of stops as it went around the globe, each one seemingly more punishing than the last. Chevy Cruze took on driving rain, mountains, deserts, potholes, mud, bad roads, ice, snow, dry heat, humidity and more. After all that, it finally hit the test track and showed just how fun it was to drive. Even after 4,000,000 test miles, there’s much more of the Cruze story to tell. To keep current, sign up for email updates. We’ll keep you posted on every detail as soon as it becomes available. Cruze arrives in the third quarter of 2010.

Chevrolet Volt Hits Another Milestone

2011 Chevrolet Volt Picture

First pre-production Chevrolet Volt rolls off the assembly line in Michigan.

2011 Chevrolet Volt Picture

GM is looking to ensure the hotly anticipated Chevrolet Volt will meet "quality targets" before it goes into regular production.

2011 Chevrolet Volt Picture

Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant will make more pre-production Volts in the runup to the EV's on-sale date.

Chevrolet Will Sell You a Camaro Indy 500

2010 Chevrolet Camaro Indy 500 Pace Car Picture

Chevrolet will sell 200 replicas of its 2010 Indy 500 Camaro pace car.

2010 Chevrolet Camaro Indy 500 Pace Car Picture

The limited-edition pace car replica has Chevrolet's 400-hp 6.2-liter V8 and a six-speed automatic transmission.

2010 Chevrolet Camaro Indy 500 Pace Car Picture

The Inferno Orange cars will be 2SS models with the RS appearance package.

2010 Chevrolet Camaro Indy 500 Pace Car Picture

The cars will be sold through 187 Chevrolet dealers selected on the basis of their 2009 retail sales.