What elevates a car from a mere appliance is the connection the owner makes with it. A faithful companion, partner in crime, and object of desire, cars become part of the lives we lead, and the stories we leave behind.
Throughout 100 years, there are plenty of stories involving Chevy’s cars and their owners. Chevy’s online video series “Road We’re On” showcases theses personal stories people have had with their cars, both past and present. Often times these experiences not only involve a single person either, but whole communities.
The first of eight episodes is titled “Welcome to Bridgeview. ” This first series focuses on the effect Chevy has in the small town of Bridgeview, Pennsylvania. Bridgeview is a town seemingly ripped out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Everybody knows each other, and their stories often intersect with one another as well. It is this effect of Chevy’s products on both individual people and communities that has woven Chevy into the very fabric of America.
The episodes can be viewed individually on Youtube and on Chevy’s site rodewereon.
You might not think it was possible this soon but Chevy is on pace for an all time sales record in 2011. That is a great sign for the global recovery and an even better sign that GM is on it’s way back as well. If the economy can continue to grow it will be interesting to see how high GM and Chevy in particular can go in regards to U.S. and Global sales!
With its 100th birthday barely fading in the rearview mirror, Chevrolet is on pace to set an all-time global sale record in 2011, having sold 4.8 million units through the end of November and with December off to a strong start.
Meanwhile, Chevrolet’s global market share has increased by nearly one half of a point this year, Russ Clark, Chevrolet’s marketing manager for midsized and performance cars, told TheDetroitBureau.com, while suggesting General Motors’ largest marque is steadily advancing towards its goal of becoming a truly global brand.
Sixty percent of all Chevrolets are now sold outside the United States, which had been the bowtie brand’s primary hunting ground for most of the past century, according to statistics cited by Clark during a conversation about Chevrolet’s business plans.
Chevrolet captured the spirit of 20th Century America, with its “work hard, play hard” ethic. Perhaps no Chevrolet represents this spirit better than the Chevy truck. Check out the 10 noteworthy examples of Chevy trucks over the decades.
1. 1918 Chevrolet 490 Half-Ton Light Delivery “Cowl Chassis”
Two four-cylinder models marked Chevrolet’s entry into the truck market in January 1918. Both were “cowl chassis” units that came from the factory with only frontal sheet metal. It was customary at the time for the buyer to obtain a wooden cab and cargo box or panel van body to suit their purposes.
Priced at $595, the half-ton Light Delivery cowl chassis was essentially a body-less Chevrolet 490 car equipped with stronger rear springs. Mounted with a pickup box or panel body, it provided an agile and economical light-delivery truck for ‘Main Street’ businesses.
The one-ton capacity 1918 Chevrolet “Model T” (presumably for “Truck”) cost $1,125 without body and was built on a truck frame than was longer and stronger than that of the half-ton model. A 37 horsepower engine gave the larger truck the power to haul heavier loads at a governor-limited top speed of 25 mph.
Chevy has announced it will produce an all-electric version of the Chevy Spark mini car, the Spark EV. This vehicle complements Chevy’s growing range of EVs, including the Volt and the 2013 Malibu ECO with eAssist technology. It will be sold in limited quantities in select U.S. and global markets starting in 2013. See here for more information.
Also, in an effort to meet the growing demand for safe, connected personal transportation, GM has decided to work on the next-generation EN-V concept vehicle and brand it with the Chevy badge. This two-seat, electric urban mobility concept is a zero-emissions vehicle powered by lithium-ion batteries. The Chevy EN-V concept will be updated with new features that customers need such as climate control, personal storage space and all-weather and road condition operation.
To learn more about the Chevy EN-V, check out the release here.
Chevy is quite serious about bringing the fight to the Ford GT500 with its new Camaro ZL1. So serious, in fact, that they are giving it a ludicrous 580hp, more than even the CTS-V. They are even claiming that the new ZL1 will not be only a straight line monster, but a truly track capable machine as well.
In order to make it track-ready, the new ZL1 will feature cooling for the differential and engine oil, and a new version of their magnetic ride control system. This new ride control system will offer five different traction modes, even one for VHT prepped drag racing surfaces. The ZL1 and GT500 fight is looking to be a knock down, drag out bar brawl. Get excited.
It’s not shocking news to us at DBN that the Chevy Cruze has not caught on like the bigs at GM at hoped. I can even sense some concern in the quotes from the marketing folks at GM that maybe potential customers aren’t “sold” on a design that already looks dated and has no hatchbacks on the lots!
There could be trouble for the Cruze with a new Ford Focus entering the marketplace early next year and other nameplates launching new products in this segment. We were skeptical of some the projections from GM in regards to this car back in September and it looks like we might have been spot on!!!
The Cruze would have looked better if it was on the road a year or two ago but it just looks like one of the cars that is already outdated before it even had a chance to grow old!
From the Detroit Free Press:
Three months after launching, the Chevrolet Cruze is on the shopping lists of fewer than 5% of compact-car consumers, General Motors says.
With the arrival of a redesigned Ford Focus next month and a new Honda Civic in the spring, GM has a short window to ramp up the Cruze’s image.
Chevy needs consumers to associate the Cruze — which replaced the Cobalt — with value-priced safety and creature comforts before ads for Focuses and Civics again crowd the airwaves.
“I would say that’s pretty important,” Chevrolet marketing chief Chris Perry told the Free Press.
Slot of us still have questions about the new Chevy Volt. Our friends at the Detroit Free Press put together a well written Q & A that dives deep into what the Volt is all about.
QUESTION: Can people come and take a tour of the plant and watch the Volt being built? Is there an education center about the Volt? — reader John C. Tyrrell
ANSWER: The Detroit-Hamtramck plant where workers assemble the Volt will have interactive, educational displays in its lobby next year. GM is also planning a reservation-based tour program for the public that will start next year.
Q: Why is the Volt considered an electric vehicle when actually it is a hybrid? — reader Dennis Bonucchi
A: The Volt is very different from hybrids like the Escape, Insight and Prius. The Volt’s wheels are turned by electricity only — not by the gasoline engine. The gas engines in hybrids turn the wheels most of the time. A Volt owner driving 40 miles or so between charges may hardly use gasoline.
You can’t go to the local Chevy dealer and purchase a convertible Camaro yet but it’s coming soon and now news arrives of a special edition Neiman Marcus Camaro Convertible! The price will be steep at 75k so if you have someone who likes to spoil you add it to your Christmas list this holiday season. Check out the great pics…
From Autoblog.com:
It’s a big day for the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible. General Motors has pulled back the curtains on a low-volume special edition version of the drop-top muscle car set to go on sale next year. The vehicle is slated to be featured in the annual Neiman Marcus Christmas Book – a catalog of high-end goodies for the ruling class. Only 100 examples of the Neiman Marcus Camaro Convertible will be sold through the catalog, each wearing special Deep Bordeaux paint and boasting drivetrain components borrowed from the mighty Camaro SS. That means there’s a full 426 horsepower on tap. Inside, GM has slathered the cockpit in leather touches only available on this special edition.
How good are Alan Mulally, Jim Farley and Mark Fields? They pretty much brought Ford Motor back from abyss to one of the most respected brands on the road. Can they do the same for Lincoln?
Now that Mercury will be hitting the graveyard later this year, all eyes will be on Ford’s leadership to reviving a storied but recently lost brand in Lincoln. It’s going to get tougher to charge premiums for near luxury vehicles in this market with Ford, Chevy and Nissan delivering what most would have only expected from expensive brands just a few short years ago. Sometimes you have to take a few steps back before you can move forward and Ford/Lincoln will start writing a new chapter in their history after Mercury becomes a part of it!
From AutoNews.com:
DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. must do with Lincoln what it has done with the Ford brand — infuse it with new energy and sparkling product — if it is to offset the loss of Mercury sales when that 71-year-old brand dies.
Though Lincoln has a freshened lineup and stronger styling than in the past, it is still an also-ran among luxury brands in the United States. Ford clearly will need more volume from Lincoln to appease Mercury dealers — especially those who currently have Lincoln-Mercury stores.
“We have to make a very compelling case to our dealers very quickly,” says Mark Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas, in an interview.
News flash! Another dumb idea from GM! The brain trust at GM have apparently decided against selling the all new Chevy Orlando in the U.S. because they want to focus on “other” Chevy products??? OK, So GM is calling this new stylish and sensible vehicle a “minivan” and guess what? 1.) GM/Chevy have no minivan for sale in the U.S. 2.) GM/Chevy have no other vehicle with 3 rows that compares to the Orlando 3.) With gas prices likely to rise soon the Orlando (which is off the same platform as the Volt and Cruze will get close to 35mpg on the highway) would be a home run in the U.S.
Oh well, I guess GM/Chevy are happy with losing market share to other companies like Ford and Hyundai so keep one of the better new products to come out of their stable in awhile and sell it basically everywhere but the U.S.
The Chevrolet Orlando crossover will not be sold in the United States after all. In an interview with Bloomberg, Margaret Brooks, GM’s product marketing director for small cars and crossovers said that “The best thing to do for Chevrolet is to focus on the brands we’ve already brought to market: the Traverse, Equinox, Malibu and, soon to come, the Cruze.”
