Last redesigned in 2007, the near-twin Silverado and Sierra make up the company’s best-selling vehicle line and one of its most profitable.
The automaker touts the new trucks as both more capable and efficient than the ones they replace. At the unveiling, GM North America President Mark Reuss called them the "most refined pickup trucks ever."
Following a trend seen in recent Ram and Ford pickup designs, the Silverado takes on a tougher appearance than the model it replaces. Although evolutionary in design, its signature stacked headlights and twin-port grille are larger and more prominent than before, while the slab sides of the outgoing Silverado are replaced with sculpted shapes and bulging, squared-off wheel arches. The Sierra sticks with a pair of solo headlights and a single-opening grille with a thick chrome frame.
For the 2014 Silverado, designers sought to strike the ideal balance between Chevrolet’s deep heritage in full-size pickups and a more modern, refined aesthetic. They also sought to give the new Silverado a more dramatic presence, with a heightened stance and more structural, muscular sheet metal, while also improving aerodynamics to make the new Silverado quieter and more efficient.
The heart of any truck is under its hood and the 2014 Silverado 1500 offers three new EcoTec3 engines developed specifically for the demands of truck duty cycles. All feature a trio of state-of-the-art technologies – direct injection, cylinder deactivation and continuously variable valve timing – that optimize power, torque and efficiency across a broad range of operating conditions.
Neither snow nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night kept product development engineers from swift completion of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Turbo,
arriving this month. The location for all of this torture testing?
General Motors’ Climatic Wind Tunnel in Warren, Mich., where all
Chevrolet vehicles take on the elements.
On the hottest days of summer, Malibu Turbo, which starts at $27,710,
withstood blizzard and hurricane conditions inside the wind tunnel,
where the temperature can replicate 40 below zero and the wind can blow
150 mph. Even on the coldest nights of winter, the tunnel’s temperature
can easily climb to 140 degrees under 1,155 watts per square meter of
simulated sunshine.
At this state-of-the-art facility, engineers take vehicle development
and validation testing to the extremes, subjecting powertrain cooling,
cabin heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to the
harshest weather conditions found from Death Valley, Calif., and Denali,
Alaska.
The wind tunnel also simulates driving actual roads with real-world
weight burdens, such as hauling a fully loaded trailer up a steep
incline by applying resistance through the wheels of the tunnel’s
dynamometer, a tool that also allows simulated driving speeds of up to
155 mph.
“Testing in the Climatic Wind Tunnel reduces the need to travel to
remote locations, which helps save time and money,” said Ben Cruz, GM
engineering group manager for thermal testing at the Climatic Wind
Tunnel. “Tunnel testing also minimizes the safety risks and traffic
interactions associated with testing on public roads, and because the
conditions are repeatable, we’re not limited by the whims of Mother
Nature.”
Engineers used the tunnel’s blizzard-making capability to test Malibu
Turbo’s air induction system, which is designed to prevent snow from
clogging the vehicle’s air cleaning system. The system’s torturous path
of multiple barriers blocks water molecules while allowing air to flow
freely for engine combustion.
Malibu Turbo’s powertrain cooling system was developed in the tunnel
and attuned to the car’s specific powertrain heat outputs and airflow
characteristics to provide optimal performance even in extreme heat and
cold. The system is designed to allow wide open throttle acceleration at
egg-frying Death Valley temperatures, and has been validated in that
desert location.
Malibu Turbo’s occupant comfort is just as important when the going
gets hot. The car’s air conditioning system was tested against tunnel
simulations of the high heat and humidity found along the Gulf Coast.
This torture test helps ensure that Malibu Turbo’s all-new 2.0L engine
delivers the rapid cool-down performance expected of a turbocharged
power plant.
Climatic torture testing helps Chevrolet deliver improved quality and
durability. Malibu topped the midsize sedan category in a recent
third-party quality study, due in part to development work done at the
Climatic Wind Tunnel.
With Canadian weather, we need more reasons why we can trust our vehicle in extreme temperatures. Chevrolet proves to the world once again that we can depend on them!
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The General Motors Foundation, General Motors and Safe Kids Worldwide this week celebrate 15 years of the Buckle Up program that has helped reach millions of parents and caregivers and their young passengers during a rapid evolution in auto safety technology.
With Child Passenger Safety Week starting today, Safe Kids, the GM Foundation and GM continue efforts to keep children and families safe in and around cars through the Buckle Up program, the nation’s most extensive multifaceted child passenger safety program.
"The GM Foundation's 15-year commitment to Safe Kids Buckle Up is a sterling example of corporate social responsibility at its best," said Kate Carr, Safe Kids President and CEO. "There is no doubt that countless child fatalities and injuries have been prevented as a result of this partnership and the GM Foundation's long-term dedication to it," Carr added.
Chevrolet believes that hockey is as much part of Canada as the red and white flag is. As such, they are dedicated to ensuring that all hockey players are safe out on the ice. Chevrolet is once again launching their Safe and Fun Hockey Program.
Let us help your child get a head start on safety with the Chevrolet Hockey Helmet Program. If your child is born in 2007 and is registered in minor hockey, he or she is eligible to receive a free Bauer 2100 youth helmet from Chevrolet.
To learn more about the Chevrolet Safe & Fun Hockey Program visit safeandfunhockey.ca or stop by your local Chevrolet dealer to receive more information.
The 2013ChevroletSparkmini car,
Chevrolet’s first mini car for the U.S. and Canadian markets, is a
sporty four-passenger, five-door hatch. It is designed to excite
first-time buyers and city dwellers with its bold styling and colors,
affordability, the safety of 10 standard air bags, fuel efficiency and
maneuverability.
Spark also is the only car in its segment to provide MyLink Radio – a
seven-inch color touch screen radio capable of displaying
smartphone-based music, videos, photos and contacts for hands-free
calling. MyLink Radio comes with two embedded apps forPandora internet radio and Stitcher Smart Radio and later, BringGo, an embedded app for full-function GPS navigation, will be available for purchase.
Though compact, Spark offers more passenger and cargo room than other
mini-cars such as the Fiat 500, Smartfortwo and the Scion iQ. Equipped
with the Ecotec 1.25L four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual
transmission, Spark offers competitive EPA-estimated fuel economy of 38
mpg hwy.
The Spark is already on sale globally. In the U.S. and Canada, Spark is offered in LS, 1LT and 2LT models.
“Spark is ideal for active city dwellers because it is easy to drive,
easy to park and easy to own,” said Chris Perry, Global Chevrolet vice
president for marketing. “For these customers, Spark is their key to the
city.”
A perfectly real Chevy Suburban police vehicle somehow entered a closed
Transformers 3 movie set in Washington D.C. and — during the filming of
an Autobot driving scene — proceeded to collide with the Bumblebee
Camaro......For those wondering, the crash was not planned and was not
part of the script or the scene; it was purely an accident:
Eighty Five Years ago, GM started their design department, which was actually twenty years after they launched their first car. Since then, a number of iconic cars have come out of the GM design department, including the Camaro and Corvette.
“What was true 85 years ago is still true today: A designer’s role is
to create a beautifully executed exterior with great proportions to draw
you in, and an interior environment that invites you into a
relationship that develops and grows.” says Ed Welburn, GM vice president of global design. (mlive).
Here is a look at some of the gems that have come out of GM's design department in the last 85 years.
1951 Buick LeSabre
1959 Corvette Stingray and 1961 Corvette Mako Shark
The four engineers who have become known as the "malibu moms" are Julie Kleinert, Kara Gordon, Suzanne Cody and Tracy Mack-Askew. Their unique perspectives as moms were the driving forces behind the design of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu.
Women engineers can provide a unique perspective to the design and
engineering process,” said Rebecca Lindland, director of research at IHS
Automotive. “For example, women are generally smaller than men so
ergonomic needs are different. We also have a heightened sense of safety
and tend to be more sensitive to the needs of family.”
Doing a little spring cleaning around your home? Why not give your vehicle a good clean inside and out! OnStar shares some tips to make spring cleaning your car quick and effective!
Next time you head to your vehicle, grab a garbage bag. Fill it up with anything you don't need. Get rid of it when you exit your vehicle.
Take out your car mats and give them a quick wash. Hang them to dry for the night. Put them back in when you leave the next morning.
Keep a microfibre cloth in your glove box to wipe your dash when it is dirty.
Keep a small spray bottle filled with a squirt of dish soap and a 2-to-1 ratio of water and white vinegar in your car along with a few newspaper pages to wash the inside windows when they get cloudy.
To get rid of salt and mud, make sure when you go through the car wash to get a wash that includes your car's undercarriage.
Give your car a quick vacuum with a high-powered vacuum cleaner.
Check your windshield wipers. If they are leaving streaks or parts aren't getting cleaned, it may be time to replace your wipers.
Make sure tires are properly inflated and check for tread wear.
Check the weather stripping around windows and doors for leaks or wear.
Each of these tasks should individually take no more than ten minutes at a time! Do one a day and your car will be clean and ready to go for spring!
General Motors is providing funding to help prevent children's death. Dozen of children die from Hyperthermia (also known as heat stroke) every year due to children being left unattended in vehicles. To help prevent these tragic deaths, the General Motors Foundation and Safe Kids Buckle Up are launching the 2012 Never Leave Your Child Alone in a Car campaign to arm parents and caregivers with preventive tips and tactics.
"Kids react differently to heat than adults," says Dr. Leticia Ryan
of Children's National Medical Center, Emergency Medicine and Trauma
Services. "Infants and young children haven't fully developed the
internal systems regulating body temperature, putting them at much
greater risk for organ failure and death when exposed to excessive heat.
We see this all too often in the emergency room, and it's absolutely
devastating."
"Whether you are a parent or caregiver, or just a concerned bystander, you can help save lives," says Kate Carr,
President and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide. "We are urging everyone to ACT..."
AVOID:
Never leaving your child alone in the car, even for a minute.
Consistently locking unattended vehicle doors and trunks.
CREATE REMINDERS:
Establish a peace-of-mind plan. When you drop off your child, make a
habit of calling or texting all other caregivers, so all of you know
where your child is at all times.
Place a purse, briefcase, gym bag, cell phone or an item that is needed at your next stop in a back seat.
Set the alarm on your cell phone or computer calendar as a reminder to drop your child off at childcare
TAKE ACTION:
Dial 911 immediately and follow the instructions that emergency
personnel provide – they are trained to determine if a child is in
danger.
What started out as a GM project car in 1965 has become one of the rarest Camaros ever.
Only one or two of these sleek Black Panther Chevy Camaros are known to exist today.
Fewer than 50 were originally custom-produced in 1967 by the Toronto-based Gorries Chevrolet/Oldsmobile dealership.
Gold Interior
In 1965 when Ford was in the process of developing the Mustang, GM began working on a car that would reach the emerging youth market of that time.The public quickly latched on to the name "Panther" as GM's Mustang fighter. However, seeking a "clammier" image in order to stray away from the aggressive image of the panther, the marketing team came up with the name "camaro," meaning "warm friend." In 1967, amidst the phenomenal success of the Ford Mustang, General Motors pulled off a sensational
introduction of the Chevrolet Camaro by delivering over 212,000 units to dealer showrooms that year. A limited number of Camaro's were modified into Panther Editions, which were recognized by their black body and gold strip around the nose. A Black Panther nameplate was fixed on the front fender and rear deck lid, and a gold pinstripe was added just below the bodyline. Out of the 50 produced, only 2 are known to exist today, with the rest unaccounted for. (FirstGenCamaro)
This year, SLP introduces a new generation of Panther.
2012 Limited Edition Panther by SLP
The Limited Edition Panther's will come in either 560/585/600 HP or 700 HP. Only100 560/585/600 HP and 45 700 HP Supercharged Panthers will be built in Coupe, Convertible, Manual or Automatic.
The heart of any truck is under its hood and the 2014 Silverado 1500 offers three new EcoTec3 engines developed specifically for the demands of truck duty cycles. All feature a trio of state-of-the-art technologies – direct injection, cylinder deactivation and continuously variable valve timing – that optimize power, torque and efficiency across a broad range of operating conditions.
