BY ALISA PRIDDLE
GM is investing in its Lordstown, Ohio, plant to build the Cobalt replacement.
Here is the first official look at the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, which will both replace the Cobalt compact car in the U.S. and become the company’s new global offering in the volume C-segment. (more…)
BY TONY SWAN, PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM FRENAK
So here it is, the third and final entry in the 21st-century pony-car-revival derby. Get your bets down early because we don’t expect to see any more resurrections of famous makes from the galloping go-go Sixties—Barracuda, Firebird, Javelin, et al.—and even gloomier, we think it likely that, given fuel prices and other concerns, this revival is likely to lack the fervor and duration of the original movement. (more…)
BY ERIK JOHNSON
A turbocharger roosts under the HHR’s retro-styled hood.
As Chrysler uses Detroit’s annual Woodward Dream Cruise to roll out another snoozer special edition of the extremely long-in-the-tooth PT Cruiser”this time the Sunset Boulevard Cruiser, inspired by a street 2300 miles and several tax brackets away from Motown’s famed avenue”Chevrolet has decided to inject a little bit of muscle into the event. Make that a very little bit of muscle, because the bow-tie brand has seen fit to unleash upon the world the Chevrolet HHR SS, which is, of course, based on the diminutive HHR trucklet. (more…)
BY ALISA PRIDDLE
Front-drive Malibu was to be followed by rear-drive Impala, but those plans still are in limbo.
Dealers should start receiving the new 2008 Malibu, available in four trim levels including a hybrid version, in November.
The Malibu is the last General Motors vehicle to come from the outgoing Epsilon platform that is being replaced by the new Global Midsize Vehicle Architecture. Cars from the next-generation architecture start rolling out next year with a new European-market Opel Vectra, with a steady stream to follow. (more…)
BY HOWARD WALKER
Not to be outdone by the Suzuki XL7, the new Equinox Sport gets GM’s 3.6-liter V-6, too.
Chevy’s new amped-up Equinox Sport”we’re not sure why it’s not an SS either”is due in showrooms next fall as a 2008 model. It gets GM’s 263-horsepower 3.6-liter V-6 coupled to a six-speed automatic, a stiffer suspension, forged 18-inch wheels, a new look inside and out, and will be offered with either front- or all-wheel drive. (more…)
BY LARRY WEBSTER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY AARON KILEY
Inner Beauty: The new-for-2008 Vette doesn’t look much different, but more power, better steering, and an available inteior upgrade address the car’s few shortcomings.
From a list of 22 new and notable features on the 2008 Corvette, item 12 caught our eye: improved steering feel. (more…)
By ALISA PRIDDLE, PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS DOANE FOR BRENDA PRIDDY & COMPANY, MORGAN SEGAL, AND THE MANUFACTURER
Lutz: Like developing a new Corvette.
It appears the Blue Devil Corvette already is so quick it has even outrun a freeze on large and powerful rear-drive cars at General Motors, and it’s not even finished yet.
That one is too late to stop. That’s almost finished. It’s in the final stages of tuning, Bob Lutz, vice-chairman in charge of product development, told Car and Driver during a recent interview in which he outlined a series of rear-drive projects that have been put on hold until the automaker knows how strict the proposed new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations will be. (more…)
The 2007 Chevrolet Corvette is a 2-door, 2-passenger sports car, or convertible sports car, available in 7 trims, ranging from the Coupe LT1 to the Z06 LZ2. (more…)
