Chevrolet Donates 50 Trucks to Red Cross for Storm Relief

DETROIT – Chevrolet today donated 50 Silverado full-size pickup trucks and Express cargo vans to the American Red Cross for use in relief and recovery efforts following Hurricane Sandy and other storms buffeting the Eastern seaboard and nearby states.

“It is during disasters like this that we all need to pull together as a country and Chevrolet has a role in that,” said General Motors Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson. “Making these vehicles available quickly where they can do the most good is something we can do right now.”

GM’s OnStar subsidiary is also supporting the initiative by providing each of the donated vehicles with 300 OnStar Hands-Free Calling minutes of hands-free cellular and three months of its Directions and Connections plan which includes turn-by-turn navigation services. Service available via Advisor or by download. The trucks are being pulled from existing inventory at dealerships closest to where they are needed.

In addition to the vehicle donation, the GM Foundation earlier donated $250,000 to the Red Cross Disaster Responder Program, which enables the agency to be ready to provide immediate disaster relief anywhere in the country.  The money is used to shelter, feed and meet emotional needs of disaster victims. The money also helps feed emergency workers, handle inquiries from concerned family members outside the disaster area, provide blood and blood products and help disaster victims access other available resources.

“The impact of Hurricane Sandy is being assessed up and down the East Coast and even further west, and the road to recovery will be long for many families,” said Neal Litvack, Chief Development Officer of the American Red Cross. “GM’s generous donation of vehicles and the GM Foundation’s donation of finances will help the American Red Cross to respond with shelter, food and care, aiding affected residents now and after the storm, as they move toward recovery,”

Anyone interested in providing support to hurricane victims are encouraged to visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make a donation.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4 million cars and trucks a year.  Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

About the GM Foundation

Since its inception in 1976, the GM Foundation has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to American charities, educational organizations and to disaster relief efforts worldwide. The GM Foundation focuses on supporting Education, Health and Human Services, Environment and Energy and Community Development initiatives, mainly in the communities where GM operates. Funding of the GM Foundation comes solely from GM. The last contribution to the GM Foundation was made in 2001. For more information, visit www.gm.com/gmfoundation.

Our thoughts are with all those with friends and family in the path of Hurricane Sandy. Bunker up and be safe!

Next-generation Corvette to Debut 1.13.13 in Detroit

BRASELTON, Ga. – Chevrolet today confirmed the seventh-generation Corvette will debut on Sunday evening, Jan. 13, 2013, in Detroit. To start the countdown to 1.13.13, Chevrolet is showing the new Crossed Flags logo for the new 2014 Corvette.

“The all-new, seventh-generation Corvette deserved an all-new emblem,” said Ed Welburn, GM vice president of global design. “The new Crossed Flags design reflects the character of the next Corvette. The flags are much more modern, more technical, and more detailed than before – underscoring the comprehensive redesign of the entire car.”

The new Crossed Flags logo was unveiled at Road Atlanta, where Corvette Racing celebrated a sweep of the 2012 production-based American Le Mans Series GT championships.

Chevrolet secured the manufacturer’s championship; Corvette Racing secured the team championship, and Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner captured the drivers’ championship with four wins in the nine races preceding Petit Le Mans, the 2012 ALMS season finale.

These championships make Corvette Racing the most successful team in ALMS history, with a total of 77 class wins, eight drivers’ championships, and nine manufacturer and team championships since 2001. The team has also taken seven class victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2001. Corvette Racing will campaign the C6.R for the 2013 ALMS season. The C7.R is expected to make its racing debut in 2014.

“Winning the ALMS championships with the Corvette C6.R, against prestigious competitors from Ferrari, Porsche, and BMW is the perfect send-off for the sixth-generation Corvette,” said Tadge Juechter, Corvette chief engineer. 

“The seventh-generation Corvette will build on that success,” Juechter continued. “With the new Corvette, we set out to build a world-challenging sports car with design, refinement, efficiency and driver engagement that is second to none. The result is a truly all-new Corvette. There are only two carryover parts from the C6 used in the C7 – the cabin air filter and the rear latch for the removable roof panel.”

The Crossed Flags logo has been a hallmark of the Corvette since its 1953 introduction. It has always incorporated a pair of flags, one a racing checkered flag and other featuring the Chevrolet “bowtie” emblem and a French fleur-de-lis. The design has evolved over the years, and has been featured on more than 1.5 million Corvettes built between 1953 and today.

For the seventh-generation Corvette, the Crossed Flags design is a more technical, more angular and more swept appearance – in proportion that symbolizes the new car. It is also a more detailed representation, showing greater depth, color and attention to detail.

More than 100 variations were considered before the final design was selected.

The new Crossed Flags design will be featured on the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette, which will debut for credential media on Sunday, Jan 13, 2013 in Detroit. Chevrolet will offer a limited number of tickets for Corvette enthusiasts, with proceeds benefiting the National Corvette Museum, in Bowling Green, Ky. Interested parties can contact Roc Linkov (roc@corvettemuseum.com) for more details.  

Over coming weeks, more information and video content about the seventh-generation Corvette will be unlocked on www.one13thirteen.com. Enthusiasts can join the conversation about the next-generation Corvette, as well as keep track of new announcements on Facebook (facebook.com/corvette) and Twitter @Chevrolet(#Corvette). Fans that follow the #one13thirteen hashtag on Twitter can look forward to exclusive updates.

FAST FACT: The first Corvette debuted as a concept car on Jan. 17, 1953 at the GM Motorama in New York City. That car originally featured an emblem with a checkered flag crossed with an American flag.  Because use of the American flag was prohibited as part of a commercial property, the logo was changed to the fleur-de-lis/bowtie design when the Corvette went into production in June 1953.

Courtesy of media.gm.com

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Chevrolet’s Small Car Momentum Drives SEMA Concepts

DETROIT – Chevrolet’s small cars are racking up big sales in 2012 and the bowtie brand will explore their wilder sides at the SEMA Show this year with a stable of stylized Spark, Sonic and Cruze concepts. The cars demonstrate the possibilities for customers who want a more personalized driving experience.

Chevrolet previewed the concept vehicles ahead of the Oct. 30 opening of the SEMA Show, the annual automotive aftermarket extravaganza of styling and performance, along with the multihued “The Color Run” Spark and “Pink Out” Spark – a car for a cause.

“With Chevy’s new small cars attracting young buyers with a taste for customization, Spark, Sonic and Cruze are the perfect canvasses to express their personalities,” said Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “The content, colors and performance of each concept is being evaluated for possible production as Chevrolet continues to seek new ways to give customers more choices.”

Chevy small car sales were up 97 percent in September. Sonic recorded 7,525 sales for the month, with sales of nearly 65,000 year to date through September. Spark, which went on sale earlier this year in 18 U.S. markets, recorded 2,223 sales in September. The Cruze compact sedan is one of the country’s best-selling cars, with more than 180,000 sales  through nine months of 2012. That includes 25,787 sales in September.

“The momentum with these small cars continues to build, as more customers discover their fun-to-drive spirits and high-value content, including great infotainment options – such as Sonic and Spark’s MyLink features,” said Perry.

The small-car concept vehicles demonstrate a range of performance-based styling expressions, including the first application of Chevrolet’s Z-Spec treatment for Spark with family traits, such as the mesh grille inserts and graphic accents. The Z-Spec concept demonstrates a cohesive design with a family of factory-engineered accessories and the best of the aftermarket under a single theme.

Z-Spec parts could be purchased individually to suit customer tastes and budgets. They’re designed for purchase and installation through Chevrolet dealerships with the option of installation at purchase and cost being rolled into the customer’s monthly payments. Z-Spec concepts could spawn limited-edition production models from Chevrolet.

This year’s Chevy small car SEMA vehicles include:

Cruze Upscale concept

The Cruze Upscale concept moves the compact sedan up a few rungs on the luxury ladder with a Burnished Brandy Metallic exterior and unique exterior appointments. Inside is a brown leather-trimmed interior. Features include:

• Unique ground effects package with rocker and fascia extensions
• Black Ice bright-accented exterior trim
• Tinted headlamp and fog lamp lenses
• Dark-tinted windows
• Custom 19x8.5-inch aluminum wheels finished in Black Ice
• 225/40ZR19 Bridgestone Potenza S-04 tires
• Seats trimmed in Loft Brown leather
• Loft Brown and DK Atmosphere leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Yellow accent stitching on the seats and steering wheel
• Dark Liquid Palladium high-gloss interior trim plates
• Door panels and instrument panel with Loft Brown and DK Atmosphere leather wraps and DK Atmosphere paint
• Adjustable coil-over suspension kit
• Four-piston front brake calipers with two-piece vented and drilled rotors
• Two-piston rear brake calipers with vented and drilled rotors.

Sonic Z-Spec 1 concept

This performance-oriented vision of the Sonic sedan blends the Z-Spec aesthetic with a more capable driving experience, including a power-enhancing exhaust system and upgraded brakes. The capability is matched with a custom Synergy Green exterior. Details include:

• Chevrolet licensed accessories Borla exhaust system
• Lowered ride height, with Chevrolet Performance concept suspension kit, including lowering sprints and performance dampers
• Chevrolet Performance concept brake kit, featuring four-piston front disc brake calipers with 16-inch rotors
• Eighteen-inch split-spoke wheel design with Synergy Green insert
• Sonic RS rear spoiler in Ashen Grey
• Ashen Grey Metallic Z-Spec stripe and logos
• Chevrolet Accessories ground effects kit
• Mesh-style upper and lower grilles in Piano Black with Ashen Grey surrounds
• Chevrolet Accessories stainless steel pedals
• Chevrolet Accessories stainless steel sill plates
• Jet Black and Titanium interior with Chevrolet Accessories stainless steel pedal covers and sill plates
• Chevrolet MyLink color touch screen
• Chevrolet licensed accessories Sub and Amp Kit, with KICKER 200-watt DSP amp and 200-watt powered subwoofer.

Sonic Z-Spec 2.5 concept

A tuner-inspired concept with the performance to back up its aggressive stance, the Sonic Z-Spec 2.5 sedan shows what’s attainable with Chevrolet Performance and GM Accessories parts, along with select aftermarket components and a dash of color. Highlights include:

• Abalone White Tricoat exterior color with Z-Spec graphics
• Unique ground effects package and lower fascia extensions
• Chevrolet Accessories rear spoiler
• Galvano Silver accents on the grille surround, fog lamp bezels door trim and wheels
• Tinted headlamps and fog lamps
• Concept 18x7.5-inch wheels in Galvano Silver with Signal Red edges
• Jet Black leather-trimmed interior with Orange Crust leather inserts and orange accent stitching
• Orange anodized and Piano Black interior trim plates
• Jet Black Leather-, Jet Black Suede- and Orange Suede-wrapped door panels and instrument panel with Orange accent stitching
• Jet Black perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Chevrolet Accessories stainless steel pedal covers
• Chevrolet MyLInk color touch screen
• Chevrolet licensed accessories Sub and Amp Kit, with KICKER 200-watt DSP amp and 200-watt powered subwoofer
• Lowered ride height, with Chevrolet Performance concept suspension kit, including lowering sprints and performance dampers
• Chevrolet Performance concept brake kit, featuring four-piston front disc brake calipers with 16-inch rotors
• Chevrolet Performance concept single-piston rear brake calipers with Sonic RS rotors
• Chevrolet Performance concept cold-air intake kit
• Chevrolet licensed accessories Borla exhaust system.

Spark Z-Spec concept

The Spark Z-Spec demonstrates a cohesive and branded package of enhancements drawn from accessories already available through Chevrolet dealers – giving the cheeky Spark a definite attitude. The Salsa Red concept is distinguished from production models with:

• Chevrolet Accessories ground effects kit (body color)
• Chevrolet Accessories Z-spec grille with Carbon Flash-painted surround
• Grille surrounds, headlamp housings, fog lamp bezels, belt moldings and rear diffuser painted Dark Argent
• Z-Spec body graphics in matte black
• Chevrolet Performance licensed front lowering coil-over springs and rear adjustable springs
• Concept 15x6-inch split-spoke wheels in Dark Argent with Salsa Red inserts and tire stripes
• Lowered ride height
• Seats trimmed with Salsa Red inserts
• Front door and instrument panel inserts in Salsa Red
• Chevrolet Accessories stainless steel pedal covers and sill plates
• Chevrolet MyLInk color touch screen.

Spark Sinister concept

The aggressive-looking Spark Sinister concept blends rally-inspired exterior cues with a black appearance for a night-racing aesthetic that looks at home in the shadows of a city’s industrial district. Its content includes:

• Dramatic body work with bold rocker fairings, a rear diffuser with dual exhaust outlets, rear wing spoiler and a front fascia with large air intakes
• Prominent fender flares to cover large, 18x6-inch split-spoke wheels – in Bahia Red –  and low-profile performance tires: 205/40ZR18 (front) and 225/40ZR18 (rear)
• Lowered ride height
• Carbon Flash Metallic exterior with Bahia Red accents and matte-black graphics.

‘The Color Run’ Spark

Chevrolet Spark is the official pace car of The Color Run – a popular, nationwide series of urban 5K races in which thousands of participants are doused from head to toe in different colors for each kilometer – and it leads the pack in a colorful display of its own. A custom, multihued graphics package gives the Spark a post-race appearance while a Chevrolet Accessories ground effects kit and Z-Spec grille give it a sportier profile. The production 15-inch split spoke wheels are painted white, but don’t stay that way once color-dousing participants shower this one-of-a-kind pace car with colored corn starch along the route. Inside, custom seat with The Color Run graphics are featured, along with Chevrolet Accessories stainless steel pedal covers and sill plates.

‘Pink Out’ Spark Cancer Awareness Concept

Chevrolet takes a stand against breast cancer and supports the American Cancer Society with a Techno Pink Spark that’s adorned with pink ribbon graphics. It also wears Chevrolet Accessories ground effects and a Z-spec grille. Inside, pink accent colors – including a pink suede headliner, pillar trim, instrument panel trim and accent piping – round out the cause-inspired theme. More information about American Cancer Society’s breast cancer-fighting programs is available at www.cancer.org.

Chevrolet Malibu Collection | Malibu Style

Climatic Wind Tunnel Puts All-New Malibu Turbo to the Test

DETROIT – 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.

“The new Malibu turbo was designed with the things that matter to our customers in mind, like starting on cold mornings and not overheating on hot summer days,” said Jeremy Loveday, Malibu turbo’s program engineering manager. “The Climatic Wind Tunnel helped us place the Malibu turbo in extreme conditions – if the car survives there, then it’ll perform extremely well when customers have them.”

Courtesy of media.gm.con