Chevrolet Colorado replacement hits the road

Published May 08, 2013

FoxNews.com

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  2013 Chevrolet Colorado (Thailand)Chevrolet

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Chevy’s got a little secret.

But it’s almost out.

A prototype of the upcoming replacement for the Colorado small pickup was recently spotted on a test drive sporting an updated look from the existing foreign-markets truck that it’s based on.

Set to go on sale in the United States late next year, the new truck appears to have adopted a squarer, upright grille that’s closer to the new Silverado’s than the soft, crossover-style face of the Colorado currently sold overseas.

Read: New F-150 and GM midsize pickups set to face off in 2014

The headlights are arranged horizontally, however, not vertically as on the Silverado, and are exposed on the prototype, perhaps suggesting a final design similar to what’s found on the Chevy Sonic.

A GMC Canyon replacement will be built off of the same platform, although use of the Canyon and Colorado names has not been confirmed. GM ended production of the last generation trucks in 2012, and the updated models will be built at its factory in Wentzville, Mo.

General Motors North America President Mark Reuss recently said that the Colorado replacement would be aimed at lifestyle buyers, while the GMC version will be more of a work truck.

No word yet on what kind of engines will find their way behind that bold grill, but fuel economy will be a key selling point of the compact trucks and four and six-cylinder engines are likely.

The Colorado is offered only with diesel engines abroad, and with Chevy’s recent introduction of a diesel model of its Cruze subcompact in the U.S., the possibility of an oil-burning Colorado or Canyon is not out of the question.

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The DIY Chevrolet V12

By Nelson Ireson

Published May 06, 2013

High Gear Media

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Who among us hasn't had the idea? Just chop a couple of engines in two and smush the pieces together: instant V-12/V-16/V-24/awesomeness.

Well, the fantasy recipe works, friends. At least it does when you combine it with a suitable dose of extreme welding and cutting skills and a dash of mad genius. V12Baker of the LS1Tech forums has that mixture.

He (or she) also has the photos to prove it, starting with dummy blocks illustrating the mid-cylinder cut and weld line, the cut-and-welded heads, and the reconfigured crank and cam shafts. The result? An 8.9-liter V-12 that's only 8.8 inches longer than a stock LS-block V-8.

Better yet, the properly mad V12Baker also plans to set a supercharger atop the engine.

With the firing order of a V-16 minus four cylinders rather than a traditional V-12 order, the builder thinks it "should be a wicked sounding V-12."

The finished product will be going into a Datsun 280Z, because when you're bulding a ridiculous custom supercharged V-12, it should end up in a 2,600-pound car.

This isn't the first time V12Baker has gone down this path (it's the fifth time, actually), but it may be the best.

Hit the fifth page of the thread for a special bonus: an LS-based V-4.

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2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray price revealed

Published April 26, 2013

FoxNews.com

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Aside from how it fast it is, the biggest question surrounding the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray has been what it will cost.

Question answered.

The seventh generation ‘Vette will bow later this year with a starting price of $51,995 destination charge included. That’s just $1,400 more than the current car. Convertible Stingrays will cost $56,995, a $1,240 jump.

Both models feature a much higher level of standard equipment than the over the hill sixth-generation car, including carbon fiber bodywork, improved interior materials and a touchscreen based infotainment system, not to mention it’s all-new 450 hp 6.2-ltier V8.

Some significant options include a magnetic active suspension system for $1,795, a Z51 performance package priced at $2,800 and a full leather-wrapped interior upgrade for $8,005.

Load one up with everything on the options list and you’re looking at around $73,360.

Sales of the 2014 Corvette are expected to start in late summer.

Read: First 2014 Chevrolet Corvette sells for $1.1 million

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Chevrolet offers drag racers a Camaro rolling chassis

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If you missed your chance at getting one of the drag-strip-ready COPO Camaros that Chevrolet was building for 2013, the brand is giving drag racers a second chance (of sorts). On March 28, Chevrolet Performance will begin selling an unspecified but “limited number” of Camaro rolling chassis, priced at $55,000.

That money buys you a specially-numbered roller that’s built alongside the COPO Camaros in the Oshawa assembly plant. Each comes in Summit White, with production window glass, headlamps, tail lamps, an NHRA-approved roll cage, racing seats, an instrument panel, a steering wheel, door panels, carpeting and a headliner.

Even the basic body and chassis wiring harnesses are included, though the engine wiring harness is not part of the deal. NHRA-approved suspension bits are used, and the roller gets Bogart racing wheels shod with Hoosier tires.

That means builders need only supply an engine (with intake, exhaust headers and engine mounts), an ECU, a wiring harness, a battery, coolant hoses (for the included radiator), a transmission and shifter, a driveshaft and a differential third member.

In fact, buyers can do essentially all of their shopping out of the Chevrolet Performance catalog, and can even order up the COPO Build Book to virtually duplicate the brand’s turnkey drag racer.

While $55,000 may sound like a lot of money for an incomplete race car (especially when a brand-new Camaro SS can be purchased for a little over $33,000), trust us on this: it would cost you more to tear down a new SS and build the equivalent roller yourself, not to mention how many hours the project would eat up.

For collectors, this may not be as attractive as snapping up one of the 69 COPO Camaros built for 2013, but for racers, this may prove to be an even-more-attractive alternative.

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The Chevrolet that just won't die

Published March 14, 2013

FoxNews.com

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  2013 Chevrolet ImpalaChevrolet

This zombie thing is getting out of control.

Even though it’s set to be replaced by an all-new car in the coming weeks, the current Chevrolet Impala, which is the last car available with a front bench seat, will live on after its retail death as a fleet-only product.

According to Automotive News, the vehicle, which essentially has been on the road since the year 2000, will be called the Impala Limited and produced at least through the middle of next year.

Review: 2012 Chevrolet Impala

Familiar to car rental outlet regulars, the over the hill Impala remains a big seller for GM, with nearly 170,000 of them moved last year, but since 75 percent of those were delivered to fleets, Chevy is definitely due for some new full-size sedan blood to bring customers into showrooms.

Automakers prefer retail sales of their vehicles, as a heavy fleet presence lowers the resale value of the cars and is typically a drag on their image.

Chevy currently offers its Captiva crossover as a fleet-only vehicle so it doesn’t have to draw volume from its popular Equinox to meet demand.

The 2014 Impala (unlimited?) is set to hit showrooms in mid April.

View the original article here

Chevrolet SS model criticized in Israel for evoking name of Nazi organization

The recently introduced 2014 Chevrolet SS muscle car has been welcomed in NASCAR country with open arms, but GM’s latest halo car isn’t getting as warm of a response in The Holy Land.

It’s not the performance of the 415 hp V8-powered sedan that’s at issue, but the name: SS.

It’s short for Super Sport, but an official at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem says the name evokes memories of Nazi Germany’s paramilitary Schutzstaffel organization, infamously known as the SS, which was the primary force behind the Holocaust that killed over 6 million Jews in Nazi occupied lands.

“The use of this name is very inappropriate, Baruch Shuv told Yedioth Ahronoth. Shuv, who is also the head of the Orgainization of Partisans, Underground Fighters and Ghetto Rebels in Israel added that “it is not a name that bring will them pride or success.”

However, Chevrolet spokesperson Michael Albano tells FoxNews.com that “Chevrolet has no plans to export the SS to Israel.”

Chevy has used SS for over 50 years as a model designation for some of its highest performance cars without ever facing this level of official criticism. It is currently found on the Camaro SS, but the new sedan is the first car to feature it as a standalone name.

The Australian-built sedan is expected to go on sale in the U.S. late this year.

View the original article here