Chevrolet Trucks Blog

In 2008, the Chevrolet Impala will celebrate the golden anniversary of its launch and success in the market. The celebration will be marked with the introduction of a new commemorative model.

The 2008 Impala 50^th Anniversary Edition is equipped with a distinct trim and amenities, much like the original 1958 edition. For half a century, the Chevrolet Impala was known to be a car which has that special fun-to-drive spirit.

Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager said, “Chevrolet is thrilled to mark 50 years of the Impala. Few brands can claim such a heritage and throughout the decades, Impala has always stood for the value, performance and style that has made Chevrolet America’s car.”

The Chevrolet 50^th Anniversary Edition is expected to be released in the market in spring 2008. The said model is based on the Impala-LT which is equipped with unique and standard features. Among these are FE3 Sport Suspension (replaces the FE1 Touring Suspension), four-wheel ABS, eighteen-inch alloy wheels (replaces 16-inch wheels), rear spoiler, “50th Anniversary”, Impala badge on the C-pillar, two-tone, leather-trimmed seats and “50th” logo embroidered on the front headrests, eight-way power-adjustable driver seat (replaces six-way adjustability), leather-wrapped steering wheel with accent-color thread (includes audio controls), ebony carpet, ebony floor mats with accent threading, “50^th”Anniversary emblem on the sill plates and two premium exterior colors: Black Granite Metallic or Red Jewel Tintcoat.

Moreover, the 50^th Anniversary Impala also includes a one-year upgrade to the OnStar Directions and Connections package, including Turn-by-Turn Navigation. Other standard features also include flip-and-fold rear seats which can offer greater room for extra baggage.

The History Of The Impala

In 1958, the Chevrolet Impala was introduced as a premium package for the full-size Bel Air. As expected, it received tremendous amount of success with 60, 000 units sold. In 1959, it was considered as a stand-alone model which was equipped with the most advanced performance and features like a 335-horsepower (250 kW), 348-cubic-inch (5.7L) V-8 engine. Sales of this vehicle grew up to 175, 000.

The Impala’s full-size platform had some changes in the 1960s. This saw the introduction of several versions in the model range such as coupes, convertibles and sedans which had distinct six-taillamp rears styling. In 1961, the Impala-SS was introduced. This model focused on performance and was considered to be one of the very first muscle cars. One of the options for this model was a 409-inch V-8 that produced one horsepower per cubic inch. Only 142 of these were produced which dominated the drag racing field in the country at that time. In 1965, the full-size platform was again redesigned with a sleek new design. This resulted to sales of one million units, a record that has never been match up to today.

In 1871 and 1977, new Chevrolet Impalas were released. The 1977 model featured “downsized” styling. By the 1980s, the model name changed to Caprice.

The return of the Impala was in the year 1994 and the high-performance Impala SS was introduced. This was a sinister-looking muscle car equipped with heavy-duty powertrain and suspension components which were first found in the Caprice. For three consecutive model years, this model became a huge success.

And after leaving the market for three years, it once again returned in 2000 on Chevrolet’s full-size front-drive structure. Although this seventh-generation Impala was successful, the eight-generation introduced in 2006 proved to be more successful. In 2006 alone, sales increased to 18 per cent with 290, 000 units sold. In 2007, sales again increase by 11 per cent through November.

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Ever fancy being a rock star? Have you had dreams of being on stage in front of millions of rabid fans cheering your name and singing your songs? Better yet, have you ever played air guitar in your room while listening to your favorite rock band and wishing that it was you playing the lead guitar instead of the band’s drug-induced guitarist? Well, you’re not the only one. Actually, there are a lot of people like you out there. That’s why Chevrolet has decided to come up with its own version of the American Idol just to look for people like you.

Chevrolet has decided to launch a pan-European contest through musicnation.com open to all music artists to come up with songs that mention the words “Chevrolet” or “Chevy” in their lyrics. Chevrolet decided to come up with the contest due to the fact that a lot of popular songs released in the market have incorporated their name into the lyrics. Up to 600 songs out in the market today have mentioned Chevrolet in their lyrics.

To join, contestants must upload their songs at http://chevrolet.musicnation.com on or before February 19. The lucky winner will get a chance to have their record included in the album “Chevrolet Legends Volume Two.” The winner will also be receiving a cash prize of $500.

Judging will take place from February 19 until the beginning of March. Judges for the contest will include officials from Chevrolet Europe and Music Nation. The public will also be able to join the judging by casting a vote through the Music Nation website.

So if you feel like you’ve outgrown your air guitar ways and think that you’ve got what it takes to be Chevrolet’s next rock & roll superstar, start getting to work. The opportunity to be the next rock & roll god doesn’t appear that often.

Sources: Easier Motoring, Huliq

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Last 2007, Chevy sparked the interest of motorists when it came out with its 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid. As history has shown, hybrid concepts have a tendency to fall off the face of the concept world, never to be heard from again. Not this time. Chevrolet has announced that the eco-friendly 2009 Silverado will be released later this year. Finally, a truck that looks cool and kicks butt at the same time.

For those unaware of what features came with the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado, here’s a rundown of its capabilities. The 2009 Silverado was built with a 6-liter V-8 engine and comes equipped with Active Fuel Management and late-intake valve closing technology.

The truck gives a 40 percent increase in city fuel economy and a 25 percent increase in overall fuel economy allowing the vehicle to go more than 500 miles. The Silverado can also hit 30 miles per hour when running solely on electric mode and depending on the battery charge, the truck can even go up to a full mile. The truck is also capable of towing up to 6,100 lbs and is equipped with the GM’s 2-Mode Hybrid system that optimizes the truck’s transmission allowing it to vary its gear ratios. The Silverado also comes with a front air dam and a tonneau cover for the bed. The truck is not without its drawbacks, however, having only minimal cabin space and having the battery pack placed in the car’s backseat. Despite those two minor setbacks, the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado pretty much makes up for this with its other features.

The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado is set to come out in two types: a 2-wheel drive and a 4-wheel drive truck. Look for this bad boy to appear in the market later this year.

Sources: About.com, Auto Blog, Jalopnik,Singh Chevrolet Blog

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Looks like Malibu is starting to make waves. No, I’m not talking about the city of Malibu (although the waves there can be pretty sweet). I’m talking about the Chevrolet Malibu.

According to Ed Pepper, head of GM’s Chevrolet brand, the demand for the Chevrolet Malibu soared up to 200% this January alone. We have to admit, if the figures are correct, that is quite an impressive feat. But an increase in sales automatically means an increase in production. And that’s the one thing that’s working against Chevrolet right now since they can only produce the cars within 15 or 16 days. But I’m sure they’ll find a way to get through it. Dollar signs are popping guys. Start working on that new wave of Malibus.

Sources: Reuters, Motor Trend

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Chevrolet has announced that the 2009 Chevy HHR will be the first vehicle in their line-up to carry an E85-capable flex-fuel engine. For those unaware what this means, this means that this car gets to run on renewable fuel. The four-cylinder engine will have two versions, a 2.2-liter and 2.4-liter engine. Both engines will be able to function using either regular gas or E85 ethanol gas. That gives us a bit of flexibility to work with doesn’t it?

The word is that the 2009 Chevy HHR will be on sale during the latter part of this year. Hmm, something to look forward to.

Source: Kicking Tires

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