Chevrolet Trucks Blog

Reports have revealed that the exterior changes done on the Chevrolet Matiz will give it a more sporty and modern look.

Since it was launched in 2005, the Chevrolet Matiz has been one of the most attractive and best-selling city cars on the European car market.

There will be new external features to expect for MY 2008. All modifications for the Matiz will be available for the SX and SE models.

Reports also indicated that the exterior changes are most noticeable at the front end. There is the new two-tone bumper that will offer a choice among black and other body color. The bumper integrates the air intake in a sporty, more aggressive fashion, if compared to the current design. The upper part of the bumper, which is noticeably larger, includes the Chevrolet logo. While, the lower part features a honeycomb design and extends into the black area where the license plate is mounted.

The theme is continued by black rails that run across the doors and the entire side of the vehicle. The sharp edges of the rear bumper take up the design and the lower black portion of the bumper complements the sporty character of the new Matiz.

A three-tone interior will be available for all Matiz models. The small Chevrolet can now also be ordered with orange, green and blue interior trims. But the current trim is only available in gray with colored patterns, the new interior however, offers colorful fabrics with gray patterns,which gives the car a fresh and young look.

Chevrolet’s 0 percent interest program to sell more than 10,000 units of the new 2006 models are way too late according to some Chevrolet dealers.

The program offers 0 percent financing for up to 60 months on 2006 models, including the 404 Corvettes and the last 16 SSR hot rod pickups. As an alternative, rebates of up to $7,000 are available on some models. The said program began June 15 and will end on Wednesday, June 27.

Last week, Chevrolet told dealers that 10,231 2006 models were in inventory nationwide. Colorado pickups topped the list with 1,588 units, followed by the Monte Carlo with 1,390. Last, were the Suburban with 10 units and the TrailBlazer EXT with four.

Production for the new Chevrolet Volt was ready until General Motors (GM) decides to take another look at it. According to reliable sources, after some careful considerations, GM finally chose to replace the internal combustion engine for a newly developed 5th generation hydrogen fuel cell. The fuel cell promises absolutely no tailpipe emission ever.

Reports also showed that the Volt Fuel Cell’s external aspect is extremely similar to the Volt Extended Range Vehicle, which was its initial design. The similarities ends with both vehicles having E-Flex power train system. The Volt Fuel Cell includes the newly developed fuel cell system that GM’s research team has been working on. The new system uses fuel cell stacks that are 30 percent smaller but still just as powerful. The fuel cell system is now small enough to fit into the space designed for the original 1.0 liter 3 cylinder engine.

The back wheels of the vehicle can be controlled to eliminate over steering and under steering because of the inclusion of two separate rear wheel electric motors.

There are still no verifications on which country will be the first to offer the Volt Fuel Cell. Some are speculating that China would be leading, but the United States will surely not be the last. General Motors has also designed some variations of the Volt Fuel Cell to other market in different nations with various vehicle needs.

The GM research and development teams are still working on the charging system. Presently, the batteries take about six hours to charge up on a normal 110-volt outlet. There are other alternatives such as an internal charging system and an adaptation of the EV1 charging system which are being considered.

In terms of the safety concerns of consumers regarding the hydrogen-powered cars, the company have carefully tested these vehicles. In addition to that, cars equipped with the new hydrogen systems have passed all government required testing.

GM have not released any specific date when the Volt Fuel Cell will start its production or when they will be available in the market.

Last night was definitely a big night for General Motors with the Chevrolet Volt Concept taking home both the 2007 North American Specialty Concept Vehicle of the Year and the Most Significant Concept Vehicle of the Year award. The concept car awards recognize those vehicles most likely to shape the future of the automobile industry and were presented yesterday at a special ceremony at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan.

GM’s new electric vehicle concept, the Chevrolet Volt Concept was revealed at the North American International Auto Show in January. The concept car is a battery-powered electric vehicle that uses a gas engine to create additional electricity to extend its range. GM announced a fuel cell variant of the Volt concept at the 2007 Shanghai Motor Show in April.

Bob Boniface, director of GM advanced design and Chevrolet Volt lead designer accepted the awards on behalf of GM. The ceremony was organized by the South East Automotive Media Organization (SEAMO)

Another main attraction of the event was when GM Holden’s wild 21st Century hot rod reincarnation of Australia’s most famous car, the FJ Holden, won the 2007 North American Concept Car of the Year.

The EFIJY concept car was first unveiled at the Sydney Motor Show in October 2005 and has gathered a growing number of fans wherever it has been displayed. Creating the EFIJY was a passionate side project for some Holden Design team members otherwise immersed in creating the all-new 2006 Commodore.

A jury consisting of professional automotive journalists selected the winners from 33 concept vehicles and 11 production preview vehicles that made a North American debut during the 2007 auto show season.

“It’s nice to know that there is still a place in the concept car arena for a purely expressive design.” Commenting on this latest accolade for the EFIJY, GM Holden’s Director of Design Tony Stolfo, said, “It’s been amazing the way this car has been received wherever it has been shown. “It was a real labor of love from all those involved in its creation and the end result is a testament to their dedication and creativity.

In another customization project, Rick Slape set out to build a classic custom that any builder would be proud to claim. This project requires a lot of his personal time and skill invested, not to mention some of the great work from local Bakersfield, California, craftsmen. Time and hard work resulted to an amazing outcome.

The base for this custom ‘48 Chevy is an ‘88 S-10 chassis that uses some stock equipment and numerous custom modifications. For example, the factory 15-gallon steel gas tank was modified to fit the ‘48 body, and the rear trailing arm suspension was hand built by Slape. At each corner, the custom suspension uses had new airbags and shocks to soak up the bumps. Up front on the ride are 18×8-inch wheels, while 20×9-1/2-inch wheels can be seen out back.

The interior of the ‘48 has nearly as many modifications as the sheetmetal outside. The dash was stretched 2 inches to meet the new door panels, before it was painted with the same PPG Yellow as the exterior. Slape did both the custom floor and overhead consoles. To tie up the whole yellow and purple theme, the seats were wrapped with yellow vinyl and purple tweed .

Once people popped the hood and they would see polished billet and cast aluminum and a chromed master cylinder surrounding the 350ci V-8. The smooth treatment didn’t stop with the bolt-on pieces, the entire block and cylinder heads were smoothed to complete the look. Slape also made the headers They dump into a 2-1/2-inch exhaust that leads to Stainless Works mufflers. Although it’s not on display, if you do peek underneath the truck you’ll see a 10-bolt Chevrolet rear end filled with 3.08 gears.