Chevrolet Trucks Blog

Remember Bumblebee, the lovable, yellow Chevy Camaro from the Tranformers flick? Of course you do. He beat up the Decepticon Barricade and helped Shia Labouf snag Megan Fox thus winning the hearts of everyone who watched him and making Chevrolet’s new hybrid Camaro something to look forward too. Since Chevrolet was able to conquer the sports car market thanks to that big-budget flick, they now seem intent on establishing themselves in the SUV Market by launching its newest concept, the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse.

The 2009 Chevrolet Traverse, which is based slightly on Chevy’s Malibu, is the fourth crossover to come out of their design studio. The SUV is built with a direct injection 3.6 liter V-6 engine that dishes out 281 horsepower. Once equipped with a dual exhaust, this mean machine can increase its horsepower to 286 hp. The Traverse also comes with a six-speed automatic transmission equipped with a front or all-wheel-drive feature and is capable of providing 25 to 26 mpg in terms of highway mileage.

Aside from its spruced up engine, the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse has a 4,500 lbs. towing capacity, StabiliTrak and OnStar systems installed in it and turn-signal repeaters included in its sideview mirrors. The SUV is capable of seating seven to eight passengers, so as part of its safety features, six airbags were installed capable of protecting all three rows of passengers. Optional features of the SUV include heated and cooled seats, a DVD player and a rearview camera.

According to Chevrolet, the 2009 Traverse will come in three versions: the LS, LT and LTZ models.

Can Chevrolet capture the minds and hearts of motorists just like they did in Transformers with their hybrid Camaro? I’m sure they’re hoping for that as well.

Sources: Freep, Motor Trend, WZZM 13, Auto 123

Alternative, eco-friendly fuel stations have been slowly sprouting around the country like ant hills thanks to the widespread attempt of car companies to create vehicles using this type of fuel. Now Chevrolet plans on joining the fray.

Based on reports, the Classic Chevorlet/Hummer dealership located in Grapevine will be putting up a fuel station which will provide E85 ethanol based fuel and biodiesel fuel. The dealership will be shelling out $500,000 in order to finance the development of the station.

The new Grapevine station will be seventh fuel station in Dallas-Fort Worth to provide this type of fuel.

Source: Star Telegram

Chevrolet has decided to get sporty by sponsoring the Football Matters Academies which is headed by David Platt, a former England midfielder. The program will work on introducing football to children aged 4-14 all over the UK.

Academies will be set up to accommodate 150 participants, who will be offered training on sports, journalism, physiotherapy, nutrition and leadership skills as well as football coaching.

The program will begin during Easter and carry through the summer and will be held at football clubs and schools.

Source: Motor Trader

This just made me remember a scene from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. In this sequence, the Terminator, John Connor and Katherine Brewster just narrowly escaped the T-X (Kristanna Loken). However, they were not able to escape unscathed. The Terminator suffered damage to his abdomen which contained his hydrogen fuel cells. These cells were damaged and set to explode in a matter of seconds. To avoid harming his companions, the Terminator removed it from his body and threw it out of the car where it exploded, mushroom cloud and all. Now the reason why I brought up this topic is because General Motors is trying to work on the same technology for their Chevrolet brand.

At the Philadelphia Auto Show, General Motors will be introducing a new type of alternative fuel for its Chevrolet Equinox SUV. The plan is to make the vehicle run on a hydrogen fuel cell. According to GM, the SUV will be combining hydrogen and oxygen in order to generate electricity and power the car. This alternative fuel cell will enable the Equinox to reach 160 miles just by relying on a single tank of hydrogen.

Based on the reports collected by delawareonline.com, GM shelled out around $1 billion in order to fund this project and be the first car manufacturer to mass-produce a hydrogen-powered vehicle.

As part of their campaign, GM will launch a promotion called “Project Driveway.” They will have one hundred drivers from New York, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles test-drive the hydrogen-powered Chevrolet Equinox for three months. During this test-drive, these drivers will report to GM whatever findings they may have while using this vehicle.

GM has also joined forces with Shell in order to provide the participating drivers with a service station carrying hydrogen fuel. . Per their agreement, Shell has set-up five service stations with hydrogen facilities, one in White Plains NY, one in Washington and three in California.

Although GM has exerted a lot of effort in promoting this technological advancement, the public will not be able to get their hands on this type of vehicle anytime soon.

“It won’t be until sometime in the next decade that the public will be able to buy GM’s fuel-cell vehicles,” according to John F. Smith, GM’s group vice-president for global product planning.

Well that gives GM ample time to make sure that these hydrogen fuel-cells don’t explode when damaged just like what happened in Terminator 3. Makes you wonder whether GM will end up becoming like Skynet in the near future.

Sources: Fuel Cell Today, Delaware Online, Terminator, Rise of the Machines

Chevy just hit the jackpot when it was dubbed the “official vehicle of the 50^th Annual Grammy Awards” and was tapped to provide a throng of eco-friendly vehicles to be used by the different musical celebrities attending e 50^th Annual Grammy Awards which will be held on February 10, 2008 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The company will be providing Hybrid and Flexfuel 85 ethanol SUVs for the awards night. On top of the above-mentioned vehicles, Chevrolet will also be showcasing on the awards night its Chevy Volt Concept car.

As part of the agreement with this prestigious award-giving body, Chevrolet will provide them with a mix of 100 Tahoe Hybrids and Flex Fuel 85 ethanol Tahoe and Suburban SUVs. The Chevy Tahoe Hybrids features the new GM Hybrid System. It has an improved fuel economy thanks in part to the Electrically Variable Transmission (EVT) that was integrated into the car. The vehicle is also equipped with Active Fuel Management complemented with lighter and aerodynamic components that helps the vehicle achieve 21 miles per gallon of fuel economy. The Chevy Tahoe Hybrid also has the distinction of being recognized as the Green Car Journal’s 2008 Green Car of the Year thanks to its use of Flex Fuel 85 ethanol, a biofuel that is composed of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent of gasoline. This fuel helps in limiting the production of greenhouse gases during combustion, reduces the use of petroleum and provides enhanced engine performance.

The Chevy Volt Concept, a four-passenger, battery-powered car on the other hand is powered by the E-Flex propulsion system. This system was designed to help limit the motorists from going to a gas station for a refill of gas and limit the production of C02 emissions. The Chevy Volt, once fully-charged, can run without the use of gas and will not emit any exhaust gases. Recharging can be done through the use of a 110-volt electrical outlet. The car primarily makes use of a gas engine to generate electricity. Other sources of electricity that can also be used to help power the Chevy Volt are wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric energies and biofuels.

Source: Auto News 24H