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

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

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

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

Pimping ain’t easy. How many times have we heard that being said? In case you’re wondering, we’re not talking about the difficulties pimps and their “working class” ladies encounter. No, no. It’s about “pimping” or sprucing up your old ride and converting it into something new. Take for example what this guy from Marshall, Texas did to his 2000 Chevrolet Silverado.

Chris Redmond, a painter, has been working on his ride for quite some time now. It all started when he accidentally backed his truck into a pole. Back then his truck was just in a mild custom state, nothing fancy. That accident triggered the genius in him to redesign and refurbish the truck. To do this, he had to get some help. Since he didn’t have a shop of his own, Chris asked for a space from his good friend and owner (wow, what a coincidence) of Certified Collision, an auto shop in his state, Eric Nichols.

Once he had the space to work with, Chris started to get the parts he needed with the help of his other friend, Rob Robinson. The first thing they did was work on getting a tail gate and a roll pan. They followed it up by getting the front grille of a ‘68 Chevy truck from their local junkyard to replace the current grille the Silverado had. Once they had everything in place, that’s when they started to get their hands dirty.

Without any background on how to do this type of customization, Chris and Rob worked on removing the entire grille and bumper in order to customize the ’68 grille they got and match it with the Silverado’s front. Once they got the design specs in order, they began cutting and reshaping the ’68 grille to match the car’s curves at the front. Chris also ended up using two bed sides to support the installation of the car’s bumper. A roll pan was placed on top of it in order to have a place for his license plate. The duo finished the truck off by painting the Silverado red and black.

And voila, Chris had a customized 2000 Chevrolet Silverado that would make Xzibit and his boys from Pimp My Ride a run for their money.

Source: Sport Truck

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

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

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