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The Chevy Volt Electric Vehicle Unveiled
After several years of record breaking fuel prices, many consumers have demanded action from car manufacturers to deliver vehicles that are more fuel efficient. One of the earliest vehicles on the market that became incredibly successful due to its fuel economy is the Toyota Prius. As General Motors saw a big chunk of their market buying Priuses, GM took a bold step and created the Chevy Volt- an all electric vehicle determined to reshape the car industry for the future.
The Chevy Volt is a passenger vehicle and similar in appearance to the Prius, however instead of being a hybrid (running both on gas and electricity), the Chevy Volt offers an electric motor powered by Lithium-ion batteries. It should be noted that a small gas engine may be included (making it also a hybrid), but this gas burning engine will only power up the batteries and not run the vehicle directly. Slated for sale starting as early as Fall 2009 as a 2010 production model, on September 17, 2008 the Chevy Volt was finally unveiled to the press.
Fuel economy is unknown until more tests are done, however GM has stated that with a full charge in its current configuration, the vehicle can get about 40 miles to a charge. This is more than most Americans drive in one day and using the small gas engine to charge the batteries, theoretically, you can drive all day long with relatively high fuel economy.
As far as price goes, most industry analysts are expecting the vehicle to be anywhere from the low thirty thousand dollar range to the forty thousand or more. However, GM is expecting backing from the US government in the form of tax rebates for consumers which may drive down the price further.
Tags: Chevrolet, Gas, Hybrid Cars
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Chevrolet’s 2008 Hybrids - The Malibu and The Tahoe
There are two main influences that drive the automotive industry to introduce and develop more energy efficient automobiles. Hybrid automotive technology and other alternative fuel powered automobiles are nothing new to the industry, there were cars run on plant based oils in the early 1900’s and electric cars have been around for decades. Though these alternatively powered vehicles were in existence earlier, there were always problems with either production or performance issues. Currently though the market has swung and there is more and more demand for alternatively powered vehicles each year now. Chevrolet, and its parent company General Motors, have seen this demand and answered it by offering two vehicles that embrace and utilize hybrid engine technology.
Chevrolet tackled the issue of alternative vehicles, hybrid powered vehicles to be specific, by offering two main production models, the Chevy Malibu and the Chevy Tahoe. Hybrid technology allows for electric motors to run in tandem with standard petroleum powered engines. The idea is that the electric motor can power the incidental and accessory items in a vehicle like air conditioning, stereos, lights, and power windows to name a few. While that is happening, the regular engine can use less power overall while it is devoted solely to powering the vehicle down the road. The Malibu joins a growing list of hybrid vehicles being offered by the major car manufacturers and the SUV Tahoe sticks out as one of the few truly hybrid SUVs available on the market today.
The 2008 Chevy Malibu Hybrid is a great option for vehicle buyers interested in the purchase of a hybrid vehicle. The Malibu has a very modern appearance with 18 inch alloy wheels accented with chrome. The modern appearance and functionality follows inside as well with heated bucket seats, climate control system, and more. The six speed automatic transmission provides more than enough power to move this sporty looking family friendly vehicle down both in-town and highway/freeway roads. Safety is also covered well as the 2008 Malibu also attained five star crash ratings in both front and side impact tests.
Two of the more popular reasons a vehicle buyer may purchase a 2008 Chevy Malibu Hybrid is for its fuel efficiency and its benefit to the environment. The Malibu Hybrid is a very nice green vehicle, but doesn’t exhibit the phenomenal gas mileage found in some other hybrid vehicles on the market. The stated mileage is 24mpg in the city and 32mpg on the highway which may or may not be better than a buyer’s current vehicle’s performance. The 2008 Malibu Hybrid also comes equipped with a dashboard indicator that will let the driver know when the vehicle is operating at its most efficient. It truly is one of the nicer hybrid vehicle options available for consumers to take a look at.
The 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid was a direct response to Ford’s Escape Hybrid. Chevy has replaced the wasteful V-8 standard engine with a newer and better designed V-8 engine that also takes advantage of newer “green” technology. This newer engine makes use of Active Fuel Management as well as a two mode hybrid propulsion system. Amazingly, the Tahoe Hybrid appears to have similar high performance results as the standard Tahoe model. Add to that the increased fuel efficiency, the eyes of many skeptics were opened wide when the Tahoe Hybrid began reporting mileage of up to 21 in the city and 22 on the highway, which is borderline phenomenal for a large size luxury SUV.
In terms of accessories, options, and features, the Tahoe Hybrid has won over new fans and kept fans of the previous models satisfied as well. The new Tahoe features updated looks and lines with a sleeker shaped body including a front end with a lower profile, more pleasantly shaped contours, and a much improved grille. The 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid has impressed industry experts so much that after being out on the market for less than a year it was able to garner many awards like the Green Car Journal’s Green Car of the Year.
The coming need for alternatively fueled vehicles has been acknowledged by many and embraced by some. Chevrolet embraced this theory and produced two of the more popular, accessible, and positively received hybrid vehicles, the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid and the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid. There will be much excitement in the years to come looking at all of the new hybrid technology that builds on the development and production of the current hybrid technology, and it appears that a large segment of automobile buyers will be waiting and willing to give it a chance.
Tags: Chevrolet, Gas, Hybrid Cars
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Fun facts about the Chevrolet Corvette
One of the more popular American made sports cars for decades has been the Corvette. The Corvette is manufactured by General Motors owned Chevrolet and is one of the signature cars of not only that company, but of the American presence in the automotive industry as a whole. The Corvette has captured both the fantasy and imagination of the public and remains one of the more sought after vehicles in the United States and abroad. Many limited edition and classic Corvettes have sold for serious money at auction, proving that the desire for these cars is not temporary or on a fly-by-night basis. The Corvette continues to be the epitome of “cool”.
Here are some fun facts that you may not have known about the Chevrolet Corvette:
-The original front emblem logo on the Corvettes that made the trade show circuit featured a checkered flag and an American flag crossed, later Chevrolet was alerted to the fact that it is illegal to use an American flag on a trademark and the logo was changed.
-As revolutionary that the Corvette was when introduced in 1953, the only part or component included in its manufacturing that was not already available in other Chevrolet models was the fiberglass body.
-Manual transmission was listed as an option on the 1954 Chevrolet Corvette, but no model was ordered, manufactured, or delivered that year with a manual transmission.
-The 1958 Chevrolet Corvette was the first ‘Vette with factory installed seat belts.
-The first year that an AM/FM radio was offered as an option in a Corvette was 1968.
-The 1963 through 1967 Corvettes were known as “Sting Rays”. The model name disappeared in 1968, but returned in 1969 only to be spelled as one word, “Stingray”
-The last Corvette manufactured to run on the old style “leaded” fuel was produced in 1974.
-The most Chevrolet Corvettes ever manufactured in one year was over 53,807 in 1979.
-The first Corvette produced with windshield wipers that clear water in the same direction instead of opposing directions was made in 1997.
-In 2005, Chevrolet manufactured Corvettes without the famous pop-up headlights for the first time since 1962.
The Chevrolet Corvette has been one of the most popular American made sportscars for decades, and with good reason. From its high performance design that delivers amazing on-road results to the always innovative thinking that brings new options and developments with almost every new model, the Corvette has set itself up to remain the standard by which all other American sportscars will be judged by in the future.
Tags: Car Reviews, Chevrolet, Fun
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A Look At The 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid
The world has been programmed to see larger vehicles as gas guzzlers. Large pickup trucks, motor homes, and SUVs have always been looked at as being bad for the environment and bad on gas mileage. With word that the major automobile manufacturers of the world were contemplating adding hybrid technology to sport utility vehicles, many have looked forward to the first large size vehicle to stand out from the crowd and be fuel efficient and easier on the environment.
Chevrolet was the first company to get a hybrid sport utility vehicle on the market, beating all others in this race to give the public what they wanted. The 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid is the vehicle that those concerned with both fuel efficiency and environmental concerns have been waiting for. The Green Car Journal, one of the more noted environmental publications, has named the 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid as the Green Car of the Year. Usually new technology or new models require a year or two on the market for them to work out the kinks before acquiring such valuable awards as this.
This hybrid sport utility vehicle is available in both two wheel drive and four wheel drive varieties. Years ago it would’ve been unheard of to think of a four wheel drive SUV that embraced and made use of hybrid technology. The hybrid version of the 2008 Tahoe also comes through with relatively the same amount of power and SUV capability as the regular version, but with more efficiency than previously thought possible in a sport utility vehicle.
The hybrid propulsion system of the 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid is designed to operate in three different ways. It can be operated under electric power, full engine power, or a combination of electric and engine power that offers new levels of efficiency without sacrificing any of attributes that people looking for SUVs insist on their vehicles having. The vehicle has the capability of painlessly utilizing its Vortec V8 when it is needed and also operate efficiently off of its two small 60kW motors that provide more than enough power to get most jobs done.
The 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid also offers another bonus. Using what Chevy refers to as its Active Fuel Management system, the Tahoe Hybrid can see up 50% better city fuel economy results than that of the non-hybrid model Tahoe.
When you combine the massive fuel efficiency with the versatility of running on straight engine power, full electric power, or a combination of both without losing any of features drivers demand from an SUV, it is easy to see why there is so much interest in the 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid. It will be interesting to see what features large hybrid vehicles come with in the future.
Tags: Chevrolet, Hybrid Cars, Suv
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Chevrolet
Chevrolet started out as its own brand of automobiles and was founded by William Durant and Louis Chevrolet (Durant was also the founder of GM – but had been kicked out). 1911 saw Chevrolet rolling out vehicles to compete with the classic Model T, and within a year they had the Classic Six on the market. Within just a few years the company was making mass profits that allowed Durant to reclaim his original company by buying back all the shares he needed for a majority stranglehold – and with that he once again was the owner of the conglomerate company GM.
With that he began to buy other firms and brought Chevrolet under the same team. In addition to all of this the Chevrolet manufacturing departments and innovators came up with an engine that has come to be a dominating standard in the industry, the Chevrolet 265 cube engine V8 was unveiled, and in lead to – within two years, and engine that was 283 cube inches that could launch out 220 horses, with the ability to add a bigger and better carburetor to bump that to 245, and then also a fuel injected version rated at 270 – but after testing was found to be 290 horses, more than one hp per cubic inch.
Currently Chevrolet offers many different models of vehicles with five cars, four trucks, five SUVs and two vans, with the future plans to include more and less with an ongoing restructuring of their production lines and their other brands (as they are under the control of GM – and this is a GM wide structuring). They are planning to redesign the Malibu car and will introduce it to the markets next year along with a new Camero. They also manufacture busses, and have manufacturing plants along with distribution centers in Latin America, Europe, Asia Australia, and Africa (primarily South Africa) along with selling many vehicles as re-brands by other companies (such as Daewoo in Russia).
Tags: Car Brands, Chevrolet
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