2013 CHEVROLET MALIBU ECO

Meeting the next generation Chevrolet Mid-Size

By Zach Bowman, Autoblog.com - It's been a very long time since the midsize market went easy on American automakers, and recent years have conspired to make an uphill sales slog even steeper with a rash of new and redesigned models. Kia and Hyundai have taken up arms by offering buyers the stylish and efficient Optima and Sonata in an effort to dethrone longtime D-segment stalwarts like the Honda Accord and the freshly redesigned Toyota Camry. Not one to back away from a fray, Nissan has been busily sharpening the next-generation Altima to do battle with the rest of the war horses on the field, and Volkswagen has just recently unleashed a new Americanized Passat to riotous praise from the automotive press.

The barbarians aren't just at the gates for automakers like Ford and General Motors. They're picknicking on the front lawn.

Ford has turned to its global operations for help designing a new Fusion fit to beat back the invading hordes while General Motors has focused on transofrming the aging Chevrolet Malibu into a weapon capable of carving out a more sizable market share. Built on new bones borrowed from the company's Global Mid-Size architecture, the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu will boast an all-new direct-injection 2.5-litre Ecotec four-cylinder engine by mid-2012 and a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder version will debut shortly thereafter.

But buyers who flock to Chevrolet dealers in the first quarter of 2012 won't find those vehicles waiting for them on the show room floor. Instead, GM has moved to launch the new 2013 Malibu with just one engine option -- it's most efficient. Meet the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco.

The outgoing Chevrolet Malibu benefited from a stylish exterior that was simply starting to grow stale in the face of fresher sheetmetal from the competition. Designers have managed to incorporate the familiar face of the 2011 model in a new way. While the company's corporate dual-inlet grille and centre-mounted Bowtie have tagged along for another generation, elements like the heavily contoured halogen projector headlights, aggressively sculpted front fascia and scalloped hood all help lend the sedan a bit more personality. The vehicle is also substantially wider than before, with a 51 mm of width added in the rear and 64 mm of span up front.

GM unleashed the aerodynamic hounds on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu in an effort to squeeze even better fuel economy from the vehicle. Subtle adjustments like squared headlight housings, slightly smaller sideview mirrors and a specifically proportioned and chamfered rear decklid are all part of the recipe along with plenty of unseen tidbits. Engineers chose a unique grille set up for the Malibu in which the upper opening is completed sealed at all times. The middle opening remains partially open to provide proper air flow for the engine compartment and the lower inlet makes use of the same active shutter technology.

Throw in a dash of underbody cladding and the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco is good for a .30 coefficient of drag. For reference, the Chevrolet Corvette is only slightly slipperier at .29 -- a figure the standard 2013 Malibu will reach in part thanks to its more aerodynamic wheel and tire package. GM tallied the pros and cons of greater fuel efficiency by decreased drag or decreased rolling resistance courtesy of the Goodyear Assurance rubber found on the Eco, and the 17-inch alloy wheels and low-rolling rubber won out against the slicker 18-inch option. GM says that the standard Malibu will feature a coefficient of drag that's within spitting distance of the .28 of the Chevrolet Volt -- a figure that vehicle shares with the 2012 Toyota Camry.

GM specifically said the automaker wanted to give mid-sized buyers a sportier, more aesthetically interesting vehicle in the 2013 Malibu. While we'll gladly agree the four-door looks as sharp as a snake bite from the front compared to most of its competitors, but as before, the design quickly grows dull toward the vehicle's rear. The company's designers have taken pains to draw parallels between the new Malibu and the Chevrolet Camaro by importing the muscle car's square taillight treatment. To put it simply, the stunt doesn't work, and the large, jutting fixtures detract from an otherwise well-executed exterior.

Even so, it's clear Chevrolet has finally taken to sweating the details on a vehicle like the 2013 Malibu. The sedan boasts incredibly tight and uniform panel gaps that help lend it a sense of quality largely absent elsewhere in the segment. The company also turned its attention to cleaning up the intermediate surfaces between interior and exterior, and as a result, you won't find any exposed fasteners or unsightly structural adhesive between the outer sheetmetal and the vehicle's newly plush innards.

Step indoors, and the Malibu welcomes you with a cabin that feels more expansive than its figures would suggest. The clever double-concave dash design serves up the impression of added spaciousness, despite the fact that the vehicle now rides on a wheelbase that's 114-mm shorter than the previous generation. Surprisingly, that abbreviation has had little impact on interior space. At 1,069 mm, front occupants will have to make due with three fewer mm of leg room, but those in the rear will be forced to make a larger sacrifice. The 2013 Malibu offers up 927 mm of rear leg room, which is a full 30 mm less than last year.

The real hitch in this giddy-up is that the Malibu isn't clearly better than any of its competition, at least in terms of interior volume. The Hyundai Sonata and Nissan Altima best the Chevrolet in front legroom, while the Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and Volkswagen Passat trump the vehicle in both front and rear categories.

The designers at Chevrolet have executed a very nice cabin, however. Quality materials abound on the upper dash with texturized soft-touch rubber. The door panels serve up a complex and attractive design with a quality feel all their own, and we appreciate the simplified centre stack immensely. The seven-inch colour LCD touch screen is a nice addition to the cabin as well, and while Chevy is proud of a hidden storage compartment behind the touch screen, the door feels cheap and flimsy compared to the rest of the interior.

Under the hood, GM has paired the same 2.4-litre four-cylinder Ecotec engine from the previous-generation Malibu with a 15 kilowatt electric motor and 115 volt lithium-ion battery pack. The engine alone produces 182 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque, though the electric motor adds in an extra 15 horsepower and 75 pound-feet of torque to that mix. Like other GM eAssist vehicles, however, this isn't a hardcore hybrid. At no point can the electric motor turn the vehicle's wheels by itself. Instead, the motor allows the 2013 Malibu to use a taller final drive gear than would otherwise be possible. That means the internal combustion engine can turn fewer rpm and consume less fuel while the electric motor picks up the slack.

In addition, the motor allows GM to cut fuel to the engine entirely upon deceleration, resulting in an aggressive auto stop system that further conserves fuel. The electric motor sits in the same location as the old alternator and is plumbed into the engine's cooling system to maintain optimum operating temperature regardless of the weather. GM has also graced the 2013 Malibu with an all-new six-speed automatic transmission, and while the car's paddle shifters have gone the way of the obsolete, the console-mounted shift lever now includes and up/down gear selector rocker on the top of the shift knob. Do yourself a favour and let the cogs swap themselves.

GM estimates that the 2013 Malibu can deliver up to 9.4 L/100 km city and 6.4 L/100 km highway, and the city figures fall fairly well in line with what we experienced during our brief time with the vehicle. Unfortunately, those numbers nearly fall in line with the base four-cylinder Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry and fall well short of both competitors' hybrid variants.

Behind the wheel, the Malibu Eco seems to suffer from nearly all the pitfalls of a hybrid vehicle without being able to offer buyers the benefits of dual-mode fuel economy. GM estimates the Malibu Eco can pull to 60 miles per hour from a dead stop in around 8.7 seconds, which is acceptable for a four-cylinder sedan. We have to wonder how the vehicle will perform with four adults and their luggage aboard, however. Throttle response feels murky and ambiguous and the vehicle's regenerative brakes are far from confidence inspiring.

Those downfalls are a real shame, too. Even with low-rolling resistance tires on all four corners, the Malibu is a confident and quiet driver at highway speed. The vehicle's steering is appropriately weighted and the comfortable front bucket seats kept us happy even after over three hours at the helm. We would have appreciated a little more power for quick two-lane passes, though chances are that has more to do with the vehicle's tall gearing and curb weight than actual horsepower figures. At 1,642 kilos (3,620 pounds), the Malibu Eco does have some weight to move around. The Chevrolet tips the scales at more than 136 kilos (300 pounds) heavier than the automatic-equipped base model Sonata and Camry. Don't think all that heft comes from the Eco's battery pack, either. The tech weighs in at just 29 kilograms (65 pounds).

We figure the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu will likely set you back around $27,000 once GM reveals final pricing in the near future. If our estimate is correct the Malibu doesn't exactly make it a steal compared to the more efficient 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid at $26,990 excluding destination.

GM has said that when it came to benchmarking vehicles for the next-generation Malibu, the company specifically looked inward with the aim of bettering the old model instead of besting the competition. To that end, the company has succeeded. The 2013 Malibu is better than the 2011 model, but based on our first drive, it still fails to stack up against the ranks of vastly improved D-segment vehicles on the market right now. With an even sharper Ford Fusion baking in the oven and substantially more efficient hybrid models from Hyundai and Toyota, the 2013 Malibu still finds itself trailing the pack.

CORVETTE Z06 TOPS MOTOR TREND LIST OF SHORTEST-STOPPING VEHICLES

By Jeremy Korzeniewski, Motor Trend - Any modern performance car worth buying puts just as much emphasis on stopping as it does on going. After all, what's the point in being able to hit ludicrous speed if you can't manage to get it back down without heading fascia-first into an unmovable object?

So, what's a good stopping distance? According to the crew at Motor Trend, 100 feet from 60 miles per hour is a pretty good starting point. And the best of the best do the deed in significantly less. How's about 93 feet, recorded by both the 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Carbon Edition and the 2008 Ferrari 430 Scuderia.

There's a smattering more Corvettes and Ferraris in the under-100-feet club, plus a couple Audis, Porsches and Vipers, along with a lone Lamborghini and the 2011 Nissan GT-R. If you're willing to allow non-DOT-approved tires, a prototype Lexus LFA managed to halt from 60 in 94 feet.

Speaking of tires, it seems that the best stopping treads are the Michelin Pilot Sport Cups, which are joined on the list by the Pirelli Pzero Corsas and a couple sets of Bridgestone Potenzas.

We've got to hand it to the Corvette Z06 for topping the list, especially since it's one of the least expensive vehicles in the under-100 club.

GM COMMITS ANOTHER $70M TO OSHAWA TO BUILD IMPALA

By Zach Bowman, Autoblog.com - General Motors has announced that it will invest an additional $70 million CAD into the company's Oshawa assembly plant to produce the next-generation Chevrolet Impala. Those funds are on top of over $104 million headed toward the facility to help launch production of the Cadillac XTS in the plant. The Impala marks the fifth new model to be manufactured at Oshawa since 2009, and GM says the new investment will secure approximatley 350 jobs. The next-generation Impala will be built both in Oshawa and at the GM plant in Hamtramck, Michigan, which is also responsible for building the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu.

From what we've heard so far, Impala buyers can expect their new vehicle to be based on a variant of the GM Epsilon 2 platform with a 3.6-litre V6 under the hood. The vehicle may also boast a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, and the GM eAssist system may rear its head as well.

The Oshawa assembly plant currently employs 4,400 workers, and the facility produces the Chevrolet Camaro, Camaro Convertible, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Equinox and Buick Regal. The plant recently added two new shifts, thereby securing 1,300 jobs in the process.

2013 CHEVROLET SONIC BOWS BEFORE DETROIT AUTO SHOW DEBUT

By Zach Bowman, Autoblog.com - Chevrolet has pulled the wrap off of a hotter version of the Chevrolet Sonic. The 2013 Sonic RS is headed for an international debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show next month, and onlookers can expect to see the hatch curtsey with a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine good for 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque. Speaking from experience, we can say those numbers are good enough to slather a grin over even the most hardened cynic's face. The RS also brings along a few exterior treatments, including a new front and rear fascia, rear spoiler, side sills and five-spoke alloy wheels.

More importantly, the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS packs a lower, stiffer suspension for improved handling. General Motors isn't saying just how much lower or stiffer the pieces are over the base Sonic, which leads us to believe the changes aren't large enough to raise any eyebrows.

Inside, the Sonic RS features sport seats and a sport steering wheel along with aluminum sport pedals and a new gauge cluster treatment. So far, there's no word on how much the Sonic RS will cost.

GM SUSPENDS OUTPUT AT CRUZE PLANT IN OHIO

By Automotive News - General Motors suspended production on Monday afternoon at an Ohio plant that makes the Chevrolet Cruze compact car due to a supplier issue.

Production at the Lordstown, Ohio, factory was halted around 1 p.m. ET. Employees on the first and second shifts worked shortened schedules, while the third shift was suspended, GM Lordstown spokesman Tom Mock said.

Mock said skilled trade workers at the plant are due to report to work their regular hours.

GM spokesman Chris Lee declined to describe the nature of the supplier issue, saying only that the automaker was looking to restart production as swiftly as possible.

So far this year, the Cruze is the second best-selling small car in the U.S. market, behind the Toyota Corolla/Matrix, and the 10th best-selling vehicle overall as consumers seek more fuel efficient options.

GM Chief Executive Dan Akerson said this month that he hoped the Cruze, which gets up to 42 miles per gallon, would become the top-selling car by the end of 2011.

The Cruze has outsold Honda Motor Co's Civic, a longtime leader in the small car segment, and Ford Motor Co's Focus.

The Ohio plant was idled for a week last month to adjust inventories of the Cruze.

GM CROSSOVERS GET INNOVATIVE NEW AIRBAG, LANE DEPARTURE TECHNOLOGY

General Motors is targeting a safety issue with
new equipment that until now has been unaddressed.

By Luke Vandezande, Autoblog.com - They plan to release a front-seat center-airbag (pictured above) that deploys between the driver and passenger seats. The new feature is supposed to improve safety in the event of far-side impact crashes, which statistics show to be responsible for 11 percent of all crash-related deaths.

When such a crash occurs, the bag deploys in 26 milliseconds using a combination of pressurized argon and pyrotechnic gas. It forms a hard barrier between the passenger and driver sides of the vehicle, protecting against the possibility of two people damaging each other during a collision. The bag is also angled away from the passenger seat to keep the driver from smashing against the center console and is sturdy enough to help protect against a poll during such a crash.

GM developed the device in partnership with Takata, which stays rigidly inflated for several minutes after impact. Expect to see it in the 2013 Buick Enclave as standard equipment and as an option in the GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse. According to Motor Trend, GM chose the crossovers because they are the most likely to carry extra passengers. Despite being an option, the new airbags should appear on about 90 percent of these models.

The safety blitz isn't stopping there, though, GM is also offering a low-cost safety system that offers both front crash detection and lane departure warning systems for only $295. That's a bargain compared to the thousands it costs for similar features on Mercedes or BMW cars.

The difference is that GM's technology takes advantage of a high-definition camera capable of processing 14 images per second through the car's computer. In doing so, it recognizes pedestrians, motorcycles, cars and trucks while calculating your risk of hitting them. That risk is determined by how quickly the object in question is moving. The camera is mounted on the passenger side of the rear-view mirror, behind the windshield.

The system can be toggled to chirp at near, medium or far settings and can even be shut off completely. It also remembers what distance you set it to last when restarted. The notification system combines a red warning light on the dashboard with a series of eight beeps through the front stereo speakers. The system activates if the driver fails to signal a lane change and lower warning tones come from on the speakers on the corresponding side.

There might be plans in the future for GM to employ more safety features like high beam assist and traffic signal recognition but those features are more expensive because they use radar instead of the camera.

Expect the camera-based features to appear first on the 2012 GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Equinox.

GM AUCTIONING OFF MILITARY TRIBUTE CAMARO TO BENEFIT WOUNDED VETERANS

By Zach Bowman, Autoblog.com - General Motors is set to auction off a special Chevrolet Camaro airbrushed by Mickey Harris as a tribute to the nation's armed forces. The design pays homage to all five branches of the country's military with a unique mural, and the vehicle is headed to the Barrett-Jackson classic car auction in Scottsdale, Arizona next month.

Proceeds from the auction will go toward the Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans. The organization helps wounded vets overcome their disabilities by participating in mainstream athletics and has doubled in size since 2010. GM has supported the charity with various donations in the past, including the contribution of 20 hand cycles.

GM will show off the Harris Camaro during this weekend's Army Navy game, with CBS Sports devoting some time to speak with GM CEO and U.S. Naval Academy graduate Dan Akerson as well as members of the Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans.

GM BACK IN TALKS WITH LOTUS PARENT COMPANY PROTON

General Motors is reviving negotiations that were scrapped
back in 2007 with Lotus parent company Proton Holdings,
Malaysia's biggest auto manufacturer. Both brands are looking
to form a manufacturing venture in the Southeast Asian country.

By Jason Siu, Autoblog.com - A collaboration between the two parties would probably be mutually beneficial, with GM getting access to Proton's production in Southeast Asia while Proton would be able to take advantage of GM's technologies to boost their exports.

Proton Holdings is a government-linked company (GLC) with the majority of its equity owned by a government-owned company named Khazanah Nasional Berhad. Ever since an unsuccessful relationship with Mitsubishi ended in 2004, the Malaysian government has been seeking a partner for Proton.

GM SEEING GAINS IN CHINA, FORD AND HONDA SALES COOL OFF

General Motors was happy to report that their sales in China
during November rose at its fastest pace all year, thanks
to deliveries of Wuling light trucks and Buick Excelle sedans.
Deliveries to dealers in China last month rose 20-percent
(to 237,130) compared to a year ago.

By Jason Siu, Autoblog.com - After cutting prices on Wuling light trucks, sales of mini-commercial vehicles and sedans at SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co. jumped 40-percent. GM now has their sight set on passing Toyota in global annual sales. While this was great news for GM, Ford and Honda are both reporting a decline in deliveries last month in China.

Ford's sales in China fell 7-percent in November to 43,338 units with a 19-percent decline in deliveries at its joint commercial-vehicle venture. Honda on the other hand, sold 58,228 vehicles in China last month which is still 3.3-percent fewer than a year earlier. Overall deliveries decreased by 8.4-percent over the course of this year.

It's worth noting that overall demand in China has decreased in 2011 compared to 2010, when auto sales surged 32-percent to 18.06 million vehicles. Still, GM is relying on the vastly large Chinese market to offset the continually shrinking European market.

CHEVY VOLT HYSTERIA: WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE! OR, AN APPLICATION OF FACTS AND RATIONALITY TO FLAMING BATTERIES AND MELTING CHARGERS

By David Gluckman - One can learn a lot from history. When gasoline-fueled motor cars began roaming streets (and their proxies) in great numbers at the beginning of the 20th century, fuel tanks were thought to be ready to burst into flames if looked at sideways, and gasoline run-off was blamed for sewer explosions. Such feat and misinformation prompted the New York Times to release a piece in 1912 entitled "Gasoline Is Not Dangerous Fluid". Action-flick writers excepted, people today generally understand that the internal-combustion engine's fuel doesn't explode. The lesson: New technologies have a way of intimidating and scaring the uninformed.

A similar panic has unfolded a century later. Since two crash-tested Chevrolet Volts caught fire following government testing, GM's plug-in has everyone afraid of batteries. Thanks largely to media sensationalism, old hysteria is new again. And it's likely as unfounded now as it was then.

It's important to understand the circumstances surrounding those Volt fires. The first occurred three weeks after a NHTSA crash test. The car sat in storage, its lithium-ion battery pack damaged from the impact but not discharged according to GM's recommendation in such situations. The pack's coolant system was also compromised and is thought to have helped cause the fire. NHTSA later crashed three more Volts in a similar manner, one of which caught fire a week afterward. Then everyone went nuts.

If you ask us, even just one day is plenty of time to safely exit a vehicle that's in peril of burning. And get this: We've even heard of internal-combustion cars catching fire during a crash. When such an even happens -- unless it's indicative of a more widespread problem, as in the case of the Pinto, for example -- the individual models generally aren't the subject of big government investigations or recalls as a result.

We'll also point out that the above incidents are the only two known conflagrations resulting from Volt accidents; no Volt owners have had their battery packs go up in flames from real-world events -- but that didn't prevent some bogus media reports from stating such. A search of the U.S. government's complaint database turns up a total of three entries for 2011 and 2012 Volts, none of which contain the terms "battery" or "fiery death". (Recall that the same NHTSA database was inundated with hundreds of runaway-car reports -- many of them hilarious -- in the wake of the media overhyping Toyota's non-problem.)

Starting New Fires: Not satisfied to simply paint the Volt's battery pack as the scapegoat, other reporters looked for additional smoking guns. One found smoking 120-volt chargers. More accurately, one reporter found charger plugs that have the chance of becoming deformed as a result of high heat. But since shouting "Melt!" in a crowded movie theater won't get anyone's attention, headlines on the original item and those parroting its "information" suggested the charger has a propensity to go up in flames. No person has actually reported such an occurrence.

The same media outlet also claimed that GM calls the Volt's 120-volt charger a stopgap to be used until an owner gets a 240-volt charger, an inference never made by the company. Beyond that, the 120-volt charger can't be a stopgap for obvious reasons. Many owners use the 120-volt charger exclusively; it's designed to fit under the load floor to be portable and used with some frequency. Some quoted owners of melted chargers openly admitted that they were using the unit improperly by not following instructions that are marked on the charger -- which include a warning to not plug the charger into an extension cord, a surge protector, or any other outlet intermediary.

GM recommends that an owner get their house's wiring inspected before plugging in the 120-volt charger, as old wiring can cause heating issues that lead to melted plugs. That's fine if you only use it at home, but the charger, again, is portable for a reason. Having an electrician follow you around in a van kind of defeats the car's purpose. Still, safety is ultimately more important than mobility, and we're all on an EV learning curve with infrastructure attempting to catch up.

Any damaged or nonfunctional charger can be returned to GM for replacement, and the company will take it back and test it. GM told us that "returned units with visible thermal damage to the wall plug had no electrical faults or excessive temperature rise over ambient temperature observed when tested." This backs up the improper-use hypothesis. GM has made changes to the 120-volt unit since launch, but they have been limited to improving the strain relief at the plug to avoid cracking. That strain is likely caused by the charger brick hanging off of a wall-mounted outlet; unfortunately, the one-foot distance from plug to brick can't be increased, as it's mandated by the National Electric Code. (The Nissan Leaf's 120-volt charger suffers from the same problem.)

The PR Response that Backfired: From where we sit, GM has done everything it could to address and allay the fears of the nearly 6000 Volt owners. Maybe too much. When the firest first hit the news, the General immediately responded by offering loaner vehicles to owners for the length of the investigation. A few took it up on the offer, while some -- reports have the number at "a couple dozen", but GM won't confirm the total -- requested that the company buy back their Volts. Those requests were no doubt spurred on by inflammatory media reports. Through all of this, the company has asserted that the cars are safe; it really only offered these options to the small number of early adopters as a way to save face and keep customers happy.

No vehicle is completely and infallibly safe. High-voltage batteries and electricity, like gasoline and fuel tanks, come with risks and must be handled with care and common sense. There's a learning curve here, and fortunately the ones doing the experimenting are government agencies and not motorists. The problem is that lessons learned are being broadcast across the country in misleading, fear-mongering reports topped by misleading, fear-mongering headlines.

The onus is on owners and emergency responders to understand the idiosyncrasies of battery-equipped vehicles. None of us would store gasoline in a bucket in our garage, smoke at a gas station, or attempt to rig up our own gas pump with hoses that are visibly cracked or about to burst. At the same time, no one would reasonably expect to run (high regulated) gas stations in their home, either. There's some common sense and personal responsibility that needs to be learned yet.

Imagine if NHTSA had existed at the birth of the automobile, crash-testing Curved-Dash Oldsmobiles or Henry Ford's Tin Lizzie, cars which, of course, were free of any safety devices and were not built to any sort of regulations. The automobile never would have made it off the ground. As the industry tries to reinvent itself -- or at least a portion of its products -- let's not kill the modern electric car with misinformation.

SO FAR MOST VOLT OWNERS PASSING ON GM'S BUY-BACK, LOANER OFFER

By Liane Yvkoff, Autoblog.com - It's going to take more than a couple of battery fires to shake the confidence of most current Volt owners -- so far only 24 people have taken General Motors up on its offer to buy back their extended range electric vehicles.

The Volt is being investigated by the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration because of fires that started in the liquid cooled lithium-ion battery three weeks after side-impact crash tests were performed by the organization. Proper post-crash safety protocols were not followed by NHTSA engineers, which requires the Volt's battery to be drained of power until repairs are completed. Although GM says it stands by the safety of its vehicle, it has offered to purchase the Volts from wary customers to keep them satisfied.

Repurchase price will vary for each vehicle (probably based on condition and mileage) and owners will have to consult with a tax adviser if they've already claimed the $7,500 federal tax credit. That could be why only a couple dozen people want to get rid of the Volt all together. But it's also noteworthy that Consumer Reports announced last week that the Volt has the highest customer satisfaction rate of all vehicles, with 93 percent of owners saying they would buy the Volt again.

Although the repurchase program isn't generating much interest, GM's offer of a loaner vehicle until the NHTSA investigation of the extended range electric vehicle are completed is slightly more popular. GM spokesperson Greg Martin wrote in an e-mail that "less than a hundred" owners have been given loaner vehicles to replace Volts. Customers can choose from nearly the entire lineup of GM vehicles with a few exceptions. For example, any of the performance V-Series vehicles are not an option.

Other than that limitation, customers get the run of the house in choosing a car, said Martin. Replacement vehicles are decided by the owners and their respective Volt advisers, ranging from the fuel-sipping Chevrolet Cruze to the Equinox crossover. The vehicle will be loaned for the duration of the investigation. When asked when the investigation will be completed, Martin answered, "When we get it right."

2012 CHEVROLET CAMARO COUPE ACES NHTSA CRASH TESTS

By General Motors, Detroit - The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe is the first vehicle to receive the highest possible five-star score in every individual safety rating segment of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's New Car Assessment Program since the federal testing procedures were revised for 2011.

"Camaro has always been about performance, and that includes safety performance," said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer. "We always strive for five-star ratings, and the fact that we achieved them under more rigorous requirements is a great accomplishment."

The Camaro is designed to help drivers avoid crashes, while protecting occupants in the event a crash occurs. Standard safety features include:

• New Rear Vision Packagte, which includes a new rearview camera system (standard on 2LT and 2SS; available on 1LT and 1SS).


• Six standard air bags include head curtain side air bags, which provide added head and torso protection for outboard passengers in the event of a side-impact crash.


• StabiliTrak electronic stability control helps the driver maintain control by comparing the path being steered by the driver with the actual response and, when necessary, applying the brakes or adjusting the throttle or a combination of both.


• Standard four-wheel disc brake system featuring smooth, quiet operation and more resistance to brake fade.


• Pretensioners to reduce forward movement and load-limiting retractors to help manage forces during a collision are standard on front safety belts.


• Standard remote keyless entry system provides a second function for the red panic button. Drivers can use it to locate their cars without sounding the panic alarm.


• Starting with 2011 models, NHTSA introduced tougher tests and more rigorous requirements for its five-star ratings that provide more information about safety feature performance and crash-avoidance technologies. Changes include a new side barrier test and a new side pole test simulating a 20-mph side-impact crash into a 10-inch-diameter pole or tree at a 75-degree angle just behind the A-pillar on the driver's side.

In addition, new overall ratings which combine the results from the various tests, are provided. Under the revised program, the 2012 Camaro Coupe is the first vehicle to receive five stars in each individual rating segment and also receives the five stars in the combined categories such as overall vehicle score.

The Camaro Convertible is not rated for the various crash segments since it has not yet been tested under the revised NCAP program, but it has received a five-star rollover rating.

XBOX 360 CAMARO CASEMOD HAS MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

By Chris Brandrick, PCWorld - We here at GeekTech cover our fair share of casemods, and this recent Xbox 360 effort is one that definitely caught our eye. Descriptively dubbed the 'Transformer Xbox 360', this impressive modification takes Microsoft's home console and crams it all within the body of a remote-controlled Camaro.

This casemod comes to us by way of its creator, Mark Bongo of Major League Mods, and it's the latest in a long line of casemod work from the outfit. In the past, Major League Mods has put out a case modeled on R2-D2 and, in keeping with the Star Wars theme, a Millenium Falcon 360 machine.

This Transformers-inspired console sees a 250GB slim Xbox 360 placed inside the shell of a remote-controlled Bumblebee Camaro. But despite the unusual shape, the modified 360 is still fully-functional.

You turn on this custom machine by pressing the gas cap. Once you switch it on, you will find the disc tray is concealed within the front grill of the RC car -- to open it you just have to hit the Chevy logo. The rear window of the Camaro is fitted with an 8-inch LCD screen, and below that, underneath the rear bumper, is access to the HDMI and USB ports. Oh, and yes, it moves.

CHEVROLET GIVES 3-DAY SONIC TEST DRIVE TO PEOPLE WITH SOCIAL MEDIA KLOUT

Chevrolet is using social media as a "sampling source",
so if you've got some pull on social media hubs, you could
be sampling the Chevy Sonic for three days.

By Amy Tokic, Autoblog.com - Working with Klout, a company that rates and ranks a person's "social influence," Chevrolet is trying out a new kind of sampling program for people with social media influence. This could be bloggers or Twitter-savvy individuals who have a Klout score of at least 35 (scores range from zero to 100 and measure a person's social influence). These people will then have the change to "sample" the 2012 Sonic for three days. The program, which started in November and runs through December 14, has already generated quite a buzz, with complimentary blog posts and about 2,000 tweets so far. People who test drive the car can say whatever they would like about the car, whether it be positive, negative, or nothing at all.

"It's effective for getting out the message," said Cristi Vazquez, a Chevrolet spokeswoman in Detroit. "One of the things we've found is that the best way to get people to change their perception about our company is to get them behind the wheel."

For this sampling, 130 test drives will be offered in Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Dallas and San Francisco, with about four or five Sonics available in each city.

GM BUILDS ON BATTERY SAFETY TO ENSURE CONFIDENCE IN CHEVROLET VOLT

• Customer safety, satisfaction remain highest priority





• Volt owners, including those in Canada, offered alternative GM vehicle loans for peace of mind





• Senior GM engineering team to work with NHTSA on possible changes

By General Motors Detroit - General Motors announced Monday initiatives for customer satisfaction and battery safety research to ensure ongoing confidence in the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle.

The initiatives follow six months of research and testing in the United States with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration designed to induce electric vehicle battery failure after severe crash situations.

The agency advised GM on Friday that it would open a preliminary evaluation of Volt battery assemblies after NHTSA test results caused electrical fires up to three weeks after an initial vehicle New Car Assessment Program side pole crash test.

Mark Reuss, GM North America President, said the company would take every precaution to assure the driving public of GM's commitment to the safety of the Volt being handled after a severe incident and the total satisfaction of everyone who owned one.

"The Volt is a five-star safety car. Even though no customer has experienced in the real world what was identified in this latest testing of post-crash situations, we're taking critical steps to ensure customer satisfaction and safety," Reuss said.

"Our customers' peace of mind is too important to us for there to be any concern or any worry. This technology should inspire confidence and pride, not raise any concern or doubt.

"The question is about how to deal with the battery days and weeks after a severe crash, making it a matter of interest not just for the Volt, but for our industry as we continue to advance the pursuit of electric vehicles."

Senior GM engineering investigation team

Mary Barra, senior vice president, Global Product Development, said GM had established a senior engineering team to develop changes to eliminate concern of potential post-crash electrical fires and work with industry to ensure appropriate electric vehicle protocols were in place. Barra said such electrical fires had not occurred on public roads and NHTSA was not investigating any such potential imminent failure on the roads.

"GM and the agency's focus and research continues to be on the performance, handling, storage and disposal of batteries after a crash or other significant event," she said.

"We're working with NHTSA so we all have an understanding about these risks and how they can be avoided in the future. This isn't just a Volt issue. We're already leading a joint electric vehicle activity with Society of Automotive Engineers and other automotive companies to address new issues such as this protocol of depowering batteries after a severe crash."

Barra said the team would continue to work closely with NHTSA, suppliers, dealers and manufacturing teams to initiate any necessary changes as soon as possible.

Volt owner loan program

Reuss said GM would establish a Volt owner satisfaction program offering any Volt owner concerned about safety to contact their Volt adviser to arrange exchange for a free GM vehicle loan until resolution of the issue. Canadian Volt owners can contact their Volt Advisor or contact the Customer Care Centre at 1-800-263-3777.

"A vehicle loan program of this nature is well beyond the norm for a preliminary investigation, and it underlines our commitment to the vehicle and its owners," he said. "These steps are the right ones to take regardless of any immediate impact on our operations."

Launched in late 2010, the Chevrolet Volt has won more than 30 awards in the United States and other markets. The Volt achieved a five-star NCAP overall vehicle score for safety by the NHTSA and is a Top Safety pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. GM carried out more than 1 million test miles in vehicle development

ROAD TEST: 2012 CHEVROLET ORLANDO

By Graeme Fletcher, National Post - The list of cars sold in Canada but not in the United States is depressingly short. Over time, it has included some good rides such as the Acura EL and Toyota Echo along with some real dogs. One only has to look back to the bad, old days when the Ladas and Skodas of this world were using Canada as the launching point for a foray into the U.S. market.
The latest to join this abbreviated list is the Chevrolet Orlando. It is another product from GM Daewoo (yes, that Daewoo), one that is heavily based on the Chevrolet Cruze. In this case, it is large enough to accommodate seven riders yet small enough to be a city-friendly conveyance. As such, it swells the ranks of the mini-minivan market.

As with the other contenders in the segment, namely the Mazda5 and Kia Rondo, the Orlando is an either/or proposition. With seven riders aboard, cargo capacity is limited to just 3.6 cubic feet of space -- it is essentially a vertical load area with little depth to it. Dropping the third row flat, which is a one-handed operation, opens up a large cargo area (General Motors does not provide a number) while providing enough space to carry five adults -- four if they happen to be of the large variety. Lowering the middle row reveals a commendably flat floor and 56.3 cu. ft. My lone wish is for a fold-flat front passenger's seat -- it would allow much longer items to be accommodated inside the Orlando with the tailgate closed.

Up front, the Orlando is very Cruze-like in its layout. The anomaly is the plastic that rings the cabin. While it is of decent quality, it is a mismatch of types. Some of it is textured, some not, some is piano black, other bits are titanium-like. Then there are the chromed door handles and air vent surrounds. It makes little sense. Likewise, forcing someone to move up to the top-level Orlando to enjoy toasted buns is not a wise move either.

Quibbles aside, there are two very cool features. The first is a small button by the power window switches. When depressed, it not only locks out the rear windows, it also activates the childproof door locks -- someone was obviously thinking. The second feature is something that's destined to catch on and not just within GM. On the radio's faceplate there is a button -- push it upward and the whole faceplate lifts to reveal a fair-sized compartment that houses USB and auxiliary inputs. The beauty is that it allows an iPod to be plugged in and the face closed, which keeps it hidden and away from prying eyes.

The Orlando is powered by GM's ubiquitous 2.4-litre Ecotec engine. It puts out 174 horsepower and 171 pound-feet of torque. In this application, the available oomph is up to the task of ferrying a couple of riders around with the desired punch. From a standstill, the Orlando runs to 100 kilometres an hour in 10.4 seconds and accomplishes the more important 80-to-120-km/h passing move in seven seconds. The nit has to do with the noise the engine makes when it's pressed to redline. Thankfully, this is an infrequent occurrence. Using the Orlando to capacity does blunt the edge noticeably -- this is where the turbocharged torque of GM's 2.0L peppy turbo four would pay big dividends.

The tester fired its power to the front wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission that is typical GM -- smooth and refined. There is a manual mode, but, given the Orlando's station in life, it is not going to see much use. In somewhat of an unusual move, the Orlando arrives with a manual transmission as the base unit on all but the range-topping LTZ. This begs the obvious question -- why? This is not a speedster where stirring one's own gears amps up the fun; it is a utility vehicle that keys on its multi-passenger/cargo ability.

The Orlando's ride and handling characteristics are surprisingly good. Unlike many seven-passenger rides, the suspension has a planted feel that limits body roll almost as well as it cushions a rough road. Likewise, the steering delivers great feedback and it is nicely weighted across a broad speed range. The brakes are also up to the task of hauling the Orlando down from speed without fading into oblivion. This holds true when there is a full complement of passengers aboard. At last, here's a multi-passenger vehicle that does not bore the driver to death.

The Orlando cannot do what a full-on minivan does, but that is not where it comes into its own. Its forte is found in its availability to carry seven people without feeling like one is driving a bus. In somewhat of an irony, the original Honda Odyssey minivan failed in the mid-'90s because of its size; the Orlando is likely to succeed because of it.

GM PLANS WORLD PREMIERES OF FOUR VEHICLES IN DETROIT

By General Motors, Detroit - The all-new 2013 Cadillac ATS compact luxury rear wheel drive sedan will be among four General Motors' concept or production vehicles making world premieres at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in January.

"ATS is a crucial part of Cadillac's expansion," GM Senior Vice President of Global Product Development Mary Barra told the Automotive Press Association on Friday. "ATS enters the biggest market segment in the global luxury car industry, both in terms of volume and importance.

"It's a segment dominated by German cars, including the BMW 3-series, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4, so we've developed a compelling and convincing new challenger," she said.

ATS marks the debut of a new rear-wheel-drive-based architecture designed for agile, quick-and-fun driving dynamics and advanced technology. The ATS goes into production next summer at the Lansing, Mich, Grand River Assembly plant.

Barra, who was named to her position about a year ago, oversees a $15 billion operation currently designing and engineering 113 major product programs globally "from concept to production ... mini-cars to full size body-on-frame trucks ... and everything in between," she said.

Barra said she has spent much of her time seeking and executing efficiencies in the way GM develops products. Core architectures -- the basic building blocks of new vehicles -- accounted for 30 percent of volume when she took over. Today, the same architectures cover 48 percent of volume.

"We're targeting 60 percent by 2014 ... and 90-plus percent by 2018," she said. "It's a similar story with our engine platforms. As recently as 2009, we built 20 different engine platforms around the world. Over the next several years, our goal is to reduce that to 10.

FEDS PLAN MORE TESTS ON CHEVY VOLT

By Christina Rogers, Automotive News - U.S. safety regulators have ordered a closer look at the Chevrolet Volts crashed during testing this year as part of a defect investigation into whether the car's lithium ion batteries pose a fire risk after a wreck.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is seeking a better understanding of the damage done to the battery upon impact, including how it affects welded materials, according to a memo on the agency's safercar.gov Web site. The request for the evaluation is dated Tuesday, December 6. A NHTSA spokeswoman declined further comment.

NHTSA said it has five Volts all at its Vehicle Research and Test Center in Ohio, where it will inspect and evaluate possible damage to the battery tunnel on the driver and passenger sides of the vehicles. Any additional testing would be agreed upon at a later date.

The agency, working with General Motors engineers, is trying to determine the cause of a June fire involving the Volt. The hybrid plug-in car caught fire three weeks after the agency completed side-impact testing on the vehicle. The Volt caught fire in a storage facility, and the blaze spread to three other vehicles.

Further testing during the week of Nov. 14 produced another fire, and the following week NHTSA announced it was opening a safety investigation.

According to yesterday's memo, NHTSA is testing for a possible defect that would cause the battery to catch fire after being damaged in a crash.

Among the goals, NHTSA hopes "to document if any changes in the welding process are visible at the area of intrusion."

GM and NHTSA have stressed that the Volt is safe, and so far, neither the agency nor GM has received any reports of real-world fires involving the Volt. NHTSA doesn't plan to change the five-star crash test rating it gave to the Volt this summer.

GM spokesman Greg Martin said the evaluation was just a part of the investigation process.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that GM engineers plan to propose several engineering and design changes to the Volt. The proposed changes will be presented to senior management by the end of the week, Reuters said.