BREATHING RIGHT HELPS CHEVROLETS GET MORE FROM LESS

Variable Valve Timing Improves Drivability &
Fuel Efficiency While Reducing Emissions

By General Motors of Canada - Athletes understand that proper breathing is critical to maintaining peak performance under all conditions and so do Chevrolet powertrain engineers. Getting air in and exhaust gases out of the combustion chamber under all speeds and driving conditions is essential to outstanding drivability and fuel efficiency with low emissions.

"Whether powered by four, six or eight cylinders, virtually every current Chevrolet car and truck, from compact cars including the award-winning Cruze to the full-size Suburban SUV, features variable valve timing (VVT) on its engine to optimize its breathing," said Sam Winegarden, General Motors executive director of Global Engine Engineering.

The camshafts are driven by chains from the crankshaft to keep the valve opening in sync with the motion of the pistons in the cylinders.

Through continuous adjustments of the camshaft phasing, engineers can achieve smoother idle control without sacrificing the ability to breathe at higher engine speeds. This ability contributes to the 3.6-litre V6 in the Chevrolet Camaro generating 312 horsepower while getting a fuel consumption rating of 6.6L/100km on the highway.

Chevrolet's VVT system uses a hydraulic mechanism to twist the camshaft relative to the crankshaft position so that the valves can be opened and closed earlier or later. On dual overhead cam engines such as the Ecotec inline-four and the 3.0 and 3.6-litre V6, the intake and exhaust cams can be adjusted independently, allowing the valve overlap - the time that intake and exhaust valves are both open - to be varied as well.

The 60 degrees of camshaft adjustment available on the turbocharged 1.4-litre Ecotec that powers the Cruze enabled engineers to eliminate the conventional exhaust gas recirculation system to simplify the overall engine packaging - the way the engine fits in the car - and still reduce emissions.

"Bookending the Chevy lineup, the VVT-equipped Cruze Eco achieves the best in class highway fuel consumption rating of 4.6L/100km while the full-size Silverado XFE pickup is rated at an estimated 9.1L/100km on the highway" said Winegarden.

EXPECTATIONS MEET REALITY

Chevy Volt excels in Mackinac Bridge round-trip test

By Bob Gritzinger, AutoWeek Magazine - Unless you've been living under a particularly thick rock for the past four years, you have no doubt heard, read and seen everything you could possibly want to know about the General Motors' green darling, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.

Until now.

Up to this point, most of the stories about the Volt have been somewhat speculative, based on drives conducted under the watchful and overprotective eye of the General. Individual consumers' impressions have been largely colored by their pride of ownership and their righteous zeal to wring the maximum level of efficiency from their shiny electric chariots.

Now, with 2,000 Volts built since last December's start of production and 1,000 in consumers' driveways in seven states, it's finally time to get out on our own and put the Volt to the test in everyday use -- with no one chasing around after us with a giant extension cord to make sure everything is running right.

Know what? The thing works, surprisingly well. But there are a few caveats after a day of driving the length of Michigan's mitten, to the Mackinac Bridge and back.

First off, unless your neighborhood is temperate, your battery-only driving range will fall on the short end of the 25-to-40-mile scale. With an overnight charge on household current and with temps hovering in the mid-40s, we posted 26 miles on electric power before the 1.4-turbocharged gasoline engine fired up to spin the onboard generator to provide electric power to drive the trasction motor and propel the car farther down the road.

Got all that?

That said, under most circumstances, the transition from stored battery power to onboard-generated power is virtually seamless, as it ought to be, considering that the motor providing the locomotion doesn't change, just the source of energy driving that electric motor. The gasoline engine does drone at higher rpm on occasion, but typically, its operation is barely perceptible.

That doesn't change, regardless of distance traveled; the Volt rolls along with the same steady feel whether you're at mile 1 or mile 330.

That 330 number is significant, however, because that's just about the maximum highway range you can expect from a Volt before running the 9.3-gallon tank of premium unleaded gasoline dry. Depending on temperature and driving habits, you might see another 70 miles but not before running the Volt precariously low on fuel. We posted 36.5 mpg (with the 26 EV miles included) during a 560-mile trip.

When the Volt does run out of fuel and the gasoline-powered generator shuts down, unlike most cars, you're not immediately stuck on the shoulder waiting for a courtesy van with a gas can.

We ran the Volt dry, and although the instruments issued warnings, the speedometer never wavered from 70 mph as the car immediately tapped into the battery for extra power. Think of it as an electric reserve tank, designed to provide an extra three or four miles of range if you run out of gasoline. Sure enough, about three miles later, we ran low on reserve juise and safely slowed to a stop on the shoulder. After we added a few gallons of fuel on the roadside, the generator ran at maximum capacity for the next three miles to replenish the battery before the powertrain settled back into normal operating mode. Very little drama.

The bottom line: Chevy's little electric sedan might seem like a pricey science experiment, but for us, it's earned its real-world stripes. Next time, we're not stopping after we cross the Mackinac Bridge.

SEOUL-FUL CHEVY

Korea's Mi-ray concept unlocks bow-tie magic

By Autoweek Magazine - Leave it to designers in Seoul to summon some of the best of Chevrolet's Detroit soul.

The Mi-ray concept was designed at General Motors' Korean studios and revealed at the Seoul motor show. It celebrates Chevy's centennial in high style with some dramatic salutes to the past -- the 1963 Chevy Monza SS and the '62 Corvair Super Spyder, plus generations of Corvettes and modern fighter jets melded together for the distinctive theme.

But the Mi-ray (which means "future" in Korean) also looks ahead. The wedge-shaped design has scissor doors and an advanced take on the familiar Chevy grille. The bold face is flanked by LED lights that angle back, and the front is set off by a prominent fascia. The body was constructed with extensive use of carbon fiber over an aluminum chassis.

Power comes from a turbo 1.5-liter four-cylinder that works with a pair of electric motors running on a mid-mounted lithium-ion battery. There is also a dual-clutch transmission, and the car can switch from front-wheel to rear-wheel drive.

MOST CHEVROLET VOLT PATRONS ARE NEW TO THE BRAND

By Chris Woodyard, USA Today - If nothing else, this statistic alone must have General Motors feeling pleased about its decision to make a breakthrough electric vehicle; almost nine out of 10 customers who come to Chevrolet dealers to see the electric Volt are new to the brand.

As a result, Chevrolet is making a special effort to make sure there are enough Volts at dealerships as demonstration cars. More than 550 are being dispatched already.

The Chevrolet Volt demonstration units are a popular showroom draw for dealers as they let consumers look, touch and drive the electric car with extended-range capabilities. It's part of the plan to gain exposure for the vehicle and the Chevrolet brand.

Almost nine of 10 customers who traded in a vehicle as part of their purchase are new to the Chevrolet brand. That's why hundreds of Volts that could be sold to individuals are tagged for dealers as demo vehicles, meant for customer exposure to the Volt and to other Chevy products they might otherwise not see.

"The Volt is clearly bringing new customers to our dealership," said Rick Alpern, general manager of Keys Chevrolet in Van Nuys, California. "We are seeing customers who own competitive brands that have never visited a Chevy dealer before. Now they have a Chevy on their shopping list because of the Volt."

Chevrolet dealerships in the initial launch markets of California, Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C. have taken delivery of more than 550 dedicated Volt demonstration vehicles for customer test drives. By the end of the year, more than 2,500 U.S. dealers will receive a dedicated Volt demo.

Chevy expects to deliver Volts in all 50 states by the end of 2011. Deliveries begin in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pensylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii in the third quarter.

MASTER OF HORROR STEPHEN KING LIKES HIS CHEVY VOLT AND SARASOTA

Author Stephen King charges his wife's Chevrolet Volt in the
City Parking Garage on Palm Avenue in Sarasota on Tuesday.
King who spends winters in his house in Casey Key, is one of the
few - so far - to plug into the city-provided charging stations.

By Michael Pollick, Herald Tribune - The King of Horror, who spends his winters on Casey Key, wheeled his Chevrolet Volt -- black, of course -- into the city of Sarasota's new Palm Avenue parking garage.

He pulled into one of four free electric-vehicle charging stations on the first floor of the 700-car garage, switched off his car, and plugged in the long orange extension cord draped on the wall next to the space.

On the roof of the building, a 10-kilowatt array of solar electric panels was generating much of the power for the garage, including the charging stations.

"I just love it because every time you do it, it is like saying to the oil cartel, 'Here, stick this in your eye,'" author Stephen King told the Herald-Tribune. "It is like a license to steal."

Right now, it is difficult and expensive to get your hands on one of the few brand-name electric cars that are just starting to show up -- the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf or Tesla. But judging from surging interest in the most fuel-efficient, gasoline-powered cars this spring, the charging stations at the parking garage and others planned by city government will not go unused for long.

"It really started in mid-to-late February, when gas prices became headlines," said Jessica Caldwell, senior analyst at Edmunds.com, an online consumer automotive website. That demand also is reflected in Edmunds' web audience. "Interest in hybrids, electric vehicles, small cars -- all that has been increasing."

King, whose scary novels have made him one of the best known celebrities in the world, does not do many interviews. But Tom Harriman, who installed the solar electric system for the city, talked the author into driving the vamily Volt into town to help highlight the availability of the charging stations, largely unused since the city opened the new garage in January.

"Right now, due to the lack of vehicles, Mr. King would be the first one to plug into the unit itself," Harriman said.

But Sarasota's Chris Sharek, another new electric car owner, actually plugged in his nearly identical black Chevy Volt a few minutes before King rolled up. Sharek paid just under $50,000 to get his hands on the car, which he had to special-order from New Jersey.

"Instead of spending another 40 grand on a jeep, which I was ready to do, why not go ahead and get a car that has more technology and way better gas mileage?" Sharek said.

He and King compared notes on their vehicles while news people circled around for photos with the mayor at the informal gathering.

Governments, both local and federal, are encouraging vehicle use by subsidizing charging stations like the four in the garage -- just the first in a series that the city will install during the next year, said Sarasota Mayor Kelly Kirschner.

"We are looking at areas like the bayfront park by Marina Jack, the Whole Foods garage -- which will always be free parking, too -- and possibly the Lido Beach area and St. Armands," Kirschner said.

Early adopters like King are paying full list price of around $43,000 US for their electric cars, plus extra fees for shipping and delivery.

"As prices come down and you have more competition," Kirschner said, "you'll see better pricing."

"Hopefully this is another differentiating feature that will show our citizens and visitors that our downtown is truly a unique place."

King bought the Volt from Chevrolet about a month ago as a birthday present for his wife and fellow author, Tabitha King.

"In a way I am sorry I gave it to her," he said, "because I like to drive it so much."

A.J. FOYT AGREES TO DRIVE INDY 500 PACE CAR

By Michael Marot, doaneline.com - A.J. Foyt doesn't mind being The Replacement as long as he gets to lead the Indianapolis 500.

On Friday, the four-time race winner accepted an invitation to step in for Donald Trump as the celebrity pace-car driver, ending a controversy before the May 29 race.

It was an obvious choice.

"I never knew officially who was going to drive it. I knew they said Donald Trump, but, you know No. 2 can wind up winning the race and I've done that before," Foyt said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press while attending festivities at the Kentucky Derby. "So if I outdueled him, I'm very happy about it."

Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser are the only four-time winners in race history and this year marks the 50th anniversary of Foyt's first win at Indy. He made a record 35 consecutive starts in the 500, and this will be the 54th consecutive year he's competed at the track as a driver or an owner.

Plus, Foyt was one of the most vocal supporters of the Indy Racing League following the split from the rival and now defunct Champ Car series.

Once Trump withdrew Thursday, that opened the door for Foyt.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway president and CEO Jeff Belskus said he consulted with IndyCar officials, representatives of Chevrolet, manufacturer of the 2011 Camaro Convertible that will lead the cars, and the speedway's board of directors before making a formal invitation.

"A.J. is the perfect choice." Belskus said. "There's a whole lot of considerations that go into it. Saying he's the perfect choice that's Jeff Belskus' perspective on this and what I think is the perfect choice."

The decision allows race organizers to switch the focus from Trump's potential presidential aspirations back to the centennial celebration of the first Indy 500. Trump was chosen as the pace-car driver last month, but backed out after opponents called him too divisive and too much of a distraction.

Those that wanted The Donald out included Indiana Rep. Jeb Bardon, a Democrat who represents the area around the historic 2.5-mile oval. He gave a floor speech last week in the Indiana Legislature calling for a change. A Facebook page dedicated to dumping Trump drew more than 18,000 followers.

Trump drew criticism for questioning whether President Obama was born outside the United States. He has also questioned whether Obama was qualified to attend two Ivy League schools.

Belskus said he never anticipated the backlash ... or Trump's political views ... becoming an issue leading up to next Sunday's opening day.

"Mr. Trump is a remarkable person and people seem to either just love him or hate him, but it's very passionate in both directions," Belskus said. "He has a lot of supporters. Part of it is with the things he's been doing over the past month, six weeks with the potential presidential bid that has brought a lot of attention to it and that, frankly, we didn't expect."

It's the first time the speedway has changed pace-car drivers since 2001, when injured golfer Greg Norman could not drive. Race organizers then put Elaine Irwin Mellencamp in the car as the first female to drive the car.

When Foyt finishes the honorary pace laps, he will likely get out of the car, walk back to his spot on pit row and put on his headset so he can talk to his two drivers ... Vitor Meira and Bruno Junqueira, both Brazilians.

By picking Foyt, race organizers are also bringing back the tradition of using former winners in the pace car.

While Foyt joked Friday that he still expected to be racing 50 years after his first Indy win, there was no question one of the most recognizable people in motorsports took the job seriously.

"I'll be leading the race again is all I can say," he said. "It'll probably be pretty nerve-racking. I'm just very honored I can do something back for the speedway because the speedway is what made A.J. Foyt and my whole racing career."

CHEVROLET CRUZE RECALL CALLED MINOR

By Karl Henkel, Boston Herald - A recall of every Chevrolet Cruze built at the Lordstown complex should not hamper sales or frighten drivers, an industry analyst said.

Aaron Bragman, an analyst at automotive forecaster IHS, called General Motors Co.'s Wednesday night recall insignificant and said it shouldn't have an impact on sales, which set record numbers in April, selling 25,160 units.

"Recalls don't have the same impact on consumers as they used to," he said Thursday. "All of the past recalls have really had a numbing effect."

Bragman said the type of recall, deemed precautionary by GM, also plays a factor. "It's not as if cars are catching fire," he said.

The recall, which affects all 154,112 Cruze modfels, was clarified Thursday by GM spokesman Alan Adler. He said the decision was made to ensure the intermediate steering shaft was preoperly installed. The problem could cause a driver to lose steering power.

Of the recalled vehicles, 120,295 of them may have an additional problem with automatic-transmission shift links improperly installed. That problem could cause the vehicle to shift gears unexpectedly, GM says.

Adler said the steering problem should not be confused with the 2,100 Cruzes recalled in April, when one steering wheel detached from its column.

GM decided to announce the steering recall Wednesday, along with the transmission recall.

Terry Woychowski, GM vice president of global quality, had conducted a quality-control inspection at Lordstown earlier in the week. Adler said the inspection and recall did not have a cause-and-effect relationship.

The company alerted customers before a release from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Adler said that doesn't happen often, but GM wanted to be up front with customers. Adler said the issues arose during manufacturing, but declined to go into details. "I don't like to do finger-pointing," he said. "We're thinking about the customer and the vehicle."

Lordstown had previously installed a Dynamic Vehicle Testing system, which can identify engineering-related problems.

GM representatives said no accidents or injuries have been reported because of the two-tiered recall. The company and dealership representatives both said recall inspections shouldn't take more than an hour.