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Chevy Volt to be assembled at solar-powered plant

In its first year the Chevrolet Volt has garnered several awards, including 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year, Green Car Journal's 2011 Green Car of the Year, and Automobile's 2011 Automobile of the Year. And now the electric car with extended range is going to be built in a solar-powered facility.

General Motors announced it is building the photovoltaic solar array, the largest in Southeast Michigan, at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. Sunlight will help to create the $41,000 Volt.

Once it's completed, the 516-kilowatt project built by GM and DTE Energy will generate 54,750 … Read more

GM announces $2 billion investment and addition of 4,000 jobs at 17 U.S. plants

Since emerging from bankruptcy reorganization in mid-2009, General Motors has invested $3.4 billion and has added or saved more than 9,000 jobs. The U.S. automaker today announced an additional investment of $2 billion; an additional 4,000 jobs have been saved or created.

The announcement was made by GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson during an event at the 54-year-old Toledo Transmission Plant in Toledo, Ohio.

"We are doing this because we are confident about demand for our vehicles and the economy," Akerson said. The company also released an animated clip (after the jump) about … Read more

Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf ace their crash tests

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said today that the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf performed quite well in its first-ever crash tests on "mainstream" electric cars.

According to the IIHS, the Volt and Leaf earned the highest rating of "good" for front, side, rear, and rollover crashes. Both vehicles qualified for the organization's Top Safety Pick award, given to vehicles that deliver "state-of-the-art crash protection."

"The milestone demonstrates that automakers are using the same safety engineering in new electric cars as they do in gasoline-powered vehicles," the IIHS said in … Read more

Wayne State University to compete in EcoCar 2

A team of engineering students from Wayne State University has been chosen to participate in EcoCar 2: Plugging in to the Future. WSU is the only university from Michigan to participate in the three-year program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors.

Sixteen collegiate teams from across the U.S. and Canada will explore new ways to reduce the environmental impact of vehicles without diminishing performance or compromising safety.

Challengers "will use a Chevrolet Malibu donated by General Motors as the integration platform for their advanced vehicle design," says a WSU statement.… Read more

2013 Chevy Malibu virtually unveiled on YouTube

The next generation of Chevrolet's Malibu has been teased and hinted at for weeks now. Now, the sedan gets a full reveal at the 2011 Shanghai auto show. But you don't have to fly to the other side of the world to get a peek at Chevy's upcoming midsize and its MyLink software package, because the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu has also gotten a virtual unveiling on YouTube. We expect that the new Malibu will also be discussed and possibly even displayed at the 2011 New York auto show.

In the video below, we get a nice long … Read more

Tips to maximize Chevy Volt fuel economy

Most Chevrolet Volt owners probably apply the same driving habits long practiced by hybrid owners, such as braking and accelerating gently, to conserve energy and maximize battery power. But they may not know that small, seemingly inconsequential choices, like how they choose to warm the Volt's interior on a chilly day, can also makes a difference in how far they can go on battery power alone.

Chevy Volt vehicle line director Tony Posawatz has lots of practice eeking the most out of his Volt's 16 kWh battery, and says that even during Michigan's cold winter months he'… Read more

Interview: GM's Posawatz says future of luxury could be electric

Despite a heavy marketing campaign and major public outreach, for some reason people still seem to think that the Chevrolet Volt is just an expensive hybrid with unimpressive fuel economy. But even if the public doesn't get the difference between serial and parallel hybrids, the folks over at the Edison Awards do--the Volt beat out the Nissan Leaf and the Copenhagen Wheel by Senseable City Lab to win the Gold medal in the Personal Transportation segment.

At the Edison Awards ceremony last week, I got a chance to chat with Tony Posawatz, Vehicle Line Manager for the Volt. Posawatz … Read more

Chevy celebrates birthday with 2012 Corvette Centennial Edition

To celebrate its 100th birthday, Chevrolet created a racing inspired Centennial Edition appearance and suspension package for the entire line of 2012 Corvettes.

The special edition package gives the 'Vette a dark and sinister makeover inside and out. The first thing you'll notice is the all-black color scheme. Your only paint choice is Carbon Flash Metallic with Centennial Satin Black wheels and red brake calipers. The lightweight cast-spun aluminum wheels are specific to each model: 18-inch/19-inch wheels for the Coupe, Convertible and Grand Sport; and 19-inch/20-inch for Z06 and ZR1. On Z06 models, a thin red line … Read more

Next Chevrolet Malibu's MyLink interface teased

In this shot we get a peek at Chevy's new MyLink infotainment interface, the aesthetic of the dashboard, and--if you look closely at the blurry background--the bi-gauge instrument cluster that seems to mimic the instrumentation of the Chevrolet Camaro. Button labels appear to feature a very Buick-like cool blue glow, and an odd, large physical switch below the touch screen has us scratching our heads.

A second shot, revealed last week, shows that the instruments aren't the only part of the next Malibu that will be capitalizing on the Camaro's design language. The tail lamps feature a … Read more