Chevy Bolt the Big Winner at L.A Auto Show

Awarded Motor Trends Car of the Year and Geen Car of the Year

Yesterday the coveted Motor Trend Car of the Year was awarded to the soon to be on sale 2017 Chevrolet Bolt.  The car I predicted two years ago when it debuted in Detroit to be the car that kicks Tesla in the crotch and drags it through the dirt.  Under 40K before Federal and CA State taxes this car sits in a comfortably affordable price point with over 200 miles of travel per charge possible.

This morning the Green Car of the Year was awarded to the Bolt at the Los Angeles Auto Show.  Quite an impressive result for the folks at GM.  But I'm not surprised as GM has made electification a priority.

Pic by me, more in the L.A Auto Show flickr Album.  More on the Green Car of the year award after the jump.

Chevy Cruze hatchback unveiled at NAIAS

Borrowing cues from Ford and Honda Chevy brought to our shores the hatchbacked version of the Cruze.   I like it. Strong lines, nice proportions and a decent enough standard turbo charged 1.4l Four that will return good performance and great mileage.

I really want to like this car for a lot of reasons.  When the manufactures go toe to toe and up the bar we all win.  That's the rub I see with this car and I'd love Chevy to prove me wrong.  Shown here in the RS trim package, its just that a trim package.  Where Ford has the ST and RS versions and Honda with its hot hatch STi coming why would Chevy settle for meeting the bar for standard issue cars and not go out and wow us with a hot hatch as well?  Makes no sense...they have an amply powerful 2.0l turbo used elsewhere in the GM family, that would be the power plant to stuff into the Cruze and make it a competitive hot hatch as well.  I can dream can't I?

Let me get off the rant about not having a hot hatch as part of the Cruze line up.  This hatch as stated earlier is really nice looking in person and will have amply more room in the back seat, especially head room than the standard issue sedan.  Add in the muscular good looks, great ergonomics inside this car is certainly competitive with its mainstream counterparts and that's a good thing. 

All pics by me from my time at NAIAS aka the Detroit Auto Show.  More pics for the show in my flickr album.

Details on the car from the press release after the jump.  

Chevrolet Volt Green Car of the Year with a quick drive

Chevy's Volt that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show last January added an award to his impressive tech.  Green Car of the Year was awarded to the Volt at this years Los Angeles Auto Show...barely 11 months after its reveal.

Its quite the car, nearly 50 miles EV range if you don't try to be Speed Racer, more fuel efficient 1.5l gasser to assist when battery alone isn't enough.

The biggest changes are all visual and touch.  Gone are the sharp angles replaced with curvaceous curve and chrome on the new Volt.  Inside is a real delight.  Gone are the hard edges and plastics replaced with decidedly soft touch vinyls and leather.

Starting at 33,170 the car is priced right, add in the 7.5K Federal tax credit and CA's 1.5K makes this an extremely affordable car with an after credit effective base price of 24,170.  More about pricing and building your own at Chevy Volt Web Site.

My drive was limited due to heightened security concerns at the Los Angeles Auto Show this year.  I was the 3rd driver on a short loop around the convention center.  Just getting into the car you know this is different, really different than the last generation.  The door handle feels more solid and form fitting on your hand, you're greeted with soft touch plastic and vinyl through out.  There's even Android carplay available (as well as Apple) which was an interesting and simple to use interface compared to the old MyLink system the car was equipped with.

Driving it was apparent that it was peppier than the outgoing model, seemed lighter on its feet than simply shedding 200 lbs should do to a car.  Keeping it in EV mode the entire time was pretty easy though I did romp it once to move into traffic and was pleased at how refined the engine start and assist was to the old model.  When the gasser wasn't needed it wasn't even noticed that it shut down, not a wimper or thud like the outgoing model did.  I liked it.

Rear seat is still cramped for 2 only.  The hatch is bigger yielding a more usable storage place for road trips which I see as a real possibility with this version of the Volt.  Its much quieter and more fun to drive than what one normally expects from a hybrid.

Easy to see why it was chosen as Green Car of the Year.

Pics from the Los Angeles Auto Show in a flickr album.

1 Millionth Corvette repaired after dip into sink hole

Jim Fecht, GM News Photo - used with permission

After losing several classic, important or just damn cool Corvette's to a sinkhole at the Corvette Museum several months back GM didn't just sit around.  They fished those cars out of the sink hole and repaired them all one, by one.  The most recently finished was Corvette #1Million.  Glad it was saved and with the time put into it, prolly better than it was new.

The official Press release:

After more than four months and 1,200 man-hours of painstaking craftsmanship, restoration of the milestone 1 millionth Corvette – a white 1992 convertible – is complete and the car is unveiled Thursday, September 3, 2015 back at its home at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where it returns to the permanent exhibit. Executive Director Global Chevrolet Design John Cafaro (left) and General Motors Global Design Fabrication Operations Director David Bolognino unveil the vehicle. The car was damaged on February 12, 2014, when it and seven other rare Corvettes tumbled into a sinkhole that opened beneath the museum’s Skydome area. (Photo by John F. Martin for Chevrolet)

Executive Director Global Chevrolet Design John Cafaro addresses the gathering at the unveiling of the restored 1 millionth Corvette – a white 1992 convertible – Thursday, September 3, 2015 back at its home at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. After more than four months and 1,200 man-hours of painstaking craftsmanship, General Motors returns the Corvette to the museum's permanent exhibit. The car was damaged on February 12, 2014, when it and seven other rare Corvettes tumbled into a sinkhole that opened beneath the museum’s Skydome area. (Photo by John F. Martin for Chevrolet)

During the restoration of the 1-millionth Corvette, the 1992 Corvette damaged in the sinkhole disaster at the National Corvette Museum, Chevrolet found hundreds of workers’ signatures on the vehicle from workers during its production at the Bowling Green Assembly plant. Chevrolet was able to save all of the signatures except for one -  from retired General Motors employee Angela Lamb, who recreates her signature on a panel of the car before it is reattached - to complete the restoration process Thursday, September 3, 2015 at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. GM Global Design Fabrication Operations Director David Bolognino (left) and Executive Director Global Chevrolet Design John Cafaro hold the panel for Lamb. (Photo by John F. Martin for Chevrolet)

General Motors Global Design Fabrication Operations Director David Bolognino attaches the final panel to complete the restoration the 1-millionth Corvette Thursday, September 3, 2015 at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The historic vehicle was damaged in the sinkhole disaster at the National Corvette Museum in February of 2014. Bolognino oversaw the restoration - more than four months and 1,200 man-hours of painstaking craftsmanship - leading up to the return of the vehicle to the permanent exhibit at the museum. (Photo by John F. Martin for Chevrolet)

Chevy Bolt, Volt and Goat

Actually, I'm kidding on the last one, Goat or GTO died with Pontiac which is sad.  The future for Chevy however is pretty electric.  Very Electric and all electric with the recently revealed Chevrolet Bolt.  The car Elon Musk said no manufacture could build, well Chevy just did it.  A purpose built from the ground up all electric car, the Bolt concept was revealed at this years NAIAS in Detroit.

The Chevrolet Bolt due to launch next year is GM's latest iteration of the electric car.  Recall they did the EV-1 sold through Saturn dealerships some 20 years ago then killed it as there was really no demand for electric cars then.  Flash forward to now and CA mandate for zero emissions auto and there's an artificial demand for electric cars and they are heavily subsidized with Federal and State incentives to the tune of nearly 10K depending on your income bracket.  That's not chump change and with a moderately priced car like the Bolt it suddenly becomes very affordable.

What we do know about the bolt is that it is a tall EV to maximize interior room.  It will use GM's newest Lithium ion batteries and capable of being fast charged.  Range is preliminarily estimated at 200 miles which makes this very practical for everything but extended road trips...no Vegas runs with this baby unless you have access to a fast charger at the half way point.  Still 200 miles is nothing to sneeze at and pretty much what one gets around town in a compact gasser.  Nice job if the numbers pull through.

Speaking of numbers officially Chevy says the price will be about $30,000 for a nicely equipped Bolt.  Off the record I over heard in the potty at NAIAS some GM Execs talking about how they were being pressed hard by another publication for a hard price.  They acknowledged full sticker price will be closer to 40K and with Federal and local incentives the price would be down around the 30K.  Makes sense, why the secrecy..my guess is incentive amounts will vary and are in question with the 2016 elections. No official on sale date was give for the car.

At the end of the day the Bolt is a nice dart tossed at Elon Musk and his "I build the cars no one else dares to".  (Several such darts were tossed at Tesla/Musk at NAIAS but I digress and giving the devil his due he's the first to really build a EV that people want and respect as a real car not a novelty).

Chevy didn't stop with the Bolt, they also have revealed the next generation Chevy Volt.   This car gets a host of feature updates as well as technology and complete redesign on the outside.

The Volt for 2016 maintains its profile but all the hard edges and creases are massaged into gentle curves and swoops.  It looks much more aerodynamic and mainstream.

Under the hood it has a newer battery pack, again using their newest battery technology.  This combined with a new gas engine for range extending improves performance, mileage and can travel up to 50 miles in all electric mode.  Price also is lower than the first generation Volt which adds up to a much more affordable gas/electric hybrid.

UPDATE 8/6/2015 General Motors Executive Chief Engineer Electrified Vehicles Pamela Fletcher announces the second-generation Chevrolet Volt delivers 53 miles of pure EV range, based on EPA testing, Tuesday, August 4, 2015 during her 'Advanced Powertrain Forum:  Developing Powertrain Diversity' presentation at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan..

More pics from NAIAS and the Chevy Bolt/Volt can be found in my flickr album.

Chevy reveals next gen Camaro Convertible

The good folks premiered the new Camaro convertible. Nice looking. Not as long and sleek, slim as a Mustang but nice. I'll reserve final judgement for when I see it in person.

Details in advance of the leak GM promises it will be lighter and faster than a Mustang. Will it be as nimble remains to be seen.

From the press release offered up little in the way of details: 

---------- ----------

The 2016 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible.

 The Camaro convertible has a hard tonneau cover that deploys automatically, providing a more refined, finished appearance when the top is lowered and stowed. 

Chevrolet Camaro Chief Engineer Al Oppenheiser unveils the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Wednesday, June 24, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. The Camaro convertible has a hard tonneau cover that deploys automatically, providing a more refined, finished appearance when the top is lowered and stowed. It is capable of opening or closing at speeds up to 30 mph. (Photo by John F. Martin for GM.)

Steve Fecht

GM News Photos

stevefecht@comcast.net

248-756-3450

Photos are for Editorial and Social Media Use Only. They may also be archived.

Sneak peak at a couple of 2015 Chevy's

 2015 Chevy Cruze

2015 Chevy Malibu?

My little corner of L.A, is used for filming a lot of commercials.  Car commercials in particular are done here as it could be Main Street anywhere USA.  

First up was the face lifted 2015 Chevy Cruze which I blogged about when it was first introduced.  Solid little car that I actually liked quite a bit.  The image isn't that great as I was trying to grab the pic with security folks yelling and trying to get people, especially people with cameras out of the way.  The grill is new, larger more like the familial face...or a cross between next generation Focus and a Dart, not bad, but falling into the the trap of familiar rather than unique face of tis own.

The second car, not sure which model it is.  I think its the Malibu, but I'm not sure as it was devoid of side badging and I couldn't get to the rear for a close look.