Posts Tagged ‘2011’

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Chevrolet, First Drive

Until now, General Motors hasn’t exactly taken the small-car market seriously. While Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia have built their empires on the hoods of pint-sized, fuel-efficient transportation, history has shown the captains of Detroit tend to offer up parts-bin afterthoughts. Cars like the Chevrolet Cavalier and Cobalt have left a sour taste in the mouths of buyers thanks to noisy and de-contented cabins, rough engines and build quality that would make a Yugo blush. As a result, Americans have developed a sort of Pavolovian retch when we hear the term “compact car.”

But a new dawn may be approaching – one heralded by a rash of new straw-weight fighters that aim to bring a global small car philosophy to the U.S. GM intends to be part of that party with the introduction of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, a sedan that, for all intents and purposes, is more of a landmark model for the company than the endlessly-hyped Chevrolet Volt. To get our meaning, you’ll need to throw all of your heinous memories about American-built small cars out the window beginning… now.

Photos by Zach Bowman / Copyright (C)2010 AOL

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze sails into new era of small cardom

First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze sails into new era of small cardom originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog

General Motors have said that the 1.4 litre petrol engine in the 2011 Chevrolet Volt will require premium fuel.

The Volt hybrid uses an 111kW electric motor as its primary driving force. When the lithium-ion battery pack is used up after 40 miles (65km), the 80bhp petrol engine comes to life to recharge the motor and battery pack, extending the vehicle’s range to 300 (547km) miles plus. Combined engine and electric power comes to 150bhp and 370Nm (273lb-ft) of torque.

Chevy’s 2011 Online Order/Reference Guide for dealers, an entry under the reference code LUU states: “Engine, Range Extender, 1.4L Internal Combustion Engine (estimated: 80bhp [60 kW]), requires premium fuel.”

A GM spokesman Adam Denison confirmed: “The Volt’s unique architecture causes the onboard engine to act more like a generator. As such, premium fuel is required to maximise fuel efficiency. The use of premium fuel in the Volt increases fuel efficiency by 5 percent or greater over the use of regular fuel. Simply put, premium fuel optimizes this engine’s characteristics. Basically, with reduced fuel consumption a key objective, premium fuel is the right solution for the Volt.”

Although fuel economy is yet to be announced, GM stresses that the Volt can return 230mpg combined on the U.S cycle. That translates to around 1l/100km.

The 2011 Volt receives an 8 year, 100,000 (160,000km) mile battery warranty. Prices start at ,000, ,500 after the ,500 tax credit. If you fancy leasing, put down a ,500 security deposit and you can lease the all-new Volt for 0/mth for 36 months. The first 4,400 owners will get a 120v charging cord and a 240v charging station with home installation. A 5 year OnStar ‘Directions and Connections’ service (which includes Automatic Crash Response, stolen vehicle assistance and connected navigation), 8 airbags (x2 front, side, curtain and knee), ESP w/ traction control will come as standard. On the warranty front, a 3 year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, a 5 year/100,000 mile road assistance, courtesy transportation and petrol engine warranty, 6 year/100,000 mile corrosion protection coverage, and an 8 year/100,000 mile battery warranty will be available.

Currently available for pre-order at select dealerships (in California, New York, Michigan, Connecticut, Texas, New Jersey and Washington D.C), the first Volts will be delivered late this year. Those who are curious about the Volt can ring 1-888-VOLT-4-YOU (1-888-865-8496) to get any questions answered. Impatient customers can order their new Volt on http://www.getmyvolt.com/.

The Volt will go on sale in the U.S and Europe in 2011.

Cars Of The Future® Blog

Hyundai have revealed extra information regarding engines and specifications for the all-new 2011 Equus. The Equus will be offered in just two trim-levels, Equus Signature and Equus Ultimate.

The Equus Signature features a 4.6 litre 385bhpTau® V8 petrol engine w/ 6 speed automatic, 608w Lexicon® sound system w/17 speakers, electronically controlled air suspension with continuous damping control, Vehicle Stability Management with pre-collision warning, Smart Cruise Control, bi-xenon headlamps w/ LED day-time running ligths, front and rear parking sensors w/rear-view camera, premium leather seating, Alcantara suede headliner, heated and cooled front seats w/ drivers massage function, heated wood and leather steering wheel, and other lavish luxuries.

The Equus Ultimate adds a grille-mounted front camera, power bootlid, electrically reclining rear seats with powered headrests, cooled rear seats, rear seat massage and leg support function, rear seat refrigerator and rear seat entertainment system.

“When you’re spending this much for a new car, you don’t want to feel like you’ve been short-changed on engineering, technology or features,” said John Krafcik, Hyundai Motor America president and CEO. “Equus Signature has the technology and content of fully-optioned flagship models from Lexus and BMW, while Equus Ultimate delivers a specification approached only by our competitors’ low-volume, special-order models.”

Hyundai’s novel perspective on intelligent luxury, features “Your Time, Your Place,” the industry’s first at-home vehicle demonstration program, the Valet Service program, which provides at-home pickup for Equus service and maintenance and the industry’s first iPad-based interactive owner’s manual.

A 5.0 litre Tau 429bhp V8 petrol engine will join the range at a later date, mated to an all-new in-house 8 speed automatic. Prices are expected to start around ,000.

EQUUS SIGNATURE KEY STANDARD FEATURES:

4.6 litre DOHC Tau V8 engine, 6 speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC® , electro-hydraulic power steering (EHPS), electronically controlled air suspension with continuous damping control (CDC), 19” chrome alloy wheels with P245/45R19 (front) / P275/40R19 (rear) tyres, four-wheel disc brakes with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and EBD, electronic stability control (ESC) with TCS and brake assist, vehicle stability management (VSM) system with pre-collision warning, 9 airbags; x2 front airbags, front and rear seat-mounted side-impact airbags, driver knee airbag, and roof-mounted side-curtain airbags, electronic active front head restraints with power controls, electronic seatbelt pretensioners, tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), lane departure warning system (LDWS), smart cruise control, adaptive high intensity discharge (HID) headlights with LED turn signal indicators w/auto-levelling, fog lights and automatic headlights, front and rear parking assistance system w/rear-view camera, electric-folding heated auto-dimming mirrors w/ turn signal indicators and approach lamps, twin asymmetrical exhaust tips integrated with rear bumper, proximity key entry w/push-button start, illuminated scuff plates, inside door handles and door armrest, premium leather seating surfaces and Alcantara® suede headliner, 12 way power driver seat plus lumbar adjustment and 10 way power front passenger seat, driver seat massage system, heated and cooled front seats, heated, wood-trimmed and leather-wrapped steering wheel, power tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, integrated memory system (IMS) for driver-side seat, mirror and steering wheel, leather-wrapped dash and real wood interior trim, electroluminescent cluster (Supervision) with 3.5-inch TFT LCD screen, electronic parking brake with automatic vehicle hold, power windows with auto-down/up, navigation system w/ DIS and multimedia controller, Apple iPad interactive owner’s manual, 608w Lexicon 7.1 Discrete surround-sound system with 17 speakers, iPod/USB and MP3 auxiliary input jacks and iPod connection cable, XM® Satellite Radio & NavTraffic® with trial subscription, Bluetooth® hands-free phone system, dual automatic temperature control with air quality system, windshield-wiper de-icer, rain-sensing wipers and auto-defogging windshield with humidity sensor, electrochromic auto-dimming inside rear-view mirror with HomeLink® and compass, acoustic laminated windshield , front and rear side windows, power tilt-and-slide glass sunroof, 60/40 power reclining and heated rear seats, power rear sunshade and rear side-window sunshades, luggage net, premium-grade floor mats, premium-grade trunk cargo mat and first-aid kit (PIO).

EQUUS COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES:

Tau V8 engine, rated one of Ward’s “Ten Best Engines” for 2009 and 2010

First-class seating available on Equus Ultimate (competitors’ best seating options come only on the long-wheelbase variants)

Standard Smart Cruise Control

Standard Lane Departure Warning System

Standard heated steering wheel

Standard power reclining rear seats

Standard heated rear seats

Standard premium Lexicon 7.1 Discrete surround sound audio system with 17 speakers

Available rear console refrigerator (only available on some competitors’ LWB models)

EQUUS ULTIMATE ADDS ULTRA LUXURY FEATURES:


Equus Ultimate adds or replaces:

50/50 split rear seats (four-passenger seating) with reclining function, rear passenger leg support and massage system, cooled rear seats, rear-seat entertainment system w/ 8” monitor, thermoelectric rear center console refrigerator, rear-seat power up/down head restraints w/ manual tilt, rear-seat illuminated vanity mirrors, forward-view cornering camera and a power trunk lid.

The Equus Ultimate replaces the 60:40 rear seat of the Equus Signature with a 50:50 power reclining seating configuration. The seat-back of this 50:50 seat massages and vibrates with heat – the perfect relaxation therapy for extended cruising. It is operated by its own remote control unit.

Equus offers four exterior colours and three interior theme choices. Exterior colours are White Satin Pearl, Black Noir Pearl, Granite Gray and Platinum Metallic. Interior themes are Cashmere with genuine Birch Burl wood, Jet Black with genuine walnut wood and Saddle with genuine walnut wood.

Cars Of The Future® Blog

Stay tuned for more information.

[Source: Hyundai]

TheCarBlogger: Latest Hyundai News & Kia News

Hyundai held an official test-drive event of the all-new 2011 Avante (Elantra) for journalists in Pyeongchang, South Korea today. We are awaiting more official photos from the automaker before we put up our post of the event. If pictures speak a thousand words, how can we describe the gorgeous high-definition video above, brought to you by CarMStyle? Flick on the 720p HD option and the stunning body lines and curves of the new Avante might just come to life. Enjoy!

[Source: CarMStyle]

TheCarBlogger: Latest Hyundai News & Kia News