It’s not exactly the Son of Volt, but the 2011 Chevy Cruze Eco will continue General Motors’ theme of green when it is formally introduced Wednesday at the New York auto show.
Propelled by a turbocharged 1.4-liter Ecotec engine with variable valve timing, the Cruze Eco is dressed with assorted fuel-miser tweaks, including a redesigned grill and spoilers to improve aerodynamics, and lightweight aluminum wheels and tires with low-rolling resistance. G.M. says the Cruze Eco with the 6-speed manual transmission will get 40 miles per gallon on the highway.
Also debuting in New York will be a sporty variant of the Cruze, the RS model, which is essentially a styling package. It will be available on the upscale Cruze LT and LTZ trim levels. It features special bumpers, side skirt, a rear spoiler and an instrument cluster with chrome accent rings.
The Cruze Eco will go on sale in the fourth quarter. No word on pricing. Be sure to check in on Wednesday when G.M. officially unveils the Cruze Eco at the New York auto show.
With the GM line-up being limited now to just a few brands, it has allowed the GM designers to make an impact and wow the public. Especially when noting that Buick just beat out Lexus.
Bold styling and a direct assault against foreign auto makers – Audi, Mercedes, Lexus and BMW – GM has truely upped the ante with the introduction of the 2012 Cadillac XTS. The XTS model is rumored to replace the DTS and STS models. The only thing that may be different from its concept design would be the powerplant.
Although we’ve known about the XTS for some time, this is the first we’ve heard of it being given the green light for production. An inside source told Motor Trend that the car has been confirmed, but the car likely still has a few levels of management to go through before being officially confirmed by Cadillac.
The big news for the car comes in that designers are working on a production car that looks very similar to the XTS Platinum concept for production. The last Cadillac concept — the CTS Coupe — made its way into production virtually unchanged from concept form. We’re hoping the same really does apply to the XTS as well. Additionally, the inside source at GM who confirmed production of the XTS told Motor Trend that GM’s accountants are also working to ensure the XTS concept’s stellar interior makes it to production as well.
It seems as though the exterior and interior styling of the big XTS concept won’t be the only things to carry over to production, as a hybrid version of the XTS is also rumored to be going into production. The XTS concept in Detroit uses a direct-injection V-6 coupled to GM’s 2-Mode hybrid system from the stillborn 2-Mode Saturn Vue to produce something around 350 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. The production XTS is said to also get the plug-in hybrid system developed, once again, for the Saturn Vue. A twin-turbo 3.6-liter V-6 is also said to be in the works for the XTS in order to truly compete with the Audi A8, BMW 7-Series, and Mercedes-Benz S-Class — all of which offer V-8 power. This could make Cadillac the leader in engine downsizing, or lead the company to later shoehorn a small-block V-8 into the XTS. Read the entire article HERE.
2010 Buick vs 2010 Lexus MotorTrend Comparison Test
Recently, MotorTrend put up the 2010 Buick LaCrosse CXS against the 2010 Lexus ES350. For some it was a surprise, for those that know about the LaCrosse it wasn’t. You have seen in current advertisements Buick comparing itself to Lexus, even encouraging customers to see for themselves.
Buick now appears to think this identity theft thing can go both ways. The spanking-new 2010 LaCrosse is intent on not only re-hijacking its Buickness, but going even further. American Lexus, anyone? To manage that, it’ll need Lexus-eclipsing quietness, which appears to be a credible threat, given it’s the quietest GM car the company’s tested in its vaunted wind tunnel. Trouble is, the current, fifth-generation ES 350 (introduced way back in 2006) has just received a well-timed rejuvenation for 2010.
If design is your thing, the LaCrosse gives you double your money’s worth. It’s an explosion of dramatic shapes and small details for the eyes to either feast on or pause on, depending on your mood. And if its materials quality were more impressive, this would be one hell of a dash (why do the interiors of all GM cars, from Cobalts to Cadillacs, appear to employ the exact same grades of materials?).
Still, I’d challenge you to keep your fingers off the engaging, colorful, multifunction display panel; it’s simply irresistible. And our car’s harman/kardon sound system had us checking the back seat for the French horn player. Opined Rory, “The teal-colored accent trim that sweeps across the dash and illuminates at night makes you feel as if you’ve entered a ’90s nightclub.” Young Mr. Jurnecka makes the ’90s sound like a long time ago.
Distinguishing the 2010 ES is a revamped exterior sporting a refashioned nose, side moldings, side mirrors containing turn signals, and freshened taillamps. The result being that…it still looks like an ES, meaning it instantly vanishes in a Macy’s parking lot. Lose the remote panic button, and you’ll never find it again.
The Buick, though, is easier to spot. Let’s see, what kind of car could this be with sweepspears on it sides and holes in its hood? Hmmm. Cliches aside, it’s an appealing shape that you’re obliged to applaud for its chutzpah, though it’s hampered by a heavy frosting of shiny, chrome trim bits, all four times larger than they need be (if they were even needed at all). Gosh, I’d love to see this car with more restrained detailing.
Now, there is no denying that Lexus has a great reputation with luxury, performance and comfort, but to have all of that and more in an American car is well worth the time to look at.
Enough with all of that. What were the results of the MotorTrend comparison?
1ST PLACE: BUICK LACROSSE CXS Roomy and well equipped, with great presence and pleasant road manners, it redefines the Buick brand for the 21st century.
2ND PLACE: LEXUS ES 350 Still defines the segment, but it’s starting to feel old and cramped, and, despite the premium price tag, Toyota’s cost-cutting is noticeable in places.
Last week we told you about how Chevrolet, a division of General Motors, was bringing an augmented reality (AR) marketing promotion to SXSW in Austin. Now General Motors is kicking it up a notch with some experimental technology that will bring the world of AR to car windshields and provide a heads-up-display (HUD) experience.The new technology, still very much in the testing phase, uses an array of sensors which track both objects on or near the road, as well as the position and angle of a driver’s head and eyes. By combining the data from these sensors, GM can then project images onto the windshield with lasers to help drivers stay safe when driving.
“Let’s say you’re driving in fog,” says Thomas Seder, group lab manager for GM’s research and development. “We could use the vehicle’s infrared cameras to identify where the edge of the road is and the lasers could ‘paint’ the edge of the road onto the windshield so the driver knows where the edge of the road is,” Seder said.
In other words, it would be like having a fighter pilot’s HUD in your car, except instead of tracking the sky for bogies, your car tracks the road for possible dangers. The display works by coating the windshield with transparent phosphors which emit light when excited by a laser. GM says this is better for the driver because the entire windshield can be used to display information, not just a portion of it like current in-car HUD systems. The technology also includes the ability to recognize and read road signs and alert the driver to when they are driving too fast or if construction is ahead. Read the rest HERE.
