Volt Owners Saved 2.1 Million Gallons of Gas

Makers of alternative-fuel cars and the government love to create colorful images for how much gasoline the vehicles save and General Motors has come up with one: It says Chevy Volt owners collectively have saved a supertanker's worth of gas since the extended-range plug-in went on sale. That would be about 2.1 million gallons of gas, based on Volt owners driving more than 40 million miles on electricity alone (GM should know, since it monitors the operation of all Volts through its OnStar connection). The Volt can go about 35 miles on the plug-in charge before the gas engine kicks in. Based on the OnStar monitoring, Chevy says Volts are being driven about 60% of their miles electric-only, so they've also gone about 27 million miles using gasoline. "With each click of the odometer, Chevrolet Volt owners are measuring their contribution to reducing America's dependence on foreign oil and to preserving the environment," Cristi Landy, Volt marketing director, said in a statement, adding that they saved about $8 million at the pump, minus the cost of the electricity. And therein lie both the virtues of the car -- and the rub, at least for folks of average means. The $8 million will offset the about $535 million owners collectively spent to buy the 13,374 of the $40,000 Volts GM sold from roll-out through April this year (plus the cost of chargers in their garages). But those buyers could have spent half that total if they had bought the comparable about-$20,000-to-start Chevy Cruze Eco. Even after tax subsidies for the Volt, they would still be money ahead for years, even with the Volt's lower fuel cost, since the Eco is no gas hog at 28 m.p.g. city, 42 highway, 33 combined.

GM Promotes Buckling Up For Safety

DETROIT – General Motors is partnering with the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning through its “Click It or Ticket” campaign to encourage safety belt use in vehicles. The awareness program, which runs through June 3, strives to increase safety belt use rates through publicized enforcement zones. Following Michigan’s record-high safety belt use rate of 97.9 percent in 2009, it dropped to 94.5 percent in 2011. That year, nearly 200 people who died in traffic crashes were not using safety belts. “Every 1 percent increase in safety belt usage means 10 fewer traffic deaths and 130 fewer injuries,” said Gay Kent, GM executive director of vehicle safety. “The numbers indicate the importance of buckling up – it saves lives.” GM has long record of safety firsts in the U.S. including active head restraints, frontal air bags, side-impact air bags that reduce the risk of injury to children and rear seat 3-point safety belts. Starting with the 2004 model year, the company began implementing enhanced belt reminder systems in its vehicles. These reminders were rolled out to all GM vehicles by the 2008 model year. “When worn properly, the risk of being killed in an automobile crash is reduced by 45 percent,” said Kent. “Beginning with our employees, we strive to set an example for others by wearing our safety belts at all times, refraining from texting while driving, and, in general, exhibiting safe driving habits.” Additionally, during the Click It or Ticket campaign OnStar Advisors will remind drivers who press the blue OnStar button to fasten their safety belt. Michigan law requires all drivers and passengers 15 and younger in any seating position to be buckled up. Children must be in a car seat or booster seat until they are eight years old or 4 feet 9 inches tall. A list of planned safety belt enforcement zones is available at www.michigan.gov/ohsp. General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets.  GM’s brands include Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well as Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

DETROIT – The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is officially in the “11-second” club, as engineers recently turned an 11.93-second/116-mph quarter-mile elapsed time run in a showroom-stock Camaro ZL1 automatic. A Camaro ZL1 manual ran an 11.96-second ET at 117 mph.

Only a few other production vehicles can run the quarter-mile as quickly as the ZL1. Fewer yet can also run 0-60 in 4 seconds, reach a top speed of 184 mph and lap the famous Nürburgring in 7:41.27 – all with the street-legal, factory-issued components and no time-consuming equipment adjustments at the racetrack.

“The ZL1 is great at everything and we’re very proud of that,” said Tony Roma, Camaro ZL1 program engineering manager. “You can take it to the drag strip and run 11-second quarter-miles all day long. You can also take it to a road course, where it’s balanced, handles well, and does exactly what you want – including lapping Virginia International Raceway’s Grand Course in under three minutes – and yet the ZL1 is sophisticated enough to use as a daily driver. It’s a supercar you can drive every day.”

For perspective, the Camaro ZL1 is so quick that some drivers who experiment with “drag radial” tires or full racing slicks may find themselves going too quick for most NHRA-sanctioned racetracks, where a five-point roll bar is required for vehicles running 11.49 or quicker. The 11.93-second ET in a stock ZL1 tested by the engineers wore the factory-issued Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar G:2  tires developed specifically for it, putting the car only a scant 0.44-second away from that additional racing safety requirement.
Tuned for the drag strip

The original, special-order 1969 Camaro ZL1s are still revered for their legendary performance on the drag strip and Chevrolet was keenly aware that customers for the new, 21st century edition would undoubtedly test its straight-line mettle in quarter-mile increments.

The Camaro team re-engineered 30 percent of a Camaro 2SS to make the ZL1, including special modifications just for the drag strip.

“We know many of customers will take their ZL1 to the drag strip,” said Gordon Rojewski, driveline development engineer – and who is also an experienced drag racer and owner of a turbocharged, 920-horsepower street car. “Some may just go once, to experience the full potential of the 580-horsepower LSA engine. Others may be more serious, going every other weekend with a set of slicks in the trunk. As such, we set out to make sure the ZL1 would perform for them – on the first pass and on the 100th.”
For example, to withstand the heavy loads of repeated hard launches, the ZL1 features a stout 9.9-inch rear differential mounted in a robust cast iron center section. It also features a standard differential cooler that can lower the temperature by 100 degrees F for improved performance and longevity.

The ZL1 also features asymmetrical half-shafts: a 60mm hollow shaft on the right and a 33mm solid shaft on the left. The different torsional stiffness rates of the shafts work in conjunction with the limited-slip differential to minimize the chance of wheel hop at launch. Engineers modified the rear suspension, as well, to accommodate an 18-inch wheel, for owners who want to fit a set of drag-radials with taller sidewalls to improve their ETs.

Even the ZL1’s exclusive Performance Traction Management (PTM) was tuned for the drag-strip. It integrates third-generation Magnetic Ride Control, launch control, traction control, electronic stability control and electric power steering response to enhance performance. Launch control (manual transmission only) automatically modulates engine torque for the best-possible acceleration without excessive wheel spin. When the driver pushes the throttle to the floor, the system holds a predetermined engine speed until the driver releases the clutch. Then, the system modulates engine torque 1,000 times per second to maximize the available traction.

Mode 5 of launch control is uniquely calibrated for drag strips that use VHT or similar traction-enhancing compounds on the starting line. In addition to validating the system for the stock tires, engineers also tested it with 18- and 20-inch racing-type drag radial tires in anticipation of the specialty tires many drivers will use at the track. Drag radials are very soft and provide nearly the traction of a full racing slick, allowing the car to launch at a higher rpm without wheel spin, which can translate into an even quicker ET.

Proven with 1,000 hard launch tests
To test the chassis and suspension components to ensure they were up to repeated hard-start launches typical at the drag strip, engineers subjected the ZL1 to the grueling “Woodward Avenue Schedule” at the GM Milford Proving Ground.
Named for the famous cruising route that cuts north through Detroit’s suburbs and has been the venue for untold thousands of unofficial launch capability demonstrations since the 1960s, each test cycle is a hard-launch, standing-start drag race up to 100 mph. The ZL1 was subjected to 1,000 test cycles before its driveline was stamped “approved”.
“The Woodward Avenue Schedule was a really brutal test, but it told us the Camaro ZL1 would live up to the way we knew our customers would drive it on the track,” said Rojewski.

The Camaro ZL1 is on sale now with a suggested retail price of $54,995 – including a $900 destination charge. The 6L90 six-speed automatic transmission includes TapShift control and is a $1,185 option. The Camaro ZL1 convertible goes on sale this summer.

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at http://www.chevrolet.com/.

2013 Black Diamond Avalanche

From the FastLane Team

In 2002, the Chevrolet Avalanche literally reshaped the pickup segment – offering an adjustable Midgate that allowed for even greater cargo space, or comfortable seating for up to six. A decade (and 580,000 sales) later, Avalanche is ending its successful run with one last reason to celebrate – the 2013 Black Diamond edition.

The Black Diamond Avalanche will feature body-colored bed surrounds, unique badging and refined standard equipment packages on both the LS and LT models, including features such as rear camera, rear park assist, power adjustable pedals, fog lamps and remote start. Despite the enhanced packages, Avalanche base price dropped $2,500 for 2013.

With its unique styling, capability and capacity, Avalanche proved to be one of those rare ideas that change a segment forever – a well-equipped light-duty pickup that could tow, haul and carry the whole gang. By 2011, crew cabs accounted for more than 65 percent of light-duty pickup sales, helping to transform pickups from mere workhorses to true multipurpose family vehicles.

In its final year of production, Avalanche remains one of the industry’s more-flexible utility vehicles. Its exclusive Midgate opens to extend the cargo-area from 5-foot-3-inch-long (1.6 m) length to 8 feet 2 inches (2.5 m), with storage compartments alongside the cargo box providing ample and lockable storage with pluggable drains that can be filled with ice and used as coolers.

On the performance front, Avalanche has also grown more efficient over the years – it’s powered by the E-85-capable Vortec 5.3L V-8 with cylinder-deactivating Active Fuel Management technology, mated to a fuel-saving Hydra-Matic six-speed automatic.

Avalanche Milestones
The Avalanche was introduced at the 2000 North American International Auto Show in Detroit as a concept, described as a no-compromise Chevy Truck with a unique combination of configurable passenger and cargo space
A special Avalanche was equipped to protect and transport the Olympic Flame during the Torch Relay prior to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City
In addition to receiving Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year for 2002, the Avalanche received the Design and Engineering award from Popular Mechanics
Chevrolet teamed up with outdoor outfitter North Face to offer a special edition Avalanche in 2002 that was used to transport a team of kayakers through the rugged terrain of the Himalayas to the Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet, where they successfully accomplished first descent of the most-feared whitewater on the planet
A 2007 Avalanche was presented to the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game MVP Michael Young of the Texas Rangers

Parker Chevrolet Is Now Using Timeline

Introducing the new Parker Chevrolet Buick GMC Timeline Facebook Page! 

The introduction of Timeline opens the door for us to do very exciting things on our page for customers. It allows us to easily display new photos, track important events, and introduce sales and specials in a fun and interactive way!

Timeline will officially start pushing its way to all profiles on March 30th, if you're still new to timeline and would like to learn more, check out this link: http://www.facebook.com/about/timeline

2012 Chevy Cruze a World Class Ride

Running on the Michigan-designed "Pot Hole" course which simulates real-world extreme driving conditions, the Chevy Cruze exceeds expectations!

TorqueNews writes:

The potholes at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan, are engineered to simulate severity of road damage and recreate varied load conditions that occur in a vehicle when it is driven through one. The Cruze, which has sold more than 1.13 million units in more than 100 markets around the world since its launch in late 2009, underwent extensive road testing around the world to ensure consistent ride quality and comfort from Korea to Kansas and points between.

To read more, click here!

2012 Camaro ZL1’s TapShift Automatic

The 2012 Chevy ZL1 comes with several improvements of previous versions of the Camaro, but probably most notably is its new automatic transmission system. This is a 6-speed automatic system, complete with paddle shifters, to get you from 0-60 in just 3.9 seconds.

InAutoNews writes:

On the face of it, it’s a normal automatic transmission with paddle shifters. What give it the edge is a unique software. The improvement in delay between shifts is about 200-300 milliseconds, according to Chevy, but only in sequence up the range.

By staging hydraulic pressure in the clutch for the next gear, the new control module algorithm reduces tap delay for the 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, and 4-5 up-shifts by 200-300 milliseconds. 

The system anticipates shift requests based on current gear, throttle, torque and speed. By pre-filling the clutch for the next gear, the tap up-shift response is near instantaneous.

To read more about the ZL1, click here!