1997 Silverado 5.7 350 Vortec,3 Dr. Extended Cab Shortbed Stepside on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: Ford HQ gets giant solar array, Chevy City Express gets 24 MPG city

Ford will be building Michigan's largest solar array at its Dearborn headquarters. With funding from DTE Energy, the solar carport will provide covered parking, as well 30 charging stations for electric vehicles. The array is expected to generate 1.13 million kWh per year for Ford's operations, and offset 794 metric tons of carbon emissions. Read more in the press release below. Chevrolet announced the fuel economy for the 2015 City Express, at 25 mpg combined. The cargo van is rated at 24 mpg in the city, and 26 mpg on the highway. Chevy credits the van's inline four-cylinder engine and continuously variable transmission for its impressive city mileage. For its customers - which are mainly businesses - "The fuel economy of the City Express will help stretch their dollar at the pump and give them the flexibility to invest the savings back into their business," says Chevrolet's Ed Peper. The City Express starts at $22,950. Read more in the press release below. Engineers at the University of Wisconsin have developed an efficient engine that runs on a diesel-gas blend. The engine, which uses a computer to control the blend proportions, is about 15 percent more efficient than the any diesel engine according to mechanical engineering professor Rolf Reitz. The team has put the experimental reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) engine in a demonstration car - a 2009 Saturn. "This vehicle can do 50 miles per gallon," says Reitz, who believes the system could be improved further. Read more at Wisconsin Public Radio. The Southeast Alternative Fuel Conference and Expo will take place in October in Raleigh, North Carolina. Held at the NC Clean Energy Technology Center from October 22-24, the event will feature a variety of exhibitors, speakers and, most importantly, alternatively powered vehicles. "The three day conference will be a one-stop shop for fleet and transportation related decision makers to learn about return on investment, efficiency and alternative transportation fuels such as biodiesel, electricity, ethanol, propane and natural gas," says Anne Tazewell of the NC Clean Energy Technology Center. If you can't make it to Raleigh for the Expo, you can still enter to win a free two-year lease of a Nissan Leaf at the Center's website. Learn more about the event in the press release, below.

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible headed for Geneva debut

While most of the world is still coming down from all the hype surrounding the debut of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this month, we're already looking to the future. And according to Autoweek, the next chapter in the C7 story will unfold at the Geneva Motor Show in March. That's right, General Motors is reportedly using the Swiss stage as its venue to debut the Corvette Stingray convertible.
If this strikes you as odd, you aren't alone. After all, with a car that's such an American icon, we'd fully expect Chevrolet to unveil it here on our shores in either Chicago or New York. But according to Autoweek, GM is looking to boost export sales of its halo car, and since the C7 was engineered to compete with the world's best and brightest, showing it off in Geneva is somewhat of a smart move. What's more, those with sharp memories will recall that GM used the Geneva expo to debut the sixth-generation C6 Corvette convertible back in March 2004, so there's also a precedent.
Details surrounding the Corvette Stingray convertible are still slim, though we fully expect the 6.2-liter V8 and choice of either six-speed automatic or seven-speed manual transmissions to carry over unchanged. Prototypes spotted on the road showed the car fitted with a cloth convertible roof, as well.

2016 Chevy Camaro coming on May 16

We officially have a date for the arrival of the sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro. Fans of Chevy's Mustang fighter should look forward to May 16, and if they're in the Detroit area, they'll want to make their way down to Belle Isle, home of the Chevy Indy Dual in Detroit. We still don't have a great deal of information on the new Camaro, aside from what's been gleaned in spy shots and the like, although Chevy's press release was accompanied by the image shown above. That, friends, looks a lot like the Camaro's badge of old. Its presence here could be an indication that an old logo is set to return to production. That's because what Chevy is planning could best be described as a jamboree, or Camaro-palooza, if you prefer, rather than a typical unveiling. Chevy is inviting up to 1,000 Camaro fans to descend on Belle Isle for a day-long event that will offer up a lot more than their first look at the sixth-generation muscle car. Fans can hot lap the Belle Isle circuit from the passenger's seat of a new Z/28, check out a Camaro "museum," featuring "the most significant vehicles from the brand's history," and chat with some of the Camaro's designers and engineers. "This will be an event Camaro fans will not want to miss," Camaro marketing manager Todd Christensen said in a statement. "This is only the sixth time we have introduced an all-new Camaro. We wanted to share the moment with the customers and fans who have helped make Camaro both America's favorite performance car for the past five years, and a cultural icon since 1967." We'll almost certainly be on hand for the debut (and you'll absolutely be able to get all the details here). And as we said, if you happen to be in the Detroit area in mid May, you can register to attend the unveiling. All you need to do is head over to Chevy's dedicated website for the sixth-generation Camaro and sign up for the big event, on Saturday, May 16. Scroll down for the full press release. 2016 Camaro Drops Cover on May 16 in Detroit DETROIT – Chevrolet is inviting fans to see the all-new 2016 Camaro on Saturday, May 16, in Detroit. The sixth-generation Camaro will cap a day-long celebration on Belle Isle, the 982-acre island park that is home to the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix May 29-31. "This will be an event Camaro fans will not want to miss," said Todd Christensen, Camaro marketing manager. "This is only the sixth time we have introduced an all-new Camaro.