2012 Chevrolet Malibu Ltz on 2040-cars

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2016 Chevy Volt will be available across Canada, unlike most of US [UPDATE]

UPDATE: The story's been updated to add a response from General Motors of Canada. It's not enough that the Toronto Blue Jays may be the most intimidating team in Major League Baseball. Now, it appears that our neighbors to the north will also have some bragging rights in regards to General Motors' Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in vehicle. Specifically, most of Canada will have access to the 2016 version before most of the US will. In fact, the car will be available in Canada before people can buy it in Michigan. A trip to Windsor, Ontario, anyone? The Volt, which will boast a longer plug-in range than the current version, could go on sale in Canada as soon as November, GM Authority says. The model's second-generation version may debut in California as soon as this month, and is slated to be sold later this year in the 10 other states that abide by the so-called CARB (California Air Resources Board) rules for zero-missions vehicles. Those states include Oregon, Maine, New York and Massachusetts. But not GM's home state of Michigan. Either way, the new generation model's debut can't come soon enough for the US automaker, as Volt sales in 2015 have seriously lagged the 2014 numbers because of people waiting for the new version. "We will receive the 2016 Volt in Canada this fall, starting with our key Volt markets in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia," wrote General Motors of Canada spokesman George George Saratlic in an e-mail to AutoblogGreen. "Note these are also the three provinces that provide provincial incentives on EV purchases. We'll then roll out Volt to the rest of the country." Last week, details were revealed about the first sales of the 2016 Volt, where marketing efforts will be concentrated among the largest plug-in buying states in the union. The other 39 states will get their shot starting next year with the 2017 model-year variant. Related Video:

Chevy confirms 2016 Camaro will have wheels, brakes

Good news, everyone! Chevrolet has issued yet another round of teaser images and information about the sixth-generation Camaro, set to debut in Detroit on May 16. This time around, Chevy's teaser images confirm that the new car will not only have wheels and tires (Goodyear Eagle F1s, no less), but brakes as well. On top of that, we now know that the new Camaro will be 28-percent stiffer than the outgoing model. "The more rigid body structure allowed the engineers to more precisely calibrate the steering and suspension systems because they didn't have to compensate for chassis flex. The lighter structure also enabled the size and mass of elements such as the wheels, tires and brakes to be scaled accordingly," GM said in a press release, which you can read below. We've already learned that the new coupe will be 200 pounds lighter than its predecessor, has a bunch of unique parts, and according to GM's Mark Reuss, will outperform the Ford Mustang in every way. Now, it's only a matter of time before we see the sixth-gen Camaro, but surely not before Chevy issues even more teasers and information. Related Video: 2016 Camaro is Stronger, Lighter and More Responsive Computer aided engineering contributes to 28 percent greater structural stiffness DETROIT – The engineering team spent 9 million hours of computational time honing the driving experience of the all-new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro before the first prototype turned a wheel. The structural modeling led to the Gen 6 Camaro being 28 percent stiffer than the current model. "The modeling abilities of computer aided engineering are advancing at incredible rates," said Jim Karlavage, Camaro program engineering manager. "Today, we can accurately model opportunities to add torsional strength without adding unnecessary mass. The result is a lighter, stiffer structure that benefits every aspect of the driving experience." The more rigid body structure allowed the engineers to more precisely calibrate the steering and suspension systems because they didn't have to compensate for chassis flex. The lighter structure also enabled the size and mass of elements such as the wheels, tires and brakes to be scaled accordingly. "The structural weight savings are compounded by opportunities to reduce un-sprung weight," said Karlavage.

2014 Chevrolet Impala [w/video]

Can A Fleet Queen Become a Fullsize King?
On paper, the Chevrolet Impala is a pretty strong seller, posting annual sales that have hovered right around 170,000 units for the last two years, but it only takes one trip to practically any rental car agency to discover where the majority of those sales have come from. In fact, General Motors told Autoblog that a full 70 percent of Impala sales last year went to fleet companies for things like rental cars and government vehicles. Logic tells us that this is neither good for resale values nor name equity, so Chevrolet is getting ready to roll out an all-new Impala with improved comfort, styling and technology, hoping to turn the tables on its retail-to-fleet ratio.
Chevrolet's sedans have come on quite strong in the last few months with the introduction of the Cruze diesel and the SS sedan, but while these will likely be low-volume sellers, there's more pressure for the new Impala to perform well as GM looks to slash fleet sales and compete with the wide variety of full-size sub-luxury sedans. Riding on a platform shared with the Buick LaCrosse and Cadillac XTS, the 2014 Impala will compete against the Hyundai Azera, Ford Taurus and Toyota Avalon on the more traditional side, while also looking to take a bite out of somewhat sportier models like the Chrysler 300/Dodge Charger twins and the Nissan Maxima. We headed to sunny San Diego to see if this totally new Impala can stand on its own without the assistance of fleet companies and rental agencies. [w/video