2004 Chevrolet S-10 Crew Cab Best Color Drives Great Excellent Condition on 2040-cars

Auto blog

GM cutting Chevy Sonic, Buick Verano production [UPDATE]

UPDATE: A previous version of this story indicated that Orion Assembly would be idled for seven weeks, from February 16 through April 6. This was incorrect. The factory will instead only be idled for the weeks of February 16 and April 6. The story has been edited to reflect this. General Motors has announced that the factory responsible for the Buick Verano and Chevrolet Sonic will be idled for the weeks of February 16 and April 6, with blame being placed on excess supply. The Orion Assembly plant, about 45 minutes north of GM's Renaissance Center headquarters, employs about 1,800 people, but they'll be given a pair of furloughs as inventories of the sub-compact Sonic and premium compact Verano reach 127 days and 84 days, respectively. That works out to 26,600 Chevys and 9,800 Buicks waiting for buyers. According to Automotive News, the compact Chevy sales bested the industry average in 2014, jumping up nine percent versus the the overall segment's eight-percent gain, while the Buick sedan's sales were down four percent. When asked about the shutdown, a GM spokesman told AN that it will "build to market demand," while also pointing out that the company did not comment on production plans. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Bill Pugliano / Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Buick Chevrolet GM buick encore orion assembly

Travis Kvapil tells Twitter his Sprint Cup car was stolen

There's a bizarre story coming out of Atlanta today, as NASCAR racer Travis Kvapil is reporting that his Sprint Cup Car was stolen from a lot at the Drury Inn in Morrow, GA. Kvapil announced the theft, which included the black pickup that was hauling the trailer and the #44 Chevrolet SS Sprint Cup Car – shown above, with driver JJ Yeley at the wheel – on Twitter. According to Kvapil, the car wasn't going to be ready for the Thursday test session at Atlanta Motor Speedway, although forecasts of snow forced the team to dispatch their main trailer and tools to the track ahead of the car, which left for Atlanta later yesterday. According to ESPN, police in Morrow have video of the "incident," which happened at 5:34 AM Friday, with police investigating it as as criminal in nature. "Sometimes what happens when thieves see trailers, they might just assume there's something in the trailer they can go off and sell," Sgt. Larry Oglesby, of the Morrow PD, told USA Today. "Sometimes when things like this occur, they will drop off the items in a parking lot somewhere – like a Walmart parking lot – once they realize what they have." "All we know is it was a silver jeep," team owner John Cohen told USA Today. "One guy got out and they pulled off together." Earlier, Cohen told ESPN that the theft will force the team out of this weekend's race at the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kvapil, meanwhile, has taken to Twitter to appeal to his followers to be on the lookout for the truck, trailer and race car. Here's hoping it turns up all together. Check out the driver's tweets, below. Wow. Anyone near Atlanta find my stolen Cup car let me know! Unreal - Travis Kvapil (@TravisKvapil) February 27, 2015 I bet when whoever has it, opens the trailer and is going to be like 'oh snap' - Travis Kvapil (@TravisKvapil) February 27, 2015 Ok, to clarify. @Teamxtreme44 transporter is @amsupdates. The guys stayed and worked on the car Thursday at the shop in NC. They drove.... - Travis Kvapil (@TravisKvapil) February 27, 2015 down last night in a Ford dually and enclosed trailer with racecar inside. That was stolen out of hotel parking lot this am in Morrow, GA - Travis Kvapil (@TravisKvapil) February 27, 2015 Black Ford dually, white enclosed tag behind trailer. New Jersey plates - Travis Kvapil (@TravisKvapil) February 27, 2015 Dang.... I'm wishing we had LoJack or something on it!

More 2017 Chevy Bolt powertrain details revealed

We've seen the production version of the Chevy Bolt electric vehicle. We've driven a prototype version. And now it's time to get some details about the powertrain. After the production version's reveal at CES last week, GM trotted out the Bolt EV for its Detroit debut this morning. The company brought with it a bunch of technical specifications. We'll start with the most important part of an EV: the battery. GM has put a 60-kWh lithium-ion battery that weighs just just 960 pounds into the floor of the Bolt. As previously announced, the Bolt's 288 cells will be able to go over 200 miles on a full charge. That full charge takes nine hours on a Level 2 EVSE thanks to the onboard 7.2-kW charger. Of course, a full charge won't be that important most days, which is why GM says that you can get 50 miles of range in "less than two hours" on Level 2. There's a SAE Combo DC fast charging option as well. The battery will have an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty. The Bolt will be able to sprint up to 60 miles per hour in "less than seven seconds" thanks to a 150-kW/200 horsepower motor in the Bolt. The motor is a new GM design that can produce up to 266 pound-feet of torque. The Bolt uses a shift-by-wire system and an, "offset gear and shaft configuration tailored to meet efficiency and performance targets." The Bolt EV's powertrain has a 7.05:1 final drive ratio. You can read all of the details direct from GM below. Related Video: Drive Unit and Battery at the Heart of Chevrolet Bolt EV Engineers focus on careful balance of range and performance DETROIT, Mich. – The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV does more than set a new benchmark for affordable, long-range EV driving. It also raises the bar when it comes to driving performance. Engineers developed the Bolt EV's propulsion system to offer more than an estimated 200 miles (based on GM estimates) and a delightful driving experience that's more akin to a compact sports sedan than a small utilitarian crossover. "Being the leader in range and affordability means nothing if the car isn't going to excite you each time you get behind the wheel," said Josh Tavel, Chevrolet Bolt EV chief engineer. "That's why the team was tasked with delivering a propulsion system that would also make the Bolt EV an electric vehicle that owners would love to drive." Single Motor Drive Unit Like most EVs on the road, the Bolt EV's drive system uses a single high capacity electric motor to propel the car.