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2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 [w/videos]

I think I was supposed to be back hours ago. Driving northwest on State Road 190 with a final destination deep in the heart of the Death Valley National Park, it occurs to me that I might have agreed to return after an hour or so, instead of the four I'll end up stealing, solo, in the new Z06. Somewhere in the combination of mountain vistas, arching, speed-hungry desert roads, and the sound of this titanic engine on a constant run up the rev ladder, I forgot everything I'd promised back at home base. The generous, civilized part of me worries for a moment that absconding with the new-best Corvette might have left one of my fellow journalists without a car. But the selfish part of me – the part largely in control of the rocket-launcher of a throttle under my right foot ­– says "screw it." I spent two days with the 2015 Chevy Corvette Z06, a monster of a sports car that will soon be dominating track days everywhere, and I never once was inclined to share it. Hurtling through the shattered stillness of the desert and pulling big Gs at Spring Mountain circuit, I never felt overly disposed to give up my seat. This Corvette, more than any I've yet driven, was deep enough to hold my attention; for two days, for two years, probably. With this Z06, the Corvette steps over the amazing-for-the-price category, and solidly into the best-cars-in-the-world zone. There are peripheral elements that remind me of its blue collar, Bowtie heritage, sure, but there's more that simply begs me to carry on driving... faster. Most casual car observers will be able to pick the 2015 Z06 out from its less aggressive Stingray brothers. Subtler hints include a new, more open grille, larger extractor on the taller hood and rather discreet badges on the flanks of the car. More outrageous is the finned spoiler on the rear trunk lid, and the widebody look offered from flared fenders – an extra 1.57 inches (40 millimeters) at their beefiest point. Even driving around performance-car-laden Pahrump, NV – loaded thanks to the very active community at the Spring Mountain racing resort – members of the local populace were turning heads, waving and generally noting the Z06 with approval when I drove through town. In Torch Red over black painted aluminum wheels, staggered at 19-inches in front and 20 at the back, the amped-up Z06 hits a new level of road presence for the C7.

2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Convertible offers a few more views before reveal

Over the weekend, Chevrolet released its first images of the new 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible. Now, ahead of the droptop's official introduction tomorrow at the Geneva Motor Show, the automaker has given us a few more shots of the softop C7 showing off the car's rump albeit from a high, strategically positioned angle.
From this angle, it's hard to get a sense for how long and flat the decklid really is, but we can easily see that, like the rest of the C7's design, the new convertible's decklid and tonneau cover are far more detailed than the current car. We also get a better look at the rear haunches sans brake vents, which have apparently been moved to underneath the car in order to accommodate the top's hard cover.
As for the overall styling of the C7 convertible, with the top erected, we get some idea of what a coupe design (as opposed to the Stingray's fastback shape) would look like on this car. The C5 Corvette most recently had a coupe model that did away with the large glass hatchback, and we recently reported on a low-cost "coupe" model potentially being added to the C7's repertoire.

2015 Chevy Spark will have lighter, smaller battery

As General Motors gets ready to release the 2015 Chevy Spark EV, it is retooling the Brownstown Battery Assembly to build a new battery system for the chirpy little electric car. The new Spark will lose a few pounds and kWh from its lithium-ion pack, but it will keep all of it's performance specs. The current Spark EV uses a 21-kWh lithium-ion battery pack with bits made by A123 Systems (known as B456 Systems during bankruptcy). For the 2015 model, GM is going to build a 19-kWh battery system in-house that will use 192 LG Chem cells. Losing a bit of energy capacity means that the battery system for the 2015 Spark EV will be 86 pounds lighter but it will keep the EPA-rated 82-mile range and 119 MPGe. The 2015 Spark EV also keeps its $26,685 (plus destination) starting price from the 2014 model. The car will once again qualify for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500. LG Chem also supplies the cells for GM's other plug-in vehicles from its facility in Western Michigan. The Brownstown production line currently builds the battery packs for the Chevy Volt, the Opel Ampera and the Cadillac ELR. You can read our first drive of the 2014 Chevy Spark here. Brownstown Battery Assembly Expands Capabilities Will build battery system for 2015 Chevrolet Spark EV 2014-05-14 DETROIT – General Motors will bring all its electric vehicle battery building capabilities in-house with production of battery systems for the 2015 Chevrolet Spark EV at its battery assembly plant in Brownstown, Mich. "Using our in-house engineering and manufacturing expertise enabled us to deliver a battery system that is more efficient and lighter than the 2014 Spark EV without sacrificing range," said Larry Nitz, executive director of GM global transmission and electrification engineering. "Our successful working relationship with LG Chem has allowed us to deliver a new battery system for the Spark EV that helps us to better leverage our economies of scale." A newly designed battery system features an overall storage capacity of 19 kWh and uses 192 lithium ion cells. The cells are produced at LG Chem's plant in Holland, Mich. The battery system weight of 474 lbs. is 86 pounds lighter than the system in the 2014 Spark EV. The Spark EV battery is built on a dedicated production line at Brownstown, which also manufactures complete battery packs for the Chevrolet Volt, Opel Ampera and Cadillac ELR.