2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer Lt Sport Utility 4-door 4.2l Bid To Win on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2016 Green Truck of the Year, Commercial Green Car of the Year finalists

Not only are commercial-grade haulers getting more green love lately, they're getting more different kinds of green love. The 2016 Green Truck of the Year, the second time the award has been handed out, is being decided by judges from Green Car Journal and the San Antonio Auto & Truck Show. This year the award is joined by the new 2016 Commercial Green Car of the Year, which crowns one of the little vans increasingly used by small business as cargo and delivery vehicles. The Green Truck of the Year finalists are the Chevrolet Colorado Duramax (pictured), Ford F-150, GMC Canyon Duramax, Nissan Titan XD, and Toyota Tacoma. The first three of those were on last year's list, but since they are completely new or upgraded for 2016 - Ford with its all-aluminum body, the General Motors twins with the new diesel Duramax engine - they qualify for entry again. The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel won last year. The Commercial Green Car finalists are the Chevrolet City Express, Ford Transit Connect, Mercedes-Benz Metris, Nissan NV200, and Ram ProMaster City. You can read more details in the presser below, and the awards will be announced in San Antonio sometime during the show from November 19-22. San Antonio Auto & Truck Show Announces 2016 Green Truck of the Year and Commercial Green Car of the Year Finalists SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Car Journal and the San Antonio Auto & Truck Show have announced finalists for the 2016 Green Truck of the Year™ and 2016 Commercial Green Car of the Year™ awards. The Green Truck of the Year™ nominees are the Chevrolet Colorado Duramax, Ford F-150, GMC Canyon Duramax, Nissan Titan XD, and Toyota Tacoma. Vying for the all-new 2016 Commercial Green Car of the Year™ award are the Chevrolet City Express, Ford Transit Connect, Mercedes-Benz Metris, Nissan NV200, and Ram ProMaster City. "Over the past few decades, new car models have benefitted from design and technology improvements that have brought higher fuel efficiency and greater levels of environmental compatibility," said Green Car Journal and CarsOfChange.com Editor and Publisher Ron Cogan. "With models like these ten deserving finalists, we're witnessing the pickup and light commercial vehicle field enjoying the same attention." The new Commercial Green Car of the Year™ award is part of an expanded awards program presented at this year's 2015 San Antonio Auto & Truck Show.

Chevy Malibu will become 45-mpg strong hybrid with next update

Come next year there'll be no more mild hybrid pretensions for the Chevrolet Malibu - the next-generation sedan will borrow technology from the 2016 Volt and get a proper hybrid powertrain. A 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine gets help from a two-motor drive unit adapted from the Volt for 182 system horsepower, the motor drive powered by an 80-cell, 1.5-kWh lithium-ion battery. Chevrolet says that when combined with features like grille shutters and a lower ride height, it expects the Malibu Hybrid will post a combined fuel economy rating of more than 45 miles per gallon, which would best the hybrid trims of the Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata. Electric power alone can power the car up to 55 miles per hour, and The Bowtie's first use of exhaust gas heat recovery will help maintain high hybrid performance in cold weather and be used to heat the engine and cabin. The Malibu Hybrid should go on sale in the Spring of next year, for now there's a press release below. Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid Derives Technology from Volt GM estimates combined fuel economy ratings to exceed 45 mpg DETROIT, 2015-03-25 – Chevrolet's recent production announcement of its all-electric vehicle based on the Bolt EV concept, as well as the introduction of the 2016 Chevrolet Volt, will be joined by a strong hybrid version of the next-generation Malibu. Using technology from the 2016 Chevrolet Volt propulsion system, Malibu Hybrid will offer an estimated combined fuel economy rating exceeding 45 mpg, higher than the combined mileage ratings of the Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata hybrid variants. "The 2016 Malibu Hybrid will offer impressive fuel economy, exceptional driving characteristics and gorgeous styling," said Jesse Ortega, Chevrolet Malibu chief engineer. "Besides leveraging innovation from the Chevrolet Volt, the Malibu Hybrid also has unique features that help improve aerodynamics, like upper and lower grille air shutters to improve airflow and a reduced ride height, all of which help reduce fuel consumption," Ortega said. An all-new direct-injection 1.8L 4-cylinder engine mated to a two-motor drive unit slightly modified from the 2016 Chevrolet Volt drive unit powers the Malibu Hybrid. The drive unit provides additional power to assist the engine during acceleration, for 182 horsepower (136 kW) of total system power.

Seeing the Detroit Auto Show via drone

Seeing the Chevrolet display at the Detroit Auto Show is worth doing this year, and not just because of the new Corvette Z06, Volt and Bolt concept. In order to attract the new kids, The Bowtie has gone what the old kids used to call "buck wild" with their show stand at Cobo Hall. A Corvette Z06, Trax, and Colorado are parked along a central aisle, called Mainstreet, at the end of which is a 20-foot-tall, 73-foot long transparent screen lording over the new Volt. Elsewhere are five more 20-foot-tall screens broadcasting nine stories today's Chevrolet wants to tell about its vehicles, from performance to belief in the power of play to its 4G LTE-equipped OnStar telematics service. Then there are the social media and virtual reality safety installations, the community presentations and more. Chevrolet flew a drone through the stand to show off what it's doing, which is has replaced eye-level video as the next best thing to being there. You can check it out in the video above.