2002 Chevrolet Avalanche Z71 on 2040-cars

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Weekly Recap: GM plans massive new paint shop at Chevy Corvette factory

General Motors is laying out some serious green to maintain the Chevy Corvette's expansive color palette. The automaker is breaking ground on a new paint shop this summer that's part of a $439-million investment to upgrade the 34-year-old Bowling Green, KY, factory that builds the Stingray. The massive new structure will total 450,000 square feet, nearly half the size of the current 1-million square-foot facility. Construction is expected to take two years and won't impact Corvette production. The upgrades include new robots that save paint and create a better finish, longer, more efficient ovens to bake in the finish, and LED lighting. There's also a dry scrubbing booth technology with a limestone handling system that eliminates waste. GM has invested $135 million in the factory in last four years for the changeover to build the C7 and to relocate its Performance Build Center to Bowling Green. The improvements continue to modernize the Kentucky factory, which has become a tourist attraction in its own right, as more than 56,000 enthusiasts visited it last year. The upgrades are part of a $5.4-billion investment GM confirmed in April that will remake its US footprint in the next three years. The Bowling Green expansion underscores GM's continued commitment to the Corvette, which sold nearly 38,000 copies around the world last year, an eight-year high. "With this major technology investment, we can continue to exceed the expectations of sports car buyers for years to come," North American manufacturing manager Arvin Jones said in a statement. OTHER NEWS & NOTES Takata recall hits 34 million vehicles The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration expanded the Takata airbag recall to an almost unthinkable 34 million vehicles on Tuesday. The recall is part of an agreement reached by the two sides where Takata admitted some of its airbag inflators have a defect, and the deal compels the company to comply with all future regulatory actions and investigations. Takata's airbag inflators were produced with "a propellant that can degrade over time" and lead to ruptures, NHTSA said. Six deaths have been attributed to the flaw worldwide. Investigations conducted by Takata, automakers, and others have not determined the exact cause of the inflator problem, but NHTSA said moisture appears to alter the propellant's chemical structure. It then ignites too rapidly, creates too much pressure that ruptures the inflator, and blasts shards of metal at passengers.

Hot air balloons caught in high winds drag fullsize SUV

A sudden storm front whipped up enough wind to send some hot air balloons flying into the air in Wisconsin over the weekend. One ballon proved so energetic that it was able to drag a fullsize SUV across a field and into a stand of tents. The freak accident occurred at Balloonfest in Waterford, Wisconsin. Spectators were horrified as balloons dragged handlers to the ground and launched with terrified pilots clinging to their baskets. Organizers had started packing up the colorful balloons due to ominous storm clouds when the wind kicked up. "Happened just like that; it was crazy," Nathan Fricke, crew member, told Fox 6. Winds were clocked at 40 to 50 miles per hour. A balloon caught in the wind dragged a large SUV (we think a Suburban or Yukon XL) hundreds of feet and into a cluster of tents on the edge of the staging area where balloons were on display for festival goers. Considering that the SUV surely weighs well over 5,000 pounds, it's lucky that no one was injured in the incident. News Source: Fox6Now Weird Car News Chevrolet GM GMC SUV

How to locate a fleet Chevy Caprice PPV you can buy

The Chevy Caprice shares the same platform as the now-defunct Pontiac G8 and Chevy's SS sedan. The Pontiac G8 received excellent reviews, but the economy was not doing so well, and gas prices were high, so no one bought them and Pontiac went under. The Caprice PPV is available with a 3.6-liter V6 with 300 horsepower or a 6.0-liter V8 with 355 hp. It comes standard with heavy-duty suspension and a limited-slip differential on the V8 model. The Chevy Caprice also received praise for its handling and road manners and even received a perfect score in a past assessment by the LA County Sheriff's Department. Unfortunately, you won't be able to buy one new even if you want one. The Chevy Caprice PPV is a fleet vehicle available only to law enforcement. However, if you go on Cars.com, select Chevrolet in the dropdown, click all types of vehicles, change the year filter from 2011 to 2015 and type in the keyword Caprice, lo and behold, listings for pre-owned Caprice PPVs appear. Many of these have low mileage and were not sold for whatever reason, and they sat around. Some come with the remainder of the three-year / 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a five-year / 100,000-mile warranty on the powertrain. Those who have strong negotiating skills can extend the bumper-to-bumper warranty a couple of years for around $1,500 or less. The purchase price of the Caprice PPV is around $30,000 to 34,000. The pre-owned ones are less; dealers took the brunt of the depreciation cost. Best of all, the bonus of driving a Chevy Caprice PPV is everyone driving around you will follow the speed limit and every motor vehicle rule in the book because they think you are the law. Used ex-law enforcement fleet purchase are risky. But this is too unique to pass up, go buy one quick. There are only a couple in the country at the moment. Follow me on Twitter: Donkleblanc Related Video: Image Credit: wikimedia Chevrolet Used Car Buying Police/Emergency chevy caprice chevy caprice ppv open road