2003 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71 Sport Utility 4-door 5.3l on 2040-cars

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2021 Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon facelift spied

The Chevy Colorado and its GMC Canyon twin have been on sale for a good long time now, and while things move a little more slowly on the truck side when it comes to facelifts and model changeovers, it seems like it’s about time. So itÂ’s no surprise to see some lightly camouflaged trucks running around ahead of what appears to be a minor refresh for the 2021 model year. Starting with the Colorado, it appears to have a bowtie hiding behind some camo in the center of the grille, which otherwise looks like the no-bowtie option you can get on 2019-and-up trucks. It could be that Chevy is keeping the no-bowtie grille design but allowing a bowtie to grace it, or it could be misdirection. Either way, the grille pattern adds a bit of flair to the otherwise staid front end design. There also appears to be a bit more shape to the lower air inlet, with echoes of some of the lower fascias of its bigger Silverado stablemate. The Canyon, on the other hand, shows more extensive front-end changes. At first glance, it looks to emulate some variants of the GMC Sierra, which would make sense given those modelsÂ’ changes for the 2020 model year. In particular, this Canyon has hints of Sierra HD, being more square and monolithic than the regular Sierra 1500s, although itÂ’s a little hard to tell with the camo covering the edges of the grille. It could certainly also adopt more rounded corners like the 1500s. Either way, itÂ’s more vertical and thereÂ’s less differentiation between the upper grille and lower opening. ThereÂ’s nothing in the way of changes around the sides or back, and while there may be some minor changes inside, we arenÂ’t expecting any. The word around town is that this isnÂ’t a full facelift, but rather a minor front end tweak thatÂ’ll just be a regular part of the model-year changeover. 

This is how GM is hiding new Chevy Volt in public

General Motors is letting the public know that, well, it's not about to let the public know anything else about the next-generation Chevrolet Volt. But the automaker is willing to talk about its camouflaging process for upcoming versions of the extended-range plug-in. So it's a half-hearted secret, at best. GM actually has a "camouflage engineer" charged with creating ways to disguise the styling of new vehicles. In the Volt's case, the company is applying black and white swirly color patterns on top of the materials, such as plastics, vinyl and foam, that are used liberally across the body. It's all part of a teaser campaign that started last month with pictures of part the 2016 Volt. Earlier this month, GM said it was keeping track of Volt drivers' habits as it works on the next-gen model. The company noted that more than four out of five trips are being made in all-electric driving mode, and that 60 percent of Volt owners use a plain-old 100-volt outlet to recharge their cars. The car is slated to make its global debut at Detroit's North American International Auto Show next January, and the early word is that performance and all-electric range will be improved (we should hope so). The car will also be sleeker. By how much, we can't tell yet, because of those darn swirly patterns. GM's got more non-details in its press release below. Engineers charged with hiding styling while vehicle testing proceeds in public DETROIT – The styling of the next-generation Chevrolet Volt is one of the automotive world's best-kept secrets. Keeping customers and media eager to see the successor to the groundbreaking original at bay until the new Volt debuts at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January is tricky business. First, it is engineers, not designers, who are charged with creating camouflage that balances styling secrecy with the need to validate the Volt and its systems in public. "If it were up to me it would be a shoebox driving down the road," said Lionel Perkins, GM camouflage engineer. "The design team wants us to cover more of the vehicle and the engineering team needs to have enough of the vehicle's weight and aero exposed so that the tests in the development process are consistent with the product that will come to market." The engineers responsible for the "cool" designs covering the car might deserve style points but their efforts are intended strictly to hide the metal beneath.

Chevy finishes restoration of damaged 1 millionth Corvette

When a sinkhole at the National Corvette Museum devoured eight, rare examples of the iconic American sports car last year, some of the victims emerged better than others. While damaged, the 2009 Corvette ZR1 Blue Devil was able to drive out under its own power, making for a fairly straightforward restoration. Meanwhile, the one-millionth 'Vette came out looking like a pancake. Bringing the convertible back to perfection has taken four months and 1,200 man-hours, but the milestone car is finally on display again. After being a brief exhibit at the National Corvette Museum, the millionth 'Vette was moved to the General Motors Design Center. There, a 30-person team started on the difficult restoration. "When we disassembled it, we found that each employee involved in building it had signed a part of the car, which was fantastic and moving to see," said GM executive Mark Reuss. Therefore, the team tried to retain as many original parts as possible. The damage was extensive, and repairs included straightening the front sub-frame damage, patching the seats, and carefully restoring the dashboard pad to maintain the signatures below. The hood, front fascia, and side sills were replaced with parts from a donor vehicle. To keep the 'Vette perfect, the team scanned the names and put them on the new components. In one case, they even went back to an original employee to sign a replacement part. Surprisingly, the engine and transmission were fine. With the work done, the National Corvette's Museum's revived exhibit is nearly complete. Five of the other cars aren't being restored, and the museum is bringing the 1962 Corvette back to life. <p>Your browser does not support iframes.</p> Chevrolet Fulfills 1 Millionth Corvette Restoration Pledge Sinkhole-damaged milestone returns to National Corvette Museum 2015-09-03 BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – After more than four months and 1,200 man-hours of painstaking craftsmanship, restoration of the milestone 1 millionth Corvette – a white 1992 convertible – is complete. It was unveiled today at the National Corvette Museum, where it returns as part of the permanent exhibit. The car was damaged on Feb. 12, 2014, when it and seven other rare Corvettes tumbled into a sinkhole that opened beneath the museum's Skydome area. Chevrolet pledged to restore it.