With false starts in the Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid and a Buick plug-in crossover vehicle—the former doomed when GM scrapped the Saturn brand and the latter put on the shelf after negative customer feedback—GM is once again making plans for a plug-in hybrid in 2011, according to Bob Lutz, GM’s vice-chairman.  He said it will come from one of GM’s four core brands: Chevy, GMC, Cadillac, or Buick.  The new vehicle, representing GM’s renewed commitment to efficiency, fuel and otherwise, will employ technology used in the scrapped Saturn and Buick models. Continue Reading…

Since Chevy ended production of their fourth generation Camaro back in 2002, Chevy fanatics like myself have been patiently waiting for the release of a fifth generation of the famed muscle car.  Nothing against the 2002 version, but we knew Chevy would out do themselves and the result would be out of this world.  Well, last year all of our waiting paid off.  The 2010 Chevy Camaro was released and it exceeded everyone’s expectations, winning awards and eliciting a great deal of conversation among sports car lovers everywhere. Recently one more award was added to the shelf when the Chevy Camaro earned the top spot on AutoTrader.com’s list of most viewed new cars for 2009. Continue Reading…

At this point we know that the hybrid Chevy Volt, expected to get the equivalent of 230 miles per gallon, is going to make a splash when it hits dealerships this November. The fact that it can drive around 40 miles on a single charge means that drivers with short commutes could realistically go days without using much gasoline at all. It’s one of the more anticipated vehicles of 2010, but the sticker price of $40,000 has some cash-conscious consumers wondering if they’ll be able to afford it. Continue Reading…

In 2010 Chevrolet is going out with the Cobalt and in with the Cruze—a move that is expected to make waves not only here in America but across the entire globe. It’s being hailed as one of GM’s best new cars in years, and it looks like critics dug it at the 2009 L.A. Auto Show, too; MSN named it one of their ten coolest cars of the event.

A large part of the appeal of this vehicle is its attractive and comfortable interior, its smooth drive on a number of difference surfaces, and, perhaps most importantly, the low price it affords consumers despite all the quality it provides. With comparable cargo space and seating to the Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla, the fact that the Cruze can start at around $15,500 is pretty incredible. In Kansas City, used car sales of Civics or Corollas a few years old are hard to find for that price. Continue Reading…

There’s a man in my neighborhood that drives a Toyota Prius, the first and best-known of the gas-electric hybrid cars, and on the back bumper there’s a sticker that reads, “This Plug-In Toyota Prius gets 100 mpg.” Last year, that number impressed me. “Wow,” I thought, “100 miles per gallon? If only…” Continue Reading…