General Motors has started the expansion of its Wentzville, Missouri plant, essentially taking the first steps toward brining the new Chevrolet Colorado to the U.S. 

The $380 million expansion to the assembly plant will retain or create 1,260 jobs as GM starts to build the next generation of its midsize pickups at the location. No details have been given on when the plant expansion will be completed or what products will be built at the plant, but we’re confident that the new Chevrolet Colorado will be built there.

However, the midsize pickup might not be called the Chevrolet Colorado as it is now, when it launches. Currently, GM is working on completing its refresh of all its full-size pickups as 2014 model years before bringing the new midsize to market.

“This is the first of many of what we hope are many good news announcements” at the plant, said GM spokeswoman Stephanie Jentgen.

[Source: Detroit News]

Jamming tons of people into a small car is a comedic staple in the clown community, and now Chevrolet is using the tactic as a competition to see how many rugby players can fit in the Chevrolet Sonic. 

The rules are simple, all doors on the vehicle must be shut, and all body parts must be completely inside the car. The challenge is taking place in the UK, and is open to all amateur and semi-pro rugby clubs that want to participate. The club that fits the most players will take home new rugby gear and goodies.

Cambridge-based Shelford Rugby club was the first to tackle the challenge (seen above), and managed to squeeze 11 players into the sub-compact.

Missed out on the limited edition Chevy Camaro Intimidator SS when it first came out? Here’s your chance to get your hands on one that’s basically new with just 48 miles on the odometer and selling for $49,900.

Only 83 of these special Camaros were made, commissioned by NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt and built by GMMG. The vehicle was originally owned by NASCAR president Mike Helton, where it sat peacefully for 11 years logging barely any miles on the road. The Onyx Black exterior is accented by a Silver stripe on the showroom fresh outside.

Under the hood is an LS1 V8 mated to a Tremec six-speed manual transmission packing 381-hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. GMMG fitted its Posi-traction rear end with 3.73 gears on the Intimidator SS models while suspension and handling has been upgraded thanks to double A-arm front and three-link rear suspension and Eibach springs.

The sleek Camaro rolls on 17-inch American Racing 200S wheels in a Magnetallic Gray finish wrapped with 275/40 Goodyear Eagle F1 rubber. This particular vehicle is number-43 of 83 and comes complete with the original window sticker.

Check it out at RKmotorscharlotte.com

GALLERY: 2001 Chevrolet Camaro Intimidator SS

Toyota continues to enjoy success with its Prius family of models, as its plug-in hybrid sold 1,654 units in the month of April.

The sales figure trumps its main competitors, the Chevrolet Volt (1,462 sold) and the Nissan Leaf (370 sold) making it the most popular plug-in vehicle last month in America. It’s no huge surprise that the plug-in variant of the Prius is selling well compared to its counterparts, considering how well-known the Prius moniker has become over the years.

Last month the Japanese automaker also saw the highest sales total for its Prius models ever for the month of April, moving a combined figure of 25,168 units across all its model variants. In total, Toyota sold 30,126 hybrids while its luxury division Lexus moved a respectable 2,467. Compared to April 2011, Toyota’s hybrid sales saw a huge jump of 124.6 percent, but it’s worth noting that April 2011 was also after the disastrous tsunami that hindered vehicle production.

“Thanks to continued strong sales of Camry and Prius family, Toyota was America’s number one retail brand for the second straight month,” said Bob Carter, general manager of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. “With consumer confidence improving, we expect to see sustained industry growth in the months ahead.”

Rumors are flying ever since an OnStar app revealed that Chevrolet has an ‘SS Performance’ model in the works. There is no doubt a Chevrolet SS Performance sedan is coming and now some details have surfaced surrounding the upcoming model.

Car & Driver is reporting that the Chevrolet SuperSport will be a street variant of its Caprice PPV police car (shown above), initially built on the Zeta rear-wheel drive platform and be available exclusively as a sedan in 2013. We will also be seeing the SuperSport name and styling applied to Chevrolet’s 2013 NASCAR entry.

Initially, the SuperSport sedan will likely be powered by the same 6.2-liter V8 found in the Camaro with around 415 hp. Later on, GM‘s 3.6-liter V6 with around 320 hp will be added as a lower-end option for consumers.

Speaking of the Camaro, Chevrolet plans on moving the Camaro to its Alpha platform when the Zeta II becomes a reality in 2015. Currently the Zeta platform is the base for the Camaro and Holden Ute that may also be making its way to America.

Rumors are that the SuperSport and Caprice PPV will move onto the Zeta II platform midway through 2015 when full production of the models will shift to North America.

[Source: Car & Driver]

While the factory Chevy Camaro ZL1 can’t quite keep up with the new Ford Shelby GT500, the Lingenfelter Performance Engineering ZL1 can.

The well-established parts manufacturer became the first to break the 200 mph barrier in a brand new ZL1, topping the speedometer at 202.67 mph at the Continental Tire North America Uvalde proving grounds in Texas. That’s not all this particular ZL1 has done, breaking the 10 second barrier with a 10.79 @ 134.36 mph at Muncie Dragway a mere two weeks after the vehicle came out.

Lingenfelter will be offering three different performance packages to ZL1 owners and enthusiasts looking to keep up with the GT500′s performance. Power upgrades range from 630 to 700 hp, a significant increase from the factory 580 hp and 556 lb-ft of torque figures.

“The Lingenfelter crew couldn’t be more excited to make history as the first 2012 ZL1 Camaro to exceed 200 mph, and to celebrate this victory on the heels of becoming the first company to run a ZL1 in the 10s,” said Ken Lingenfelter, owner of Lingenfelter Performance Engineering.

Watch a video of the Lingenfelter Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 taking on the quarter mile after the break.

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Up for sale is a rare 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible with an asking price of $159,900 sporting a Ferrari yellow and black paint job.

The C2 Stingray features an accident-free fiberglass body crafted by Corvette Restorations AZ. Along with the immaculate body, a couple of bolt-ons were added to make it more aggressive and functional, while the fenders were shaped to perfectly frame the 18-inch Foose Nitrous Thrust wheels.

Powering the Stingray is a modern 6.0-liter LS2 Generation IV V8 powerplant built by Arizona Speed and Marine in Phoenix. All said and done, the ’67 Vette now sports an impressive 521 hp to back up its good looks. The motor is mated to a Tremec TKO600 five-speed manual transmission.

But a real sports car can’t just look good and boast a lot of horsepower; it has to stop well and handle like a modern machine. This Stingray accomplishes both thanks to a a hydroboost four-wheel disc brake system sporting four-piston C5 calipers in the front and four-piston C3 calipers in the rear. Suspension upgrades include Bilstein shocks and Vette Brakes and Products’ fiberglass transverse rear leaf springs and suspension kit.

Dropping the top to reveal the interior, the Stingray features OEM-quality vinyl with restored bucket seats and a six-point roll bar. Included with the purchase of a vehicle is a CD full of restoration photos, build receipts, and a stack of component manuals.

GALLERY: 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

[Source: RK Motors]

Each year thousands of Chevrolet Camaro enthusiasts assemble at for Camaro5 Fest. Last year, the American automaker decided to join the caravan of 150 fifth-generation Camaros in Phoenix, Ariz., to capture it all on film.

With such a rich heritage in the domestic sports car world, the Camaro has one of the most avid fan bases and Chevy wanted to shine the spotlight on the heart of the Camaro nation by learning more about the people from across the U.S. who drive them.

The mini-documentary shown below is called Alter Ego and focuses on Camaro owners, their cars, and just how versatile the machine is in all forms of motorsports. This year, Camaro5 Fest will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana from August 2 through 4.

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The sixth-generation Chevrolet Corvette is heading into its final year of production, signifying a highly successful seven year production run. 

As it prepares to be replaced, the American automaker is giving the C6 ‘Vette a new paint shade, Night Race Blue. The Night Race Blue is a classy shade of blue which will complement the existing Supersonic Blue Metallic and Carlisle Blue Metallic that is currently being offered.

Buyers of the 2013 Corvette will also get to choose between four Black Painted aluminum wheel choices, instead of the Competition Gray that was offered in years prior. Choices include a 5-spoke in 18- or 19-inch sizes, the Grand Sport in 18- or 19-inch, the Spider design will come in 18- or 19-inch, and the ZR1-styled wheel will be offered in 19- or 20-inch.

With the new paint and wheel combos certain to make the 2013 ‘Vette a looker, we’ll have to suffer with these grainy photos for now.

2013 Corvette Wheels

The Chevrolet Avalanche, admits General Motors, may just have been too innovative for its own good.

Launched in 2002 as a new type of functional light-duty pickup with with actual space for five, it helped create the boom in crew cab pickups, which now represent 65 percent of light-duty pickup sales. As a result, sales of the Avalanche have suffered, sliding slowly from a peak of over 90,000 units in 2003 to just around 20,000 units the past few years.

“The Chevrolet Avalanche was one of the earliest forays into re-inventing the traditional pickup truck,” said Michelle Krebs, senior analyst at Edmunds.com.  “It was a vehicle that maintained the traditional truck image and capability but was more versatile for the person buying it for personal use more than work – a lifestyle truck more than a work truck. Other variations on the theme from competitors followed the Avalanche’s debut.”

For 2013 the Avalanche will get a back-up camera, rear park assist, power adjustable pedals, fog lights and a remote start feature as standard equipment on LS model, while LT models also get a standard rear camera. Moving those last Avalanches off the lots will be easier thanks to a $35,980 starting price (plus $995 shipping), which is $2,500 lower.

“More than 580,000 Avalanches have been sold since its introduction in 2001, and Avalanche has won major awards and recognitions throughout its run,” said Mark Clawson, Avalanche marketing manager.  “So it is only fitting that Avalanche retires on a high note.”

That high-note is a Black Diamond edition model with body-colored bed surrounds, a unique badge and added features.

GALLERY: 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche

Price, looks and size… these are the few factors that used to decide what vehicle you’d park in your driveway. Looking for a cheap and small car? A Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic will do. Need something bigger, perhaps a mid-size Hyundai Sonata or an SUV. Things used to be pretty easy.

With increasingly high gas prices and an overall movement towards green, fuel efficient vehicles, fuel economy has become more important. In fact, for many price, looks and size are now completely trumped by fuel economy.

“Buyers just look at the MPG on the sticker,” says IHS Automotive Analyst Devin Lindsay commenting that car buyers are now completely mesmerized by the EPA sticker label.

Take a look at the Toyota Prius, for example. It’s not terribly big, is fairly expensive, and looks… well… weird. But that didn’t stop three million of them from being sold, all thanks to a hybrid gas-electric engine that provides excellent fuel economy.

The Prius isn’t the only option for someone looking for a fuel efficient car, however; especially those in search of a more engaging driving experience. If you want to cut down on trips to the pump, and still drive a fun, powerful, good looking car, your best bet might just be in a diesel powered vehicle. That does mean you’ll almost certainly have to drive German, although a flood of new diesel-powered vehicles are about to hit our shore.

Despite the popular misconception, diesel fuel is readily available at numerous gas stations with most of the major chains dedicating at least one pump to diesels. “Finding diesel is not really a big problem anymore,” says Lindsay. “If one station doesn’t have it, the one across the street certainly will.” And there’s a good reason for the popularity of diesel pumps too. Ford, Chevy and Ram easily sell in the tens of thousands of the diesel versions of their popular pickups each year.

Historically, diesel cars were known for being smelly, hard to start in cold weather and not environmentally friendly. For those most part those issues have been solved, with improvements made to quiet the engines (though they are still noticeably louder than gasoline engines), while special emissions filters and exhaust after treatment systems have been devised to reduce pollution – though at an expense that’s handed down to the consumer.

Volkswagen has been offering diesel options for years, and in key areas, their diesel vehicles are better than the gasoline powered ones.

Take for instance the Golf. The TDI diesel option offers 6 more miles per gallon in the city over the gasoline model (30 mpg vs. 24 mpg) and 11 more miles per gallon on the highway (42 mpg vs. 31 mpg) all while still looking great and keeping its trunk space (something many hybrids can’t say.)

In defence of hybrids, average fuel economy on a Civic Hybrid is 44 mpg while the Prius is 50 mpg. The Golf TDI may have a solid 42 mpg highway rating, but average fuel economy is a less impressive 34 mpg.

Volkswagen sees diesel as an important part of becoming a more environmentally friendly car company. Mark Gillies, Product and Technology PR manager at Volkswagen America tells us “Diesel is part of our future powertrain strategy and you will likely see more models with a diesel option in the future.”

He explains that diesel can appeal to many drivers “The more practically minded will love the excellent highway mileage and range, which are perfect for the way that so many Americans drive.”

Gillies also explained his personal preference of diesel powered cars “As a car enthusiast, I love the torque of a diesel, which is perfect for mid-range passing performance, merging onto on-ramps, and for towing.”

Gillies’ torque-love is well-founded. The TDI Golf makes a noticeable amount of additional torque: where the normal gas Golf makes just 177 lbs-ft of torque at 4250 rpm, the TDI model makes 236 lbs-ft or torque at 1750-2500 rpm.

All that extra diesel-y goodness comes at a price though. Literally. Diesel fuel costs slightly more at the gas station and most diesel cars are more expensive than their gasoline stable mates. In the case of the Golf, a gasoline model starts at $17,995 while the diesel version costs $24,235, a difference of $6,240. To help off-set this cost, VW tends to better equip its TDI models. If you’re on more of a budget, Volkswagen also offers a Jetta TDI for about $2,000 less.

As mentioned, diesel models often require expensive emissions systems, which can also result in added maintenance, and cost. Two of VW’s models use what the company calls AdBlue, a chemical solution (often generally referred to as DEF or Diesel Exhaust Fluid) used to help the vehicles’ emissions stay environmentally friendly. The AdBlue liquid must be refilled at regular service intervals (every 10,000-15,000 miles) and are covered under VW’s three-year/36,000-mile Carefree Maintenance Program.

But it is something to keep in mind, as prices of refilling a car’s DEF vary between manufacturers. Consumer Reports has mentioned paying $241.50 to refill 7.5 gallons of DEF for a diesel Mercedes-Benz GL Class. That’s $32.20 per gallon! Volkswagen apparently sells the same solution for much cheaper, with reports of customers paying just $5.40 per gallon.

Other automakers take a different approach to their diesel powertrains. Take a look at Mercedes-Benz’s E350 models, which are also available with either a gas or diesel engine. The diesel version gets only meager gains over the gasoline engine, earning one more mile per gallon in the city, and two more on the highway. That’s far less impressive than the difference on VW models.

However, in comparison to the Volkswagen vehicles, the diesel E-Class isn’t much more expensive than the gas version. In fact, it’s just $1,200 more, a much more favorable price difference. While the fuel economy doesn’t significantly favor the diesel E-Class, the torque numbers are eye-opening: 400 lb-ft of torque in the diesel compared to 273 lb-ft in the gas model.

As a result, Mercedes markets its diesel models as more of a V8 than a V6 alternative. In Mercedes’ SUVs this means that buyers can enjoy the high torque of a V8, but with the fuel economy and environmentally friendliness of a V6. Mercedes’ offers diesel engines for its ML, GL and R-Class trucks.

The selection of diesel offerings is expanding, and not just by German automakers either, with both domestic and Japanese manufacturers preparing to launch diesel vehicles in the next few years. Among the planned arrivals is the Chevy Cruze diesel, Cadillac ATS diesel and the return of the Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel. Mazda has also announced it will offer its new Skyactiv-D engine in the near future, though isn’t saying what car (or cars) it will power.

For those who want a fun and powerful car, but one that also visits the pump less often, a diesel can be a viable option. Like hybrids, they carry a price premium over their gasoline powered brothers. Unlike hybrids, particularly ultra high efficiency ones like the Prius, they’re peppy around town.

The price of gas is quickly reaching the price of diesel gas, helping make diesel an attractive alternative for prospective car buyers. Another factor that might make diesel a more attractive option is the fact that they tend to fetch a better resale value than their gas powered counterparts.

Ultimately it’s a question of driver preference, before buying a diesel it’s important to make sure it suits you driving style – and your commute.

Over the past few years Lexus has been referred to as a Japanese Buick, with the number one reason being the ES front-drive luxury sedan – a car that drew direct comparisons with the not-quite-Cadillac GM premium brand. To erase those comparos the new 2013 ES gets a more stylish exterior with a GS-themed front nose and a profile more like the flagship LS.

Swapping its Camry underpinnings for an Avalon platform it has, however, grown even more in size – a notable Buick trait. Plus, to challenge the eAssist mild-hybrid LaCrosse, there’s finally now an ES300h hybrid system getting 39 mpg average.