A pair of Chevrolet Impala taxi cabs were seized and their drivers are facing “stunt driving” charges out in Toronto, Ontario Canada when they were caught street racing on Canada’s longest street, Younge Street. Those charged with stunt driving will have their license seized for seven days and face a fine between $2,000 to $10,000.

The motives behind why both drivers decided to race it out is unknown, but sections of Younge Street have been known to be street racing spots in the past. Maybe both of them were just reliving the past or settling a grudge, either way we don’t think either of them owe the other a 10 second car.

Check out the news clip after the break.

[Source: CTV News]

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GM has a long road ahead of them to rebuild consumer confidence in the Chevrolet Volt after months of negative press surrounding the fire risk of their extended-range electric vehicle.

The advertising campaign will focus on just how safe the Volt is and will include full-page ads in 19 different US newspapers including The New York Times, along with television ads. The launch of the ad campaign coincides with GM CEO Alan Akerson testifying to Congress that a recent Volt fire that took place after a NHTSA crash test would never occur in real-world situations.

NHTSA said late last week after its two-month investigation that the Volt does not pose any more of a fire risk than any other conventional vehicle. Unfortunately, damage clearly has been done as GM North America President Mark Reuss admitted that Volt sales took a huge hit in January. GM will be restarting production on the Volt in February at its Detroit Hamtramck assembly plant and expects to build it with “very reasonable” volume. Their immediate focus however, is to rebuild the reputation surrounding the Chevy Volt as quickly as possible.

Check out GM’s first ad “Morning in Hamtramck” after the break.

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Beginning with the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, Chevrolet plans to apply eco-impact labels on all of its brand-new vehicles by 2013. As the first of any automaker to present its cars in this manner, Chevrolet’s Ecologic label allows customers to assess environmental impacts associated with any particular Chevrolet vehicle in all stages of its product life.

First, “Before the Road” presents the environmental impact of the vehicle’s manufacturing and assembly. Next, “On the Road” notes fuel-saving features such as cylinder shut-off systems, aerodynamics, and low-resistance tires. Finally, “After the Road” reveals how much of the vehicle can be recycled at the end of its useful life.

With these Ecologic labels, GM makes itself more attractive to environmentally conscious consumers. According to GM North America President Mark Reuss, “Customers want companies to be honest and transparent about their environmental efforts and sustainability goals, and rightly so. Putting an Ecologic label on each Chevrolet is just one more way for us to share our environmental progress.”

The numbers and data on the Ecologic labels are determined by independent, third-party sustainability agency Two Tomorrows, a company that provides environmental audit and assurance services to companies.

[Source: Forbes]

GM has announced “Chevy Happy Grad” as the winner of their Route 66 Super Bowl Ad contest, created by 26-year old Zach Borst of Long Island. The winning ad will be aired during Super Bowl XLVI and had already received over 32-million views between December 22 and January 14.

The best part about this ad is how easy it is to relate to it, considering we’ve all probably received gifts we never wanted, or mistakenly thought a certain gift was ours. The ad was filmed on location out in Long Island near Borst’s home and beat out 400 submitted scripts and 198 films from 32 different countries.

“We asked filmmakers to depict life’s journey and how Chevrolet is there along the way,” said General Motors Global Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick. “When I saw Zach’s spot, I had to laugh, because the situation is something many families can relate to – expectation and reality. ‘Happy Grad’ clearly shows the passion that Chevrolet elicits.”

Borst has been producing films since his childhood and has founded Goat Farm Films, his own production company based out of New York.

Check out the winning ad after the break.

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GM continued flexing their marketing prowess with a new promotion for the Chevy Sonic, creating the world’s largest claw game on Hollywood Boulevard out in Los Angeles.

The five-story 3D projection of a claw game was created on the side of The Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California and even won itself a spot in the Guiness World Book of Records for being the world’s largest claw game. Passer-bys were able to line up for a chance to use a human-sized joystick to direct the claw – which was essentially a huge projection on the side of the building – and had a chance to win prizes. The top prize of course was a brand new 2012 Chevy Sonic, but other prizes included a $4,000 vacation and a Burton snowboard.

Check out a video after the break showcasing the concept behind the World’s Largest Claw Game and how it all worked.

[Source: Autoblog]

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After a half a decade of build-up, sales of the Chevrolet Volt are not going as planned. With a targeted goal of moving 10,000 units in its first full year on sale GM moved 7,671, leading to speculation that the American auto giant won’t be able to meet its lofty forecast for 60,000 sales in 2012.

Further casting doubt upon the success of the Volt is the fact that the rival Nissan Leaf (a fully electric vehicle), met its 10,000 unit sales target, despite the fact that (as GM’s Volt commercials accurately point out), the Volt is better suited to the needs of vastly more American consumers.

With a now-resolved crisis over the cars that could catch fire, GM is facing another roadblock, it’s dealers. According to a new report by Automotive News, Chevy dealers across the country are rejecting mass-allocations of Volts. In New York City GM offered 104 Volts to its 14 local dealers last month. Dealers only took 31.

Even dealers that have had no problem selling their Volt inventory in the past are now being cautions. Brett Hedrick, of Hedrick’s Chevrolet in Clovis, Calif., said he’s turned down offers by GM the past two months.

The news of low dealer orders has been confirmed by GM PR rep Rob Peterson, citing the misinformation surrounding the car’s recent safety concerns. Still, according to GM North America President Mark Reuss, supply, rather than demand, is the automaker’s biggest problem.

[Source: Automotive News]

With so many classic cars out there that one could collect, it’s sometimes difficult to pick out the right one for you. Each model clearly has their own dedicated fans and followers, but sometimes collectors are looking for a vintage machine that can boast rare qualities not seen in other vehicles. We believe this 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad is one of those vintage machines.

This first-generation Chevy Bel Air Nomad is a true classic in its stock form, but its previous owner decided to take it to a whole new level, investing over $127,000 into it. The refinished black body has been bolted onto a state-of-the-art pro touring chassis, while a small-block V8 has been combined with an immaculate and custom interior  to create one incredible ’55 Nomad pro-tourer.

In 2009, the owner of the Bel Air decided to take the vehicle to Willet Motorsports in Orlando Park, Illinois in order to do a complete frame-off build that consisted of modern updates and hours and hours of bodywork. The completely straight panel exterior has received a two-stage jet black paint job before it was sent off to Precision Street Rods & Machines in Northridge, California for some fine tuning.

Under the hood is a 350-cubic inch Chevy powerplant that’s been outfitted with plenty of show and go parts. Chrome components can be seen along with its Edelbrock Durashine Performer 4-barrel carburetors. Alternating the jet black paint shade of the exterior are Chevy Orange contrasts, given the engine bay plenty of life.

The Bel Air rolls on a set of Billet Specialty Legacy wheels with a pair of 18-inchers up front and 20-inchers in the rear. On the inside, a completely custom interior features warm beige leather and new-generation Autogauge gauges. An Alpine CD player almost seems out of place in this retro resale, but it’s a nice touch bringing some modern technology to a true American classic.

The sale will come with a full stack of restoration photos, paperwork and manuals for the vehicle’s aftermarket components, some recent maintenance receipts, a reproduction owner’s manual, a toy replica, a Chevrolet Nomad Association jacket and a high-quality car cover.

Oh yeah, the asking price is $99,000 while the Bel Air only sports 6,147-miles on the odometer. What are you waiting for?

Check out a video after the break highlighting the Bel Air Nomad.

GALLERY: 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad

[Source: RK Motors]

Chevrolet has a lot to celebrate after an impressive 2011, having moved 4.76-million vehicles around the world, setting a global sales record. The US was Chevy’s largest market for 2011 with 1,775,812 vehicles sold, a rise of 13-percent from their 2010 figures.

In China, Chevy was able to sell 595,068 vehicles which marks a 9.5-percent increase from its previous year’s total. Other markets worldwide also posted significant growth with Vietnam experiencing a 79-percent increase, Russia with a 49-percent increase, Turkey with 30-percent and Germany with 21-percent.

Much of Chevy’s worldwide success can be attributed to its new Cruze, Sonic and Spark compacts. Popular crossovers and trucks worldwide include the Orlando and Colorado – both of which were designed for varied driving conditions and customer preferences all over the world.

The Cruze was Chevy’s best selling model for 2011, selling 670,000 worldwide. Since its introduction in 2009, the Cruze has sold more than 1.13-million.

“Without doubt the new Chevrolet portfolio has been a catalyst for our success around the world,” said Tim Lee, president of GM International Operations. “The launch of the Chevrolet brand in South Korea along with tremendous growth in China and across the rest of our international operations is proof that Chevrolet is becoming a first choice for customers around the globe.”

Chevrolet will continue to expand globally as currently more than 60-percent of its sales are outside the US market. Chevy looks forward to growing in other markets including Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Uzbekistan, India and Columbia.

Earlier this month a new reports noted that Chevrolet Volt sales were more successful in its first year than the sales numbers of the Toyota Prius hybrid on its first year back in 2000. What little optimism Chevrolet might have had on the Volt’s sales performance were quickly silenced when data revealed that Toyota dealt a quick knockout as its new Prius v wagon (also in its first year) out sold the Volt. And it did so with just 10 weeks on sale.

Official numbers for Chevrolet Volt’s 2011 sales are 7,671 units delivered. Toyota managed to sell 8,399 hybrid wagons, which did not arrive to U.S. dealerships and showrooms until the last week of October.

President of Toyota U.S. Sales Jim Lentz says, “Prius v is off to a great start.” For 2012, Toyota aims to deliver 220,000 Prii to U.S. customers, a 60 percent increase from 2011. Toyota’s offensive includes offerings of the original Prius, the Pruis v wagon, and the Prius c subcompact that arrives in March.

GALLERY: Toyota Prius v wagon

[Source: Bloomberg]

Read AutoGuide’s 2012 Toyota Prius v Review here and watch the video review below:

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Shoving small block engines into short bed, half-ton trucks is nothing new. But a supercharged LS9 from a Corvette ZR1 into a Chevrolet Silverado pickup? Now that’s something worth checking out.

Aside from the side exit exhaust on the truck – which is a pretty common modification on Silverados – absolutely nothing else has been done to it on the exterior, giving no hint as to what waits underneath the hood. The video shows off the acceleration of the truck as well as a dyno pull, whipping down 510-hp and 504 lb-ft of torque. That’s at least 205-hp and 169 lb-ft of torque over the most powerful factory powerplant Chevy offers in their four-wheel-drive Silverado.

Check out the video after the break.

[Source: Bang Shift]

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