Last year Cadillac took a leap into modern times by offering its new CTS model with Wi-Fi. Now, Chevy has announced that it will offer a dealer-installed Wi-Fi service for seven models including the: Equinox, Traverse, Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Avalanche and Express.

The on-board system will transform a vehicle (as well as the area within 150 feet) into a Wi-Fi hotspot, letting users surf the internet freely. Passengers can check Facebook or Twitter and even watch YouTube videos thanks to a 3G network connection of up to 1.5 mbps.

In addition the system can support several devices simultaneously and with additional docking stations, the router can be moved from vehicle to vehicle.

Until December 31st, Chevy is offering the Wi-Fi as an option for $199.

Official release after the jump:

When the U.S. government first released its list of the most popular Cash for Clunkers vehicles traded in as well as those purchased there seemed to be no surprises. It looked like consumers were getting rid of their Ford Explorers for Priuses. But after taking a longer look at the data, it seems that might not have been the case after all, as two trucks, the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado, were actually among the top ten vehicles purchased under the Clunkers program.

The reason for the change is that the initial listing classified vehicles specific to their drivetrain, meaning that a rear-drive or four-wheel drive pickup would count as two separate trucks. But by looking at just the vehicle model, the Silverado takes now takes the 8th spot, while Ford’s F-150 sits in 10th. Another winner was the Honda CR-V, which moved from outside the top 10 to sixth place.

As a result, three vehicles that are no longer in the top 10 are the Honda Accord, the tiny Honda Fit and (gasp!) the Toyota Prius.

These new numbers suggest that the Obama Administration’s plan to promote the sale of fuel-efficient vehicles might not have worked as effectively as planned, with the average fuel-economy of the new vehicles rated at 19 mpg, as compared to an average of 35 mpg for the three vehicles dropped from the list. No one can argue that the CARS legislation did, however, give a significant boost to the auto industry – if only temporarily.

[Source: LeftLaneNews]

Tough economic times often bring about shifts in the marketplace and one such example can be found in the light-duty pickup truck market. In the month of June the Chevy Silverado out-sold the Ford F-150, but that’s not what the numbers appear to say at first.

While the entire F-Series lineup (including the F-150 as well as the F-250 and F-350 work horses) did account for more sales at 173,646 units as compared the the Silverado’s (1500, 2500 and 3500) 149,949 units, when you eliminate the heavy-duty players and just look at the light-duty segment the Silverado is king.

In fact, according to pickuptrucks.com, this isn’t an anomaly either, as these June numbers are actually a continuation of the Silverado’s light-duty dominance.

The Silverado was also able to grab a larger share of the marketplace in July, with a total share of 32.4 percent of the light-duty segment, up from 31.5 percent. Surprisingly the F-150 also grew its share from 28 percent to 29.1 percent, while the Dodge Ram grew from 13.6 percent to 15.8 percent.

And as the big three players all grew, the bottom-feeders got hammered in June with Toyota, Nissan and GMC all losing market share.

In the heavy-duty segment, Ford continued to embarrass the competition with almost 50 percent of the market, something which drastically bolsters it’s overall F- Series numbers.

Interestingly, this story is the second bit of good news for the Chevy brand in June, as the Camaro also out-sold the Mustang for the first time since 1993.

[Source: Pickuptrucks.com]

In a move to keep up with the high price of fuel, as well as deal with environmental concerns, GM has developed new XFE-models of some of its most popular trucks. The Xtra Fuel Economy (XFE) package will be offered on the 2009 Silverado, Tahoe, Sierra and Yukon trucks.

The significant alterations to the trucks, in terms of their mechanical makeup, weight and aerodynamics result in an EPA-estimated five percent increase in highway fuel economy and a more than seven percent increase in city fuel economy.

The trucks now achieve a 15/21 (city/highway) rating compared to the 14/20 rating for non-XFE models.

Importantly, the XFE models do not get a reduction in power. The XFE package is available on 2WD models equipped with the 5.3-liter V-8 with the six-speed transmission. On Silverado and Sierra models, the six-speed transmission gets a high-capacity cooling package to deliver a 7,000 lb towing capacity – up from the standard model’s 6,600-lb towing capacity. All XFE models come quipped with a fuel-saving 3.08 rear axle.

Other factors for the improved fuel-economy include lightweight wheels with low rolling resistance tires, lighter suspension components and improved aerodynamics.

A full list of all the unique XFE features is listed after the jump: