When General Motors announced a couple of weeks ago that it had completed the arbitration process with all of its discontinued dealers, the automaker no doubt hoped that its painful retail shrinkage process was over. But sadly, it was not to be – Rally Auto Group of Palmdale, CA, is apparently not quite ready to call it quits.

The arbiter in Rally’s case removed the dealer’s Chevrolet franchise and awarded it to a Saturn dealer that was located nearby; but allowed Rally to keep its Cadillac, Buick and GMC dealerships. Rally claims that, under the law passed by congress last year that created the dealer arbitration process, the arbiter should not have split the franchises but rather kept the whole dealership together or ordered it closed in its entirety.

So far, Rally is the only GM dealer to sue in the wake of the arbitration process, though three Chrysler dealers have also reportedly sued.

[Source:Autoblog]

The Sport Utility Vehicle is dead. Long live the Sport Utility Vehicle.

We all know by now that the SUV, considered the Official Car of the 1990s and early 00s, has mostly fallen out of favor. But that doesn’t mean we should expect the large, body-on-frame behemoths – with the exception of impractical niche models like those from Hummer – to completely disappear from automaker showrooms any time soon.

Instead, the market may just right-size itself back to a more natural mix, with those users who really do need the off-road and towing capabilities of a proper SUV sticking with their ‘utes and the rest of the population switching to crossovers. With that in mind, Automotive News reports that the redesigned GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Tahoe, due in 2013 or 2014, will likely stick to their truck-based roots. No surprise.

Nor should we be shocked by the revelation that the GMC Granite, which was first shown at the Detroit Auto Show early in 2010, is still in the works. In today’s market conditions, an entirely truck-based lineup makes very little fiscal sense, but we’d imagine that General Motors’ Lambda triplets will remain the automaker’s volume sellers.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

[Source:Autoblog]

Fans of classic Americana, here’s yet another anniversary to keep in the back of your mind: 2013 marks the 60th anniversary of the Chevrolet Corvette. And, while we don’t have to tell true Corvette aficionados this, here’s another interesting little nugget of knowledge: the original version of Chevy’s iconic sportscar came equipped with a six cylinder engine.

Where are we going with all of this? According to Autoweek, there is a distinct possibility that a downsized six cylinder engine will be offered in the next generation (C7, for those keeping track) of the Chevrolet Corvette, and there’s an apparent push to try and get the car out the door in time to celebrate the car’s 60th anniversary.

Yes, we know a downsized engine for the Corvette isn’t exactly the newest rumor ’round the block – we’ve been hearing whisperings about the C7 ‘Vette since before the C6 model went public – but with the recent revelation that Saab had been working on a transmission for a twin-turbo V6-powered Corvette, it’s worth sharing once again.

[Souce:Autoblog]

Good news, Poncho fans: the Classic Design Concepts Firebreather is officially on sale. If you were one of the many souls whose minds immediately leapt to thoughts of a resurrected Firebird when GM first introduced the Chevrolet Camaro Concept way back in 2006, you’re probably a bit bitter about the fact GM kicked Pontiac to the curb before that dream every came to life. Fortunately, Classic Design Concepts stepped in to fill the void in a big way. The Firebreather takes some of the more iconic elements of the Firebird’s history and melds them with the already muscular lines of Chevrolet’s pony bruiser.

In addition to the creative body work, the car packs a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that manages to dump 599 horsepower onto the rear tires and the Classic Design Concepts team also took the time to work over the interior with a few Firebird-like design elements. If you absolutely need one to scratch that insatiable Pontiac itch, get out your check book: The company is asking a big ol’ $60,000 for the privilege. We’ll tell you whether its worth it when drive the Firebreather next week.

[Source:Autoblog]

Edmunds is honoring the top new vehicles of 2010 with its first annual Launch Breakthrough Award, and the online research site gives the winning nod to the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro. The award is given based on 18 different factors, including “pricing, sales, market share, dealer profit margins, incentives, consumer consideration, consumer ratings, inventory levels and residual values.” Senior Analyst Ray Zhou says the award “recognizes the vehicle that had the most successful introduction of the past year.” The Camaro captured the top prize with consistently strong demand from the minute it hit the showroom floor.

In total, Edmunds picked the top 10 new launches for 2010 among 54 eligible vehicles. To be eligible for the Launch Breakthrough Award, the new vehicle had to receive an all-new model or a complete refresh during calendar year 2009 (through December 1, 2009) with at least 100 sales per month. Domestics absolutely dominated the top 10 as well, with five General Motors products and two Fords. The second place winner went to the Porsche Panamera, while Toyota took the last two spots with the RX 350 and the Prius. Hit the jump to read over the Edmunds press release, which includes the complete top 10.

[Source: Edmunds]

Chevy Camaro Wins Edmunds.com 2010 Launch Breakthrough Award; Top Ten Launches Include Seven Domestic Cars

SANTA MONICA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, today announced that the winner of the first annual Edmunds.com Launch Breakthrough Award is the Chevy Camaro.

The Edmunds.com Launch Breakthrough Award is provided annually to a vehicle that earns the highest overall score in a thorough analysis of 18 factors associated with the launch of a new vehicle, including pricing, sales, market share, dealer profit margins, incentives, consumer consideration, consumer ratings, inventory levels and residual values for all eligible vehicles. A total of 54 vehicles were eligible for the 2010 award. To be eligible, an all-new or totally redesigned vehicle had to be launched between January 1 and December 1, 2009 and must sell at a rate of at least 100 vehicles per month.

“The Launch Breakthrough Award recognizes the vehicle that had the most successful introduction of the past year,” stated Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Ray Zhou, PhD. “According to our analysis, seven of the top ten launches were domestic vehicles, and many of those new cars are still selling at an impressive rate.”

The top ten vehicle launches of the year were:

1. Chevy Camaro

2. Porsche Panamera

3. Chevy Equinox

4. Ford Fusion Hybrid

5. Cadillac SRX

6. Lexus RX 350

7. Buick LaCrosse

8. Toyota Prius

9. Mercury Milan Hybrid

10. GMC Terrain

“With its highly anticipated launch, the Camaro was the clear winner, commanding premium prices, spending little time on the dealership lots and becoming one of the bestselling vehicles in its segment,” asserted Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Jessica Caldwell. “The other top-ranked vehicles in this survey did not have an historic nameplate or an established fan base, but are still overcoming tough market conditions to resonate with consumers.”

[Source:Autoblog]

A new generation of police cruisers is afoot. We’ve already seen the likes of Ford’s Taurus-based Police Interceptor up close, and we’ve even seen General Motors opens the floodgates with a full raft of images of its Caprice PPV. While Ford has opted to use its EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 for high-powered police action, Chevrolet has taken a more traditional approach, fitting the Caprice with a 6.0-liter V8 cranking out 355 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

We already knew what to expect for the standard police-spec Caprice, but we’ve been extra curious about the special “Detective package” that adds some plainclothes stealthiness to the Caprice, especially as it seems to hint at what the oft-rumored civilian version of this car might look like. It’s available in seven different colors (we’ll just stick with black, thanks), uses all the same mechanical underpinnings as the standard Police PPV, and for the moment at least, remains unavailable in a retail model for John Q. Public.

Be sure to scroll through the gallery below to check out the entire PDF of the Caprice PPV’s features.

[Source:Autoblog]

During a live video webchat this afternoon, Tony DiSalle, marketing director for the Chevrolet Volt, announced the production volumes for the first two years. General Motors plans to build 10,000 Volts by the end of the 2011 calendar year, with another 30,000 units coming in 2012. There will be a relatively slow production ramp up during the first year as the automaker learns to build the Volt as well as well as picking up lessons from cars in the field.

Chevrolet dealers will have to meet some minimum qualifications in order to sell the Volt. For instance, every dealer authorized to sell the Volt will have to maintain at least one demonstrator vehicle in stock so that potential customers can test drive it. Those same dealers will also have to install a 240 volt home charging station so that the cars have a full battery and customers can try it out. Beyond the dealers that sell Volts in the initial retail markets, GM will also assign dealers in other parts of the country to service the Volt if needed.

Unlike the Nissan Leaf, customers will not have to get pre-qualified to buy a Volt by having access to 240 volt home charging. Anyone can walk into a Volt authorized dealer and buy one (assuming they have the money!) even if they live in an apartment. Of course, getting the most out of a Volt will require access to a plug, but that is the customers’ choice.

[Source:Autoblog]

During a marathon presentation on Tuesday, General Motors Vice Chairman Tom Stephens showed off slides of a new family van based on the company’s compact car platform. The van and other vehicles were shown as part of the session detailing a new Chevrolet SUV, a compact car concept and a three-row Buick van for the Chinese market. The images shown were not released to journalists.

While executives were intentionally vague about the new van, the production version of the Chevrolet Orlando immediately springs to mind, as it would seem to fit that description. Based on product-man Stephens’ assertion that the van will launch soon in multiple markets around the world, the Cruze-based Orlando seems a logical assumption. The Cruze is already on sale in Europe and Asia, so production kinks have been smoothed, and a platform variant seems like the most likely step. Worldwide markets have plenty of MPV options, and the Orlando slots right in. GM’s moves have defied logic in the past, but CEO Ed Whitacre characterized yesterday’s presentation as an introduction of a new GM. We’ve heard talk like this before, of course, but maybe this time they mean it.

[Source:Autoblog]

According to Motor Trend, which is citing unnamed sources within General Motors, the next-generation Corvette will come with a brand-new engine. Despite rumors to the contrary, it seems that Chevrolet’s halo vehicle will continue using its trademark V8 engine and not a V6. Still, the C7’s powerplant will be downsized from its current 6.2 or 7.0 liters.

It’s likely that this new engine will be the first application of GM’s next-gen small block family, and we’d expect it to sport direct injection, E85 capability and a new combustion system design. One thing not to expect, though: overhead cams. You can bank on the fact that The General will stick to its tried-and-true overhead valve design, which serves to lower manufacturing costs and allows for comparatively small overall engine dimensions.

All of these technologies should make the venerable V8 more fuel efficient and cleaner, but also sufficiently powerful to uphold its sportscar heritage. In fact, Motor Trend reports that the C7’s V8 will displace 5.5 liters while hammering out 440 horsepower. Though that significantly smaller in displacement, the power figure would actually be up from the current 430 ponies. We can hardly wait… but we’ll have to anyway. We don’t expect the next Corvette to bow before 2012 at the earliest.

[Source:Autoblog]

Now, isn’t this curious? The eagle-eyed crew over at Corvette Blogger have managed to get their hands on a few shots of what appears to be a speedster version of the ever gorgeous Stingray Concept. You may remember the car from its starring roles in both the Transformers saga and the 2009 Chicago Auto Show. At the time, the car appeared to be a hard-top only, but as these photos demonstrate, it looks mighty fine without a roof, too. So what gives? Is this some sort of re-imagining of the old concept? Is it a movie prop?

We’re going to stick pretty close to the Corvette Blogger hypothesis and say it’s a little bit of both. The car was spotted sulking around Beverly Hills, so either we’re looking at Sideswipe’s latest set of clothes, or someone has finally managed to come up with a decent re-body kit to help the C5 look a little less dated. Either way, we like what we see.

[Source:Autoblog]