All New 2012 Chevrolet Cobalt Revealed in Production Form, will be Available in 40 Countries

The Chevrolet Cobalt may be dead in the States where it was successfully replaced by the Cruze sedan, but the nameplate lives on in the rest of the world.

After the debut of the concept version at the Buenos Aires motor show this past summer, General Motors today introduced the final production 2012 Cobalt that will eventually go on sale in 40 countries across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South America - but not North America.

In addition to Brazil, which is the first country to receive the new Chevrolet Cobalt, the car will be produced in three more factories around the world, though GM did not disclose any more details on the locations.

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Oh, You Shouldn’t Have: One Millionth Cruze is Chevy’s Present for its 100th Birthday

What present do you bring to a 100-year old company for its birthday? It depends: in Chevrolet’s case, the fact that the Cruze reached 1 million sales this week, less than two years after its global launch, is perfectly adequate.

Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet global marketing and strategy, also believes that this is a happy coincidence for Chevy’s Centennial: “I can’t think of a better birthday present”, he said. “Cruze’s combination of style, comfort, fuel efficiency and safety is a hit across the globe. Our customers know a winner when they drive it.”

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Chevy Volt Sales Close to 50% up in October, Outsells Nissan Leaf for the First Time

So far, Nissan’s all-electric Leaf has been the winner in the battle with the Volt extended-range hybrid, clearly outselling Chevy’s offering for the first half of 2011.

But not anymore: for the first time since the two models went on sale, GM announced that it sold 1,108 units in October, an increase of almost 50% over September’s 723 sales.

This is the first time Chevy’s hybrid outsold its main rival in the U.S. market, the Nissan Leaf, which last month sold 849 units compared to September’s figure of 1,031 deliveries.

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GM to Build New Chevy Colorado at Wentzville Plant

Less than a month after confirming the new Chevrolet Colorado for the North American market, GM today announced that the midsize pickup truck will be produced at its Wentzville Assembly plant in Missouri.

The Detroit-based automaker said that it will invest around $380 million to the prepare the factory for the new line, and as a result, create or retain about 1,260 jobs hourly and salaried jobs.

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Sonic Boom: Chevy Rocks the SEMA with One More Concept of its Subcompact Model

The 30 or so Sonic and Cruze concepts along with the numerous Camaro project cars that have been presented at this week’s SEMA Show, haven’t stopped the flow of new Chevrolet exhibits in Las Vegas.

As you can probably guess by its name, the Sonic Boom is all about sound. The subcompact model features an audio system developed by Chevrolet and Kicker with its design and component placing said to be inspired by jet engines.

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Camaro is SEMA's Hottest Car for Second Year in a Row

Among the hundreds of cars that are on display at the 2011 SEMA, one stood out: it was the Chevrolet Camaro that received the SEMA Award for the “hottest car” of this year's edition of the Las Vegas aftermarket show.

The Camaro received the award for being the most accessory-friendly car of the 2011 SEMA, based on the number of aftermarket parts available in the exhibition.

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New GM Program Allows Customers to Help Build their Own LS7 or LS9 V8 Engine

GM’s Chevrolet Performance division is giving its customers the opportunity to gain some extra satisfaction by participating in the assembly of their own LS7 or LS9 crate engine.

Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance and Vehicles, says: “Building an engine is a time-honored tradition in hot rodding and this exciting new program allows enthusiasts to enjoy that magical do-it-yourself feeling, while still enjoying the value of a factory-engineered, warranted crate engine.”

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2011 SEMA: Chevy’s COPO Concept Previews NHRA Drag Racing Camaro

Among other offerings, Chevrolet brought to Las Vegas the COPO Camaro, a racing car concept built according to NHRA Stock Eliminator drag racing.

Designed to be fitted with more than one engine options, the SEMA Show COPO concept models is powered by a supercharged 327 engine but can accommodate both the naturally aspirated 7.0-liter 427 (the same capacity as the original 1969 COPO) and the supercharged 5.3-liter 327.

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Chevy Teams Up with AMA Champion Ricky Carmichael for Special Edition Sonic

If you are even remotely interested in two wheels, then you know who Ricky Carmichael is as he has been crowned American Motorcycle Association champion no less than 15 times –the first before he was 20 years old.

Since 2007, Carmichael entered the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Now he has teamed up with GM and Chevrolet to create the Sonic All Activity Vehicle – Ricky Carmichael Concept for the 2011 SEMA show.

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Chevrolet Camaro Concept Harks Back to the 1968 Hot Wheels Toy Model

These are the first photos of the new Chevrolet Camaro Hot Wheels concept car that was revealed just a few hours before its public debut at the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas later today.

The life-size concept model is inspired by the iconic “Custom Camaro” Spectraflame 1:64-scale toy that was part of the original 16 Hot Wheels car series released in 1968.

The Camaro Hot Wheels is the result of the joint collaboration between the GM Design studio in Michigan and the Hot Wheels Design studio in California.

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Chevy Teases Two Corvette Concepts Ahead of 2011 SEMA Show

If anything, General Motors' Chevrolet brand will have one of the most comprehensive displays at this year's edition of the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas.

We've already given you a sample of the tuned Sonic hatchbacks, Cruze sedans and Camaro Coupe and Convertible concepts that are heading down to the strip, and now it's time to show you a pair of Corvette concept cars.

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Chevrolet Camaro and Camaro ZL1 Dress Up for Vegas

Automakers are getting ready for some aftermarket fun at the annual SEMA Show that takes place in Las Vegas from November 1 through 4.

General Motors is heading down to the strip with a variety of concept and project cars including a number of prototypes based on the 2012MY Camaro coupe, convertible and of course, the upcoming ZL1.

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GM Invests US$275 Million in Ft. Wayne Plant to Build New Chevy and GMC Full-Size Pickup Trucks

General Motors announced on Wednesday that it plans to invest approximately US$275 million at its Fort Wayne assembly plant in Indiana to build the next generation of GMC and Chevrolet full size pickup trucks.

The latest investment is part of a US$2 billion plan that was announced back in May, which will create or retain around 4,000 jobs in 17 of GM’s U.S. factories over the next 18 months.

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SEMA Preview: GM Shows Tuned Sonics, Announces Cruze Concepts

General Motors is counting on its revised portfolio of small cars to further increase its sales in North American, and at next week's SEMA aftermarket show in Las Vegas, the Detroit-based automaker will showcase the personalization possibilities for its sub-compact Chevrolet Sonic and the Cruze sedan with a plethora of concepts.

For the time being, GM has shared some initial details on some of the concepts it will display in Las Vegas along with a handful of pictures of two customized Sonic hatchbacks.

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Ad Watch: Chevrolet Remembers the Past in the Present

The festivities for the Chevrolet brand's 100th birthday on November 3 continue with a new 60-second spot titled "Then & Now". The advert fuses the past and the present by holding vintage pictures of numerous Chevrolet models over the same locations today.

The automaker notes that the commercial "depicts how we remain connected to the iconic moments, locations, and Chevy vehicles as if those moments were with us right here, right now".

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Weak USD Makes Small Car Imports Expensive, American Buyers Turn to Domestic Brands

Is a weak dollar a good thing? If you’re asking the U.S. car industry, it most definitely is. Imported car prices have reached their highest point in the last 12 years, thus driving some of their prospective buyers away.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, in August the average price of an imported car reached a record high of $31,536. That makes the price difference between a comparable domestic-made car $7,614, which is the largest since December 1999.

Add to that the severe supply issues faced by the Japanese manufacturers, who are only now starting to recover from the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake, and it’s easy to see why more and more American car buyers are choosing domestic brands instead.

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A Video Tour of the 2012 Chevrolet Caprice PPV with the Detective Package

The first batch of GM's Australian-built 2012 Chevrolet Caprice PPV [Police Patrol Vehicle] cruisers hit the streets across the States earlier this year with more to arrive in the following months.

Despite the fact that the police car launch has sparked some interest for a civilian version as well, the Detroit maker has not such plans on the table – at least not for now.

Today, we stumbled upon a detailed -if not a bit tiring and lengthy- video walkaround of the 2012 Caprice from a Youtube user who goes by the name "Saabkyle04". The unmarked police cruisers with the detective package were located at a GM dealership in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Tjin…the Thursday Edition: 2012 Honda Civic and Chevrolet Cruze SEMA Show Tunes

The 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas this November is gearing up to be a busy event for the crew over at Tjin Edition.

Only two days after announcing their partnership with Ford for the customization of a 2012 Explorer SUV and a Mustang 5.0 GT, Tjin Edition revealed that it has also partnered up with Honda for the development of a bespoke 2012 Civic Si and GM for the creation of a decked out Chevy Cruze sedan.

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GM PR Officially Refutes Rumors to Fund Remake of the Cannonball Run

Let’s face it: we live in a politically correct society where speeding, drinking, smoking and many other things are seen as anti-social. So when a rumor surfaces that General Motors -of all corporations- is talking about funding a remake of The Cannonball Run (well, sans the smoking probably), it comes as a bit of a surprise.

For those of you too young to remember, the 1981 original’s storyline involved an illegal cross-country race, with no law left unbroken. Nevertheless, NY Magazine reported today that GM is in talks with producer Al Ruddy (The Godfather, Million Dollar Baby) about participating in the project in a big way.

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Chevy Salesmen Head to Disneyland to Become More Prince Charming when it Comes to Customer Service

Chevrolet is facing a serious problem in California: it is under-performing on the sales front in the country's largest car market. To add insult to injury, it lags behind not only established rivals such as Toyota, Ford and Honda, but also the (relatively) new kid on the block, Hyundai.

Understandably, parent company General Motors is not happy. “We are really going to have a go at California”, said president of GM’s North American operations Mark Reuss. “This is not some half-baked plan. We will be putting a serious amount of money into this.”

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