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Chevrolet Spark Most Efficient U.S. Retail Electric Vehicle

The 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV is  the industry benchmark in retail electric vehicle efficiency with a combined city/highway EPA estimated range of 82 miles when fully charged and an EPA-estimated combined city/highway 119 MPGe fuel economy equivalent.

Compared to the average new vehicle, the Spark EV can potentially save its owners up to $9,000 in fuel cost over five years. The Spark EV goes on sale this summer in California and Oregon.
“Being able to provide our customers with the best overall efficiency of any retail EV has always been a key target for the Spark EV engineering team,” said Pam Fletcher, GM executive chief engineer for electrified vehicles. “We’re poised to deliver to the market an EV that’s not just efficient, but also thrilling to drive thanks to the 400 lb-ft torque output of its electric motor.”

The Spark EV’s 21 kWh lithium-ion battery pack will continue Chevrolet’s tradition of offering industry-leading limited warranty protection – eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first.
Spark EV will be the first vehicle on the market to offer as an available option the recently approved SAE combo charger for DC Fast Charging. The capability, available shortly after launch, will enable the Spark EV to recharge up to 80 percent of its capacity in approximately 20 minutes. The battery system is capable of handling multiple DC Fast Charges daily. Charging can also be completed in less than seven hours using a dedicated 240V charge. A 120V charge cord set comes standard.  Charging can be managed and monitored remotely using the Spark EV’s smart phone application, provided by OnStar, which is standard for three years.

"The Chevrolet Spark EV is a great city car which blends technology, functionality and style in an unexpected package" said Cristi Landy, director of Chevrolet small and electrified vehicle marketing. "We built on the success of the Volt and the gas-powered Spark to offer an affordable, fun and efficient mini car our customers will love to drive."

The Chevrolet Spark EV will set an acceleration benchmark for an urban city electric vehicle – 0-60 mph in under eight seconds due to the mating of a permanent magnet electric motor, which produces more than 100 kW (130 hp), with the coaxial drive unit.

The GM designed oil-cooled, permanent magnet motor is the heart of the Spark EV’s propulsion system.  Putting more than half a million road miles on development versions of the Spark EV enabled engineers to make the performance of the electric motor the best it could be by using a bar wound copper stator and unique rotor configuration.

The motor and drive unit are assembled at GM’s Baltimore operationsplant in White Marsh, Md. Last week, the plant celebrated Spark EV motor production, marking the first time a major U.S. auto manufacturer has designed and built both a complete electric motor and drive unit for a modern electric vehicle in the United States.

2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray order guide hits the web

The official debut of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is only part of the excitement for fans of Chevy's virtuoso sportscar. Although we got to see the car and some of its preliminary specs in Detroit and Geneva, there is still no word on pricing and some of the juicier data points we've been waiting for – such as confirmed power output, EPA estimated mileage figures and performance numbers. Until then, CorvetteBlogger has gotten its hands on the order guide for the coupe version of the car – in both base and Z51 iterations – revealing tidbits like standard and optional features and available color combinations.

Some other new details made it onto the order guide, such as our first interior specs for the coupe including slightly less hip room and headroom, more shoulder room and the same amount of legroom. To see the full order guide, head on over to CorvetteBlogger. From what we can gather, it sounds like more information will be revealed on April 25 during a party at the Corvette Museum, and for those sun worshipers patiently waiting for a convertible, it would appear you've got another model year to wait through.

Courtesy of Autoblog.com

First production 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible auctioned for a cool million

Barrett-Jackson auctioned off the first production 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible in Palm Beach this evening, with the open-top two-seater commanding a huge winning bid of $1,000,000 from Rick Hendrick, owner of NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports.

While the Geneva Motor Show C7 prototype is pictured here (it also was shown at Barrett-Jackson), Hendrick won rights to the first retail production model (VIN undetermined at this time), allowing him to choose both color and options before his V8 sports car rolls off the assembly line in the near future. Hopefully, by the time that happens, we will all know more about its soft convertible top, double-bubble tonneau and the mechanism that opens and lowers the fully automatic roof at speeds upwards of 30 mph.

It is worth mentioning that proceeds from the sale of this first C7 droptop will benefit the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer institute, one of 40 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States that strives to prevent, detect and eradicate all forms of cancer. The General Motors Foundation is a longtime supporter of Karmanos, with nearly $6 million in support over the last 15 years.

Courtesy of Autoblog.com

2014 Chevy Impala production commences

Production of the tenth-generation Chevrolet Impala began today, with the first 2014 model rolling of the line at the company's Ontario's Oshawa Assembly plant. The new Impala, which will be produced at General Motors' Detroit-Hamtramck plant in addition to the Canadian location, is expected to make an appearance in showrooms later this month. Impala assembly in Detroit will begin in May of this year.

The full-size Impala will come to market with an engine lineup that includes a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, a 2.4-liter four with the company's eAssist mild hybrid technology, and the 3.6-liter V6 that we sampled a few weeks ago. Sadly for the trivia buffs among us, Chevy didn't provide any specification information or other facts about the first-ever 2014 Impala.

Courtesy of Autoblog.com