For several years now, the public has been waiting for the launch of the Chevrolet Volt.  The Volt is an extended-range electric vehicle, a technology that has never been mass produced before.  The Volt will be charged by the owner over night, provided a 40 mile, electric only range from its batteries.  Once that charge is depleted, a small gas generator kicks in to power the car.

Once production was announced for the car, people began to wonder about the price.  The battery technology alone was said to cost close to $10,000, not to mention the car has two powertrains.  Well the wait is over, we finally know how much the Volt will cost the early adopters.  The purchase price for a Volt is $41,000, with a lease option pegged at $350 a month for 36 months with $2,500 down.  Not a bad price in my opinion, as costs will surely come down significantly with the second generation Volt, especially as production increases above the initial 10,000 units planned for the first year.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

Not only does the Chevrolet Volt feature a highly advanced propulsion system, but the braking system is highly advanced as well.  The transition between friction braking and regenerative braking needs to be imperceptible to the driver yet still provide maximum stopping power when needed.  The video above shows how one GM engineer worked (and is still working I’m sure) to provide the best performance and brake pedal feel possible.

In a plan to promote branding consistency, GM decided to stop using the nickname Chevy. A memo with the plan was released to Chevrolet employees, tells them to stop using the name Chevy when working with dealers, advertisers, etc. The memo also references the use of branding-consistent names like Apple and Coke. Ironically, Coke is a nickname for Coca-Cola…someone didn’t think that example through.

Kind of stupid if you ask me…sounds like the genius at Chevy Chevrolet behind this idea needs to have his/her title changed to unemployed. Read the full article at The Detroit News.

Question: when can you have too much power? Never! Check out the latest creation from the Hennessey performance tuning shop in Houston, Texas – the Hennessey HPE700; a twin-turbo Camaro with 847 horsepower and 801 lb-ft torque at the rear wheels.

Check out the video of the car strapped to a dyno and read the full story at Autoblog.

The National Corvette Museum (NCM) is considered to be the largest of its kind, devoted to a single model – the Corvette, and is located adjacent to General Motors’ Corvette assembly plant. NCM is planning on building a fully featured race complex, consisting of two road courses, a kart track, a ten-acre autocross course, a skid-pad training area, and a quarter-mile drag strip. The track will be built to FIA and SCCA specifications, meaning that official racing events will take place there.

The newly planned development would be situated across freeway I65 from the museum. Access to the park will be via a tunnel and bridges going over the freeway.

Read more about it at the Motorsports Park website.

The video you see above is an advertisement to drum up excitement for GM’s newest small car, the Chevrolet Spark.  It’s an interesting idea…here’s to hoping the car sells!

The Chevrolet Cruze will be out later this year/early next year, but that hasn’t stopped the ads from rolling already.  Check out this one where a cricket ball and bat is used to “paint” a Cruze.

Check out this awesome video of a completely animated Camaro, Mustang, Jeep Cherokee, Vaz, and a helicopter. All I can say is…AMAZING, dude has talent!

That’s right folks, General Motors has announced that it will be adding a third shift to the Lordstown, Ohio plant that will be building the Chevrolet Cruze.  The interesting thing is that the Cruze hasn’t really gone into production yet…no matter.  The announcement from GM came today and they have stated that they will be adding 1,200 jobs which I’m sure will be welcome news to people in the area.  For more news, head on over to The Detroit News.

(Image source: GM)

The 2010 Chevrolet Equinox features a 2.4L Ecotec four-cylinder that allows it to achieve a 32 mpg highway EPA rating.  While that might be best in class now, that figure probably won’t hold up in the future.  So for that reason, General Motors has decided to invest $494 million into three separate plants; one in Tonawanda, New York, another in Defiance, Ohio and the final plant in Bay City, Michigan.  This move will also add 470 jobs to the U.S. economy and produce an as yet unnamed size of the new Ecotec.  For more details and GM’s official press release, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: GM)