Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Chevrolet, GM, Alternative Fuel

Just a few months before the Chevrolet Volt is finally set to debut in production trim, one of the guys who spearheaded the whole project has reportedly left his post at General Motors. Bob Kruse (at right), who also helped plan the whole long-term strategy for GM's electric vehicle program, has resigned according to The Detroit News. Kruse has been the automaker's executive director of global vehicle engineering for hybrids, electric vehicles and batteries since 2008, and has long been considered one of the key figures in getting the Volt from concept to production - he was particularly instrumental in developing the batteries that the Volt will use.

The report says Kruse is leaving to start his own consulting company, E V Consulting LLC. Kruse wanted to make it clear that his departure shouldn't be read as a statement about his feelings regarding GM's future success, but he did admit that they weren't happy he was leaving.

"There's no good time to lose good people," GM spokesman Rob Peterson said. "But that said, the Volt team goes way beyond one person."

According to most sources, the rest of the team is more than capable of moving on without him and the future of the Volt is in good hands. Micky Bly - who has experience with hybrid/electric vehicles and has been a part of the Volt program from early on - has been tipped as his replacement.

[Source: The Detroit News | Image: General Motors]

REPORT: Bob Kruse, GM's top electric car exec and Chevy Volt pointman, steps down originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mazda will use the upcoming Tokyo auto show to unveil the SKY-G gasoline engine, SKY-D diesel, and SKY Drive automatic transmission. All three aim to help Mazda achieve its goal of improving its lineup’s fuel economy by 30 percent by 2015. Mazda will once again show its Kiyora concept—first seen at last year’s Paris show—which now features a SKY engine and transmission.

The SKY-D (pictured at right) is a 2.2-liter turbo-diesel concept that Mazda says achieves better fuel economy than equivalent designs currently in production. A low-friction engine block, revised combustion chambers, piezoelectric fuel injectors, and a dual-stage turbo offer a 20-percent economy gain. That reportedly delivers close to 40 mpg in a Mazda 6–size vehicle.

Similarly, the SKY-G is a 2.0-liter gasoline engine that uses low-friction internals, direct injection, and variable valve timing to boost fuel economy and torque by about 15 percent over a current 2.0-liter. Mazda says the result is the fuel economy of the not-for-the-U.S. Mazda 2 (close to 40 mpg) in a car the size of the Mazda 3.

Mazda has also redesigned automatic transmissions for a five-percent economy jump, resulting in the SKY Drive concept (pictured at right). A new, lower-slip torque converter and an updated lock-up mechanism offer a more direct drive feeling, akin to a sequential manual transmission, while reducing fuel consumption.

It all comes together in the Kiyora, a concept car that employs a 1.3-liter version of the SKY-G mill with the six-speed SKY Drive transmission. The futuristic-looking Kiyora reportedly achieves 75 mpg under Japanese testing. A lightweight body, wind-cheating aerodynamics, engine stop-start system, and regenerative braking all help with the economy numbers.

Related posts:

1. Mazda Kiyora Concept / 2011 Mazda 1 – Auto Shows
2. 2010 Mazda 3 – First Drive Review
3. 2009 Mazda MX-5 Miata – Auto Shows

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Chevrolet, Reviews

While Ford has been introducing a countless string of Mustangs that appeal to nearly every enthusiast on the planet, Chevrolet has had to make due with only three versions of the Corvette (five if you count both coupes and convertibles). Well, for 2010, Chevrolet is adding a new model to the mix, the Corvette Grand Sport. Bridging the gap between the base Corvette and the track-focused Z06, the Grand Sport - unlike the aluminum chassis Z06 and ZR1 - is available in both coupe and convertible form, giving 'Vette lovers another way to enjoy motoring al fresco.

After spending a few hours at General Motors' Milford Proving Grounds wringing out the GS on track back in August, we finally managed to snag some significant street time in a Crystal Red Grand Sport convertible. Lo and behold, when we looked inside we found a manual transmission, meaning this particular Grand Sport is packing the new-for-2010 launch control system. So now it's time to find out if this newest 'Vette variant is as livable on the road as it is fun on the track.

Continue reading Review: 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible is just right

Review: 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible is just right originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Please join Susan Docherty, General Manager, Buick GMC, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009 for another one-hour live chat to discuss the new GMC Terrain, which is now in dealerships. Looking forward to hearing your comments and answering more of your questions. - Dayna Hart, Group Manager, Buick GMC Communications

This week we are running our annual 10Best test, evaluating 59 cars and winnowing them down to ten winners. All week we’ll be bringing you thoughts from our notepads. Here’s the first from today:

It’s funny how I go through the same thing every year during our 10Best testing. I get behind the wheel of all the new contenders and find that there’s hardly a bad car in the bunch. Some of the new models are so good that I start to wonder if there’s a new benchmark. Then I get into the Porsche sports cars (see yesterday’s blog post) and the BMW 3-series and I realize just how far the competition has to go. These long-time benchmarks are still head and shoulders above the rest.

We have a 328i at 10Best with the sport package and virtually no other options. On its face, it’s a $37,000 compact sedan with manually adjustable vinyl seats. So what makes it so great? It’s unflappable. Throw it into a badly pot-holed sweeper at speed and it sails through without any drama. You hear the bumps and they register as pulses through the steering wheel, but your course never changes. Try that in just about anything else at the same speed, and it will bounce and sidestep its way into the next lane. There’s still no other sedan under $40,000 that can rival the 328i’s steering feel and handling poise, and that’s why I find it one of the most rewarding driver’s cars on the planet.

Our 10Best winners will be announced in our January 2010 issue. Please check for it on newsstands on December 5.

Related posts:

1. 10Best Test Notes: 2010 Audi S4
2. 10Best Test Notes: 2010 Jaguar XF
3. 10Best Test Notes: 2010 Lincoln MKS EcoBoost

Automotive News by Jamie LaReau - In April 2005, General Motors began putting its corporate logo on its cars and trucks, starting with the Pontiac G6.  “Seeing that badge on vehicles evonkes our heritage of leadership,” Mark LaNeve, group vice president for vehicle sales, service and marketing for GM North America said at the time.

Now GM is dropping the badge, a small, silver-colored square with a blue “GM” embossed on it.  It’s usually on the lower edge of the front fenders.

“With the focus really turning toward our four core brands, the feeling was let’s gradually get away from the GM logo,” GM spokesman Pat Morrissey said.  The logos will be removed gradually from 2010 models.  No 2011 models will carry the badge.

Those inside GM say another reason to eliminate the badge is to distance GM’s stronger brands, such as Chevrolet and Cadillac, from GM’s image as a taxpayer-supported company just out of bankruptcy.

Skimming through the Subaru Hybrid Tourer concept press release, the second paragraph left us a little confused. “The original point of the ideal grand touring car is its interior design, featuring four independent and comfortably positioned seats. Passengers are enclosed within an atmosphere that provides a surpassing feeling of openness and stress-free reassurance, through the further pursuit of a human-centered philosophy, the essence of Subaru car design, and the incorporation of functions that are friendly to passengers.” Say what? After some head scratching, what we divined from reading that jargon is that this car has four seats and it’s about the essence of nothingness.

Keep Reading: Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept – Auto Shows

Related posts:

1. Toyota Camry CNG Hybrid Concept – Auto Shows
2. Mercedes-Benz Vision S500 Plug-in Hybrid Concept – Auto Shows
3. Giugiaro Namir Hybrid Concept – Auto Shows

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet

Owners of the 2010 Chevy Camaro may want to swing by their local dealer between stop light drags. General Motors has issued a service bulletin for its reborn pony cars that affects three issues that may become problems for some owners. The first issue involves reprogramming the HVAC module, which will reportedly prevent HVAC evaporator freeze-up after long highway drives. The second issue involves tightening the nuts that affix the rear spoiler to the trunk lid, but only applies to vehicles with VIN numbers A9126194 or lower. The third and final issue involves inspecting the engine harness of all V8-equipped models to ensure that the heater hose clamps aren't touching the harness bracket.

It should be noted that this is not a recall, just a service bulletin and Camaro owners are encouraged to have these items addressed the next time they visit a dealer for service.

[Source: Camaro5]

GM issues service bulletins for 2010 Chevy Camaro originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Subaru specializes in the unusual—its menu is thick with all-wheel drive and wagons—but then there’s the Forester. It’s the house special of bizarre: An extra-tall wagon that’s not quite an SUV, used to be boxy like one, but emerged from its 2009 redesign looking more carlike. The result is competent in all matters, excellent in none, and very odd looking. It also may be the perfect first car.

The Forester is not fast. Crank the wheel all the way over and stomp the gas and it still won’t chirp a tire. It’s affordable—the base price of just $20,690 is less than a grand more than Car and Driver cameraman Tom Adams paid for his Legacy wagon a decade ago. It’s safe—the IIHS rates it a Top Safety Pick—and the station wagon stigma ensures another sort of safety: kids won’t be multiplying in the terminally uncool back seat.

Keep Reading: 2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X – Short Take Road Test

Related posts:

1. 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX with Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT) Parts – Short Take Road Test
2. 2009 Subaru Forester – First Drive Review
3. 2009 Subaru Impreza / Forester Diesel – Car News

Of the plethora of vehicles large, small, semi-exotic, and mundane that comprise our annual 10Best showdown, this rather unassuming Ford Fusion with a 175-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a six-speed manual transmission made an impression on me today not for what it is, but for what it isn’t: It’s not flashy, bulky, or compromised by trying to be too many things at once. In fact, compared with the laundry list of hot rods and luxury barges on hand, the middleweight Ford felt charmingly simple and all the better for it.

What brought this notion to the surface was a stint earlier in the day behind the wheel of Ford’s much-hyped 2010 Taurus SHO. A twin-turbocharged, 365-hp, all-wheel-drive goliath of a family sedan, the new SHO is a rocket off the line and a pleasant place to pass the miles, but it was reluctant to step up and ask for more when our driving loop got narrow and challenging.

The smaller and much lighter Fusion, on the other hand, slapped a smile on my mug as soon as I started rowing the gears and pitching it from one corner to the next. I certainly wasn’t moving as quickly as I would have been in the SHO—or in a lot of other cars, for that matter—but it was a back-to-basics delight brought on by a solid chassis, predictable handling, and just enough power and driver involvement. The manual gearbox had a lot to do with it, and while nothing about the car is stellar on its own, all the controls worked well together and made it easy to extract the most from the vehicle. Less is more goes the old saying, and while I surely would’ve enjoyed a few more ponies and stickier rubber on the Fusion, it was still the most fun I’ve had in an entry-level sedan from a domestic automaker. It should be fun tomorrow to see if last year’s 10Best-winning Honda Accord makes a similar impression.

Our 10Best winners will be announced in our January 2010 issue. Please check for it on newsstands on December 5.

Related posts:

1. 10Best Test Notes: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
2. 2010 Ford Fusion SEL V6 – Short Take Road Test
3. 2010 Ford Fusion vs. Mazda 6, Honda Accord – Comparison Test