Styling Trucks

Posts Tagged ‘Chevrolet’

The new Chevrolet Colorado mid size pickup truck comes with two engine types and advanced transmission shifting capability. The variable valve timing ensures better fuel efficiency as well as greater torque and power.

Styling Trucks

The standard features in the vehicle include the tire pressure monitoring system and the curtain side air bags. The vehicle offers the 2.8 liter 2770 cc in-line four front engine that has bore capacity of 93 mm, stroke of 102 mm and the compression ratio of 10.

It also offers the dual overhead cam, 4-valves per cylinder LK5 and the variable valve camshaft or timing. The engine comes with multi point fuel injection system that produces the power of 131 kilo watts of power at 5600 rotations per minute and torque of 185 lb ft at 2800 rotations per minute.

As far as the safety tests conducted on the vehicle are concerned, the 2009 Chevrolet Colorado is rated with the four stars in the driver’s side impact test, same rating in the front occupant safety and five star rating for the side passengers in the vehicle.

The exterior body styling of the latest generation Colorado has also earned loads of praises and it is acclaimed to be one of the best designs throughout all its generations.

However, the interiors of the vehicle come with truck-like design, while most of the competitors of Colorado are featured with car-like interiors and comfortable seating with spacious cargo room.

So, in a nutshell the 2009 Chevy Colorado is included with all the essential things needed for those who’re looking for a nice robust truck. The vehicle performed satisfactorily in the crash tests conducted by the US government.

To know what’s coming in the 2010 Chevy Colorado Click Here

Chevrolet Colorado – The Perfect Truck of 2009

Chevrolet is often called Chevy by those who love it. It’s an automobile brand that was recently acquired by General motors. Chevrolet is on of the most popular American cars, and in 2005 it sold more cars and trucks then it’s main rival – Ford.

Styling Trucks

Chevrolet was co-founded by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant. Louis Chevrolet was a Swiss racecar driver, who developed the design of the first Chevrolet. William Durant, was the man who actually founded General Motors, but was forced out of it in 1910. He wanted to use Louis Chevrolet’s unique designs to make his way back to the top of the automobile industry.

In 1911, Chevrolet and Durant entered the automobile market to compete with the Ford Model T. In 1914, the “Classic Six” Chevrolet started marketing a new model they called ” The Classic Six”. It was a 5-passenger touring sedan equipped with a 4.9 L, 6-cylinder engine capable of taking the car’s passengers to a “stunning” top speed of 15 miles per hour.

The first use of the Chevrolet logo we all know was in 1913. That logo is often called “the bowtie”.

In 1916, Chevrolet was enough a strong player to allow Durant to buy his way in to General Motors. After the deal was finalized in 1917, Durant was president of General Motors, and Chevrolet was merged into GM, becoming a separate division.

The sixties have been an exiting time for the Chevy. Here are some trivia details from those years:

In 1960 The Corvair sedan model hit the market. It was the first American production car with all-round independent suspension.

In 1962 Compact Chevy II Nova introduced. all-round independent suspension.

In 1963, one out of every ten cars sold in the United States was a Chevrolet.

In 1964 the All-new, full-size Chevrolet features dramatic, flowing styling. Luxurious Caprice model introduced. Also in that year, Chevrolet is the first to build more then 3 million cars and trucks in one year.

1966 – Chevrolet unveils the Camaro as a 1967 model. It proves an instant hit — so much so that,

in a 2.2 million-car year, 10 percent of 1967 Chevrolet sales are Camaros.

1967 First Camaro SS version paces Indy 500. By now, the pony car phenomenon has captured the country’s imagination and Camaro is right there to grab it. A popular magazine says, “the youth quake in Detroit has brought a new generation of cars”

Chevrolet – A Piece of American History

A nation of drivers were home bound starting in 1942 with the beginning of the United States involvement in WWII. Automobile production was halted that year as manufacturers geared up to make airplane, trucks and tanks and what ever else was needed for the war effort. It wasn’t until the 1950s that the big three auto makers, GM, Ford and Chrysler began to reinvent the automobile. The 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953 and 1954 Chevrolets received only modest facelifts and were called dull but dependable. However, in 1955, 1956 and 1957 appearance and engineering was changed radically by Chevrolet. Who was responsible for the new Chevy’s? Chuck Jordon, Harley Earl and especially Edward Nicholas Cole, Chevrolet’s Chief Engineer.

Styling Trucks

In May of 1952 General Motors, Chevrolet stylist and Ed Cole began a three year run on what the old car collectors 50 years later would call the best of the 1950s Classic Cars. The first Chevrolet produced during this new era of low price dream cars, was the 1955 Chevrolet. It was introduced as the “Hot One”. A national love affair was about to began.

Chevrolet shed its dull old image in 1955, replacing it with all new “Motoramic” styling. “Don’t argue with this baby” warned one Chevrolet ad in 1955. Chevy did have a lot to boast about that year and it knew it. Completely redesigned, with lots of styling, accessories, and a powerful new V-8 it was generally the most changed Chevy since WWII.

The 1955 Chevrolet had 3 different models, Bel Air, Two-Ten and One-Fifty, and 16 new body styles! The Bel Air Convertible, Sport Coupe 2 door hard top, 4 door sedan, 2 door sedan, Beauville 4 door station and the Nomad 2 door station wagon. The mid level Two-Ten Sport Coupe 2 door hard top, Delray Club Coupe 2 door, 4 door sedan, 2 door sedan, Townsman 4 door station wagon and the Handyman 2 door station wagon. The lower cost models were the One-Fifty 4 door sedan, 2 door sedan, 2 door utility sedan and the Handyman 2 door station wagon. Even more appealing body colors were available in 1955, with 14 solid color options and 21 new two-tone combinations.

The new 1955 Chevrolet offered a V-8 engine for the first time in 35 years. It was named the 265 cubic inch “Turbo-Fire” V-8 which delivered 162 horsepower with a 2 barrel carburetor and 180 horsepower with a 4 barrel carburetor. Also available was Chevrolet’s old reliable 235 cubic inch six cylinder that developed 123 horsepower. Transmissions included a 3-speed standard, 3-speed with overdrive and the Powerglide.

The new Chevrolet’s were smoother, lower and longer looking. A grand total of 1,704,667 1955 Chevy’s were produced, setting a production record in 1955. In response to this large demand only one question remained. What would Chevy do for an encore? The answer was the 1956 Chevrolet (Part 2).

Classic Chevy’s – 1955 Chevrolet – Part 1

The introduction of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro and 2011 Camaro Convertible reignites a volcanic war that has defined the American automotive landscape for much of the past century. For over forty years Camaro and Mustang have been battling it out for first place in America’s heart. The Mustang arrived first, staking out the pony car high ground in 1964 and remained the only one of its kind during the two and a half years it took General Motors to respond. Since that time, Camaros and Mustangs have faced off in showrooms, at stoplights, on magazine covers and most dramatically on racetracks all across the country. Each has a large, passionate and loyal following. The story of how the battle lines came to be drawn, however, is almost as intriguing as the cars themselves.

Styling Trucks

While Lee Iacocca is universally recognized as the father of the Mustang, the Chevy Camaro’s parentage is much more difficult to define. Credit might rightfully be given to Alfred P. Sloan. President and finally Chairman of the Board of GM in 1937, Sloan was a visionary automotive pioneer who created the concept of annual styling changes and a lowest to highest pricing structure for each of GM’s brands, which at the time included Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac. The idea was to provide a low, entry level price point and keep car buyers coming back to GM over time as they became wealthier.

By the early 1950s Sloan’s concepts were so successful, General Motors surpassed Ford Motor Company as the largest car company in the United States, holding over 60-percent of the market and with Chevrolet Motor Division dominated most high volume segments.

Introduced in 1958, Chevy’s full-size flagship Impala out-sold both the Ford Galaxie 500 and Plymouth Fury by wide margins well into the mid 1960s. To keep the brand fresh and inviting, the Euro-styled, rear-engine Corvair family sedan was introduced in 1960, followed by a sporty Monza model in 1963. The compact Chevy II was launched in 1962 and size Chevelle was introduced in 1964, to face-off against Ford’s highly successful Falcon and Fairlane tandem.

In the mid-1960s, both sales and spirits at GM’s Chevrolet Motor Division were at an all-time high. Combined annual car and truck deliveries were approaching 2.8 million units. On NBC, Dinah Shore closed each weekly episode of the hour-long Dinah Shore Chevy Show with a warm farewell kiss and a musical reminder to “See the USA is your Chevrolet.” And at the GM Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, opened by President Eisenhower in May of 1956, engineers and designers were already working on a new 1968 Chevy II/Super Nova model with dimensions and proportions remarkably similar to the Ford Mustang’s.

It’s a well known fact that GM didn’t approve production of what would eventually become the Camaro until six months after the Mustang was released. It’s also a fact that back in 1962, when Chevrolet design chief Irvin W. Rybicki and GM design boss Bill Mitchell approached Chevrolet General Manager Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen with the idea for a personal, four seat sports car, Knudsen quickly and confidently vetoed the idea. He was sure that Chevy’s existing models, particularly the Corvair, would be more than a match for any new small car from Ford. Knudsen would, incidentally, later be named president of Ford Motor Company in February 1968, temporarily stalling the ambition of a then up-and-coming vice president named Lee Iacocca.

However, when Mustang shocked the automotive world with record-breaking sales of 26,000 units on its first day and 100,000 in the first four months, Knudsen knew he had made a mistake. Chevy quickly swallowed its pride and green-lighted the development of a conventional front-engine, rear drive sports car. Engineers and designers were given a simple mandate: Make it longer, lower, wider, faster and better than Mustang in every way.

To most quickly and economically bring the new Mustang killer to market, the engineering team pulled ahead development of the 1968 Chevy II/Super Nova platform which featured a unibody structure from the windshield and firewall back. A unique feature, however, was a rubber-isolated front sub-frame. Isolated sub-frames had been used before but only in a few European designs, most notably some Mercedes-Benz models. One advantage was that it allowed a larger interior with more luggage space. Another advantage was that it provided a smoother, quieter ride.

The most important, however, is that it would accommodate a wide variety of performance suspensions and power plants. Other off-the-shelf mechanical components included four drum-type brakes, standard manual steering and Chevy’s rugged 230 cubic inch, 140-horsepower straight six engine mated to a three-speed manual transmission.

The design team that produced the Corvette, Corvair, and Nova were given the challenge of producing Chevy’s answer to the Mustang. Preliminary design drawings and mock-ups included a two-seat roadster, a fastback and even a station wagon. But in the end, Chevy management insisted on a four-seat sport coupe, also available as a convertible. The final design had a long hood and a short deck, but didn’t otherwise replicate Mustang’s boxy styling. A wide satin silver grille with inset headlights and parking lamps, a low roof, large wheel cut-outs and a bold horizontal crease midway on the sides gave it a surprisingly fluid, road-ready appearance. To some GM insiders, it looked remarkably like a more muscular evolution of the Corvair.

Two trim packages were also created: an appearance-oriented Rally Sport and a performance-oriented Super Sport. An RS/SS combination could also be ordered. The RS package included a blacked-out grille with hidden headlights, revised parking and tail lights, upgraded interior trim and RS badging. The SS package included a modified 350 cid V8 engine, simulated air-intakes on the hood, special bumble bee striping and a blacked-out grill. When the RS/SS package was ordered the RS badging took precedence.

All the parts and pieces were quickly coming together. However, as the launch date neared, Chevy’s Mustang killer still didn’t have a name. How it came to be called the Camaro is still another story.

The Beginning of the Chevrolet Camaro

The Chevrolet HHR could very well be on its way out as its sister vehicle, the Chevrolet Cobalt, is discontinued. The Cobalt is making way for the Chevy Cruze which is hitting dealerships across the United States and Canada beginning in September 2010.

Styling Trucks

But, first some background on the styling and the car. The HHR, which stands for heritage high roof, is one of many retro-styled cars that have appeared since the 1990s. The Volkswagen New Beetle and the Ford Thunderbird were among the earlier representations of this phenomenom with the Chrysler PT Cruiser perhaps being the best seller of them all.

Retro Styling

The Chevrolet HHR, which made its debut for the 2006 model year, is one of the last of the retro pack, a design initiative which seems to have passed by. Early on, retro cars were considered to offer the best of traditional vehicle styling combined with modern technology. The thinking here was that if you loved your 1960s super car, then you’ll love it restyled for contemporary driving.

A word of note: yes, the retro segment is still strong when it comes to pony cars. The Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro are visible proof that when it comes to incorporating older styling cues, the coupes have it. Beyond this particularly narrow segment, retro-styling isn’t a hit.

Panel Trucks

Now back to the Chevrolet HHR. Like the Chrysler PT Cruiser, the HHR is styled like a panel truck, vehicles popular in the 1950s. Indeed, Chevrolet says that it was the 1949 Chevrolet Suburban which was used to design the HHR.

Much smaller and lighter than their predecessors, the newest panel trucks feature four cylinder engines and can get at least 30 miles to the gallon the highway. Surprisingly roomy inside, the Chevrolet HHR has become the favorite of commercial accounts who appreciate its storage capacity, but definitely do not need a van or a truck.

Mexican Built

The HHR is powered by either a 2.2-liter or 2.4-liter four cylinder engine paired with a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. Built in Mexico, this front wheel drive vehicle achieves 22 mpg city and 32 mpg highway. But it is its Mexican location which could extend the lifespan of this vehicle by several years.

Indeed, Ramos Arizpe, Mexico is a far different place than Lordstown, Ohio, which previously produced the Chevrolet Cobalt and now produces the Chevrolet Cruze. Ramos Arizpe features two assembly plants and plants dedicated for stamping, engine and transmission. The Cadillac SRX and other compact crossovers are also built at these plants which means that as long as an assembly line is available and demand remains, then the HHR could continue to be built.

Continued Assembly

Looking beyond model year 2011 the lifespan of the Chevrolet HHR is in doubt, unless GM decides to keep the same styling as Chrysler did with the PT Cruiser throughout its 11-year model run. That’s entirely possible particularly if demand holds up. With the PT Cruiser out of the way, the only compact competition for the HHR is the Ford Transit Connect, an entirely different and more expensive model than the Chevrolet HHR.

2011 Chevrolet HHR – Last Call?