Hasta La Gadget!

We knew Cadillac’s ELR electric coupé looked good parked-up, but GM’s winter testing shows the luxury eco-vehicle is just as at home on the snow as it is on the drive. Announced last month at the Detroit Auto Show, the ELR has been laying down tracks across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where it can take advantage of tough driving conditions to see how safe, reliable, and satisfying it is behind the wheel.

The test cars are all pre-production – the final car won’t be appearing in Cadillac showrooms until sometime in 2014, GM has said – but they give the company a valuable opportunity to see how the electronics hold up. The tires, steering, anti-lock brakes, and the traction and electronic-stability control systems are all under the microscope.

Meanwhile it’s also an opportunity to see how the ELR’s Continuous Damping Control system handles the more than four inches of fresh snow. That system dynamically adjusts the car’s damping every 2ms to suit the road conditions.

“During this latest test, the ELR continued to perform beyond our expectations” ELR chief engineer Chris Thomason said of the car’s trip, though GM is keeping quiet on full performance reports from the adverse weather testing.

However, with electric car abilities and practicality topical today, given Elon Musk’s critical response to recent Tesla Model S reviews, GM and others will probably come in for increased attention as their real-world usefulness is discussed. The ELR, for instance, isn’t a pure-EV but an “Extended Range Electric Vehicle” (EREV), using a gas engine to top up the onboard batteries, something GM claims makes for a more reliable experience without the usual “range anxiety.”

Cadillac takes ELR electric coupe to play in the snow is written by Vincent Nguyen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Before the 2014 Corvette C7 was officially announced earlier this week, we got a very short glimpse of the all-digital instrument panel back in November, thanks to a teaser trailer about the new car. From just the split-second look that we had, we could tell that the gauge cluster was going to be fantastic, and it looks like that’s actually very true.

Autoblog ended up getting a much closer look at the new instrument panel in the 2014 Corvette at NAIAS 2013, and it’s about as stunning as you’d expect. You’re essentially looking at an 8-inch “high-resolution” display that’s fully reconfigurable, and it has three modes that you can scroll through.

Sport Mode features one large, central tachometer, and you can configure it to show different types of information, like G-forces, tire pressure, oil pressure, etc. Race Mode gives you a bar graph tachometer that’s meant for it to be easily read out of the corner of your eye to make sure that drivers keep their eyes on the racetrack. Touring Mode allows drivers to push the tachometer off to the side a bit and make room for infotainment information or navigation information.

Off to the sides of the 8-inch display are regular instrument clusters. Off to the left is the speedometer, which maxes out at 200mph, and then off the right side, is what appears to be the fuel gauge and the oil pressure gauge, both of which are slightly blocked by the steering wheel, so we’re not 100% sure, but this photo from Car and Driver gives an unobstructed view of the instrument panel.

[via Autoblog]

Chevrolet shows off 2014 Corvette all-digital instrument panel is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s finally official, folks. After months of rumors, speculation, leaks, and quick looks, Chevrolet finally unveiled the 2014 Corvette C7. As expected, this new generation features a completely redesigned exterior and interior, but the company still sticks with the overall slick design of the long nose and short tail that the Corvette has always been about.

Aesthetically speaking, Chevrolet made the biggest change to the Corvette since the last major leap the company took with the C5 back in 1997. Of course, it still looks like a classic Corvette, but Chevrolet made some big changes to this new model. The headlights and grille are completely new, and the taillights ditch the circular approach and go for more of a Camaro-like look.

There’s also a lot of vents, and not in the interior. There’s vents on the tail, vents on the side, and vents on the hood. There’s definitely no shortage of vents, and it gives the A/C unit on the inside a run for its money. The interior will be familiar to anyone who’s seen the inside of a Corvette, but it has the new digital instrument panel that we saw in the past.

Also, as we already knew, the 2014 Corvette features a new 450 horsepower 6.2-liter Gen V LT1 V8 motor, which features direct fuel injection, as well as cylinder deactivation to improve gas mileage to something a little more acceptable — we’re talking around 26 mpg or so on the highway, and it’ll go from 0-60mph in under four seconds. There’s also a seven-speed transmission connected to the motor, with the option of a six-speed automatic for those who want the car to do the work.

Corvette did not disclose pricing for the new 2014 C7, but we’re expecting a price tag of at least $50,000 here. Dealerships should be expecting the new car to arrive sometime in the third quarter of this year.

Chevrolet officially unveils 2014 Corvette C7 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you know anything about SUVs and trucks from General Motors, you’ll know that the company has largely been replicating their designs so that certain SUVs and trucks match each other. However, starting with their 2014 models, GM will be giving each of its vehicles a unique look to separate them from the pack.

The company has announced that they’re dropping the cookie-cutter approach to the interiors and exteriors of its full-size SUVs and pickup trucks, beginning with the redesigned 2014 models. We already took a look at the 2014 Silverado and Sierra from Chevrolet and GMC, respectively, but it looks like 2014 SUVs, like the Tahoe, Suburban, and Yukon, will look a bit different this time around.

Chris Hilts, creative manager of interior design at General Motors, says that in the past, the company has “shared SUV and truck interiors. That is not the case going forward.” When the Chevrolet Tahoe and the Suburban, the GMC Yukons, and the Cadillac Escalades get their redesigns for 2014, they’ll be getting their own instrument panels, consoles, instrumentation, knobs, materials, and other design elements.

Previously, the Escalades and Yukons shared similar door panels, but since these two vehicles have different prices ranges that cater towards different types of people, GM thought it was necessary to finally give each of their SUVs a unique look that differentiated from one another. Essentially, GM says that a 2014 Silverado and a 2014 Tahoe will look completely different, and won’t have similar qualities that the two vehicles have shared for so long.

[via Car and Driver]

GM to differentiate SUV and truck designs with 2014 models is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Chevrolet will be officially announcing the 7th-generation Corvette on January 13, 2013 during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, MI. The company confirmed today that the all-new 2014 Corvette will be unveiled in Motor City itself, and has teased the new Corvette “Crossed Flags” logo to celebrate the announcement (pictured below).

The new, 7th-gen Corvette (also known as the C7) is expected to have a completely new look, both on the outside and on the inside, and will have a lighter chassis with a more efficient engine and transmission. The transmission is expected to have seven gears to improve acceleration and possibly improve gas mileage.

GM will begin production of the 2014 Corvette in volume starting in July, and will stop production of the 2013 model sometime in early February. The first of the new Corvettes is expected to roll off the assembly line in Bowling Green, KY on June 30, which will be 60 years to the day that the first 1953 Corvette model was assembled. The new Corvette’s unveiling come mid-January will also mark the anniversary of the Corvette’s original debut in January 1953, which was introduced as just a concept back then.

Since 1953, GM has built and sold more than 1.5 million Corvettes. And although sales have slowed down significantly the past few years, the company is looking to regain interest in the Corvette with the car’s new redesign. The Corvette hasn’t seen a complete makeover since the 6th-generation Corvette was unveiled in 2004.

[via Reuters]

Chevrolet to announce 2014 Corvette on January 13 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.