Hasta La Gadget!

Chevrolet has taken a bit of time out of his busy schedule pimping the new Corvette to talk a bit about its cheap car called the Spark. Chevy says that early buyer data for the car shows that 29% of people who buy are under 35. Chevy also says that half of those people are coming from non-GM brands.

Chevrolet is pointing to this data as an indication that the Spark minicar is bringing some of Chevrolet’s youngest buyers to the brand. Chevrolet data also shows that the Spark appeals mostly to female buyers with 51% of all Spark vehicles sold being purchased by women. That is a higher percentage of women buyers than any other vehicle in the Chevrolet fleet.

That’s actually an interesting metric considering that every other woman in my area is driving a Tahoe or Suburban. The most popular color for the tiny Spark is Salsa Red with 23% of buyers opting for that hue. Chevrolet’s data also shows that other bright colors are appealing to Spark shoppers with jalapeno green and denim blue being the second and third most popular colors.

Chevrolet notes that the biggest reason that buyers note for purchasing the Spark have to do with fuel economy and price. While the tiny Spark originally launched and only 18 markets, Chevrolet says the vehicle will be available in all 50 states in 2013. The tiny Spark is a four-passenger, five-door hatchback promising an EPA estimated fuel economy of 38 mpg on highway.

[via GM]

Chevrolet says Spark is attracting young buyers thanks to price and colors is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Chevrolet officially unveiled the 2014 Corvette C7 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan a couple weeks ago, and while we got to see it on the show floor under the pretty lights, it’s just not the same as seeing it out in the public dominating the roads. However, someone ended up spotting one in Arizona and took a few photos for us to enjoy.

We’re not sure why this is, but there’s something about seeing a new product out in the wild that gives you a different perspective on it. It happens with phones and tablets all the time, but here we have a brand-new car that we’re seeing on the road for the very first time, thanks to car blog Jalopnik. Of course, the new car looked great on the show floor in Detroit, but it looked even better under the hot Arizona sun.

Seeing the new 2014 Corvette in open daylight allows you to inspect the car’s curves and overall design in an environment that isn’t biased. We have to say that the 2014 Corvette looks way better on the road than it does on a rotating platform in some convention center — the taillights offer a more aggressive look, and the exhaust pipes scream, “Yeah, I’m a 2014 Corvette. What of it?”

Of course, we’d love to see more of the interior, including that awesome all-digital instrument panel with the different modes, but we can’t complain about seeing the new car out on the road, especially in different colors from what we’ve already seen. The 2014 Corvette is expected to show up at dealerships sometime during the third quarter of this year.

[via Jalopnik]

2014 Corvette shows up in the wild is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s taken a good, long while for the Cadillac Converj concept to break cover as a production machine, but at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the car has finally shrugged off its camouflage. You can think of this as the Chevy Volt’s better-mannered big-brother if you like, as this machine relies on the same Extended Range Electric Vehicle platform as its predecessor. That is, it has the same basic hybrid structure as the Volt that allows it to run as a pure EV for up to 35 miles before switching over to a more traditional parallel hybrid mode, burning gasoline for a maximum range of over 300 miles. But, that’s not to say this is a Volt that’s just made a trip to the tailor for a better-fitting suit — there’s a bit more to it than that. Join us after the break for the details.

Continue reading Cadillac ELR unveiled: A Volt for the luxury set (updated with pictures)

Filed under: Transportation

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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.

So far we’ve gotten a look at some Siri / OnStar canoodling here at CES 2013, and iHeartRadio flaunted its new GM liaison yesterday. But the automaker wants to let all comers in on the MyLink action, so it’s just announced a new developer portal, SDK and forum for would-be in-vehicle app creators. The site will allow apps to be coded and gain approval “in a secure and controlled manner” with a helping hand from GM, so that users can purchase and download apps directly to the vehicle’s infotainment system. New programs could join the aforementioned CES debuts, along with the likes of TuneIn, Slacker and The Weather Channel, where the General sees a need for vehicle-appropriate categories like fuel efficiency and driver safety. Or you could just, you know, keep your eyes on the road. Check the PR after the break for more.

Continue reading GM launches API framework to let developers put wheels on apps

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Transportation, Internet

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