Pontiac GTO

Pontiac GTO | Car Review | The Pontiac GTO is a car built by the Pontiac division of General Motors in the United States from 1964 to 1974 and by GM subsidiary Holden in Australia from 2004 to 2006. It is considered an innovative, classic muscle car of the 1960s and 1970s. From 1964 to mid 1973, it was closely linked to Pontiac Tempest / Le Mans and the 1974 model year it was based on the Pontiac Ventura. The 21st century GTO is essentially a left hand drive Holden Monaro, itself a variant of the Holden Commodore coupe.

Pontiac GTO Ram Air 6, 2004

Pontiac GTO was the brainchild of Pontiac engineer Russell Gee, an engine specialist; Bill Collins, a chassis engineer; and Pontiac chief engineer John DeLorean. In early 1963, General Motors' management issued an edict banning divisions from involvement in auto racing. At the time, Pontiac's advertising and marketing approach was heavily based on performance, and racing was an important component of that strategy. With GM's ban on factory-sponsored racing, Pontiac's young, visionary management turned its attention to emphasizing street performance.

Pontiac GTO 1974

In his autobiography �Glory Days,� Pontiac chief marketing manager Jim Wangers, who worked for the division�s contract advertising and public relations agency, states that John DeLorean, Bill Collins and Russ Gee were indeed responsible for the GTO's creation. It involved transforming the upcoming redesigned Tempest (which was set to revert to a conventional front-engine, front transmission, rear-wheel drive configuration) into a "Super Tempest" with the larger 389 cu in (6.4 L) Pontiac V8 engine from the full-sized Pontiac Catalina and Bonneville in place of the standard 326 cu in (5.3 L) Tempest V8. By promoting the big-engine Tempest as a special high-performance model, they could appeal to the speed-minded youth market (which had also been recognized by Ford Motor Company's Lee Iacocca, who was at that time preparing the Ford Mustang).

Pontiac GTO 1973

The name, which was DeLorean's idea, was inspired by the Ferrari 250 GTO, the successful race car. It is an Italian abbreviation for Gran Turismo Omologato, (exact translation is Grand Tourer Homologated) which means officially certified for racing in the Grand tourer class. The name drew protest from purists, who considered it close to sacrilege.

Pontiac GTO 1969

Pontiac GTO was essentially a violation of GM policy limiting the intermediary a line to a maximum displacement of 330 cubic inches (5.4 L). Since the GTO was an option package and no series could be considered to fall into a gap in politics. Pontiac General Manager Elliot "Pete" Estes has approved the new model, although sales manager Frank Bridge, who did not believe it would find a market, insisted on limiting initial production to no more than 5000 cars. If the model is a failure, Estes probably would have been reprimanded. As it turned out, was a great success. - CAR REVIEW

Pontiac GTO Convertible 1965

Pontiac GTO

About Chevrolet Aveo T250

GM introduced a revised sedan at Auto Shanghai 2005, designed in cooperation with PATAC. Bearing the internal code T250 and sold in South Korea as the "Daewoo Gentra", the revision comprised primarily interior and exterior styling changes, a new interior instrument panel and minor equipment changes, including increased sound deadening. Incorporation of the radio antenna into the rear glass and extensive wind tunnel testing helped reduce the coefficient of drag from 0.348 to 0.326.

A restyled hatchback with the sedan's updated instrument panel was presented as the Chevrolet Aveo during the Frankfurt Motor Show 2007, to be marketed in Europe and North America. The Korean market received its own distinct restyle of the hatchback, the Gentra X.

Later iterations, including the Kalos, Aveo, Barina and Gentra sedans, the Gentra X hatchback and the 2007 "Frankfurt Show" hatchbacks were styled in-house and with the assistance of PATAC, and depart notably from the original Giugiaro exterior and interior styling designs.

With launch of the Gentra X in South Korea, GMDAT had replaced engines of T250. 1.2 L S-TEC II inline-four engine was updated with features such as dual overhead camshaft (DOHC) and timing chain (older version has timing belt) system. 1.6 L E-TEC II engine had replaced with ECOTEC (GEN-III) engine with new features such as variable valve timing mechanism.

Design Development of Chevrolet Aveo T200

Daewoo's now disbanded Worthing Technical Centre in the UK conducted the initial research and platform engineering, with Daewoo's main Technical Center in Bupyong, Incheon, South Korea completing the majority of the later development programme. Daewoo engineers refined the chassis in Britain, on the proving ground at Motor Industry Research Association near Nuneaton, UK. Long-term testing covered nearly 2.2 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) with further testing outside South Korea on test sites in Arjeplog, Sweden; Granada and El Vendrell, Spain; Kapuskasing, Canada and Beijing, China. According to an April, 2003 GMDAT press release, Daewoo built 119 prototypes during the Kalos's design and development, crashing 31 for research and data-gathering purposes, and manufacturing 39 pilot production vehicles to verify standards and quality.

The body's sheet metal panel gaps were kept to 3 mm (0.1 in) and all but the roof panel were galvanized steel. 46% of the Kalos' underlying structural components were produced with high-strength steel, with tailor-welded blanks used in the production of the vehicle to put strength where needed while saving weight. The front suspension used MacPherson struts with offset coil springs and a stabilizer bar, while the rear featured a semi-independent torsion beam axle.

The body featured a drag coefficient of 0.35, with a frontal area of 2.16 m2 (23.3 sq ft) giving aerodynamic resistance of 00.74 m2 (8.0 sq ft). All Kalos iterations featured high H-point seating within a relatively narrow, short and high-roofed body that combined a long wheelbase with short front (81 cm/32 in) and rear (49 cm/19 in, hatchback) overhangs to maximize the outward visibility, interior space and maneuverability relative to the vehicle's footprint. Rear seat H-points are higher in all body types, giving the car theatre seating.

About Chevrolet Aveo

The first generation of Chevrolet Aveo began with launching Model T200, a subcompact automobile which has manufactured and marketed since 2002 by GM Daewoo, the South Korean subsidiary of General Motors. The model was marketed prominently under the nameplate Aveo. The model received the T200 internal codes, used first by Daewoo, and then, by GM Daewoo during the car's development. The T250 code was designated for the facelifted models.

Chevrolet Aveo T250 (sedan)

Designed, engineered and originally marketed by GM Daewoo, the Aveo succeeded the Daewoo Lanos and was marketed worldwide in 120 countries under five brands: Chevrolet, Daewoo, Holden, Pontiac, and Suzuki, being originally called Daewoo Kalos in its home country market South Korea, before being rebranded Daewoo Gentra. In other markets, the first generation model was marketed as the Holden Barina in Australia and Asia, Pontiac G3 in the United States and later Canada, previously in Canada as the Pontiac Wave and currently in Canada as the Suzuki Swift⁺. The successor of T200, the Chevrolet Aveo T300 will be released in 2011.

GM India to Launch Chevrolet Beat Electric Next Month

Following a bonanza for the electric and hybrid cars manufactured in India, General Motors (GM) is all set to showcase an electric version of its small car Chevrolet Beat next month. In the coming future, the car may become the second electric car after Reva to be launched in the country, provided the government follows up with more incentives for alternate fuel vehicles, GM said.

�We are glad that the government has woken up to the need to encourage alternate fuel and electric vehicles,� said Karl Slym, president and managing director, GM India. �We will showcase an electric version of our mini car next month. Though we have not decided whether to launch it here or not, if the government follows up the budget with more incentives, it will only help us decide.�

The government announced full exemption from customs duty, special additional duty and countervailing duty on some specified parts of hybrid vehicles such as battery pack and chargers as also for spare battery packs for electric vehicles.

Further, excise duty has been halved for hybrid kits and their parts.

In the past, GM had tied up with Reva electric car company to develop an electric version of its other small car Spark.

The project met with an untimely death after Reva was acquired by utility vehicle major Mahindra & Mahindra and the two companies went their separate ways.

GM sold 88,568 units in April-January 2010-11, up 37% over the previous year. It has 235 dealers in the country.

Currently, India has only one hybrid vehicle the Toyota Prius.

Via: hindustantimes.com

General Motors India Result: June Sales Up by 112%

General Motors India has registered an impressive growth of 112% in sales in June 2010, compared to the corresponding period last year. It sold 9539 units in June 2010 against 4492 units in June 2009.

The June 2010 sales comprised 2,911 units of the Chevrolet Spark, 3,415 units of Chevrolet Beat, 1,423 units of the Chevrolet Tavera, 773 units of the Chevrolet Cruze, 398 Units of Chevrolet Aveo, 387 units of Chevrolet Aveo U-VA, 139 units of the Chevrolet Captiva and 93 units of Chevrolet Optra.

The increase in the sales was primarily driven by the tremendous response to the recently launched and much sought after Chevrolet Beat and Chevrolet Cruze and the extremely popular Chevrolet Spark. Chevrolet Beat and Chevrolet Cruze have become the industry benchmarks in their respective segments and a winner among consumers in India, with their best-in-class design, performance and other product attributes. Chevrolet Spark continues to register impressive sales, clearly validating it as the one of the most sought after car in its segment in terms of styling, performance and fuel efficiency offering a value for money proposition.

Commenting on the performance, Mr. P. Balendran, Vice President, GM India said, "We are excited by the continued overwhelming response to Chevrolet Beat, Spark and Cruze. Introduction of best-in-segment cars from the 300 series, increase in customer outreach through distribution network, our unique value proposition like Chevrolet Cashless Ownership offer and our promise to deliver quality and performance are the factors that have led to the impressive sales."

Chevrolet recently completed seven years of its successful journey after its foray into the Indian market. Launched in 2003, Chevrolet has become one of the most popular and the fastest growing automotive brands in the country, having sold over 3,00,000 cars in India. With a wide array of products and services, Chevrolet has brought unmatched product quality and unparalleled performance to the Indian consumers. To celebrate this important milestone and strengthen its ever increasing customer base, General Motors India has undertaken several initiatives like Chevrolet Free Mega Service Camps, the Mega Gold Rush Scheme for customers, several fun-filled activities around the Beat, gala evenings, special movie shows and a slew of dealer driven activities across the country to engage with its valued customers.

It may be recalled that the company has ramped up production by adding the second shifts at Halol and Talegaon plants recently to meet the increased demand of its products. The company is also rapidly expanding its sales and service network to support the increasing market demand of its cars. It intends to take the network to 300 sales points and an equal number of authorized service outlets by the end of this year from the current 206 sales points and 200 authorized service outlets across the country.

Source: General Motors India

Corvette Launches Z06 Race Car: Carbon Limited Edition in 2011

When the 2006 Corvette Z06 was introduced, it represented the closest connection to the Corvette race cars ever. The 2009 Corvette ZR1 closed the gap between racing and production even further. This year, Corvette continues its tradition of track-to-street technology transfer with the 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition.

"Designed to further incorporate technology developed through racing, the Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition is a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Corvette's first race in the 24 Hours of LeMans," said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet General Manager. "With a limited production of 500 units, this car is a must-have for the true Corvette collector and driving enthusiast."

The Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition is another example of the expanded Corvette line-up. Five years ago, customers had the choice of a Corvette coupe or convertible. With the addition of the Z06, Grand Sport coupe and convertible and ZR1, Corvette enthusiasts now have more choices than ever.

"For track use, the Z06 Carbon is the best balanced Corvette yet. It combines the lightweight and naturally-aspirated Z06 engine with the road-holding and braking of the ZR1," said Tadge Juechter, Corvette Chief Engineer. "For technical tracks like Laguna Seca, the Z06 Carbon could shave up to three seconds off the Z06 lap time."

This limited edition Z06 will boast Brembo carbon ceramic brakes with specific dark gray metallic calipers. These powerful brakes were first introduced on the ZR1. Black 20-spoke 19-inch front/20-inch rear wheels complement the car's Michelin PS2 tires. Other mechanical features include Magnetic Selective Ride Control for the first time on the Z06 and enhanced cooling. The car also features a special carbon pattern engine cover.

The Corvette Z06 Carbon will be available in two colors: Inferno Orange and the all-new Supersonic Blue. Black headlamps and mirrors, a ZR1-style body color spoiler, body color door handles, carbon fiber raised hood, and black carbon fiber rockers and splitter enhance the Z06's dynamic design and reduce mass and aerodynamic lift. For track events, customers can also install the Euro-styled racing numbers that come with each car.

The Z06 Carbon's ebony leather and suede interior is complemented by blue or orange seat stitching to match the exterior color chosen. Other features include a unique steering wheel emblem, sill plate and logoed headrest. The suede used on the steering wheel, shifter, seat inserts, armrests and doors add to the luxury of this limited edition Z06.

An optional Z07 performance package that includes the mechanical upgrades introduced on the Z06 Carbon can be added to a regular 2011 Z06. This package also includes Competition Gray 20-spoke wheels and all the chassis and cooling upgrades.

The CFZ Z06 carbon fiber package includes black carbon fiber rockers, splitter and roof panel with the full-width body color spoiler. It can also be purchased with or without the Z07 package on regular Z06 models.

The 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition, as well as the new Z07 and CFZ Z06 option packages will be available in late summer.

Courtesy: General Motors

New GM's coming again?

"GM died today"

GM makes it official...

...and files for bankruptcy.


From the AP story lede:
"WASHINGTON � General Motors, the humbled auto giant that has been part of American life for more than 100 years, will file for bankruptcy protection on Monday in a deal that will give taxpayers a 60 percent ownership stake and expand the government's reach into big business."