Chevy Orlando Revealed, Only Looks Good With The Lights Off

Like nearly every single other car we’ve posted on this week, the Chevy Orlando concept is yet another pre-Paris auto show leak presumably intended to heighten the buzz of anticipation. Sharing the same platform as the Chevy Cruze, the Chevy Orlando is intended to be a fresh, new take on the people mover [for further reference, see: Ford Flex]. We’re not completely sure what the deal with all the neon lighting is unless Chevy is hoping to market the Orlando to the acid tripping soccer mom, but we will admit the interior designs on the glass roof are pretty cool, even if they aren’t practical.

View gallery after the jump

[via Jalopnik]

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Carmakers Are Looking Into Turbochargers to Help Boost Fuel Economy in Their New Cars

With gas prices on everyone’s mind these days, government regulators are pushing for better fuel efficiency in vehicles over the next few years. The thing is, hybrid, electric, and hydrogen cars aren’t the short term answer, it’ll be a while before they become mainstream. Car companies need something they can use now to modify their traditional engines during the interim.

That something is turning out to be turbochargers.

If you’re curious how superchargers and turbochargers work, check this page out. Over the next few years, engines will continue to get smaller, with V-6s replacing V-8s, and four-cylinders replacing V-6s. I’m not sure what’ll replace four-cylinders, maybe a mouse on a wheel. Either way, automakers are going to try to preserve some of the power that the largest engines had. Turbochargers will help keeping those power levels up.

Several different carmakers have turbocharged engines in the pipeline. Starting next year, Ford plans to sell a turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 engine in its Lincoln MKS luxury car. Chevrolet plans on giving it’s upcoming Cruze compact car a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine, which will be 36 percent smaller than the engine in the Cobalt, the vehicle the Cruze will replace. That should make for a car with about 20% better fuel economy, while maintaining the Cobalt’s power.

Turbo engines 101

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2011 Chevy Cruze Interior Unveiled Hours Before Official Paris Debut

GM is going to officially debut the new Chevy Cruze at the Paris Motor Show tomorrow, but GM has released official photos a little early.

We've already seen photos of the Chevy Cruze compact that will hit our shores in 2010, but this is the first time that we are seeing official photos of the interior of the car. The overall interior design is aligned with GM's new design theme and draws cues from the Malibu. It looks far better than the current Cobalt interior!

The Cruze is going to launch in Europe first next spring, but we will not see it until the spring of 2010 as a 2011 model.

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VIDEO: Garage419 Pits the Corvette ZR1 against the Nissan GT-R

GM released a video of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 on the famed Nurburgring yesterday. The video shows the ZR1 completing a lap around the track in 7:24:6, which officially beats the time of 7:29 that was set by the Nissan GT-R.

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Shell and GM Open Hydrogen Fueling Station in LA

The first public fueling station to provide both hydrogen and gasoline opened in Santa Monica last month. Shell Hydrogen and GM combined forces to give drivers in Chevy’s Project Driveway program an LA-based location to refuel their Equinox fuel cell vehicles, which are currently being test driven by “regular foks” on Southern California’s roads and freeways.

So far, the Santa Monica station is Shell’s third hydrogen station in the country as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen Vehicle and Infrastructure Demonstration and Validation Project (DOE Learning Demo). The two other stations are located in Washington, D.C. and White Plains, NY.

Currently, GM, Shell and the DOE Learning Demo are only set to deploy fuel cell vehicles and install hydrogen stations in Southern California, Washington, D.C. and the New York City metropolitan area.

Southern California drivers of Honda’s FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle, which is currently being driven by actress Jamie Lee Curtis and her director husband Christopher Guest among other celebrities and car enthusiasts, will also be pumping hydrogen at the new Santa Monica station.

The Department of Energy’s Hydrogen Locator claims the United States has only a handful of public hydrogen fueling stations with the majority in California (3).

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GM is Going to Cut its SUV and Truck Production by Almost 140,000 Units

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Shia LaBeouf, Bumblebee on set of Transformers 2 (with video)

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During the General Motors press conference at the North American International Auto Show, it was announced that two fuel efficient Chevrolets will hit North America in 2011—The Chevrolet Spark mini-car and the seven-seater Orlanda multi-purpose compact vehicle.

The Chevrolet Spark was formerly introduced as the Chevrolet Beat Concept at the New York Auto Show in 2007. While most of the Beat’s concept was adapted, the implementation of larger windows is the most notable change. The fog lamps, headlights, and grille have been changed; the front has been altered to appear less sporty; and the Spark also looks as if it has been raised higher off the ground.

“Chevrolet Spark will bring great style, roominess and versatility to the segment of extremely fuel-efficient small cars in the U.S.,” Troy Clarke, president of GM North America, said. “The decision to add the Spark to Chevrolet’s portfolio reflects the brand’s commitment to being a fuel efficiency leader in the country.” The full production form of the Chevrolet Spark will be shown in March 2009 at the Geneva Auto Show. Europe will get the first glimpse of its sales in 2010.

On the other hand, Chevrolet Orlando is a sports-utility, family van and wagon rolled into one, which was recently revealed at the Paris Auto Show. It will join fellow Chevrolet models in U.S. showrooms sometime in 2011.

Chevrolet is confident that both cars will get a 40 mpg. North America Chevrolet Vice President Ed Peper is convinced that these small Chevys will make a big impact in the market particularly to those who are adamant in their demand for fuel efficiency, vehicle functionality and aesthetics.

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