Autoblog

• Splinter Update: Students making progress on wooden supercar
  

  Filed under: Etc., Green, Supercars, Cadillac, Chevrolet

  
  
  Click above for new high-res renderings of the Splinter Wooden Supercar
  
  
  The world's greenest supercar project is progressing nicely. The last time we checked in with Joe Harmon and his team of woodsmen craftsmen from North Carolina State University, the all-wooden car's hand-laid bodywork had been mated with the chassis, which was awaiting installation of the twin-supercharged, 32-valve Cadillac-sourced V8 engine and six-speed rear-mounted transaxle from a modern Chevrolet Corvette. Those 600 ponies will be funneled to the rear wheels, which have center hubs made from pressed and laminated wood, naturally. Even the transverse leaf springs...
  



• Autogas Chevrolet Matiz Concept = LPG for the masses
  

  Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, Tuners, Economy, Hybrids/Alternative, Euro, Green, Hatchbacks, Chevrolet

  
  
  Click above for a high-res gallery of the fahgmitgas Matiz LPG Concept
  
  
  Thanks to a company called fahrmitgas ("go with gas", get it?), our European readers will soon be able to cut their fuel costs to the low, low price of €3 (about $4.20 USD) for every 100 km of driving. Of course, they'll need need to be driving a converted Chevrolet (nee, Daewoo) Matiz converted to LPG, but on the other hand... that's just €3 to go 100...
  



• GM reports 10,000 Camaro pre-orders
  

  Filed under: Car Buying, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Plants/Manufacturing, Chevrolet

  
  
  Click above for a high-res image gallery of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
  
  Back in October, General Motors reported that it had already received some 6,000 advance orders for its new fifth-gen Camaro. Despite the fact that the first car has yet to be delivered to a paying customer (that's scheduled to take place in February, with the first one selling at the upcoming Barret-Jackson auction next month), pre-orders are not slowing down, with GM now reporting a total of 10,000.
  
  According to the automaker, 84 percent of the first 6,000 requests were for V8 models, but GM...
  



• Jeremy Clarkson's Car of the Year: the Corvette ZR1
  

  Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Etc., Supercars, Chevrolet, UK

  
  
  Feel free to read that headline as many times as necessary, but yes, it's true: Clarkson-san wrote "Out of nowhere, my car of the year," the Corvette ZR1. The man who pooped on the spearhead of electric cars has given an American high horsepower pushrod V8 the gold and glory. And this is after comparing the ZR1's predecessors to Big Macs: "Cheap, plastic and at the right time, and in the right place, sort of just what you want."
  
  Not only that, but to put the ZR1 on its pedestal, Clarkson went so...
  



• GM suing supplier to keep Camaro production going
  

  Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Government/Legal, Plants/Manufacturing, Chevrolet, GM

  
  
  Every time GM turns a corner it seems to come face to face with another obstacle. The latest setback concerns supplier Cadence, LLC, which provides interior parts for the 2010 Camaro. Cadence declared bankruptcy in August, and is now in liquidation proceedings. To GM's chagrin, joining Cadence in its descent into commercial tar pits are the specialized machines that GM needs to make parts for the Camaro.
  
  If GM can't get the tooling, there are certain to be disruptions at assembly plants and then on down the food chain. The General would then need...
  



• VIDEO: 2010 Chevy Equinox inside and out
  

  Filed under: Videos, Crossovers/CUVs, Chevrolet, GM

  
  
  Click above to watch video after the jump
  
  
  The 2010 Chevy Equinox looks to be a far more sophisticated vehicle than the crossover it replaces. It will be powered by a choice of two direct injection engines, with the four-cylinder model able to crest 30 mpg on the highway and the new 3.0L V6 packing 255 horsepower. Chevy's new crossover also adds upgraded aesthetics with expressive, modern headlamps and tail lights, the new corporate Chevy grille and a more muscular stance. On the inside, the Equinox also looks very Malibu with a sweeping, double...
  



• Finalists announced for Green Car Journal's Green Car Vision Award
  

  Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Etc., Green, Chevrolet, Honda, MINI, Mitsubishi, Misc. Auto Shows, Lifestyle

  The Green Car Vision awards celebrate a car that's got its headlights pointed down the road of the future. Among this year's five finalists are two serial hybrids (Chevrolet Volt and Fisker Karma) two electric cars (MINI E and Mitsubishi i-MiEV), and one hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (Honda FCX Clarity). It seems like a pretty good breakdown of where things stand now, with serial, plug-in hybrids and electric cars duking it out in center court and a hydrogen vehicle thrown...
  



• Czech it: Innotech does Chevrolet Corvette
  

  Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Chevrolet

  
  Click above for a high-res gallery of the Innotech Chevrolet Corvette

  
  The last time we heard the name Innotech was back in 2000 when the independent Czech manufacturer introduced the Mysterro, a quirky supercar with a carbon fiber and kevlar body and a Corvette V8 amidships. While the company planned a production run of 25, only one was ever built and we hadn't heard from them since. Until now.

  Innotech has announced a new styling package for the C6 Corvette with additional upgrade options for the interior, brakes, wheels, suspension and engine. The design has a heavy influence from...
  




• Detroit Preview: 2010 Chevrolet Equinox debuts with direct injection
  

  Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Crossovers/CUVs, Chevrolet

  
  
  Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2010 Chevy Equinox
  
  
  Now that General Motors will be getting a cash infusion to stay in business at least through January, the automaker plans to unveil some new products at next month's Detroit Auto Show. The first one we can show you is the second-generation 2010 Chevy Equinox. You might recognize the greenhouse from spy photos we published earlier this year in which which the CUV was misidentified as the Cadillac BRX. While the Equinox gets a complete re-skin for 2010, the new CUV's dimensions are within an inch of the...
  



• Yenko collection being unloaded at Barrett-Jackson
  

  Filed under: Time Warp, Auction Action, Chevrolet

  
  
  Click above for a high-res gallery of the Don Yenko's Chevrolet collection
  
  
  While not necessarily to the same extent, Don Yenko was to Chevys what Carroll Shelby was to Ford. He may not have beaten Ferrari at Le Mans, but Yenko built some of the most powerful Bowtie muscle cars of the 1960s. With only a few hundred built, they're also some of the most valuable. At the upcoming Barrett-Jackson auction in January, a private collector will be selling off his collection of five Yenkos, which are considered to be some of the best and most original in existence. Up for...