Faster TapShift Response Gives Edge to ZL1 Automatic

Staged up-shifts improve Camaro’s manual-mode performance by up to 60 percent

2012-02-22

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DETROIT – When the new 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 arrives this spring, performance car enthusiasts will experience the hands-on driving satisfaction of a “stick” with the ease of an automatic transmission due  to General Motors’ newly improved TapShift technology.

Since its introduction several years ago, TapShift has allowed drivers to control up- and down-shifts with paddle shifters. For 2012, GM powertrain engineers implemented a patent-pending software algorithm that improves tap response time by up to 60 percent compared to the previous system. No hardware changes were required for the upgrade.

“The faster you can get to the next gear, the better, and from the sound of it, the ZL1 automatic’s performance is going to make paddle shifting more exhilarating and satisfying for drivers of all skill sets,” said Eric Fedewa , director of Global Powertrain Forecasting at IHS Automotive. “We’re seeing a trend toward more manual-mode-capable, fun-to-drive automatic transmissions across all vehicle segments, and GM’s technology is leading the pack.”

The 2012 ZL1’s six-speed automatic transmission delivers a 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds – a tenth of a second faster than the manual transmission time.

By staging hydraulic pressure in the clutch for the next gear, the new control module algorithm reduces tap delay for the 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, and 4-5 up-shifts by 200-300 milliseconds. The system anticipates shift requests based on current gear, throttle, torque and speed. By pre-filling the clutch for the next gear, the tap up-shift response is near instantaneous.

“As great as the previous system’s performance was, we were driven to achieve even better results,” said Gabe Gibson, GM performance car calibration engineer. “Not only did we make the upgrade to Camaro, we implemented it on the 2012 Corvette as well, and will use it on all vehicles with TapShift control going forward.”

Staged up-shifts will help drivers of the 2012 ZL1 – the most powerful production Camaro ever – get the most out of its supercharged 6.2L engine that is SAE-rated at 580 horsepower (432 kW) and 556 lb.-ft. of torque (754 Nm).

ZL1 customers’ choice of an automatic 6L90 transmission with TapShift manual mode or a six-speed manual transmission is unmatched in its class. With 0 to 60 taking 3.9 seconds, and a top speed of 184 mph, the power and acceleration of the ZL1 automatic rivals many supercars.

“We think Camaro drivers will really appreciate the performance improvement offered by staged up-shifts, whether they’re merging onto the freeway or putting their ZL1 through its paces at the track,” Gibson said.  

The Camaro ZL1 Coupe will go on sale this spring as a 2012 model. The Camaro ZL1 Convertible will go on sale this summer as a 2013 model. Chevrolet expects the automatic transmission to command up to 50 percent of ZL1 sales.                                         

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4 million cars and trucks a year.  Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Article source: http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/chevrolet/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Feb/0222_tapshift

Chevrolet Super Bowl Ads Top Social Media Scorecard

DETROIT – Chevrolet commercials had the greatest digital impact based on social media, search and sentiment before and after Super Bowl XLVI, according to the ymarketing 2012 Super Bowl Social Media Scorecard Report.

“We emphasized social media in everything we did around the Super Bowl and are glad to have more proof that it has paid off,” said General Motors Global Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick. 

Chevrolet also topped ymarketing’s overall ranking as well as in Twitter follower growth.

“Looking at the post Super Bowl metrics, the Social Mediasphere really responded to the Chevrolet commercials and its online marketing programs,” said Donald Nosek, vice president strategy for ymarketing. “Chevrolet won by amassing the most points through measured growth in social media interaction and sentiment.

“But there’s more; in the week following the game Chevrolet widened its margin of victory even further with the 13-million plus YouTube view viral explosion of the unaired, Sonic OK Go Needing/Getting full version music video,” Nosek said. “Clearly, Chevrolet won the 2012 Super Bowl Ad game.”

To view all of Chevrolet’s Super Bowl ads visit: http://www.youtube.com/Chevrolet.

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Article source: http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/chevrolet/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Feb/0215_superbowl

Chevrolet and Partners Push High School Class Attendance

DETROIT – Chevrolet along with the Get Schooled Foundation, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, and Viacom today announced a partnership to launch a friendly competition among 17 Detroit high schools to increase class attendance rates.

Through April 27, more than 10,000 students attending United Way’s 17 “Networks of Excellence” schools in Metro Detroit will compete for a chance to host a Get Schooled event featuring a celebrity guest who will serve as “Principal for a Day.”  Chevrolet and Viacom are sponsoring the competition.

“We need to help students succeed. As I have said before, it’s about doing the right thing by giving kids a great education. Absenteeism is a threat to that education.” said General Motors North America President Mark Reuss, who is also a GM Foundation board member. “Get Schooled builds excitement by encouraging attendance and is a great example of community partnership.”

In 2010, the General Motors Foundation donated $27.1 million to the United Way for Southeastern Michigan to create a “Network of Excellence” of  seven existing area high schools with the goals of dramatically increasing graduation rates and ultimately rebuilding the area’s skilled workforce. The money, which is the largest donation in the 34-year history of the GM Foundation, is aimed at reducing the nearly 50 percent dropout rate in parts of Metro Detroit where the most manufacturing jobs have been lost in recent years.

The breakdown of the donation includes $5 million a year for the next five years plus $425,000 a year for five Early Childhood Learning Communities.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

About the GM Foundation

Since its inception in 1976, GM Foundation has donated hundreds of millions to deserving American charities and to disaster relief efforts worldwide. The GM Foundation focuses on Education, Health and Human Services, Environment and Energy and Community Development initiatives, mainly in the communities where GM operates. For more information, visit www.gm.com/corporate/responsibility/community

Article source: http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/chevrolet/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Feb/0213_unitedway

Grueling Road Stress Fuels Chevy Sonic Success

Extreme testing helps make only U.S.-built small car reliable and durable

DETROIT – There are miles and then there are “Seth miles.” Both measure 5,280 feet, but a “Seth mile” is different. More extreme. More grueling. More punishing. All that rigor is part of the durability story of the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic.   

“Seth miles” are named for Chevrolet Sonic Quality Manager Seth Valentine. Each mile Valentine puts on a test vehicle is called a “Seth mile” by Sonic engineers because of his reputation for extreme testing on long road trips. Valentine’s duty: Make the   Sonic the most reliable and durable small car in North America

The efforts are paying off as Sonic more than doubled the sales of its predecessor, the Aveo, in January. Sonic is the only subcompact built in the United States.

Over one six-week period, Valentine drove more than 14,000 miles in the first Sonic to leave the General Motors Orion (Mich.) Assembly Plant. Valentine drove Sonic Vehicle Identification No. 1 from north to south and east to west, across subtropical Florida, the arid deserts of Arizona, the mountains of Colorado, and the South Carolina low country.

In addition to amassing miles with other Sonic team members, Valentine would play typical consumer and pack the Sonic to the hilt for a family vacation.  

During work trips, Valentine and his colleagues identified quality issues that needed fixed before Sonics were shipped to Chevrolet dealers. One lengthy journey from the assembly plant outside Detroit to Phoenix revealed an intense wind noise while traveling through a 40 mph crosswind in Texas. The wind noise was not a factor during testing at the GM Proving Ground in Milford, Mich. Valentine called the assembly plant from the road and had the problem fixed before VIN No. 2 left the factory. He took the same approach with other issues found on the road.

 “I do test drives because I want to experience everything a customer could: low altitude, high altitude, high temperatures and low temperatures,” said Valentine.  “In the course of one week I can go from below sea level at 120 degrees F to below freezing temperatures at 12,000 feet above sea level.  We can experience everything the customer might experience.”

The Sonic comes with a 100,000-mile powertrain warranty, 40,000 miles more than most competing small car powertrain warranties. It is the only small car manufactured in the United States. 

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4 million cars and trucks a year.  Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Article source: http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/chevrolet/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Feb/0209_sonic

Chevrolet Cruze Station Wagon to Debut in Geneva

ZURICH – The Chevrolet Cruze station wagon, the third variant of Chevrolet’s most-popular car, will make its global premiere at the 82nd International Geneva Motor Show early next month.

The station wagon  complements the Cruze sedan and hatchback, which together have combined sales of more than 1 million vehicles globally since launch in 2009.

“The Cruze station wagon caters to an important market segment. It ticks all the boxes for European drivers in terms of distinctive design, dynamic driving, space and economy,” said Chevrolet Europe President and Managing Director Susan Docherty.

The new station wagon, which is not planned for sale in North America, features generous storage space and a choice of powerful and efficient engines as well as the state-of-the-art Chevrolet MyLink onboard infotainment system.

The new and improved engines will be available on the entire Cruze line-up starting summer 2012. In addition to the current 1.6L and 1.8L gasoline engines, a new 1.4L turbo gasoline, a new 1.7L diesel and an improved 2.0L diesel engine complete the powertrain offer.

The 1.4L gasoline, 1.7L diesel and 2.0L diesel engines come with start-stop technology as standard. All engines are Euro 5-compliant.

The station wagon, at 4,675 mm  (184.1 inches), is slightly longer than the hatchback (4,510 mm/ 177.6 inches) and sedan (4,597 mm /181 inches) models. Load space ranges from 500 liters (17.6 cubic feet) up to the window line in the rear to nearly 1,500 liters (52.9 cubic feet) up to the roof top with the rear seats folded down.

Refined design and new technologies

The station wagon is immediately recognizable as a new variant of the best-selling Chevrolet Cruze. The exterior design features a tapering single arch roofline and comes with roof racks as standard, providing convenience while maintaining a poised and sporty look.

A number of exterior and interior styling changes are being introduced in 2012 for all Cruze models. These include a remodeled front fascia, modified head-lamp interiors and fog lamps, and new wheel styles on the exterior and refinements to the center console and a greater choice of seat finishes for the interior.

New Cruzes are equipped with keyless entry, allowing access the vehicle with the key safely tucked away in a bag or pocket. Additionally, the system allows the engine to be turned on or off by pressing a button without the need to insert the key into the ignition.

A brand-new Chevrolet infotainment system, called MyLink, is being introduced in higher trim levels in the Cruze line-up and in the Chevrolet Aveo as of summer 2012. It brings owners’ smartphone capabilities into the vehicle.

MyLink aggregates content from the smartphone onto the seven-inch diagonal high-resolution full-color touch-screen display. Once the smartphone is connected, personal playlists, photo galleries, phone books, videos and other stored media and data, such as a special navigation app, can be accessed though the infotainment system touch-screen.

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4 million cars and trucks a year.  Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevroleteurope.com or media.chevroleteurope.com.

Article source: http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/chevrolet/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Feb/0209_cruze_wgn