By Jim Brennan

UDMan

I realize that 2009 was a very tough year for GM, but at the press event, I never realized how depressing the year really was until today. Instead of debuting some knock your socks off concept, or another special edition Camaro (how about a Camaro with the ZR-1 Corvette Engine installed?) we were treated to the introduction of the Chevy Spark (a concept that is over two years old, and which GM top brass would never would be sold in the US), another version of the Chevrolet Cruz, as well as a different Chevrolet Volt.

Continue reading "NAIAS: The Chevrolet Reveals; The Spark, Volt, Aveo and Cruz again." »

No test car that’s been delivered to CarDomain headquarters has caused as much excitement as the 2009 Chevy Aveo. Sorry, just kidding. Unless you’re a teenager that’s just been surprised with the keys or a poor slob that’s been riding the bus for the last decade, you’re probably not going to be excited by a Daewoo Kalo dressed up with a Chevy bow-tie. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad car. I spent a couple of days behind the wheel, and I found it perfectly serviceable, roomy, and even a little fun.

Continue reading "Review: 2009 Chevy Aveo" »

On London’s New Oxford Street, Chevy put up the world’s first billboard made of pennies as part of its campaign for the Aveo. But in the space of half an hour, passers-by had picked it completely clean of pence. The incident gave ad execs ample opportunity for mugging about the Aveo’s ability to put money back in the consumer’s pocket, blah-blah-blah. But you kind of have to wonder if anyone who’d go through this kind of trouble for the most despised coin of all is really in the market for a new car. More pics below the jump.

Source: Carscoop.

Continue reading "Chevy Billboard Swarmed By London Penny-Pinchers" »

Ok, obviously I pushed you people too far. But I have to say, this was one of the more interesting and amusing Showroom Showdowns from the perspective of the guy who has to go through and read/count all the comments (me). Over half of you voted neither, and many of you were quite passionate about it. To quote maffew, "NONE OF TEH ABOVE…. would rather rock a moped with a milk crate bungee corded to the front, pulling a bicycle trailor full of the kids I dont have…."

Chevy barely edged out the Kia in the vote, but I can’t declare it a winner. Some people scolded me for not selecting the Aveo sedan, but the sedan is priced over $12k. And some of you wished I’d picked different econoboxs all together, like the Yaris, but that wasn’t the point–I wanted the cheapest, crapiest cars I could find. And a few brave Aveo and Rio owners wandered into the fray to try to defend their modest vehicles—kudos to you guys. There also seemed to be a strong sentiment that econoboxs have gotten worse over the last 10 – 20 years. Several people mentioned how their old Festivas, CRXs and Geos get significantly better mileage, while also being a lot more interesting to the average enthusiast. Heads up auto manufacturers, there is definitely an opportunity here.

This week’s shitbox Showroom Showdown is all about being practical and economical. These were the two cheapest four door vehicles I could find on Edmunds–both cars list for less than $11k. I was expecting better gas mileage, but I guess mid to low 30s on the highway isn’t too horrible. And because this edition is all (or mostly) about price, let’s say that if you go with the Chevy, you get to sink the $650 you save into your project car. So, which would you choose, the Korean Chevy or Duran Duran edition Kia?

A few years back, Citroen ran a campaign where its C4 transformed into a dancing robot. The commercial is actually pretty dope, but I have to say I like the way Chevy mocks it in the spot below. While it’d be cool to have a car that could turn into a robot, if I was just trying to get home from work, all the break dancing would probably get annoying. via CarScoop

Generally, bad reviews of anything—records, restaurants, cars—are just more entertaining. Even when people are just saying, and not even hating, commentary which tears a product, or person, to shreads makes for pretty compelling copy. Why do you think buying a 12-pack of High Life without seeing a picture of Britany Spears is unlikely? But leave it to Consumer Reports to do the impossible, as the magazine’s list of 2008′s 11 worst cars is as boring as you’d expect from the consumer advocates. Reading this list is only slightly more gripping than reading my mother’s recipie for corn chowder. And I really didn’t like how the reviews dismissed off-road performance, then proceeded to trash a bunch of off-road vehicles. Bravo y’all!  Of course, domestics make up the lion’s share of the field, but there are also a couple of foriegn marques in the mix. What do you think about this list? 

We’ve reported that Consumer Reports hates domestics, and that Truth About Cars readers hate domestics. Well, Consumer Reports readers hate domestics, too. They really hate the Aveo (which, I guess, isn’t really a domestic)–so much that it made the list of the 12 Least Satisfying Cars Of 2007 twice. Actually, the whole list is pretty repetitive. You can see it at The Consumerist.