Chevrolet Bel Air Reviews

Host Adam Carolla, Matt Farah and Dan Neil drive the 2010 Camaro SS, 2011 Mustang RTR and 2012 Charger SRT8 at Willow Springs Raceway.Which of the Big Three’s biggest three comes out ahead?

The first prototypes of the Holden VF Commodore coming in 2013 are under way and will soon be entering major test programs at Holden's Lang Lang proving ground. They are the solid proof that the Commodore has a homegrown future until at least 2018, as the upcoming VF will have a four-year life expectancy when it takes over from today's VE in showrooms around the middle of 2013. The prototype build program was confirmed yesterday by Holden's chairman and managing director, Mike Devereux, as he went public to counter claims that the locally-made Commodore had no future beyond 2014. "The 2014 Commodore is designed and engineered here. It is being engineered right now. We started building prototype vehicles in Port Melbourne two days ago," Devereux said. He was reacting to claims by The Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia that its members face major job losses without an ongoing development program for the Commodore. Holden currently employs around 1000 engineers and designers at its headquarters in Fishermans Bend, at the proving ground and its manufacturing base in Adelaide. However, Devereux and senior Holden executives avoided any answers about a Commodore to follow the VF, highlighting instead the need for research on future sales and technology trends in Australia and overseas - as well as the potential for financial assistance from the Federal government - before making decisions on the next major investment by the brand. "No, we haven't made a decision on what we will build in Adelaide post our current range and post model-year 2014, I won't speculate on the timing," Devereux said. "What we are going to make hasn't been decided yet. It's still too early." There is a widespread and well-founded belief that both Holden and Ford will eventually have to switch their local heroes - Commodore and Falcon - to a localised version of a strong selling global model. Ford is expected to eventually confirm an engineering tie-up with the Taurus model sold in the USA while the history of the Commodore actually started with a General Motors Europe car, the Opel Rekord, which was widened, re-engined and hugely improved by local engineers to become the original VB model in 1978. Work on the VF Commodore is being concentrated on weight cuts and efficiency gains, thanks in part to a $30 million grant from the defunct Green Car Innovation Fund, which was chopped by Canberra to fund rebuilding after this year's natural disasters in Queensland. There are no firm ideas yet on styling for the VF Commodore, but Holden design director Tony Stolfo has previously hinted that it could take some cues from the Chevrolet Volt -- which will go on sale here with a Holden badge -- and also the compact Cruze. The car will be built in Adelaide alongside the Cruze, which is already shaping as a major winner for the red lion brand. The Cruze has been selling strongly since it switched from Korean to Australian sourcing - with considerable local engineering and quality improvements - and is forecast to eventually overtake the Commodore as Holden's top selling model.

... using a paddock as its shirt to announce Chevrolet's centenary and refreshed entrance into the European market. The 600sq.m bow-tie logo is in a field near the Frankfurt airport and points to the city's motor show - the world's biggest - which starts next week. Visible from the windows of aircraft on approach to the airport, the logo is the size of a house and is in a ploughed field within the airfield grounds. It has been created to celebrate the centenary of Chevrolet. The American brand was established in 1911 by Swiss racing driver Louis Chevrolet and American engineer Billy Durant, and marks its 100th birthday on November 3, the day the company was incorporated in Detroit, Michigan  the traditional home of the American car industry. The famous Chevrolet gold bow-tie was first used in 1913, and there are various rumours as to how it came into being. The most common is that it was originally taken from a wallpaper design in a French hotel by Billy Durant, though members of the Durant family also claim he first drew the logo on a napkin after finishing a bowl of soup. Other suggestions to its origin are that it represents the cross on the flag of Switzerland, Louis Chevrolet's birthplace, or was taken from an advertisement for coal products seen by Chevrolet in a newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia. Whatever its origin, the bow-tie is one of the best known symbols in industrial and motoring history and has served Chevrolet in many different forms for 98 years. Chevrolet is now the fastest growing car brand in Europe. In 2011 it had global first half-year sales of 2.35 million vehicles - its best ever six months.

But the Kia Picanto, on the shopping list for Australian showrooms, will have to pick up the pace after falling to win four NCAP stars because it is not fitted with the full-range ESP stability control that is essential for it to be sold here next year. The other five-star cars in the August testing in Europe cover the full showroom spread, from the luxury Audi A6 to the baby Chevrolet Aveo and BMW X3 SUV. A pair of Volkswagens, the Jetta and Golf Cabriolet, also make the grade. Several of the Chevrolet-badged cars in the list will come to Australia as Holdens, led by the Volt - which is sold as the Ampera in Europe - and the Aveo which becomes a Barina. The test results show a number of strong scores in individual areas of the NCAP testing, from the side-impact pole test to child safety. The Volt, called the Opel-Vauxhall Ampera, did best in the pole test. "The new range-extending EV reaches the maximum points in the side pole test as a result of a well-optimised balance of structure, interior and restraint system," says the head of Euro NCAP, Michiel van Ratingen. He also praises the work at GM following the scores for the Aveo and Orlando people mover. "Euro NCAP recognises the major efforts made by the manufacturer since 2006, when the previous Aveo made headlines with a poor struck-through two star adult occupant result." On the child-front, the Hyundai i40 and both Volkswagens scored 86 per cent. "Euro NCAP evaluates child safety for each model tested and encourages car manufacturers to provide equally good protection for adults and children. We consider child protection as a very important part of the overall star rating and have plans to step up our requirements even more in the coming years," says van Ratingen. He also praises the emergency-assist systems being fitted to a growing number of cars, including the Citroen DS5 and BMW X3 just tested. EURO NCAP RATINGS - AUGUST 2011 FIVE STARS Audi A6 BMW X3 Chevrolet Aveo (Holden Barina) Chevrolet Orlando Citroen DS5 Hyundai i40 Opel Ampera (GM Volt) Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet Volkswagen Jetta. FOUR STARS Kia Picanto.

Specialist South African tuning company LupiniPower has trumped our Holden an outrageous supercharged version of the 6.0-litre Holden SS ute. Dubbed the Chevrolet SuperUte and selling in its home country for around $A91,000, the ute boasts the seriously impressive figures of 400kW of power at 5600rpm and 800Nm of torque that is on tap at a pretty relaxed 3400rpm.. Its big highly tuned V8 can sprint the ute to 100km/h in 4.4 seconds in six-speed automatic guise and surprisingly, LupinaPower says the ute, that is also known as the Pontiac G8 in the United States, is more fuel efficient and greener than the standard ute. The company claims a combined fuel-consumption figure of 11.9 litres/100km for the SuperUte (compared with 12.2 litres for the standard version) and its 227g/km CO2 emissions figure compares with 237g/km in standard guise. The SuperUte reaches 160km/h in 9.9 seconds and 200km/h comes up in 15.5 seconds - that's more than five seconds quicker than its standard sibling. The new South African-tweaked rocketship can cover the quarter-mile dash in 12.7 seconds and break the timing light at 182km/h. Its standing-kilometre time is 22.8 seconds at 241km/h while top speed is 282km/h. LupiniPower's Michele Lupina said there has already been interest from Australia so we might get to see the stove-hot ute here before too long. To help drivers manage all this power and performance, LupiniPower has fitted bigger race-specification front disc brakes and calipers and tweaked the suspension for better handling, road holding and overall driving dynamics. The company insists these enhancements have not compromised ride and comfort. Speaking of the brakes, there are 320mm ventilated discs at the front and 290mm units at the rear. Both use four-piston alloy calipers. One enhancement, known as the TractionBar, is unique to the SuperUte and the wild machine rides on 20-inch alloy wheels that are 8.5Js at the front and 10Js on the rear. They are shod with 245/35R20 Bridgestone Potenza RE050 ultra-high performance tyres at the front and beefy 285/30R20 rears put the power to the road. If buyers are not content with the SuperUtes's suspension, they can tick the options box for a full Bilstein setup and add a limited-slip differential. The other news is that if a ute is not the kind of vehicle that appeals, LupiniPower will build a Chevrolet SuperLumina sedan. It is based on the Holden Commodore SS.

The 42-year-old painter modified his convertible to look like a 1963 Grand Sport, of which there are only five models in existence each worth about $5 million. Barber added an extra wow factor when he spraypainted its original red body to silver to replicate the car used in Fast & Furious 5. "If I take the car into the city I usually get about 20 to 30 people taking photos," he said. "Everyone just goes wow, what is that? It's the only car I know of that looks like this in Australia." The Northbridge resident says he takes his car for a spin most weekends except when it's raining as the convertible does not have a roof. It also doesn't lock properly so he can't stray too far away. But this doesn't bother Barber who said the car was made in a time when looks mattered. "I think this is the sexiest car you can get, it's the only car made from fibreglass so this gives it a better shape. Nowadays they make cars so people don't get hurt, but in the good old days they just made them look sexy." The Corvette was shipped over from America and Barber won't say how much he paid for it. But he said the cars are worth up to $20,000 in the US and can fetch up to $200,000 in Australia. Because it is more than 20 years old Barber did not have to change it to right-hand drive so the steering is on the left. The similarity of the body of the 1966 model to the 1963 Grand Sport meant Barber could cut the windscreens down, put in a roll cage and change the lights to make it look like its million dollar counterpart. He said he painted it silver because movies such as Fast & Furious increase people's recognition of cars. He recently got F&F5 number plates. "A lot of time movies make cars, such as in The Dukes of Hazzard," he said. But it's mostly guys that are attracted to the car, not girls, he said. VITAL STATISTICS Model: 1966 Chevrolet Corvette convertible modified to look like a 1963 Corvette Grand Sport. Engine: 383 V8 Speed: More than 500 horsepower and can go from 0 to 100km in 5 seconds.

Toyota not only lost top spot for the first six months of this year but the disruption to its production from the earthquake and tsunami saw sales slip by 23 per cent and it trailed the Volkswagen Group into third place globally. GM sales grew by 8.9 per cent to 4.536 million vehicles, ahead of 4.13 million VW products and 3.71 million vehicles wearing a Toyota bade, Lexus, Daihatsu or Hino badge. The strength of the yen is also affecting profits for the Japanese-based carmakers. Nissan this week announced it was aiming to reduce exports to try and limit the impact of the currency. The Wall Street Journal noted Nissan plans to maintain a target of one million cars for the year but is aiming to sell 600,000 of them domestically. That contrasts with local sales of 460,000 for the year ended March 31 (the Japanese financial year). Nissan has the highest export exposure of any of the Japanese carmakers, the WSJ reports, with 60 per cent of its Japanese-built products exported in the first six months of the year. Toyota shipped 56 per cent of its locally built vehicles overseas at the same time, while Honda and Suzuki export 37 per cent and 28 per cent of production respectively. The news is better for the Germans where Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz had record first half results. BMW led the pack with 18 per cent growth to 833,366 vehicles from Audi on 652,970 and Benz on 610,931. Beemers growth has been led by demand for the new 5 Series and X3 models, largely in Asia, a market where long wheelbase vehicles such as Audis A6L and A8L are popular prestige models. The growing global acceptance of Hyundai and Kia products pushed the automotive group into fifth place in the sales charts. The South Korean duo sold 3.19 million vehicles in the first six months of 2011 to post a record growth rate of 15.9 per cent. The popularity of models such as the Sonata, good price and quality competitiveness and sharp improvements in brand image contributed to better sales," a Hyundai Motor Group spokesperson said in a press release.

The compact Cruze that's giving a big kick to GM Holden's results, and is already forecast to eventually outsell the Commodore, is now the favourite car in the USA. It topped the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord in June as a range of new rivals, including Hyundai and Kia, continue to win new friends in the world's second-biggest showroom. A total of 24,896 Cruzes were delivered in June, the third straight month with sales over 20,000 cars. The Cruze is not a threat to the overall top runner in America, the F- Series truck range from Ford that has dominated among buyers for decades, but it is coming fast on the car front. "It seems to be the right car at the right time. The Cruze ECO is a big hit here with the most efficient gasoline engine in its segment," says Chevrolet spokesman Jason Laird, a transplanted Australian who previously led the spin attack for Holden. "Styling is also a big point. Chevrolet only has the three-door sedan here because that's the most popular body style. But consumers say some of its rivals ... look like they were designed by teenagers." Laird says Chevrolet has also transplanted the efficiency message from Australia thanks to Mark Reuss, the former GM Holden chairman who now holds the reigns at Chevy. "The ECO branding in the USA is picked up from the successful Ecoline in Australia. Reuss did both," Laird says. Chevrolet is also doing well with the Australian-developed Camaro coupe, with sales up by 13 per cent over June of 2010. Summer funsters have also driven demand for the convertible model to more than 20 per cent of Camaro sales. The overall Chevrolet sales total in June was 156,848 vehicles in the USA, the foundation for a half-year global result for the blue-bowtie brand of 2.35 million which is the best in the company's 100-year history. Cruze sales contributed more than 330,000 sales worldwide through June - a 132 per cent increase over 2010 - as Chevrolet set record first- half sales in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, South Africa, and Turkey.

It went on to win at the 24 hours of Daytona, 12 hours of Sebring, and 24 hours of Le Mans.

Faith based on fear is never complete faith.So fear not this Chevrolet beast. Have faith that it will go, turn and stop with all the balance and road etiquette needed for a six-metre long, two-metre wide, five-seater ute with huge tub out back.TECHNOLOGYA 6.6 litre, turbocharged V8 diesel — with better than 1000Nm of torque plus 296kW of power — is a good start for the 2011 Silverado. A six-speed Allison transmission to help deliver all this is just right. And, once sitting high at the wheel and on down the road a bit, the steering feels right. Initially it seems a touch light at the straight ahead but it's understood this 2.6 tonne ute — what we'd call a full-size, big-boned pick-up — will not be thrown around quite like a Holden Colorado.There's four-wheel disc brakes with ABS (plus exhaust brake), stability control and switchable four-wheel drive to keep the Silverado safe and sure.PRICE AND FIT-OUTIt needs to be big and tough for this is a $115,000, four-wheel drive, dual cab machine able to carry three tonne and tow close on ten tonne.It is an American utility vehicle, converted to right-hand drive by Queensland-based Performax International; a long-established crowd adept at swapping steering wheels on Corvettes, Camaros, Mustangs, Chev and GMC trucks — with others soon on the menu. Customers for big utes range from intrepid travellers to mining executives to equine lovers.The Silverado here was the 2500HD in LTZ trim, leather and lashings of wood grain panelling, dual control air conditioning, trip computer plus big stereo, Blue Tooth and USB plugs. Of pluses in this huge cabin is the excellent fit and finish of the Queensland-made, right-hand drive dashboard which, of course, retains driver and passenger airbags. On the downside, the dial for the lights could be confused with the nearby dial for four-wheel drive high and low.DRIVINGThe Duramax diesel V8 fires with a low growl. (It can be started with the key fob from up to 50 metres, allowing the engine to warm up and air conditioning to kick in.) Snick the steering column-mounted gear shift into D and move off in a gentle, don't-argue manner.Down the highway there is faith in this big Chev to sit sweet and secure on its optional 20-inch wheels. It has the ride comfort and power (unladen here) to more than match it with highway traffic, has the bulk to see further on up the road and the road manners, plus ever-smooth transmission, to slot into traffic gaps (often helped here by others allowing respectable amounts of space).There's a 135 litre fuel tank which would get a bloke a fair way when consumption is running around a claimed 12 litres per 100km mark for light use; that runs up to early 20s when towing. Some dramas arrive when trying to find a park in the local shopping centre; the cabin may fit but then there's that 1.9m x 1.5m tray to accommodate; rear parking sensors are a boon.Yet for the most part this is an easy, comfortable machine to drive. Off the bitumen some of that ride comfort may disappear. It is fine on a good dirt or gravel road but the suspension becomes a bit lumpy and jumpy when the track deteriorates.Best here to slow the show down and, in some cases, engage four-wheel drive high for a little less skittishness. (There is an optional off-road kit though here the Chev's bulk could become an issue, driver and truck will prefer the wide open spaces.) And really it's the towing and the carrying that is the Silverado's forte; the extra differential is a handy piece of kit for muddy paddocks, sandy tracts and the like. The Chevrolet Silverado is a high, wide and handsome piece of kit best approached as a big tough workhorse, an American light truck with a tidy conversion to right-hand drive.CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500HDPrice: $115,000Engine: turbocharged 6.6 litre V8 dieselPower/torque: 296kW/1037NmTransmission: Six-speed auto + four-wheel driveBody: Four-door uteDimensions: 6090mm (l) 2032mm (w)1905mm (h)Payload: 3010kgTowing: 9843kgWarranty: 4 year/120,000km, 4 year roadside assist