William Maley

Next Nissan Altima To Get New CVT & Supercharged Hybrid William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com October 13, 2011 Nissan is hard at work on the next generation Altima due out sometime next year as a 2013 model and is expected to see an increase in fuel economy thanks to two items. First is a new CVT that will improve the fuel economy by as much as 10%. Nissan reduced the transmission’s internal friction by 40 percent and raised the CVT’s gear coverage ratio from 6.0 to 7.0. Given the current CVT in the Altima helps gives it a EPA rating of 32 MPG highway, the new one should see that number climb. Also, Nissan is working on their own in-house hybrid system that will use two-clutch and one-motor system, with a set of lithium-ion batteries supplying the electric power. A 2.5L four-cylinder engine with a supercharger will be also be part of the powerplant. No word when the new Altima will make it's first appearance. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

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A Pile Of GM News Today Today, GM had a big press conference announcing new vehicles, powertrains, infotainment, and even a return of a racing event. We have all the news from today. Cadillac Gives A CUE Guess Who Coming To Chevrolet's Lineup? The Spark GM Announces The Chevrolet Spark EV For 2013 Chevrolet Announces Colorado-Based Trailblazer SUV Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix To Make A Return Next Year Ecotec To Go Turbo With New 3 & 4-Cylinder Engines

Ecotec To Go Turbo With New 3 & 4-Cylinder Engines William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com October 12, 2011 General Motors is following the trend of turbocharging small-displacement engines to help boost fuel economy. At a press event today, the company announced plans to develop a new range of turbocharged three and four cylinder engines. The engines will range in displacement from 1.0 liters to 1.5 liters. The engines will be will be lightweight and utilize direct fuel injection, turbocharging and be “alternative fuel capable”. GM hasn't said what engines will be replaced by the new EcoTec motors. “Our customers around the world agree we need to reduce our dependence on petroleum and reduce vehicle carbon emissions. We are working aggressively on vehicle electrification and other technologies, but the most immediate progress will come from continually improving the internal combustion engine,” said Jim Federico, vehicle line executive for GM global small cars and electric vehicles. Production of the new engines will begin sometime in the middle of decade, and could reach two million units annually by 2020. Press Release is Below Future Chevrolets to Benefit from Small Gas Engine Family Plan reduces manufacturing complexity by consolidating three engine families into one 2011-10-12 - DETROIT – General Motors will develop an all-new global family of small-displacement Ecotec gasoline engines over the next several years that will give customers in markets around the world improved fuel economy, higher quality, better performance and reduced carbon dioxide emissions. The program could encompass more than 2 million engines a year by the end of the decade. The new global engine family will comprise a range of three- and four-cylinder engines – in displacements from 1.0L to 1.5L – engineered and manufactured in multiple regions for global use. They will feature lightweight design and advanced technologies such as direct injection, turbocharging and alternative fuel compatibility to provide customers with both efficiency and on-demand performance. The new engine family also will be designed to reduce noise, vibration and harshness, a common trait of smaller engines. “Our customers around the world agree we need to reduce our dependence on petroleum and reduce vehicle carbon emissions,” said Jim Federico, vehicle line executive for GM global small cars and electric vehicles. “We are working aggressively on vehicle electrification and other technologies, but the most immediate progress will come from continually improving the internal combustion engine.” The global engine family consolidation is part of GM’s larger product development strategy to reduce engineering and manufacturing complexity and cost while improving competitiveness, efficiency and quality. For example, to reduce engineering and manufacturing complexity, the engines will be designed and built using a modular approach with interchangeable global components. This also provides more flexibility for global vehicle programs. Production is expected to begin mid-decade. The engines will be introduced in GM global vehicle programs across multiple vehicle architectures in various regions, through the end of the decade. Manufacturing locations and production timing will be announced later. The new engine family is the result of an engineering partnership between GM and the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC), Shanghai General Motors (SGM) and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC).

Grand Prix Racing Returns to Detroit Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix to be held in June 2012 2011-10-12 - DETROIT – Chevrolet today announced a multi-year agreement with the Penske Corporation and INDYCAR to bring professional motorsports to the Motor City for the first time in four years. The first Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix will be held June 1-3, 2012 at the picturesque 2.1-mile Raceway at Belle Isle Park road course. “Chevrolet has a long, storied history in Indy car racing,” said Mark Reuss, president, GM North America. “This year we celebrated the shared centennial of Chevrolet and the Indianapolis 500. We're excited to see that history continue with the help of Penske Corporation and INDYCAR bringing back open-wheel racing to Detroit in 2012. This city is a natural for racing – it put the world on wheels and the roar of engines is something that simply belongs here." Detroit’s historic Belle Isle Park will host four races during the three-day event, including: The Chevrolet Indy Grand Prix presented by shopautoweek.com, where Chevrolet’s new twin-turbo V-6 race engines will compete in the IZOD IndyCar Series The Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Challenge where Chevrolet Daytona Prototypes and Camaros will compete in the first GRAND-AM Rolex Series race held on Belle Isle The Cadillac V-Series Challenge at Belle Isle, where Cadillac CTS-Vs will compete in the second Pirelli World Challenge series race held on Belle Isle The Firestone Indy Light Series race, featuring the rising stars of open-wheel racing “Chevrolet has been instrumental in bringing motorsports back to Detroit,” said Penske Corp. Chairman Roger Penske. “The Grand Prix will draw international attention and visitors to Belle Isle – which is one of the most-scenic race venues in the United States. We believe the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix will be one of the most-popular races in the IZOD IndyCar Series and will play a major role in continuing the renaissance of Detroit.” Indy car racing has developed a global audience. The 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series, which concludes Oct. 16, includes 17 events in the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Japan, reaching an estimated television audience of 191 million people in 200 countries. The Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix was last held in 2007 and 2008. Based on estimates from the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, those two events combined attracted more than 200,000 visitors, and brought more than $100 million to the Detroit Metro economy. "We are thrilled to be able to bring the Detroit Grand Prix back to Belle Isle,” said Detroit Mayor Dave Bing. "Thanks to the support of INDYCAR, Penske Corporation and Chevrolet, we will once again host one of the world's most prestigious motorsports events." For more information and to sign up for tickets to the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, please visit www.detroitgp.com. Learn more about the event through social media by visiting www.twitter.com/detroitgp and www.facebook.com/detroitgp.

Cadillac CUE: Intuitive and Connected Driving in 2012 Integrates interior design with industry-first control, command technologies My link Natural voice recognition, fewer buttons, larger icons, greater customization Central instrument panel features fully capacitive faceplate, vibrant 8-inch LCD touch screen with proximity sensing, multi-touch hand gestures 3.5 times more processing power than current systems 2011-10-12 - SAN DIEGO – Cadillac CUE, a comprehensive in-vehicle experience that merges intuitive design with auto industry-first controls and commands for information and entertainment data, will benefit consumers by offering personalized, connected driving beginning in 2012. “CUE will transform personal transportation by simply and efficiently integrating luxury design and instinctive technology with unparalleled levels of customized in-vehicle connectivity,” Don Butler, Vice President, Cadillac Marketing, announced at the CTIA Wireless Association’s Enterprise and Applications conference. CUE will debut in 2012 in the Cadillac XTS and ATS luxury sedans and SRX luxury crossover. CUE is designed to be unique for each consumer, from the “simple user” to the fully connected “super user.” “For the tech-savvy, it’s everything you want it to be – a full suite of infotainment, navigation and communication tools that keeps you fully connected. For the tech-averse, its power is remarkably simple, intuitive and accessible,” Butler said. CUE, which stands for Cadillac User Experience, will pair entertainment and information data from up to 10 Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices, USBs, SD cards and MP3 players with a vehicle infotainment system that reduces complexity through customized information, natural voice commands and fewer buttons and larger icons For example, most of today’s luxury cars have around 20 buttons controlling the radio and entertainment functions. CUE reduces that to just four buttons. “CUE doesn’t replace your smartphone or your iPod™,” said Micky Bly, executive director, Global Electric Systems, Infotainment and Electrification. “Rather it allows consumers to securely store those mobile devices while channeling the information on those devices, along with your navigation tools, weather maps with Doppler radar, AM/FM and XM radio, instant messages and emails, through a central portal in your Cadillac, keeping hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.” The heart of CUE is the 8-inch LCD touch screen, seamlessly integrated into the top of the central instrument panel and a motorized fully capacitive faceplate at the bottom concealing a 1.8L storage area. The vibrant LCD screen displays CUE’s home page, which resembles a smart phone’s screen by using large, easy-to-target icons to execute commands. Capacitive refers to using electrodes to sense the conductive properties of objects, such as a finger. “CUE is a very elegant in-vehicle hub of all the information and entertainment in your life. All of CUE’s controls use the same design vernac­ular to create a harmony unique to Cadillac,” said Dave Lyon, executive director, Cadillac Interior Design. “Vibrant colors, a piano black face plate, precision-milled buttons, intuitive touch screen placement and sculpted front console provide a spacious, fashion-forward cabin.” To improve simplicity and connectivity for consumers, CUE will feature several auto industry firsts. Proximity Sensing: As the user’s hand approaches the LCD screen, command icons appear. Icons can be customized and arranged by consumers to improve ease of use. Haptic Feedback: Buttons on the fully capacitive faceplate pulse when pressed to acknowledge the driver’s commands and helps keep the driver’s eyes on the road. Multi-Touch Hand Gestures: interactive motions (tap, flick, swipe and spread) popularized by smartphones and tablets allow tasks on the LCD screen, such as scrolling lists, zooming maps and searching favorites to be easily accomplished. 12.3 in. LCD reconfigurable gauge cluster (on select models) offers four selectable displays – Simple, Enhanced, Balanced and Performance – that can mix traditional vehicle data such as a speedometer and fuel gauge with navigation, entertainment and 3D vehicle image. Natural Speech Recognition lets consumers speak logically with fewer specific commands to recall stored media or input navigation destinations. CUE’s text-to-speech feature will also allow consumers to receive text messages by system voice and to send recorded text messages in return. Linux operating system, “open” software platform and ARM 11 3-core processor, each operating at 400 million of instructions (mips) per second. This hardware setup offers 3.5 times more processing power than current infotainment systems, and allow developers to write applications to CUE that be downloaded by consumers. “It’s processing speed and power that make CUE so capable,” said Bly. Connectivity, Control, Convenience CUE development began in 2008 when Cadillac designers rode with 32 consumers for six months to study driver habits. Engineers and designers then used the data to develop CUE. CUE’s LCD screen features the driver’s five most frequently used functions stored along the top of the screen. Along the bottom of the screen, users can select up to 60 favorites from music to points of interest, addresses, maps for weather or directions, phone numbers or system commands, such as “tag song.” Favorites can also be re-ordered and named to be easily recallable. The steering wheel contains a five-way controller on the right side to navigate the cluster display, a vol­ume control and buttons to cycle through favorites, while the five-way controller on the left side manages cruise con­trol functions, voice recognition, phone hang-up and heated steering wheel. CUE’s customization and control features are further enhanced through OnStar’s suite of safety, security and connectivity services , such as Turn-by-Turn navigation, Automatic Crash Notification, hands-free calling and the OnStar RemoteLink mobile application. Key OnStar features are available through CUE’s LCD screen, gauge cluster and steering wheel controls.