Get Your Kicks on “Route 66” Super Bowl XLVI Chevy Ad – and Win $10,000 in the Process

The NFL Super Bowl game is the most watched American TV broadcast of the year: in 2011, some 111 million viewers watched the Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31 to 25. It broke the record held by the 2010 game, which itself had shattered the 28-year old record held by the final episode of M*A*S*H.

It’s no wonder then that companies not only pay huge amounts of money to place their ads, but also want those ads to make an impression on the biggest TV audience in the U.S.

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Skateboarder Rob Dyrdek Kickflips a Chevrolet Sonic Like a…Skateboard [Videos]

Professional skateboarder Rob Dyrdek joined forces with GM's Chevrolet brand for a daredevilish car stunt to promote the launch of the new Sonic sub-compact, and the result was pretty impressive.

The 37-year old American skateboarder swapped his four-wheel plywood board for the five-door Sonic to perform a 360-degree “kickflip”, which employed two 50-foot ramps, one to launch off and the other to land the car on. And did we mention that there was a giant skateboard positioned between the two ramps?

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2014 Chevrolet Impala wants to be more than America's Favorite Fleet Car, will Share Platform with Cadillac XTS

With more than a decade on its back, the current Chevrolet Impala is well overdue for a replacement. Introduced in 1999, the eighth generation of the Chevy's full-size sedan switched to a front-wheel drive layout with GM redesigning the large sedan in 2005.

According to the Automotive News Data Center, Chevy has sold more than 2.8 million units of current model since 1999, with 2007 proving to be the vehicle's best year with a little over 311,000 deliveries. This year, through the end of November, GM has sold close to 161,000 Impalas.

But as we said, it's time for the current Impala to give its place to a new model. Last week, GM confirmed plans for the development of the 10th generation Impala, which will be produced at both its Oshawa Assembly Plant in Canada and the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant.

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The Company Formerly Known as “Old GM” is Dead at Age 103

It was long overdue, but it was bound to happen: the company lawyers named Motors Liquidation Co. but which we came to know as "old GM" during the 2009 government bailout period, died on Thursday, December 15.

Though it had a very long lifespan of 103 years, no one really noticed its demise. After all, this was just U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Gerbert signing the death certificate. Giving birth to the “new GM” two years ago was a very painful process – and one that most of those involved would like to forget.

It meant the sacrifice of three of its brands (Pontiac, Hummer and Saturn) and getting rid of another (Saab, which ironically is now in a similar position), closing 13 plants along with 900 dealerships. GM also had to reduce its U.S. workforce from 91,000 to 68,500 employees, which either way, is a far cry from the 525,000 workers it had in the States and another 100,000 outside the country in 1955.

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New 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS is All Show, Little Go, will Debut in Detroit

When General Motors previewed the Chevrolet Sonic series with the Aveo RS Concept at last year's North American Auto Show, the company also hinted at a spicier version inspired by the study.

Following the launch of the regular Sonic models, Chevrolet has now revealed the production Sonic RS that will go on sale late next year after making its world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show in January.

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GM Boss Mark Reuss Builds a Fantasy Supercar Out of the Company’s Parts Bin

Almost every car fan has, at one point or another, considered building his ideal car: for example, one with a Ferrari or Lamborghini bodywork, a Pagani interior, a Veyron engine, Porsche everyday usability and all this at the price of a used 300,000-mile Ford Escort… Well, the automotive term for this is a parts bin special; that is, a model built by borrowing only (or mostly) existing parts from other models. Mark Reuss, GM’s North American president, was asked by Car & Driver to assemble his dream car by using components that already exist on the company’s shelves.
We have to admit that, even though General Motors is not the first carmaker that comes to mind when picking components to assemble our dream car, Reuss has managed to conjure a pretty interesting vehicle.
The bodywork would come from the 2002 Cadillac Cien concept, which Reuss believes “defined Cadillac”.
Up front, the Chevrolet Volt's 149HP electric motor would power the front wheels, while GM’s turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 linked to a Corvette differential would power the rear axle, making the car an all-wheel drive hybrid.
The Volt would also donate its T-shaped battery pack (after it has been cleared by the NHTSA, we presume), mounted between the seats and wirelessly charged through an inductive mat making cables unnecessary.
America’s favorite supercar, the Corvette, would contribute in the handling department with its magnetorheological dampers and the ZR1's carbon-ceramic brakes, while GM’s pony car, the Camaro, would provide the ZL1’s Goodyear F1 SuperCar G performance tires.
Reuss is even talking numbers: the hybrid powertrain would churn out a total of 440HP and 450 lb-ft of torque, enough for a 0-60mph [96km/h] acceleration time of 3.2 seconds. In fact, he went as far as predicting his dream car’s Nürburgring lap time: 7:46. Not ZR-1 or GT-R territory, but quite fast nevertheless.
What about the interior? Well, Reuss would choose the suede steering wheel from the Caddy CTS-V linked to an electric-power steering system, the Recaro bucket seats from the Opel Insignia OPC and a Volt-like multifunction display for energy and VBox info.
Last, but not least, GM North America's president would like his dream car to have a silent interior when in EV mode so he would add a Bose active-noise cancelling system and offer perfect visibility courtesy of a Hughes night-vision system, front and rear cameras and a blind-spot monitoring system.
We applaud Mr Rauss' choices, which would make for one of the best "parts bin special" GM has ever thought of building.
He did omit one thing though: his passenger of choice. Therefore, we feel compelled to make a suggestion: Gisele. She did make a name for herself in the automotive crowd in a CTS-V after all...
Story References: Car&Driver , Photo Illustration: Carscoop

GM PARTS BIN

2002 CADILLAC CIEN CONCEPT

GM Confirms Next Generation Impala, will Invest $68 Million to Prep Oshawa Plant

GM Confirms Next Generation Impala, will Invest $68 Million to Prep Oshawa Plant

The Impala is a historic nameplate for Chevrolet with roots that go back to the golden era of American automobiles, the 1950s, and it's one that General Motors isn't about to let go despite the fact that the series has faded away into mediocrity these past years. Today, the Detroit-based company confirmed plans for the development of a brand new Chevy Impala and announced an investment of $68 million to prepare its Oshawa Assembly Plant in Canada for the production of the next generation sedan.
In addition, GM revealed that it expects to meet high customer demand, and as a result, it will build the next Chevrolet Impala at both the Oshawa Assembly Plant and the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant.
Combined with the recent investment to support the production of the upcoming Cadillac XTS in 2012, GM's investment at the Oshawa plant will reach $185 million, which will create or retain around 750 jobs.
“With the investments for the Chevrolet Impala and Cadillac XTS, we are taking big steps forward to ensure we maximize the flexible manufacturing facility and high-quality workforce that exist in Oshawa,” said Kevin Williams, president and managing director of General Motors of Canada.
“We are building on the recent capacity increases, product launches and shift additions at our Canadian operations to affirm that Canada will play an important role in the new GM as we continue to transform our product lineup,” he added.

PHOTO GALLERY:

GM Boss Mark Reuss Builds a Fantasy Supercar Out of the Company’s Parts Bin

Almost every car fan has, at one point or another, considered building his ideal car: for example, one with a Ferrari or Lamborghini bodywork, a Pagani interior, a Veyron engine, Porsche everyday usability and all this at the price of a used 300,000-mile Ford Escort…

Well, the automotive term for this is a parts bin special; that is, a model built by borrowing only (or mostly) existing parts from other models. Mark Reuss, GM’s North American president, was asked by Car & Driver to assemble his dream car by using components that already exist on the company’s shelves.

We have to admit that, even though General Motors is not the first carmaker that comes to mind when picking components to assemble our dream car, Reuss has managed to conjure a pretty interesting vehicle.

The bodywork would come from the 2002 Cadillac Cien concept, which Reuss believes “defined Cadillac”.

.