First Look: Chevrolet Colorado Rally Concept

The slow tease of the next-generation Chevy Colorado continues. GM just took the wraps off its Chevrolet Colorado Rally Concept at the Buenos Aires International Motor Show.

In contrast to the debut of the Chevrolet Colorado Show Truck at the Bangkok International Auto Show in March, the Rally Concept's double cab sheet metal is much closer to what the production pickup will look like.

The Rally Concept highlights off-road prowess, which fits right at home in Argentina, co-host country (along with Chile) for the Dakar Rally. Consider it a little brother to the GMC Sierra All-Terrain conceptand heir to the famous Chevy S-10 ZR2 legacy.

The Colorado rally rig features aggressive 305/60R18 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A tires and a high-performance long-travel suspension with remote reservoir shocks, similar to the All-Terrain's dampers. Winches are integrated into the front and rear bumpers, so it doesn't matter which way you're pointed if you get stuck. A spare wheel and tire is mounted in the cargo box.

The rally theme continues inside to the Colorado's twin cockpit design. Baja-ready race seats feature five-point harnesses to hold the driver and navigator in place. The center console sports controls to adjust tire pressure and suspension settings on the fly. Acrylic windows protect against side impacts and have molded inlets for air circulation. There's also a fire extinguisher - just in case.

Under its hood is GM's new 2.8-liter four-cylinder diesel engine that sends power to the wheels via all-wheel drive.

We still expect a version of the second-gen Chevy Colorado will be built and sold in the U.S. and Canada, but it’s unlikely that a North American version will offer a diesel engine because of strict U.S. emissions regulations.

With a gas engine for the U.S. and Canada and diesels overseas, second-generation Colorado sales could exceed 100,000 units of production annually, exceeding worldwide sales goals for one of its major competitors, the recently introduced Volkswagen Amarok.

"The success of this concept in Buenos Aires will be a preview of what we see on the streets around the world in a while," said Carlos Barba, general director of design at General Motors South America.

According to manufacturing documents we've obtained, the Colorado's start of regular production is slated for Oct. 3, 2011, in Thailand and Jan. 16, 2012, in Brazil, where it will likely be sold as the S-10.

According to our sources, the code names for the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon versions for North America are 31XC and 31XG. Start of U.S. manufacturing is scheduled for around July 2014, though production of the current Colorado and Canyon are expected to end by 2012 at the plant in Shreveport, La.-news.pickuptrucks.com

Official: Honda Fit Shuttle goes on sale in Japan in gas and hybrid spec

Honda has launched a new compact wagon in its home market of Japan. Called the Fit Shuttle, the mini MPV comes in two flavors; the Fit Shuttle 15X and the Fit Shuttle Hybrid. The 15X gets its name from the 1.5-liter i-VTEC motor under the hood, which returns nearly 44 miles per gallon using the Japanese 10·15 testing procedure, which matches that of the standard Fit. If you desire even more fuel efficiency, the Fit Shuttle Hybrid utilizes a 1.3-liter i-VTEC engine that's paired with Honda's IMA hybrid system. The hybrid will leisurely sip fuel at a rate of nearly 59 miles per gallon using the same test, again matching the regular Fit Hybrid.

Both Fit Shuttle variants are five-passenger people movers that feature a veritable arena of cargo space, relative to the vehicle's compact size. Storage is readily available above the low load floor, but there's more hiding underneath. The rear row of seats can be stowed, creating a flat cargo space. The varying rear end arrangements allow for a wide variety of cargo to fit inside the Fit Shuttle.

Besides the cargo being comfortable, passengers will be entertained by the InterNavi system that's equipped with the Linkup Free system. Utilizing a 3G connection, Linkup Free allows users to quickly transmit and receive data while on the go.

The Honda Fit Shuttle 15X starts at 1,610,000 Yen, or about $19,943 U.S. at current exchange rates. Pricing for the Fit Shuttle Hybrid begins at 1,810,000 Yen, which is around $22,420 U.S. Click past the jump for the full press release, and check out the all-new Honda Fit Shuttle in the included image gallery.-autoblog.com

2012 Chevrolet Cobalt Concept Revealed In Buenos Aires

 

The Cobalt badge has been resurrected in South America this week - three years after its US-market predecessor was retired in favour of the global Cruze small car.

Revealed at the Buenos Aires Motor Show today, alongside the Colorado Double-Cab Rally, the new Cobalt Sedan Concept offers a glimpse of a new small sedan expected to hit a number of markets around the world.

However, with dimensions that appear to place it somewhere between the new 2012 Barina and the larger Cruze (measurements haven't been revealed), it remains to be seen where the Cobalt will fit into the company's line-up.

The concept shown here is described as a sports variant, wearing skirts all round, a bootlid spoiler, dual exhaust outlets and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Inside, the Cobalt concept gets a two-tone leather trim with chrome highlights and a full-roof split sunroof design. Rear passengers also benefit from front headrest-mounted screens.

Power for the Cobalt will come from a range of four-cylinder petrol, diesel and ethanol engines, ranging in size from 1.3 litre to 1.8 litres. Automatic and manual transmissions will be offered.

Australia

With Holden's light and small line-ups taken care of by the upcoming Barina hatch and sedan, and the Cruze hatch and sedan, don't expect to see the Cobalt on Australian roads.-themotorreport.com.au

Buick Announces that the 2012 Regal GS Will Have 270 hp, Not 255

At the 2010 Los Angeles auto show, Buick introduced us to the 2012 Regal GS, the upcoming four-door that will be the highest-performance version of the Opel-cum-Buick. We weren’t thrilled that the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine made just 255 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque; for a car Buick is promoting as a sport sedan, it’s not impressive to be outgunned in horsepower by the higher-output versions of the Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Nissan Altima. That won’t be the case any longer, at least, as official SAE testing now rates the Buick’s engine at 270 hp. (Torque remains at an ample 295 lb-ft. That should be plenty for the GS’s front wheels to handle.)

The torque peak occurs at 2400 rpm, and 95 percent of the peak twist is available between 2300 and 4900 rpm. Buick estimates the GS will launch itself from 0-to-60 mph in around 6.7 seconds. We feel this might be a tad conservative since a 220-hp Buick Regal Turbo we tested did the deed in just 6.8 seconds. Still, the extra power probably won’t propel the Buick with enough force to match the 5.6-second 0-to-60 time we recorded in a six-cylinder Accord. When the Regal GS arrives in dealerships this fall, it will pack a six-speed manual transmission, and the manufacturer promises a six-speed automatic will come some time later.-blog.caranddriver.com

Driving the Toyota Prius V: a Prius With Costco Capacity

2012 Toyota Prius V.

According to Toyota, its Prius accounts for 52 percent of the United States hybrid market and outsells all its competitors combined. It’s no surprise, then, that the company would want to give the car some siblings.

Toyota brought a preproduction fleet of its latest hybrid, the Prius V, to Westchester County on Wednesday and offered drives along the Connecticut-New York border. Though journalists could choose among various scenic routes, given the car’s clear family-hauler aspirations, a trip to a big-box food wholesaler would not have been inappropriate.

The V, which stands for “Versatility,” according to Toyota, will be joined by a plug-in Prius sedan and a smaller car based on the Prius C concept, first shown at the Detroit auto show in January, in the next two years. The V, with extra legroom and 58 percent more cargo space than its sedan counterpart, is the firstborn and is expected to be on the market in the fall.

According to Rick LoFaso, corporate marketing manager for cars and vans at Toyota, the V took its cues from the American lifestyle. Hiroshi Kayukawa, the car’s chief engineer, visited malls, big-box stores and tourist sites to see how Americans shop, Mr. LoFaso said, and concluded that — surprise surprise — we like to move a lot of stuff.

As such, 3 inches were added to the Prius sedan’s wheelbase and 6 inches to the overall length. The cabin offers 34.3 cubic feet of stowage, or 67.3 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. Mr. LoFaso noted the V had more cargo space than the Chevrolet Equinox, Honda Element, Ford Escape or Nissan Rogue.

The V is heavier and slightly less aerodynamic (a 0.29 coefficient of drag) than a regular Prius (0.25), so it sacrifices a measure of fuel economy. The car is rated at 44 m.p.g. in the city, 40 on the highway and 42 combined. Though a 19-mile test drive over twisty two-lane, with the obligatory hard acceleration and braking, does not offer a representative test drive by any means, I observed 32.1 m.p.g.

With the rear seats folded, the V has 67.3 cubic feet of cargo space.

The V is closely related to the regular Prius under the skin, so it doesn’t offer many on-road surprises. More revelatory was stretching out in the back after folding the rear seats. A 6’ 1″ reporter fit with only slightly bent knees. An added bonus is good rear legroom, even behind a fully extended driver’s seat — a rarity in modern cars.

Another test that could be performed in the V without actually going anywhere was programming a new Pandora station. The Internet radio service builds a listening experience around favorite artists, and it worked well in the test car, though down the road, the music died briefly when passing through an area of spotty cell service.

In its upmarket versions — there are Two, Three and Five trims, and an advanced technology package — the V is equipped with the Entunemultimedia system, which accesses other applications like MovieTickets.com, iHeartRadio and OpenTable through the owner’s smartphone.

As preproduction prototypes, the V’s I drove still had some kinks. Testing the self-parking system, a feature found on the Lexus LS luxury sedan, was an adventure; the beep tone that alerts the driver when to put the car into reverse did not sound. But with a little trial and error the car tucked itself away with great dexterity.

The Toyota Prius is already a family car, but stretching it makes it even more of one. There’s no bottom line yet, but Mr. LoFaso said the V would be priced “a little higher than the current Prius.”

Stay tuned for a full review of the Prius V, which will appear in the Automobiles section later in the summer.-cheels.blogs.nytimes.com