vLane Blog

Articles Matching “Grant”

• Driven! 2011 Chevrolet Volt and 2012 Ford Focus EV

  Banovsky on August 4, 2009

  This guest post was prepared by esteemed green car expert John Voelcker, editor-in-chief of GreenCarReports.com. He also drove both the Volt and Focus EV test mules…lucky guy!

  

  The 2011 Chevrolet Volt prototype (nee-Chevrolet Cruze)

  Well, the big day has come and gone: Now we've driven a 2011 Chevrolet Volt prototype. More than 18 months before buyers can walk into a Chevy dealer and test one, we got behind the wheel.

  What's the Volt like? It's remarkably ... unremarkable.

  And we mean that as praise. General Motors has managed to build a radical car that seems so normal it'll make the average American driver completely comfortable with electric drive.

  For half an hour today, we drove a Volt "mule" – a Volt powertrain installed in the body of a 2010 Chevrolet Cruze subcompact – around the roads of the GM Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. It uses "production-intent" components and, said vehicle line executive Frank Weber, provides about 80 percent of the capabilities of the final car.

  Click through for more.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under GM, General Motors, Environment, Future, Green, Mileage, Feature, Ford, Ford, Chevrolet, EV, Grant, Detroit, 2011, Cruze, Electric car, Guest post, Focus

• Recap: #carchat 19; July 15, 2009

  Banovsky on July 17, 2009

  Social media is such a cool thing that we're constantly evolving how we communicate. Take #carchat: the first few originated out of a spirited conversation.

  

  Since #carchat is ever-evolving, we've included the recap here on vLane as a discussion thread, and we feel it suits the nature of the discussion well — and you can see that we had a huge response over two hours — despite Twitter being down over the first hour!

  Anyone can join us each week at 8PM EST on Twitter. And if you'd like to suggest topics, please tag articles on Delicious.com with "carchat."
  
  
  
  
  

  We had:

  • Ask the Expert: Seth Leitman, clean energy and electric vehicle expert
  • Discussion: GM and Chrysler updates
  • Discussion: What's good interior design?
  • Discussion: Maybe we'll talk some #NGM talk…

  So? What are you waiting for? Click through to the recap.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Event, Government, Industry, Future, Green, WTF, Diesel, Concept, Misc, Open-Source, Advice , Humor, This week, Discussion, Social Media, Local Motors, Grant, Twitter, US, vLane, Cash for Clunkers, Car Allowance Rebate System, Opinion, Electric car

• Upcoming: #carchat 18; July 8 @ 8PM EST

  Banovsky on July 7, 2009

  This week, we're talking with Charles Territo, senior director of communications for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers about the auto industry, we chat about how to best launch a new vehicle, vehicle tech we'd like to see, and we'll try to get around to our personal automotive FAILs, too.

  Check out the #carchat How-To, or click through for a #carchat widget. Anyone can join us at 8PM EST July 8, on Twitter. And if you'd like to suggest topics, please tag articles on Delicious.com with "carchat."

  This week:

  • Ask the Expert: Charles Territo, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
  • Discussion: How to best launch a new vehicle?
  • Discussion: What tech do you want in a new car?
  • Discussion: (Personal) automotive FAILs

  So click through and read a few links related to the discussion.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under General Motors, Government, Environment, Future, Green, Misc, Advice , Humor, Link, Discussion, Social Media, carchat, Grant, Detroit, Twitter, US, Cash for Clunkers, Car Allowance Rebate System

• Have Cash for Clunkers and CARS questions?

  Banovsky on July 3, 2009

  Take a look at our official Cash for Clunkers discussion thread (Discussion)

  

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Government, Environment, Green, Mileage, News, How-To, Misc, Advice , Discussion, Grant, 2009, vLane, Cash for Clunkers, CARS

• Improving your car, one wheel at a time

  AshleyW on June 5, 2009

  The number of ways one can personalize their car is endless now, with all sorts of gadgets and accessories to enhance how your car looks inside and out.

  

  Price? About $150.

  Steering wheels are one of many things you can change to give your car a customized look. Larry McGlaughlin, Store Manager, of Performance Improvements in Brampton, Ontario gave me some advice on steering wheels.

  Most of the clients who want to change their steering wheels do it for cosmetic reasons, says Larry McGlaughlin of Performance Improvements. He sells twenty to thirty steering wheels per year, and on occasion a few for race modifications. He used to sell more steering wheels before the airbag in the steering wheel became law. If a client does buy a steering wheel that doesn't come with an airbag, they have to adjust it so that it does.

  More…

  Read full article | Comments (1) | Filed under GM, features, interior, features, Ford, Advice , Chrysler, Ford, style, interior, accessories, Momo, Grant, steering wheel, Performance Improvements