2013 Urban Wheel Awards

February 26, 2013

As automakers began introducing new and improved vehicles to the press and at this year’s North American International Auto Show, a different venue was throwing the spotlight on the people behind those new designs. At the 17th Annual Urban Wheel Awards showcased GM and its employees earned top honors in four award categories.

(L to R) 2013 Urban Wheel Award honorees, Don Butler, Alicia Boler-Davis, Crystal Windham, Vivian Pickard and Ken Barrett.

Referred to as the Official Multicultural Event of NAIAS, this premier event celebrated diversity and inclusiveness in the automotive industry and saluted the best and the brightest among auto companies, products, dealers and suppliers. This year’s program paid a special tribute to the many contributions and accomplishments of women in the industry. GM’s awards included:

Designer of the Year – Crystal Windham, Director of Design for the Chevrolet Passenger Car and Small Crossover Interior Studio
Executive of the Year – Alicia Boler-Davis, Vice President of Global Quality and U.S. Customer Experience
Company of the Year for Progress in Community Service Initiatives to Women – accepted by Vivian Pickard, president General Motors Foundation and Director of Corporate Relations and Ken Barrett, Chief Diversity Officer
Urban Car of the Year – 2013 Cadillac ATS – accepted by Don Butler, Vice President of Marketing, Cadillac

“Randi Payton and Decisive Media, Inc. have been very supportive of diversity in our industry,” said Boler-Davis. “It is a great honor to be recognized by an organization that has such a strong commitment to individuals being included and having an opportunity to fulfill their dreams.”

Niecy Nash and Edward James Olmos hosted the event and Cadillac was the exclusive afterglow sponsor, where guests enjoyed a live musical performance by R&B soul group, Phase 5. Cadillac products were also on display throughout the event, including the award winning 2013 ATS.

“General Motors is a true leader in diversity and inclusion, making our support of the Urban Wheel Awards a natural fit,” said Barrett. “When individuals in a company feel valued, creativity is spawned and new ideas come forward leading to the breakthroughs that help GM maintain its competitive edge.”

The Urban Wheel Awards were founded in 1997 as the Golden Wheel Awards. Nearly 350 people attended the first program that was held at the Renaissance Club in downtown Detroit. The program was renamed in 1999 to better reflect the mission and purpose of Decisive Media. Throughout the years, the venues have changed to accommodate increasing audiences and categories have been added to reflect progress in diversity.

Fun and Pump-Practical: Chevy Debuts Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel

February 15, 2013

Chevrolet is offering a 2.0L turbo-diesel version of its hottest-selling sedan, the Cruze, for the 2014 model year. It will be the cleanest diesel passenger car engine ever produced by General Motors.

Chevy Marketing VP Chris Perry says the diesel engine fills an important role in the brand’s diverse four-cylinder lineup. He believes it’s primed to win over diesel devotees and compact-car buyers with its performance, torque and fuel economy.

“We leveraged engineering expertise from around the globe to develop a world-class, low-emissions engine to give U.S. and Canadian customers a car that’s both fun to drive and practical at the pump,” Perry said.

Read more about the all Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel at our environmental partner blog GM’s Beyond Now

Chevrolet Test Track Ride Gives Riders Total Control

February 13, 2013

The Test Track presented by Chevrolet

With mid-winter and early Spring breaks approaching many families may be thinking of planning a vacation. What better place to spend some time in the winter than sunny Florida at Walt Disney World? While visiting one of the most “magical places on earth”, make sure to spend some time at the brand new Test Track presented by Chevrolet at Epcot. The attraction was reopened in December and offers a fun and educational experience perfect for the car enthusiast in every family (and even those who aren’t).

General Motors has had a relationship with Disney since the 1970’s and it continues with the reopened Test Track presented by Chevrolet at Epcot. This isn’t your normal “turn style” ride. The new “re-imagineered” Test Track offers Walt Disney World Resort guests a one-of-a-kind experience where they enter the world of automotive design making it a “must-see” on your family vacation.

In December Kristin of the Manic Mommies and her family attended a special media event to get a sneak peek of the new ride. Kristin claimed that the original Test Track was one of her favorite rides and was worried that the new ride wouldn’t hold up.

Luckily, it sounds like she was pleasantly surprised with the new “re-imagineered” version that incorporates personalization, design and education into a fun and exciting ride that still “flings you outside of the building.” Kristin especially liked the element of education that was present throughout the ride that allowed her daughter to create a hot pink muscle car with turbo engines that fit her personality perfectly.

The ride is a ton of fun for all ages because of the hands-on activities throughout the course of the ride that still offers all the thrill and excitement you can expect from a Disney ride.

The Disney Imagineers and Chevrolet Designers created an experience that offers personalization for each individual rider every step of the ride. The attention to detail was achieved from the Disney designer’s visits to Detroit during the design stages to see first-hand what goes into designing a Chevy vehicle.

Disney Imagineers and Chevrolet Engineers plan the new Test Track ride

“Test Track tells the Chevrolet story,” said Imagineer Melissa Jeselnick. “Putting their design to the test engages guests and inspires their imagination.”

In the “preshow” riders design a concept vehicle and can see how changing parts of their design affect the capability, efficiency, responsiveness and power of the vehicle. Then, riders put their design to the test and board their “SimCar” vehicle to see how the design performs throughout the ride when obstacles and changing road conditions are thrown their way. Next, during the “post show” riders can see how their car stacked up against the others; design a commercial for their car and much more.

The Test Track is something all car fans must ride and is great way to spend some time while one a family vacation. Where else can guests get the experience to create, test and promote their own Chevrolet concept vehicle?

New Cadillac ELR Brings a Touch of Luxury to the Green Auto Market

February 1, 2013

2014 Cadillac ELR

Cadillac unveiled the much buzzed about ELR at the North American International Auto Show giving audiences a glimpse at the future of energy efficient vehicles. The sleek luxury coupe features the first application of Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) technology by a full-line luxury automotive brand.

“No other luxury car maker with a broad portfolio has a vehicle like ELR,” said Mark Adams, executive director of Global Cadillac Design. “The Cadillac brand has been building momentum for the past 10 years, and it is uniquely positioned to push to the next level by bringing this level of technology to market in a relevant and compelling way.”

Compelling is a great way to explain the ELR as it’s not the average electric vehicle. It brings the elegance and attention to design of a Cadillac and combines it with General Motor’s Industry-leading EREV technology to create a vehicle that is technologically advanced and has sophisticated Cadillac design.

Inside, the ELR is designed to be luxurious, comfortable and connected, with intuitive technologies complemented by the craftsmanship that defines Cadillac. The driver-focused, leather-trimmed interior features an artistic blend of chrome and wood accents in a continuous feature line from the instrument panel through the doors to the back glass that creates a complete and harmonious cockpit environment.

With so many options and design making the ELR look great, the most ground breaking feature of the ELR is its electric technology. On a full charge, an ELR will have at least 300 miles of driving range, combining pure electric driving and an efficient, range-extending generator. That means that most daily commutes will require zero gasoline with zero emissions. Longer trips are free from electric-vehicle range anxiety because EREV technology enables the same long-distance freedom as a conventional car.

“The ELR introduces a new premium electric coupe segment to the luxury market and boldly proclaims to the world that you don’t have to compromise on great design or a luxury experience in your desire to be more mindful about the planet,” said Adams.

The ELR will not only look great, but will also perform on the road with features like four distinct driving modes including:

Sport Mode: Contributes to its responsive driving experience, automatically reconfiguring the accelerator pedal response to provide quicker torque application and more sensitive feedback to driver inputs through altered suspension and steering settings.
Tour mode: The default setting on the ELR is expected to be used most often and provides the greatest driving comfort and efficiency.
Mountain mode: Mountain mode automatically adjusts the system to provide needed power in mountainous environments when vehicle performance could otherwise be compromised. Mountain mode allows ELR to sustain a sufficient state of charge so supplemental power is available from the battery if needed.
Hold mode: Hold mode allows owners to direct when the ELR uses its gas-powered electric generator, reserving the remaining battery charge for later use. This feature helps enhance efficiency because owners who mix city and highway driving can save the battery charge for city travel, where the ELR EV mode operates most efficiently.

The Cadillac ELR brings electric technology together with luxury and performance creating a vehicle unlike any other. For more information on the Cadillac ELR visit http://www.cadillac.com/elr-electric-car.html

GM Uses Concepts to Tap into Next-Gen Buying

December 6, 2012

Chevrolet CODE 130RS Concept

Concept cars have been integral in gauging potential customer interest of new designs and technology. Harley Earl, a GM engineer, is said to be the pioneer of the concept car back in 1938, when he lead the design of the Buick Y-Job (see pic below). Concept cars typically don’t go into production, but many of the technological innovations have ended up in production vehicles. General Motors has produced more concept cars than any other car manufacturer and designed two popular concept cars, the Chevrolet Code 130R and Tru 140S LAAS, aimed at the upcoming generation Y.

The 1938 Buick Y-Job Concept Car

Chevrolet first introduced the Code 130R and Tru 140S LAAS Concept Cars at the 2012 North American International Auto Show, engaging and inspiring next-generation buyers for their input in the future car market. By conversing with young consumers across the United States, Chevrolet is able to explore the style and functionality of the future new buyers by focusing on personalization and interior connectivity. With the vast buying power that young American consumers hold over the auto market, it only makes sense to include their input into future models. On the Code 130r and Tru140s, engineers combined technologies found in luxury cars with a possible production price range in the low $20,000s – making it an ideal vehicle for the next-gen consumers.

Chevrolet Tru140S Concept

Since the two concept cars’ introduction at the 2012 NAIA, they have made their way to many national and international auto shows, and most recently, at the L.A. auto show where they were they were on display in two new colors: grey and yellow. With the 2013 North American International Auto Show kicking off the 2013 auto show season in a few weeks, make sure you stay tuned to see what new vehicles GM will be releasing!

Chevrolet Code 130R Concept

For more information on the more than 85 years of GM Design history, see the video below.