Team Chevy driver Kasey Kahne credits his father with his interest in racing: “Because of him is why I race cars.”

Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS, is in eighth place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings going into Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway. “My dad worked on sprint cars when I was little so I grew up learning about racing,” Kahne said. “He taught me about the cars, and I also wanted to race and ultimately race for my dad at some point. Because of him is why I race cars and why I got into it. He was the one who taught me first off about the cars, how they worked, how to work on them, and I enjoyed it. I’ve learned a lot from him over the years, and it’s been great having him around and having his support at all my races.”

You can watch Kasey Kahne and the rest of Team Chevy’s NASCAR drivers this Sunday in the Quicken Loans 400 beginning at 1pm EDT on TNT.

(From left): Three generations of racing Andrettis: Michael, Mario and Marco.

Marco Andretti, driver of the No. 25 RC Cola Andretti Motorsports Chevrolet, is in second place in the IZOD IndyCar Series standings heading into Sunday’s Milwaukee Fest at The Milwaukee Mile. Andretti is a third-generation driver: His father, Michael, won 42 Indy car races and the 1991 CART Indy Car championship; and his grandfather, Mario, is an oft-honored driver who, among other things, won 12 Formula I races and the 1969 Indianapolis 500. “We have a lot of family history in Milwaukee,” Marco said. “A pole and win would be a great Father’s Day for Dad.”

When asked recently if he thought his grandson had matured as a race driver Mario commented, “I think he has buckled down and I think focused a little more on somewhat he really needs to work on… But, it’s all about like I said experience, maybe we are late bloomers I don’t know.  Again, I think he is at a point that he can definitely carry the team to a championship.  I’m positive of that.”

Marco and the other IZOD IndyCar Team Chevy drivers hit the track again on Saturday, June 15^th for the 2013 Milwaukee IndyFest. Tune in for the green flag at 4pm EDT on NBC Sports Network.

Corvette Racing will spend Father’s Day preparing for the following weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Wayne Taylor (center) is flanked by his sons Ricky (left) and Jordan (right), both of whom will be driving Corvette C6.Rs during next weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Brothers Ricky and Jordan Taylor will both compete in the famed endurance race (older brother Ricky [23] in the No. 50 Larbre Racing Corvette C6.R and Jordan in the No. 73 Corvette Racing C6.R); their father, Wayne, won that race as a driver, was a three-time sports-car champion, and currently owns the Team Chevy Rolex GRAND-AM Road Racing Series No. 10 Corvette Daytona Prototype (DP). “I’m very excited for Jordan and Ricky,” Wayne Taylor said. “At the same time, I know how difficult Le Mans is. It’s good for Jordan that he has one already under his belt. He can enjoy this one more. It’s a good opportunity for Ricky with a very good Corvette team. Both are under the Chevrolet brand. I’m very happy and excited for them, and I’m really looking forward to it. It was such a big part of my life, my whole family’s life, over the years. Now, having both of them driving there, I can’t thank Chevrolet enough for what they’re doing for both Jordan and Ricky. As their dad, I can only give them advice from my experience there over the years.”

Team Chevy driver Jan Magnussen (right) and son, Kevin.

Jan Magnussen, a co-driver with Jordan Taylor of the No. 73 Compuware Corvette C6.R, is a four-time class winner of the famous endurance race. His son, Kevin, meanwhile, is leading one series in championship points, and is a back-up driver for a Formula One team. “I think he learned a lot by just sitting in on every meeting and really getting to understand how F1 works,” Jan Magnussen said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for him and it’s good to see that he’s making the most of it.”

In addition to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, June 22-23, you can see the Corvette Racing team drivers in the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix July 5-6.

To keep up with all the latest news from Team Chevy by Liking them on Facebook and following them on Twitter.

General Motors is pulling out all the stops on the all-new 2014 Sierra – and in the process morphing a vehicle segment known for unrefined brawn and gas guzzling into the most fuel-efficient V-8 pickup on the market — thanks in part to aerodynamic advancement.

To make aerodynamic changes to the vehicle, engineers examined every millimeter of the Sierra while in the wind tunnel. The 2014 Sierra has spent more time in General Motors’ state of the art Aerodynamics Lab than any other Sierra before it. The 750-foot-long tunnel through which a 43-foot-diameter fan powered by a DC electric motor blows has the equivalent of 4,500 horsepower and can generate winds up to 138 mph.

Time in the tunnel and attention to detail led to design changes that benefit both fuel efficiency and interior quietness. The engineers also debunked some popular myths along the way.

“We can’t stop air; we can only guide it through the path of least resistance. It’s like electricity, without the shock,” said Diane Bloch, GM aerodynamic performance engineer. “The biggest misconception is that it’s all about single components. But a certain side mirror design doesn’t create a certain amount of drag, its interaction with the rest of the vehicle does.”

Illustrating the design team’s attention to detail on all components of the vehicle, even the top of the Sierra’s tailgate and the center high-mounted stop light are optimized to guide air cleanly around the truck. A new seal was also added between the cab and bed to restrict airflow, after the team found it was one the biggest aerodynamic issues.

A common question with trucks revolves around whether a tailgate raised or lowered is better for aerodynamics. According to Bloch, a tailgate in the up position is more aerodynamically efficient. As air flows over the truck, it falls over the cab and pushes forward on the rear of the truck. With the tailgate down, the benefits of that airflow are diminished.

“Replacing the tailgate with an aftermarket net is worse than having no tailgate at all,” Bloch said. “Imagine dragging a solid object or a fishing net through water. The net is going to require more muscle.”

In addition to aftermarket nets, the pickup market has a great number of available aftermarket accessories that have varying impact on aerodynamics. The bad: add-ons like bug deflectors on the hood, wider tires or aftermarket bumpers can cause added noise and increased fuel consumption. The good: tonneau covers for the bed help smooth airflow over the truck and running boards can also help air flow smoothly down the truck’s sides.

If your community’s youth baseball field is in need of repair but needs a little outside help, Chevrolet’s Diamonds & Dreams program could bring the extra hands you’re looking for.

For the past four years, Chevrolet in partnership with Ripken Design, a division of Ripken Baseball, has organized 42 youth baseball field makeovers across the country through the Diamonds & Dreams program. From New Jersey to Indiana to California, small town and inner city baseball fields have been given new life for the next generation of Major League Baseball hopefuls.

The makeover includes new bases, fences, bats, helmets and gloves for the community. Youth baseball players also receive professional instruction through clinics with Ripken Baseball staff members. Chevrolet already had a strong baseball relationship at the national level through MLB but was looking to give back to where their customers live, work and play.

“Every young person should have the chance to play ball on a well maintained baseball diamond,” said Mike Weidman, Chevrolet national promotions manager.

Communities seem to agree as participation in the program grows each year.

“I’m not surprised that Chevrolet would sponsor a program like this,” said Johnny Cooper, a contest winner from Wetumpka, Ala. “I think it’s a great program to let an individual win something and then award it where a large group of people can get the benefit of it.”

The program continues this year and accepts entries until July 31. Baseball fans across the country can visit www.chevybaseball.com and enter to win a refurbished baseball field for their community as well as a 2014 Chevrolet Impala.

Renovations of the winning fields are administered through Ripken Design, which is owned and operated by National Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. and 12-year MLB veteran Bill Ripken.

“In this phase of my life it is all about making a positive impact on kids and growing the game at the grassroots level,” said Cal Ripken.  “You can do good things on your own, but with partners like Chevrolet you can do so much more.”

Once the field is chosen, Ripken Design completes an initial evaluation. They work with the city as well as the parks and recreation department to agree upon a renovation and maintenance plan. Each plan focuses on the aesthetics, playability and safety of the field. When that plan is finalized, the makeover begins and takes only a few days to complete.

“Regulation baseball is played on natural grass,” said Steve Peeler, director of sports field management at Sports Fields, Inc. “So if there are any kids coming through that need to learn the fundamentals for playing at a higher level, they can start at this field here.”

Check out the Chevrolet Baseball YouTube channel for Diamonds & Dreams transformation videos and testimonials: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN4Rhc0XcPM&feature=share&list=PL1E8195B0EF62B334

It’s that time of year again; grab your best boots and head on over to Nashville for the 2013 CMA Music Festival! From today until Sunday, some of the biggest names in country music will gather in the genre’s hometown for a four-day celebration of summer and country music.  If you think Chevrolet is missing out on the fun, think again. They’ve been gearing up for CMA Fest for months, and the Chevrolet team can’t wait to celebrate with all of you.

Here’s your Chevrolet guide to the 2013 CMA festival. We’ll see you in Music City!

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5

BLOCK PARTY AT THE CHEVROLET RIVERFRONT STAGE

For your first taste of the music filled four-day party that awaits you here in Nashville, head over to the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage for a block party you won’t soon forget. Grab a bite to eat, check out the festival sites and shake your tail feather to music played by some of the best emcees in the business. If you need a break from stepping to some of country’s hottest hits, visit the Chevrolet Center right next to the river and try your hand at these fun games:

Name that Tune: Think you’re a country music super-fan? Prove it! Hop into one of six Chevrolet vehicles and listen to a short music clip played over the speakers. Then, use the Chevrolet MyLink touch screen to guess the name of the track.  A correct answer lands you a prize sponsored by Chevrolet.

Roadie Challenge: Life on tour is hard. How hard, you ask? Well, you’re about to find out! See how quickly you can load the back of a Chevy Silverado with the gear your band needs to rock out on tour. We hope you’ve been working out, because it’s going to take some serious stamina to fill the entire truck bed with guitars, amps, and other gear for your band’s tour. The fastest time wins a prize!

THURSDAY, JUNE 6 – SUNDAY, JUNE 9

CHEVROLET RIVERFRONT STAGE

This where all the real country action is! The Chevrolet Riverfront Stage will be rocking out all day, every day from Thursday until Sunday. Its location directly in front of the Cumberland River could not be a more beautiful spot to enjoy to some of the best artists that country music has to offer, including Lone Star, Jo Dee Messina, and Gretchen Wilson. Bring comfortable shoes; there will be plenty of room for dancing! For the full lineup at the Chevy Riverfront stage, click here.

CHEVROLET ROADHOUSE

If the hot Nashvile sun has you feeling tired in a way that only air conditioning can fix, stop on by the Chevy Roadhouse Stage. It’s a smaller venue where you can beat the heat and check out some of country music’s rising stars like Sundy Best, Courtney Cole and Dakota Bradley.  At the Roadhouse, you’ll be able to get closer to the stars than almost anywhere else at the festival! For the full lineup at the Chevrolet Roadhouse, click here.

MOBILE STUDIO

After four full days of music, we know you’ll have at least one song stuck in your head, and we want to hear it! Bring your inner rockstar to the Chevrolet mobile studio. It’s a little bit Chevy, a little bit karaoke and all country. Pick a song, grab the mic and belt it out. Camera shy? Don’t let that stop you from having your moment to shine. We’ve gone to the trouble of hooking up a screen with the lyrics for you to follow in case you forget. Boom. Instant stardom.

RIDE AND DRIVE

For those of you out there looking to put the pedal to the metal, Chevrolet has thought of you, too. A road course through Nashville will fix the urge where you can get into the driver’s seat of a Chevrolet and see what all the buzz is about. If you’ve ever wanted to be behind the wheel of a Chevy Camaro convertible, Sonic RS, or 2014 Impala, now is your chance.  Vehicle experts will also be on hand to answer any questions you may have along the way.

Happy Trails!

Since it was first unveiled in New York, and at shows throughout the year, the all-new 2014 Impala drew attention and positive conversation. To continue the buzz, General Motors invited design focused trend setters from various industries in New York to celebrate the all-new Impala at the Chevy Urban Style media and influencer event on May 8^th, 2013.

Jocelyn Allen, Director of Regional, Grassroots and Diversity Communications, welcomed guests to the event. “The idea behind Urban Style is that no matter the industry – automotive, fashion, music, and so on – urban influences and styling are present. It is bold, fresh and inspired, just like the completely redesigned, all new 2014 Chevrolet Impala. We think this beautifully styled car will re-energize the iconic Impala nameplate,” she stated.

Lead Interior Designer, Crystal Windham highlighting the beautiful interior features of the vehicle to event guests.

Among the attendees were a diverse group of engineers and designers behind the 2014 Impala including: Crystal Windham, Director of Interior Design for Chevrolet Cars and Small Crossovers and Kara Gordon, Vehicle Performance Engineer. Guests mixed and mingled and also had the opportunity to sit in the vehicle and receive a tour of the interior design elements from Crystal Windham.

Additionally, well-known designer and urban trendsetter Rick Williams was onsite to help tell the Impala story. Williams is the founder and creative director of the Distinct Life creative agency. He also co-owns the metro-Detroit based – yet world renowned – apparel and sneaker shops Burn Rubber and two|eighteen by Burn Rubber. Williams uniquely infuses automotive-inspired designs into his apparel line.

The event took place at the Milk Gallery located in the Meat Packing District neighborhood of Manhattan. Popular DJ and A-list music producer Clark Kent spun music throughout the night. An enthusiastic group of GM employees from the Fairfax Assembly Plant and the Arlington Assembly Plant also attended. These individuals created a rap group known as GMS3 and recorded a musical tribute to the Impala. GMS3 is a great example of how loyal people truly are to the iconic nameplate.

Find New Roads by DistrictDrive

Guests were also encouraged to share Impala photos and the Chevy Urban Style conversation on social media networks using #ChevyUrbanStyle. An interactive ‘car-fessional’ cam was set up to capture guests’ reactions to the all-new Impala. Check out this video to hear what they had to say. As follow up to the event, a Twitter party was hosted on May 13^th, and #ChevyUrbanStyle was trending on Twitter, resulting in the number one topic in the United States. #ChevyUrbanStyle also gained attention on Facebook and Instagram.

The Chevy Urban Style event was a fun filled night that successfully exposed a diverse group of New York City trend setters and media to Chevrolet’s redesigned flagship sedan.

The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray will lead the field and a hungry pack of Chevy powered Indy Cars to the green flag of the Indy 500, serving as the pace car for the 97^th running of the Memorial Day weekend classic. Seventeen other Chevrolet cars earned field spots and driver Ed Carpenter will start off the pole with fellow Chevrolet drivers Carlos Muñoz and Marco Andretti completing the front row. Chevrolet is excited to continue its historic relationship with the race.

“It is an honor to help inaugurate the all-new Corvette Stingray at the hallowed Brickyard and further the legacy between Chevrolet and the Indianapolis 500,” said Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports.

The Chevrolet IndyCar drivers are looking forward to the whole experience too.

“I really enjoy the [Indy 500] and all that goes with it,” said Carpenter. “There is nothing else in racing like the tradition of the opening ceremonies.”

The pace laps were implemented to give drivers the chance to warm up their engines, tires and allow for a rolling start. This marks a record 12th time Corvette has held the pace car honor since its first pace lap in 1978. It also marks the 24th time that Chevrolet has served as the pace car at Indy.

Known as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”, the Indy 500 is about much more than which driver will take the checkered flag. It is an opportunity for auto makers to take a production car and make it worthy of the Indy 500 badge. The Indy pace car represents the best in American automotive technology.

“Chevrolet is a great partner of the Speedway,” said Jeff Belskus, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation president and chief executive officer. “That connection is heightened this year with the next-generation Corvette in front of a very talented field of racers.”

The Corvette Stingray Pace Car will be virtually stock, as is traditional, but it will have the Z51 Performance Package, which adds an electronic limited-slip differential, a dry-sump oil system, an aero package for high-speed stability, and integral cooling for the brakes, differential and transmission.

The only difference between the pace car – decked out in Laguna Blue Tintcoat with official Indy 500 graphics on the doors – and Stingray production models are track-mandated safety features and strobe lights. The strobe lights are added so drivers and fans can see the car. Turning them off indicates the race will begin on the next lap.

No powertrain upgrades are required to run in front of the IndyCar pack, thanks to its all-new 6.2L LT1 engine, which features advanced technologies including direct fuel injection, continuously variable valve timing and Active Fuel Management (cylinder deactivation). They help efficiently produce an estimated 450 horsepower. Pace cars traditionally travel 70-80 mph with a max around 100 mph.

San Francisco 49ers head coach and former Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Jim Harbaugh, will be the official pace car driver. Several celebrities have been Chevrolet Corvette pace car drivers over the years, including Morgan Freeman, Gen. Colin Powell, Patrick Dempsey and The Food Network’s Guy Fieri.

All the action starts at 11 a.m. EDT Sunday, with live television coverage on ABC. In addition, the famed race will be broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211 and www.indycar.com.

On Monday, May 13, 2013 General Motors unveiled a state-of-the-art $130-million enterprise data center in Warren, Mich.  This comes less than one year after GM announced a plan to transform its global Information Technology (IT) department.  The company is betting a thoroughly transformed IT department will help accelerate GM’s global business operations.

The Warren data center is located in GM’s Technical Center just outside of Detroit.  Also announced was that GM will begin construction on a companion data center  this summer on the GM Milford Proving Ground. These two centers will integrate and streamline all aspects of product development, manufacturing, marketing, sales and OnStar applications to generate more functionality and faster access over time for any GM employee anywhere in the world.

Network Operator Adrienne Johnson at work in the IT Operations and Command Center

“The Warren data center has been benchmarked against the finest in the world – including Google and Facebook.  It represents a significant advancement in GM’s computing capability and brings information in-house,” said Randy Mott, GM’s Chief Information Officer. “This Data Center gives us a leg up on information security and functions as the company’s missions control center – supporting every critical element of our business.”

Housed within the data center is GM’s mission control center.  Boasting 48 work stations and a 955-square-foot video wall composed of 28 configurable screens to monitor data use across operations around the clock. It’s a tech-lovers dream and is the capstone of GM’s efforts to transform its IT operations to help the company work smarter and faster, as well as be more responsive to customers.

The state-of-the-art data center, benchmarked against the finest in the world, brings in-house work previously outsourced to multiple IT companies.

So why consolidate from 23 data centers to two centers? In this instance, GM will leverage the two data centers to create a secure, private cloud that allows super-computing applications, servers and data storage to be efficiently and quickly accessed among multiple users. This will help with business operations by increasing responsiveness to customers, speeding up marketing initiatives and delivering on objections to shareholders.

To drive increased innovation, GM also recently created four U.S.-based software and system development “Innovation Centers” located in Warren, Mich.; Austin, Texas; Roswell, Ga. and Chandler, Ariz. To date, 1,800 new IT employees have been hired at the centers and, in the next three to five years, GM plans to hire 4,000 more employees to staff the four facilities.

GM is heavily recruiting the best and brightest across the country and are having success. They are creating a world-class IT organization inside of a car company, and many IT professionals and college graduates want to be part of something big.

Combined, these four innovation centers and the two new data centers are the heart of GM IT’s initiative to better support company-wide efforts to more efficiently increase innovation and help the company deliver winning products around the world.

As a company, General Motors goes the extra mile to make sure employees can exceed at their jobs without disrupting their family lives. From benefits to job-skills training, GM does not fall short in supporting hourly employees.  “General Motors sets a standard of excellence for having not only work life programs and policies that supports this distinction, but for having a company culture that enables it to flourish,” said Ken Barrett, Chief Diversity Officer for General Motors.

Sponsored by Working Mother Magazine, General Motors was honored at The National Forum Supporting Hourly Workers in Maclean, VA. GM executives as well as hourly plant workers from Baltimore, Bowling Green and Spring Hill attended the ceremony and hosted media. Media had the opportunity to participate in a Twitter chat with Diana Tremblay, Vice President of GM North America Manufacturing and the chat turned out to be a great success. #GMWorkingMom was trending and reached over 1.1 million people while generating more than 6.5 million impressions.

GM Hourly employees at “The National Forum Supporting Hourly Workers” sponsored by Working Mother Magazine

Recognition as one of the best companies for hourly workers really sets GM apart from other corporations and proves that the company is dedicated to its employees. Be sure to check out the 2013 Working Mother “Best Companies for Hourly Workers” 2013 Executive Summary here.

“We were trying to find a 69 Camaro and never had any luck finding one. One day, we passed by a Chevrolet dealer in Gatineau, Quebec and saw this amazing Camaro in the lot and we fell in love with it right away. When we purchased the car we only made minor adjustments – the car had a red stripe on the hood and we had the color changed to orange stripes. We also painted the wheels (white outside and orange inside).

Since we have had this car we have met many other Camaro enthusiasts and made some wonderful friends. Everytime we take our camaro out on town we get many compliments on how beautiful it is.”

Would you like to be featured as the GM Facebook Fan Photo of the Week? Head over to the GM Facebook page and share your photo with us!

There are many vehicle infotainment systems on the market today but Cadillac is setting a luxurious standard with its industry-leading technology. The Cadillac User Experience (CUE) debuted last year in the XTS and ATS luxury sedans and SRX luxury crossover.

Unlike other in-vehicle user systems, CUE is designed to reduce complexity and be unique to each driver, from the “simple user” to the fully connected “super user”. 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.

You’ll immediately feel comfortable with CUE’s design because its home page resembles your smart phone or tablet screen and functions like them with the familiar click-and-drag functions. Along with its clean, uncluttered design, CUE provides Natural Voice Recognition and responsive touch-screen technology. Similar to many smart phones and tablets, CUE is mostly computer-driven so drivers can update their system to get the latest offerings no matter how old their Cadillac is.

CUE’s app-like approach to accessing a vehicle’s traditional features allow for settings to be tailored to specific tastes, also known as “favorites”. Users can save their favorite locations, phone numbers, or customize and save radio tone settings for a personalized music listening experience. CUE interaction designer Cody Hansen discovered this technology comes in handy when you have a sleeping child in the vehicle.

“I’ve used this feature to create a “baby mode”,” Hansen said. “I set the fade all the way to the front and turned down the bass so it won’t wake my daughter when she’s napping.  When she wakes up and wants to hear music, I just tap my “regular” favorite and all my settings go back to normal.”

Another benefit, there’s no hassle when it comes to the navigation system. With CUE, users can manually or verbally input the entire destination address on one screen, which saves time and keeps drivers focused on the road. In some cases, the driver can input the partial address and CUE will help fill in the rest. Engineers even addressed security concerns in the development process.

“With ‘Valet Mode’, users can enter a four-digit pin and lock access to the center stack, steering wheel controls, and the storage cubby behind the center stack,” said Hansen.

CUE is elegantly displayed on an 8-inch LCD touch screen, seamlessly integrated into the top of the central instrument panel. A motorized capacitive faceplate is below, concealing a 1.8L storage area.