Chevy Wants To Teach You The Joy Of Rowing Your Own Gears

By Kurt Ernst l Jun 25, 2012

2012-chevrolet-sonic_100379363_m
"After years of declining market share, sales of manual transmission cars are oddly on the rise. Take Chevy’s compact Sonic, for example: something like one-in-five leave the dealer’s showroom with a manual transmission.

Just a few decades back, learning to drive a manual transmission was an all-but-essential skill for anyone who took driving seriously. Back then, it was easy to find a family friend or neighbor who’d teach you to row your own gears, without the pressure of learning from a parent, brother or sister.

Today, finding someone who’s ready, willing and able to teach you the joys of manual gearbox driving may not be so easy. After all, most cars don’t even offer manual transmissions anymore, and those that do tend to be sporting (and expensive) in nature.

Tracking down a neighbor to help you master the clutch in a 1967 VW Beetle was one thing, but finding a neighbor who’ll loan you his Z06 Corvette Centennial Edition for the same purpose is more than a little unlikely.

Thankfully, Chevy wants to do something about this. Via the Chevy Sonic Facebook page, the automaker is giving away trips for four to the Stay Clutch driving school, where you’ll master the art of shifting under the tutelage of an unnamed “celebrity instructor.”

Winners also get tickets to the 2012 State Farm Home Run Derby and MLB All-Star Game, although we have no idea how they relate to learning to shift your own gears.

To get complete details on the Chevy Sonic Challenge, you’ll need to join CampusLIVE or log in under an existing account. Interested? Head on over to the Chevy Sonic Challenge Facebook page to enter."

 

http://hgm.me/LuEEVu

Electric Ampera/Volt Range Extender Wins Green Engine Award

Tops field of 45 in ‘International Engine Award’ competition

2012chevroletvolt
2012-06-14

"STUTTGART, Germany – The range-extending 1.4-liter engine in the Opel Ampera and Chevrolet Volt won the “International Engine of the Year Award” for the best green engine in a field of 45 contenders, the first time in the 14-year history of the awards that a range-extending powertrain has won.

“Until the Volt and Ampera, the short range of battery electric vehicles has limited their suitability for everyday use,” said Uwe Winter, Opel vehicle line director and chief engineer, who accepted the prize from Engine Technology International magazine. “Our revolutionary propulsion system removes this obstacle by uniting the environmental friendliness of electric drive with the long range of a combustion engine. And the Best Green Engine Award is the highest recognition of this achievement.”

A panel of 76 motoring journalists from 35 countries judges 12 categories of excellence in powertrain engineering. There were 39 all-new engines in the contest.

A 16 kWh lithium ion battery powers the 111kW/150 hp electric motor of the Ampera/Volt. Depending on the style of driving and road conditions, distance of between 40 and 80 kilometers can be covered in the purely battery-operated mode, completely free of emissions. The wheels of the car are always powered electrically. In extended-range mode, which activates whenever the battery has reached its minimum state of charge, power is seamlessly inverted to the electric drive unit from a generator driven by the 1.4-liter, 63 kW/86 hp gasoline engine. Extended-range mode enables a total driving range of more than 500 kilometers without refueling.

The Ampera and Volt together have won numerous international awards including the “World Green Car of the Year 2011” and more recently the European “Car of the Year 2012."

 

http://bit.ly/NVEbyf