Chevrolet

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No computer chips for new trucks, top dollar for old trucks

Across the country, but notably in states like Texas where pickup trucks reign, supplies of new trucks are surprisingly thin. The reason? Car parts, particularly computer chips, are in rare supply. As a result, vintage Ford and Chevy pickups from the 70s and 80s are selling for 10 times more than their worth before the Covid-19 pandemic. So hold off selling that old pickup truck to the first person who offers $5,000 take it off your hands. It could be worth $50,000. In several states, according to several media reports on Drive.com, Ford is storing thousands of new Ford F-150 pickup trucks at the Kentucky Speedway and in parking lots in Detroit. The shortage of chips is preventing the trucks

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Ford regains pickup truck towing capacity lead from Chevy

MotorTrend has just released a comprehensive look at all things related to 2021 trucks, payload to towing capacities, gas mileage averages to bed quality. One of the most coveted category titles is towing capacities for half-ton pick-up trucks. According to the publication, Ford has recaptured the lead among mainstream manufacturers. Towing capacity: Ford No.1, Chevy No. 2 Its F-150 has a maximum towing capacity of 14,000 pounds. Two-wheel drive F-150s fitted with the 3.5L EcoBoost V-6 and either SuperCab or SuperCrew can be configured to hit this maximum weight. Four-wheel drive Ford F-150 trucks drop 100 pounds to 13,900 pounds of max towing ability. Chevrolet‘s Silverado and GMC’s Sierra can tow a maximum of 13,300 pounds with a 6.2L V-8

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GM recall woes: 624,000 trucks, SUVs

Faulty seat belt brackets have prompted a recall of 624,000 pickup trucks and SUVs from the current and past two years General Motors’ brands. The issue affects model-year 2019-21 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickup trucks as well as model-year 2020-21 Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 and GMC Sierra 2500/3500 pickups. GM recall woes: faulty belt bracket The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon XL SUVs are also being recalled. Vehicles affected have 40/20/40 split-folding front bench seats. Vehicles with front bucket seats are not being recalled. The issue: The seat belt bracket may not be secured to the center-seat frame. If the bracket is not secured, the seat belt may not restrain the occupant in the front-center

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New Corvette mid-engine beauty rocks auto world

The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray for decades has been labeled “America’s Sports Car.” It’s served as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 a record 16 times since 1978. And for 40 years, the Corvette has been made in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The General Motors plant is as nationalistic as any manufacturing city. It shares geographic headquarters with other iconic American companies — Holley to Russell, Camping World to Fruit of the Loom. But Chevy has expanded its motoring preferences outside of Kentucky and its seven bordering states. The debuts of the 2020 C8 Corvette and its 2021 sibling, both delayed in production by the coronavirus pandemic, feature what Chevy considered for decades — a mid-engine. With diminishing sales for several

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2021 Chevy Silverado 1500 gets more versatile

Known for its functionality and multiple trim level, the Chevy Silverado 1500 keeps improving. For 2021, the country’s second highest-selling light-duty, full-size pickup truck has a new truckload of mechanical and technological updates. Now in production and available beginning throughout the fall in different sections of the country, the Chevy Silverado will be highlighted by a Multi-Flex tailgate. The tailgate has six unique functions, allowing for easier access to bed cargo, enhanced loading solutions and a standing workstation. With a weight capacity of 375 pounds, different configurations activate two tailgate-mounted buttons or a key fob. Combined with the Silverado’s expansive cargo space, LED lighting, a 120-volt outlet and 12 fixed tie-downs, the new truck is the most functional and capable

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Truck wars: Chevy, Ford, Ram push towing capacity max

Truck wars are nothing new. But with lightweight trucks sales growing at an increasingly fast rate, competition has become more intense. The latest battle involves increased towing capacities for the top-three sellers, Chevrolet, Ford and Ram. Chevrolet recently announced an increase of 500 pounds for the 2021 Chevrolet 2500/3500, pushing the maximum to 36,000 pounds. The boost occurred after engineers made changes to the suspension and available wheel packages. The improvement to the Chevy places it 1,000 pounds less than the Ford Super Duty (37,000) and 900 pounds more than the Ram HD (35,100). Chevy’s 36,000-pound maximum is available only on the regular-cab Silverado 3500 Work Truck with dual rear wheels and rear-wheel drive. The 445-horsepower, 6.6-liter Duramax diesel making

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Two 1970s Chevy Silverado pickup trucks thrive as one

Eric Wright can’t drive far before people point, shout, make jokes and take pictures. Wright hasn’t done anything wrong. It’s just that most observers can’t figure out what’s going on when they view him in his truck on city streets, on the highway and in parking lots. Is Wright driving on the wrong side of the road? Is he going against traffic? Or just what exactly is he doing is in his Chevy Silverado? Specifically, what is he doing in two 1970s Chevy Silverado pickup trucks, the cabs of which are advancing in opposite directions? Wright, who was seeking a truck to promote his business couldn’t find exactly what he wanted on eBay. But what he discovered was a truck

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#143, Record sale for Mustang; goodbye Chevy Sonic, Honda Fit

There’s always news in the automotive world. Sometimes, The Weekly Driver Podcast doesn’t schedule a guest so co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia can discuss a few topics, like cars that will no longer be manufactured and a 55-year-old Mustang selling for an eye-opening record. That’s what we do in this episode. The Chevrolet Sonic and Honda Fit will no longer be manufactured after the cars’ current editions. Bruce and I discuss why we say good riddance to the Sonic and a hearty farewell to the Fit. Mustang, Mustang. How about a Mustang? Who would have known, a Mustang selling for nearly $4 million? It’s true. A 1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R sold for a record $3.85 million The vehicle

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#142, Pickup truck rarity: 1958 Chevy an homage to SF Giants

Amir Daneshvar is accustomed to selling unique, high-end, modern-day cars — Audi to Porsche, BMW to Mercedes-Benz. But how about a 1958 Chevrolet Apache Fleetside? It’s more unusual considering its appearance. It’s an homage on wheels to the San Francisco Giants. The pickup truck was made for one of the team’s “super fans.” The year of the truck is the year the Giants relocated from New York to San Francisco. It has a 350 crate motor and a 700R4 transmission. Daneshvar is our guest on Episode #142 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia visit with Daneshvar in his office at Zen Auto Sales in East Sacramento. The 1958 Chevrolet Apache Fleetside is parked outside, a

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Chevrolet Colorado gets cheapest truck honor

There’s a new leader among cheap trucks. Goodbye, Nissan Frontier. Hello, Chevrolet Colorado. After years of holding the honor of being the least expensive pickup, the Frontier has been rebooted with more standard equipment. The result: The Colorado extended-cab for 2020 costs $22,495 (including its destination fee) as assumed the cheapest truck honors The Frontier for 2020 costs about $7,500 this year than it did in 2019. The new Chevrolet Colorado has a lot to offer for its rock-bottom price. Its base trim features a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine with 200 horsepower and six-speed automatic transmission. Chevrolet Colorado gets mixed reviews Pickups rely on versatility. And while many pickups have higher maximums, the Colorado isn’t bad. Its payload capacity is 1,455

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Chevy Spark tops 2020 cheapest car list

Six years ago, a small number of buyers in the United States could still purchase the cheapest car with a sticker price of less than $10,000. It was a 2014 Chevrolet Spark and considering all available rebates, including a military personnel discount and several other incentives, the base model Spark was available for a high four-figure tally. With the average price of a new vehicle now steadily advancing toward $40,000, only about a dozen new cars in the country are now available for less than $20,000. Despite the price increase, the top-10 cheap car list includes a substantially improved standard features list. Top-10 Cheapest Car List All Less Than 19K Nearly every car on the list includes air conditioning, stability

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2019 Chevrolet Camaro defines muscle car in shrinking market

One of the most compelling automotive industry competitions occurred more than 50 years ago with the debut of the Ford Mustang. It was followed in quick order by the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird. The trio represented affordable sporty coupe sensations. The Firebird ceased production in 2002, but the Mustang and Camaro remain rivals. The Dodge Challenger is a newcomer foe now in its third iteration. As muscle cars, the trio represents a polarizing segment. Loud, powerful, masculine gas-guzzlers have loyal followers and equally passionate detractors. Sales figures give the latter group some boasting clout. Ford sold 75,842 Mustangs in 2018, followed by the Challenger (66,716) and the Camaro (50,963). The Pontiac’s sales increased three percent; Ford and Chevrolet‘s options

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VW Beetle to Chevy Volt to Ford Focus: goodbye, farewell

The end of the year in the automotive world always marks the end of the run for a car or two and sometimes more vehicles. The end of 2018 was among the most drastic farewells to vehicles in recent years. Manufacturers announced their departures from the car-making business to focus on sport utility vehicles and trucks. Vehicles with long histories and some that barely had time to build a sustained buying base will soon be defunct. In all, the production of at least 14 cars has stopped or will soon cease. The most significant departure from the new car landscape is the Volkswagen Beetle. The “people’s car,” as designated in the late 1930s in Germany, will no longer be produced

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2017 Nissan Titan improved, but still trails truck pack

The automotive landscape is dominated by large trucks. The Ford F-Series, Chevy Silverado and Ram pick-ups are perennially the country’s top-selling vehicles. So what are the other guys supposed to do to sell trucks? Nissan, which launched the Titan in late 2003, decided it needed to regroup. Except for a V8 diesel, the Titan wasn’t available as a 2016 model. It’s back in 2017 with a new look and an expanded warranty. Nissan’s goal is optimistic. It hopes the Titan can challenge the Big Three. Last year, Ford sold 820,799 F-Series trucks, led by the F-150. In 2005, Nissan sold 86,945 Titans, its best year. Sales haven’t reached 35,000 in any year in the last decade. With its 2017 model,

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Chevrolet Bolt set for early nationwide debut in August

The Chevrolet Bolt, the all-electric sedan with a 238-mile range that debuted in two states last December, will be available nationwide in August. General Motors‘ recent announcement means the sedan’s full unveiling will occur one month sooner than originally planned. Dealers across the country are now accepting orders. “We were waiting for the training to be done, we were waiting for the right tools to be in place,” Majoros said at a Chevrolet media event in Nashville, Tenn., adding all dealers wanting to sell the vehicle had to install DC fast-charging stations. “We are kind of ahead of schedule on implementing all of those things as well as making sure we have enough sufficient inventory.” California and Oregon were the

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Chevrolet Colorado top prize in earthquake charity auction

How does a 2017 Chevrolet Colorado filled with earthquake supplies sound? That’s the grand prize among dozens available in the sixth annual California Earthquake Authority-sponsored auction. The California Earthquake Authority and iHeartMedia are collaborating in the auction to raise funds for American Red Cross disaster-preparedness and relief efforts in California. The 2017 Get Prepared, California! Auction continues through April 30 and offers concert and sports packages, celebrity meet-and-greets and other once-in-a-lifetime items up for bid. Last year’s auction raised more than $174,000. And this year’s proceeds could increase the total amount raised to more than $1 million. It would be enough for the Red Cross to distribute 200,000 blankets at shelters, distribute 100,000 hot meals at shelters or through mobile

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