America Loses out on the New Chevrolet Orlando (but Canada doesn't)

Sadly, Chevrolet will not be selling the production version of the chunky Orlando compact-crossover to the States. Instead, the Bowtie will focus on its current lineup of much-improved vehicles.

Here's how Margaret Brooks, head of small cars/crossover marketing explains it like this: "The best thing to do for Chevrolet is to focus on the brands we've already brought to market: the Traverse, Equinox, Malibu and, soon to come, the Cruze. We feel that with those vehicles, Chevrolet has plenty of options for the modern family."

Bloomberg does a great job of pointing out that, while the decision to not sell such a cool little people mover is unfortunate, it's s sign of a General Motors that makes smarter, more economically-focused decisions.

Speaking of being smart, the lack of a US Orlando comes with a bonus: more capacity for the Equinox, Traverse, and Malibu (three very important vehicles for Chevrolet).

Oh, and just to get you interested in some gray market action: Canada will be getting the Orlando, so ownership of one is just a little bit of paperwork away. Or a fast burn across the border.

By Phil Alex

Via: Bloomberg

Chevrolet Camaro Outsells Ford Mustang by Almost 20,000 Units at Year One, But Loses in May '10

Yesterday we learned that the refreshed and more powerful 2011 Ford Mustang sold 10,225 units in May 2010 beating GM's Chevrolet Camaro by almost 1,300 units (8,931 sales monthly total).

The General's reaction? Early this morning, the Detroit automaker came out with a press release stating that from May 2009 (the 2010 Camaro's first full month of sales) to May 2010, Chevy's pony car posted 99,872 total sales, outselling the Ford Mustang by nearly 20,000 vehicles (80,340 units total).

The company added that the Camaro has led the pony car sales race for 11 of the last 12 months.

Of course, now that the Mustang has been upgraded with a pair of more powerful and frugal V6 and V8 engines, the Camaro won't have it so easy as May sales proved. That is until GM introduces a revised version of the Camaro and the cycle begins again...

For the record, Detroit's third pony car, the un-updated Dodge Challenger, sold a total of 3,828 copies in May 2010 recording a 42 percent increase over the same month last year (2,695 units), setting a monthly sales record for the second month in a row.

2011 Chevy Camaro with Re-Rated 312HP V6 and HUD Priced

Apparently GM has conveniently leaked pricing of its 2011 Chevrolet Camaro that goes on sale later this month [June]. According to the tipster, prices remain unchanged for all models sans the 2LT V6 and the 2SS V8 that both get a $350 increase due to the addition of the Head-Up-Display (HUD) system to the standard equipment.

We remind you that for the 2011MY, GM re-rated the Camaro's basic 3.6-liter V6 engine to 312HP (instead of 304HP), while other changes include the availability of the Synergy Green exterior color on all trim levels and the introduction of the Head-Up Display system with speed, tachometer, compass, temperature, OnStar Turn-by-Turn, gear and audio functions.

Via: Camaro5

VIDEO: Dropped 2010 Camaro SS on Hydraulics

Is this what the kids are into nowadays? If so, well...good for them. I've never been into the huge lowrider / airbag / hydraulic culture, but I'm glad to see it's thriving; it's a different take on the car scene. If anyone's wondering what a 2010 Camaro SS capable of "hitting three's with ease" looks like, here you go. The info / details start at around 2:00.

By Phil Alex

Via: Cardomain

Topless Chevrolet Trailblazer for Sale

Seating for seven, 4-wheel-drive, and no top. No, it's not a Defender 110 on safari, it's this 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer that's been converted (or cannibalized) for Rose Bowl parade duty. Seller Jeff is hoping to get $15,000 for the car, but it's not even really a convertible. It's just topless. On the upside, it's only covered 29,500 miles. If sold, this one's probably going to a collector of the weird.

By Phil Alex

Source: Motorz TV, Via: Autoblog