Chevrolet noise engineers employed a range of technologies and diagnostic tools to uphold interior sound quality of the all-new 2013 Malibu sedan. In this competitive segment, customers expected a refined, quiet interior, and engineers were able to rise to the challenge.

Thanks to unrelenting perfection when it came to sound, the all-new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu should be one of the quietest sedans on the market when it arrives in showrooms in early 2012.

“To tune the sound properties to appeal to the widest possible audience, we need to make sure everyone hears the same thing,” said Kara Gordon, Malibu’s lead acoustic engineer.

Gordon and her team used pre-production Malibus with a mannequin-like recording device called an Aachen HEAD, a digital recording tool that closely matches the way humans process sound with both their ears. As the test Malibus were driven on a variety of road surfaces, sound engineers were able to listen to and evaluate the Malibu’s interior noise recordings and find the “sweet spot.”

“The typical acoustic memory of the human ear to discern subtle yet important differences is about 10 seconds – or about the time it takes to go from one vehicle to another. The Aachen HEAD, our Jury Room and high-tech headphones make it possible for us to give our Malibu customers the quietest, most pleasing interior sound quality possible,” said Gordon.

Thanks to Gordon and her team, the next-generation Malibu will be able to prevent tire, wind and road noise from creeping into the cabin. In addition to precision testing, engineers employed features like noise-reducing outside rear view mirrors, laminated side glass and noise-absorption pads throughout the cabin to help reduce noise.

The all-new Chevrolet Cruze boasts outstanding fuel efficiency, with the ability to achieve up to 26 mpg city/36 mpg highway/30 mpg combined. But that didn’t satisfy Chevy engineers: To help deliver the most fuel-efficient gas-only compact in the U.S.—the Cruze Eco, which posts an EPA line of 28 mpg city/42 mpg highway/33 mpg combined—they made 42 unique changes to the Cruze, including swapping out a spare tire and jack for an onboard air-inflator system.

Not only does that help boost fuel efficiency by reducing the Cruze Eco’s curb weight by 26 lbs., but it also provides owners with a safer way to deal with flat tires.

“Getting rid of something as important as the spare tire wasn’t a decision we made lightly,” said Terry Connolly, GM director of Tire and Wheel Systems. “The universal implementation of tire pressure monitoring systems over the past five years has significantly reduced the likelihood that a flat tire will leave you stranded by the side of the road.”

In the Cruze Eco, the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) can detect a low-pressure situation early, before tire damage occurs. The driver is then able to plug the trunk-mounted inflator into the car’s 12-volt interior accesory socket and repressurize the tire within minutes. Even if an object like a nail or screw punctures one of the Cruze’s tires, the system can be used to inject a special sealant capable of plugging tread holes up to a quarter inch in diameter. The whole process takes just minutes, and with much less risk than a tire change. (However, note that per GM, reinflated tires should always be inspected at a repair facility as soon as possible after the car gets get back on the road.)

And according to Chevrolet Dealer TN, if a tire is too severely damaged to be repaired, the Cruze Eco offers an even easier option: With GM’s OnStar telematics system, drivers can simply press the blue OnStar button on the Cruze Eco’s rearview mirror and request emergency roadside assistance.

The easy-to-use air inflator also makes it simple to ensure the Cruze Eco’s tires are inflated correctly for optimum fuel efficiency.

“The Cruze engineering team equipped the Eco with industry-leading low rolling-resistance tires. Ensuring that they stay properly inflated will help drivers get the full benefit of this lower fuel consumption,” added Connolly. “Tire pressure actually changes about one pound per square inch for every 10 degrees of ambient temperature change. Keeping your tires at the recommended pressure year round means drivers won’t have to fill the fuel tank quite as often.”

According to Nashville Chevrolet Dealers, the all-new Chevrolet Cruze—in its 2LT RS trim—took home one of the industry’s most prestigious honors recently, when Chevy’s fuel-sipping compact earned a place on the annual Ward’s 10 Best Interiors list.

According to Ward’s editors:

“The Cruze illustrates clearly how the growing market for economy cars has convinced auto makers that cutting corners in the passenger compartment no longer works. Soft-touch surfaces, high-grade plastics, properly bolstered leather-appointed seats and great attention to noise reduction make the Cruze a wonderful value at $22,910.”

Of course, it’s an even better value at $16,525, which is the starting MSRP on the base Cruze. And even here, the Chevy offers plenty of high-quality materials and standard content, including 10 air bags—the most in the Cruze’s segment—along with a six-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 sound system, air conditioning, ambient lighting, power windows and door locks, a tilt/telescopic steering wheel, six months of GM’s OnStar system, and more.

Chevrolet Dealer Los Angeles said the sporty RS appearance package that helped the Cruze garner its recognition from Ward’s then builds on that strong foundation with further interior design touches like an uplevel instrument cluster with chrome accent rings, opaque cluster bevels and ice-blue backlighting. Also in the mix is an aggresive RS body kit for the exterior, with model-specific fascias, rocker moldings, rear spoiler and foglamps.

The 2011 Ward’s 10 Best Interiors list was based on a long list of criteria, among them being a vehicle’s materials, ergonomics, safety, human-machine interface, comfort, fit and finish, overall value, and aesthetics. Judges reviewed 51 new or significantly refreshed vehicles for this year’s recognition, eventually whittling the number down to just eight winners.

To get the inside story on the whole 2011 Chevrolet Cruze family—including the 42-mpg Cruze Eco—visit your local Washington DC Chevrolet Dealers today.

According to Chevrolet Dealer Nashville, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt—the world’s first mass-produced extended-range electric vehicle—recently added another impressive recognition to its increasingly crowded trophy case when it was named “World Green Car of the Year” at the New York International Auto Show.

“The selection of the Volt as the World Green Car is a further proof point of the fuel-efficient technologies that are now being offered by the Chevrolet brand around the world,” said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “This award, and the others that have preceded it, validate the efforts of the development team to build a truly remarkable vehicle with the potential to transform transportation around the globe.”

And speaking of those other honors, they include being named:

• 2011 North American Car of the Year
• Motor Trend 2011 Car of the Year
• Green Car Journal 2011 Green Car of the Year
• One of Car and Driver’s 10Best for 2011
• Automobile Magazine 2011 Automobile of the Year

The Volt’s unique powertrain also was named one of Ward’s 10 Best Engines for 2011.

Chevrolet Dealer Washington DC knows that’s about what you might expect from a car that delivers such unexpectedly high marks in fuel efficiency. According to the EPA, the Volt achieves the equivalent of 95 mpg city/90 mpg highway/93 mpg combined when relying on its advanced electric propulsion system—capable of providing up to 50 miles of all-electric, no-emissions driving on a single charge—and it gets standout EPA ratings of 35 mpg city/40 mpg highway/37 mpg combined when leveraging its high-efficiency I4 engine—which, if the Volt’s battery runs low, can provide hundreds of extra miles in driving range.

As a result, in the month of March (the latest month for which full data is available), Volt drivers averaged more than 1,000 miles between fill ups. A stellar example of this kind of performance comes from Volt owner Gary Davis of Greenville, S.C., who didn’t have to buy his first tank of fuel until nearly two months after he bought his car: “In my Volt I’ve driven 4,600 miles on 8.4 gallons of gas. That’s an impressive 547 mpg that I am achieving with my Volt.”

The 2011 Volt is on sale now at a select Chevrolet Dealer Minneapolis and at Chevrolet dealers around the country and will continue rolling out to new markets as the year goes on.

The advanced lithium-ion batteries in the Chevrolet Volt are a key enabler of the car’s environmentally friendly mission, and not just because they can help the drivers achieve an emissions-free, all-electric driving range of up to 50 miles. Showcasing GM’s long-time dedication to recycling, 10 environmental and facilities engineers from General Motors, along with a group of local kids from Detroit’s Lasky Recreation Center, recently teamed up to hatch a new way to get the most from the Volt’s batteries: Converting scrap battery covers—which would have otherwise ended up getting tossed out with the trash—into nesting boxes for the wood ducks, screech owls and other bird life living at GM facilities across the country.

“This is a great example of finding an alternative use for something we receive in our assembly plant every day,” said John Bradburn, manager of waste-reduction efforts for GM. “Our employees think about waste differently than most … they view it as a challenge to keep items in their use phase.”

And this isn’t the first time the Volt has extended its ecologically sound approach to the auto industry beyond the road. Earlier this year, GM announced it had developed a way to take the plastic boom material being used to soak up oil from the Gulf of Mexico and then recycle it into parts found under the Volt’s hood. This effort is expected to keep more than 100,000 pounds of plastic waste out of landfills this year alone.

“This was purely a matter of helping out,” added John Bradburn. “If sent to a landfill, these materials would have taken hundreds of years to begin to break down, and we didn’t want to see the spill further impact the environment. We knew we could identify a beneficial reuse of this material given our experience.”

Chevrolet has been bragging about the amazing fuel efficiency of the all-new Chevy Volt ever since it was approved for production, but now that the car is actually on sale, the company is letting Volt owners do the job. In fact, Chevy recently showcased the stories from a trio of early Volt buyers, all of whom have plenty to boast about.

Take Matt Stehouwer of Lansing, Mich. Stehouwer was so eager to buy one of Chevy’s innovative extended-range electric vehicles that he went to New York to take delivery of his Volt. Since then, he has covered approximately 1,500 miles in the Volt, including both his drive back to Michigan and a daily 32-mile round-trip commute to work, and is averaging 62 mnpg.

Retiree Mike McCarver upped that ante by reporting a 93 mpg average in 800 miles of Volt driving so far. The resident of Los Altos, Calif., relies on his Volt for around-the-town driving and an occasional trip to his vacation home, located 80 miles away. Said McCarver: “I really believe that over the long-term we have to have technology that is going to get us off fossil fuels and the Volt does that—I have the option of never buying gas again.”

Then there’s Mike DiPisa, of Lyndhurst, N.J. With a daily round-trip commute of 26 miles, DiPisa says, “I haven’t filled up my Volt since I took delivery.” The bottom line here: Of the first 1,485 miles that DiPisa drove in his extended-range electric vehicle, grid electricity provided the power to cover 1,391 of them. That works out to an average of 231 mpg—a performance Chevrolet says “is on the high end of real-life experiences of early Volt owners, but it isn’t that unusual.”

All told, according to the company, “By recharging their Volt regularly, owners are easily surpassing the 93 miles per gallon equivalence, or MPGe, on full electric operation and an overall 60 MPGe composite fuel economy during extended-range operation.

“The EPA ratings make the Volt the most energy-efficient compact car on the market today.”

With its new production Z-Spec Accessories, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic gets a sporty makeover set to debut later this week at the New York Auto Show. DC Chevrolet said the accessories can be purchased individually according to customer taste or in a complete package. It is also offered in tow body styles, a four door sedan or a five door sport version.

Bowling Green TN Chevy Dealer said the most unique of these accessories is the “Color Out” exterior finish which is available in “Black Out” and “White Out”. The “Color Out” exterior creates a lightning speed image to match the impressive turbocharged performance and smooth yet powerful handling. Hobbs NM Chevy said the Sonic boasts 138 horsepower, more than comparable cars of its size, and 148 lbs.-ft. of torque. By its release, the Sonic will be the only subcompact car built in the U.S.

Z-Spec accessories include:

• 1.4L turbo engine
• body-color ground effects with silver exhaust tip
• contrasting mirror caps and roof spoiler
• contrasting upper and lower grille surrounds
• 16 and 17 inch painted alloy wheels
• front fascia extension
• rocker panel extensions
• body graphics package
• aluminum sport pedals
• sill plates

Vice President of Chevrolet Marketing Rick Scheidt said, “The new Z-Spec accessories reinforce Sonic’s fun, youthful spirit. Cusotmization is particularly important with the cusotmers we believe will gravitate toward the Sonic, and we want to help them make their vehicle look exactly the way they want as easily as possible. The Sonic is a great canvas for cusotmization, and Z-Spec offers a cohesive design with a family of factory engineered accessories and graphics.”

Chevrolet’s Diamond and Dreams program gives baseball fans a chance to win prizes for young people in their community, now in its second year; the program is expanding to reach even more people in communities around the country.

The 2011 Diamonds and Dreams program has been expanded to offer 100 youth baseball prizes including 20 youth baseball field makeovers, 20 Ripken Baseball clinics and 60 team equipment packages. Each participant will also be registered to win one of four trips to the 2011 MLB All-Star Game and one will win an all new Chevrolet car. Visit chevybaseball.com to enter for a chance to win.

Last year, Granite Bay, California, Pflugerville, Texas, Weymouth, New Jersey, Mebane, North Carolina and Brownsburg, Indiana received field makeovers for local Little League teams. Each field makeover included a reconstructed pitcher’s mound, new infield skin, recut base paths, new home plate and bases, drainage installation and new coach boxes.

Last year participant Marie Kennedy said, “I was so thrilled because it was for the kids. Kids’ baseball no matter what the town, depends on donations and help from the community. I’m very happy that I entered the Diamonds and Dreams program and ended up a finalist.”

To celebrate 100 years of the great American Chevy tradition, Chevrolet is releasing a flashy Centennial Edition Corvette. This summer, the special edition Corvette will be available in all Corvette models as an option package. This edition features a Carbon Flash Metallic exterior color, Centennial Satin Black painted wheels with special center cap logo, red brake calipers and 100 year badges. Inside matches the sleekness of the exterior with a suede accented ebony interior with red stitching.

Vice President of Chevrolet marketing Rick Scheidt said, “The Centennial Edition not only celebrates our 100 years, it once again pushes Corvette forward for a new generation of sports car fans.” With ultra cool looks and awesome sports car performance, the Chevy Corvette is here to stay.

Chevrolet is hosting a special webchat event on Monday, April 11th at 6 p.m. with Chevy Volt Engineer Andrew Farah and Technical Director of Motor Trend Magazine Frank Markus. Sign up at Chevy Volt to join the conversation.

Farah and Markus will take questions on all aspects of the Chevrolet Volt including its technology, engineering, development and driving experience.

As the first electric vehicle with extended range, the Volt is getting a lot of attention from consumers. For good reason too, the Volt has recently won several impressive awards including 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year, Green Car Journal Green Car of the Year, 2011 North American Car of the Year, a 2011 Edison Award for being the world’s first electric vehicle with extended range capability, and another 2011 Edison Award for the OnStar Mobile App (in the transportation remote driving aids segment).

With its electric and gas combination, the EPA has rated the Volt a 93 mpg electric and a combined 37 mpg city and highway gasoline. Of course this number will vary according to miles driven each day and amount of charging time. The Volt is a completely new driving experience with its awesome fuel efficiency, advanced technology and fun personal touches.