The new 2012 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is in its fourth year of production and the improvements keep coming. For this newest version Chevrolet focused on the improving the comfort, performance and value both inside and out. One of the upgrades includes an optional High Performance package. This PDE ZR1 package features Michelin Pilot Sport Cup Zero Pressure tires. These are street legal versions of racing tires that are optimized to give the highest performance in cornering and handling capabilities. They are very wide and come wrapped around the 2012 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1’s all new wheels. These wheels are staggered size alloy wheels that come in five pounds less than last year’s wheel, a twenty spoke. The suspension has been tuned to near perfect as well in order to provide the best cornering grip. The addition of carbon ceramic brakes makes the stopping distant almost immediate at high speeds.

The main competition for the new 2012 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is the Ferrari 599, Porsche 911 GT2, Lamborghini Gallardo and the Audi R8. Critics agree that the mechanics of the Corvette ZR1 is up to par with the best in the world. They also complain that the interior is not as up to par as the European cars. American drivers do not seem to care as much about the smell of high quality leather for the interior when they are able to smell the heat from road the ZR1 leaves behind.

“The Cruze station wagon caters to an important market segment. It ticks all the boxes for European drivers in terms of distinctive design, dynamic driving, space and economy,” said Chevrolet Europe President and Managing Director Susan Docherty.

5-door models like the Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback and Station Wagon have proven to be very popular in the European and Australian markets but the “station wagon” has acquired a somewhat negative reputation for being tragically unhip vehicles driven only by soccer moms and newspaper delivery people. This view by the American consumer market is at fault for the end of very cool wagons like the Dodge Magnum and although compact hatchbacks have slowly become more popular in the US – full blown wagons still carry a stigma that slows sales. Because of this, we are very unlikely to see the Cruze Station Wagon in North American anytime soon but with the steady growth in popularity of models like the Ford Focus 5-door hatchback; perhaps General Motors will bring one of their larger versions of the Cruze across the pond to the US.

Those locations which do receive the new Chevrolet Cruze Station Wagon will get 17.6 cubic feet of storage space with the seats in the upright position and when the seats are folded down, the Cruze Wagon offers an impressive 52 cubic feet of storage space. Buyers will get to pick between a trio of gasoline engines (1.4L turbo, 1.6L, 1.8L) and a pair of diesel engines (1.7L, 2.0L), with start-stop technology on the 1.4L turbo gas engine and both diesel options.

Finally, the new Chevrolet Cruze Station Wagon includes the new MyLink system. This pairs your smartphone with the in-dash infotainment system – offering full control of your phone including phone numbers and stored media through the touchscreen control panel.

General Motors recorded the worst month for sales of Volts in January since August. Only 603 of the innovative plug-in extended-range electrics were sold, Automotive News points out.

By contrast, the News says Chevrolet averaged 1,259 Volt sales during each of the months of last year’s fourth quarter. The Volt, which lists for $39,995, is the first plug-in from a major maker with a backup gas engine for unlimited range.

GM recently agreed to modifications to better shield the batteries after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that Volts could catch fire weeks after a breech of their battery compartments, such as what would be seen in a big crash.

After GM said it would better protect the battery and take other steps, NHTSA saluted the automaker for taking affirmative steps to protect the company. But so far the clean bill of health is yet to translate into better Volt sales.

Wednesday’s targets included green technology, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and General Motors. Righteous indignation came from Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who questioned whether General Motors and NHTSA were somehow conspiring to keep quiet the less-than-lethal fires that befell the Chevrolet Volt hybrid-electric car.

GM CEO Dan Akerson was summoned to Capitol Hill–like a schoolboy to the principal’s office–to answer charges that NHTSA slow-walked the Volt investigation after one reportedly caught on fire three weeks after a laboratory-supervised crash test.

Issa led the charge. He convinced himself, despite evidence to the contrary, that GM and NHTSA hid the Volt battery defect to avoid embarrassment for GM’s green-halo car, a car that came from “Government Motors”–nudge nudge, wink wink.

Contrary to Issa’s thinking were some facts that, well, contradicted his point of view. First, NHTSA initiated “the unusual step of opening a safety-defect investigation in the absence of data from real-world incidents.” Read that again slowly: NHTSA began an investigation though it had no real-world data with which to do so. That is unheard of behavior. (Could it be argued that to undertake an investigation was a knee-jerk reaction to “want to do the right thing and not be seen as showing favor to GM?” Hmmm.) Second, Chevrolet took the unprecedented step of offering to buy back Volts from owners concerned about battery safety and even offered loaner cars to Volt drivers while the investigation was ongoing.

We ask you, Mr. Issa, et al, what else could GM possibly have done to come clean?

Finally, NHTSA cleared the Volt of battery problems. NHTSA officials say they believe Volts or any other EVs pose no greater risk of fire than do gasoline-powered vehicles.

See, where is this political folly–not an inexpensive folly, either–getting us? Nowhere fast.

Today’s dog-and-pony show has nothing to do with a Volt battery cover-up. In Issa’s eyes, GM’s crime was taking government bailout money to use it to be successful, becoming the world’s largest automaker a few short years later (a recipe this self-made multimillionaire has sort of used himself. Go read Issa’s Wikipedia page top to bottom.).

By the way, trashing GM and the Volt also robs President Barack Obama and green-energy fans of a win. This is an election year, after all.

Message to politicians: Your childlike behavior is numbing, and it’s beginning to piss off all of America. The greatest problem with this particular witch hunt is the message it sends to innovators in the United States, not to mention competitors abroad, when the crown jewel of a resurgent General Motors is attacked merely as a political salvo.

Akerson summed it up well: “We did not engineer the Volt to be a punching bag, but that’s what it’s become.”

A five-star safety-rated punching bag, in fact.

The Volt, which the automaker has made the poster child for its environmental credentials, has sold slower in California than its all-electric rival, the Nissan Leaf — in part because it previously did not qualify as a vehicle solo drivers could use in the state’s network of time-saving carpool lanes.

GM said that next month it will begin shipping a special version of the car with a “low emissions package” that satisfies the requirements of the California Air Resources Board, with sales to start the following month.

“These vehicles include additional emission-control equipment and software, which reduce emissions,” said Chevrolet spokesman Robert Peterson.

But whether it will make a large difference in Volt sales is questionable, said Thilo Koslowski, an auto analyst at Gartner Inc.

A small segment of auto buyers will pay more for the ability to get “from point A to point B faster,” but starting this year, the Volt will face more competition from other cars that are expected to qualify for the same rebate and lane access, he said

Ford is to start selling an all-electric Focus and offer a plug-in hybrid version of the larger Fusion. Toyota has a Prius plug-in and Honda plans a plug-in version of the Honda Accord. Tesla has its all-electric Model S sedan.

Also, the value of the carpool lane sticker is diminishing as California adds more toll lanes and starts to block solo drivers — regardless of the type of vehicle they drive — from those lanes.

Officials are converting 25 miles of carpool lanes on the 10 and 110 freeways into toll lanes. Carpoolers and buses will be able to use the lanes for free, but all solo drivers will have to pay up to $1.40 a mile during peak rush-hour traffic.

“There’s also still a big premium for such vehicles that discourages adoption by consumers. You might instead use some of that extra money to buy your way into these new express lanes,” Koslowski said.

Sales of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids such as the Volt, which run on a combination of battery and gasoline power, were just a tiny segment of the U.S. market last year.

Nissan’s Leaf, an all-electric vehicle, sold just 9,674 units, and Chevrolet sold 7,671 Volts. More than 60% of the Leafs were sold in California, in part because they qualified for the carpool lane permit and a state rebate. Only about 30% of the Volts sold so far have gone to California residents.

GM said it is in the final “paperwork” stages of having the car approved by state officials. A spokesman for the Air Resources Board would not comment, saying only that the certification process was still in a “confidential” stage.

Previously the Volt did not qualify for any California incentives because of emissions that occur when its electric charge runs out and a four-cylinder gas engine kicks on. The gas engine acts as a generator to power the electric motor, or in some instances will provide power directly to the drive train. The Volt can travel about 40 miles solely on electric power, depending on weather and driving conditions.

But if the Volt qualifies with state officials, buyers of the California version would be eligible for a $1,500 rebate on top of a $7,500 federal tax credit and carpool lane access. All-electric vehicles such as the Leaf, which don’t have emissions, qualify for the sticker and a $2,500 rebate.

GM said it would not charge an extra fee to California buyers for the low-emissions package. Volts have a sticker price of $39,995.

Pricing has not been announced on either.

The first 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible will cross the auction block on January 21 at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Drive to End Hunger food relief program.

GM said in statement on Thursday that the special-edition 505-horsepower Corvette, which combines the convertible model with a 7.0-liter (427 cubic-inch) LS7 engine from the Corvette Z06, is the “fastest, most capable convertible in Corvette’s history.” The LS7 is also the most powerful engine ever installed in a production Corvette convertible, GM said. The engine is linked to a six-speed manual transmission.

GM says the 427 Convertible sprints from zero-60 mph in an estimated 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of more than 190 mph.

GM said that customers who buy the convertible can add on the “Corvette Build Experience” option and “assemble the engine that will power their new car.” The option was priced at $5,800 for the 2011 Corvette Z06 or ZR1.

The Corvette 427 Convertible is equipped with standard Magnetic Selective Ride Control and 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels. It features a carbon-fiber raised hood, carbon-fiber Z06-style fenders and carbon-fiber floor panels. A CFZ carbon-fiber front splitter and rocker panels are optional.

The 60th Anniversary Package features an Arctic White exterior paint job and a Blue Diamond leather-wrapped interior with suede accents. Convertible models get a blue top.

Other goodies include a ZR1-style rear spoiler, special badging, gray-painted brake calipers and “60th” logo on the wheel center caps, steering wheel and seat headrests. An optional graphics package adds racing stripes in Pearl Silver Blue.

GM says the 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible “represents the first time a Collector Edition and Anniversary Edition are being offered in the same year — and available on the same car.”

With the start of the Texas hill country just to the north, the area surrounding Austin features winding roads and plenty of hills to climb.

Auto writers recently drove the new Malibu from the elegant Four Seasons hotel in downtown Austin all around Lake Travis, and over to Marble Falls and several other hill country destinations that included lots of winding roads.

The new body style and aerodynamic design efficiencies helped make the Malibu a real joy to drive, with the sedan performing beautifully even in rainy weather with some slick road conditions. The Malibu Eco also boasts 17-inch wheels and low-rolling resistance tires which help the overall performance.

Meanwhile, back at the Four Seasons hotel, a team of Chevrolet’s finest engineers and designers were gathered to talk to the writers about the new Malibu, which is headed for North American dealerships the first quarter of 2012.

The Malibu Eco is the first model of the all-new 2013 Malibu lineup to reach dealer showrooms. It has an MSRP of $25,995, including a $760 destination charge. The new Malibu is Chevrolet’s first global midsize sedan and will be sold in nearly 100 countries on six continents.

“With the new Malibu, the design and aero teams collaborated to achieve maximum fuel efficiency for our customers without compromising the car’s visual appeal,” said John Cafaro, Chevrolet Malibu exterior design director.

But that changed with the current car. GM was determined to take on the hugely popular and successful Japanese carmakers in this crucial mid-sized sedan market, and benchmarked their new seventh-generation Malibu against the likes of the Accord, Altima and Camry.

GM’s then vice chairman Robert Lutz and designer Bryan Nesbitt together oversaw the extensive development and re-engineering programme, and the result was a quantum leap in terms of performance, appearance and build quality over what had gone before. This latest Malibu shares a lot of design cues and exterior treatments that are more normally associated with the big German saloons.

The fit and finish of body parts, the precise consistency of seams and panel gaps are good enough to rival any of the European manufacturers, and the external appearance is sleek, modern and sophisticated, but also somewhat understated. Chevrolet’s central bar across the radiator and the golden bow tie make a welcome return in the new corporate face.

The modern reworking also applies to the interior design of the Malibu, though the cabin is a place where you will feel instantly comfortable and at home, rather than riding the cutting edge. This interior is as cosseting and familiar as a favourite armchair.

If the all-new Chevy Malibu were to be described in just one word, it would be “quiet.” At the vehicle’s launch event in Austin, TX, company representatives explained exactly why. First they added plenty of sound deadening materials, including a laminated front windscreen and front side windows, then they worked at absorbing solutions. The result is “the quietest Chevy ever” engineers on hand informed us, and out on the road it shows.

Exterior road noise is all but eliminated and perhaps the best example we came across was when we found ourselves next to a diesel pickup truck, which was pulling a load, heading up a steep hill. After riding along in near-silence it was surprising to actually detect an outside noise. Lowering the window for a second revealed an almost unholy racket. Closing it again shut out the outside world almost completely.

In almost all other ways the new Malibu has been improved, though we’d be hard pressed to call it segment-leading.

FEELS SUBSTANTIAL, FOR BETTER AND FOR WORSE

Matching the premium-level quietness of the cabin is a comfortable ride and one that feels substantial on the road. Contributing to this is a notably wider body and track, gaining two inches in thickness. It feels less like a mid-size and more like a full size machine, an advantage on the highway but a drawback around town. A contributing factor is the raised hood (a requirement of global pedestrian safety requirements), which gives the perception that there’s a great deal of car out in front.

By comparison, a Camry and Sonata (both hybrids we should add) that Chevy brought out as a competitive test set felt well-sized and nimble in a brief test drive around downtown. The likely culprit here is that the Malibu has a slightly shorter wheelbase, while being roughly two inches longer overall.

On windier roads the Malibu hardly excites and ‘confident’ isn’t a word we’d use to describe it mid-corner. Does handling in a mid-size sedan really matter though?

It feels heftier than its 3,620 lb curb weight would suggest, that being the listed poundage for our hybrid Eco model test car – the only model available at launch. That number surprised us as, traditionally, it’s a completely acceptable weight for a car of this class, even one without a bunch of heavy hybrid components to lug around. Of note, however, many other automakers have made considerably strides to cut weight from their mid-size sedans, with the Sonata and Camry hybrids tipping the scales at 3,578 and 3,441 respectively.

CAMARO CUES INSIDE AND OUT

Adding to the car’s perception of size from the driver’s seat is a narrow rear windscreen and special mirrors that Chevy will tell you help considerably in achieving a low 0.30 coefficient of drag, but which also taper off into a point, thereby limiting your view. It’s obvious from these gripes that Chevy did more than just borrow the Camaro’s taillights when designing this car.

Outside it’s handsome enough, but no more minimalist a styling update than the new Toyota Camry. There’s a notable bangle-butt rear end and lots of sheetmetal behind the rear doors, making it look substantial when parked. That trunk design, when paired with sloping rear roof, does give the car a Volt-like appearance and we’d argue the Malibu’s best side is its backside.

Inside there are notable Camaro elements borrowed as well, from the square gauges to some silvery gloss plastic around the center stack, which we’re at least glad is used much more sparingly here than in the Camaro. Much of the buttons and controls are standard fare, from the all-too familiar stereo buttons and stalks to the Cruze-esque steering wheel – something we quite like. It’s one of the few efforts made to shrink the car’s feeling of size.

Perhaps the car’s target demographic will disagree, but we were horrified by the faux wood trim on the center stack and doors. The chrome trim was equally old-manish. At night, the Malibu’s interior is transformed, however, with plenty of ambient lighting giving a polish glow to the cabin and controls.

The standard cloth seats are actually quite pleasing to the eye, though the optional leather is a reminder that GM still buys its cows from the Fisher Price farm.

CHEVROLET MYLINK: SIMPLE AND EASY-TO-USE

Interior highlights include a new display screen between the speedometer and tachometer with trip information and other car details. It does plenty to improve the “perceived value” of the car. In addition, there’s the new easy-to-use Chevrolet MyLink system, which comes standard on the Malibu Eco.

An incredibly easy to use touch-screen (which flips up to reveal a cubby to store your cell phone), takes a familiar route to in-car telematics, moving away from a subscription service to one that is tethered to your smartphone. As a result, you don’t have to pay a monthly fee, other than what you use on your cell phone. If you listen to music on your phone it doesn’t cost a penny, and if you stream music from services like Pandora it uses your phone’s data plan. That might sound like it can get expensive, but a company rep informed us that its designed so users who don’t normally go over their monthly plan likely won’t get pushed over as a result of streaming music.

Along with some more advanced features that only the one percent of techies will ever use, MyLink also downloads your phone’s contacts list so you can use voice command to call anyone on your list.

NOT A HYBRID, OR IS IT?

While Chevrolet will eventually offer a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder version later in 2012, as well as turbocharged 2.0-liter as a V6 alternative, the current offering is limited only to the hybrid – although GM doesn’t want to use that name.

The “H” word doesn’t appear anywhere on the car and that’s because of a GM marketing strategy that wants to sell the Malibu on its merits as a car, not as a hybrid. It also helps avoid lumping it into a niche – a segment that, it just so happens, the Malibu lags behind in fuel economy. Instead, GM calls it an Eco model, using the brand’s eAssist electric motor and lithium ion battery pack mated to a 182-hp 2.4-liter 4-cylinder with direct injection.

The battery is juiced up through regenerative braking, enabling a total of 15 extra horsepower to help give the car an extra nudge. This allowed Chevy engineers to adjust the car’s final drive ratio to a 2.64, which would otherwise hamper acceleration to a sever degree, but that problem is then solved with just a mild electric assist.

Other advantages are found in the use of a start-stop system, as well as by offsetting the energy needed by the accessories, by only charging them when it’s efficient to do so.

The result is fuel economy of 25 mpg city and 37 mpg highway and an average of 29 mpg. Solid numbers for a mid-size sedan, yes, though vastly inferior to the Camry-Hybrid’s combined 41-mpg rating. In our test we saw 19 mpg city and 26 in mixed driving.

As for acceleration, GM claims a respectable 8.7 second 0-60 time and we’d argue that more power isn’t needed, even if it doesn’t feel quite as spritely as the Sonata or Camry.

As for the rest of the vehicle, the rear seats are large enough for full size adults, even if they don’t look that large – due to the use of longer seat cushions. Trunk space is 14.3 cu-ft, which is an ok amount, until you realize the Cruze delivers 15.4 cu-ft.

As a family sedan, GM is putting a lot of focus on safety with the new Malibu, which has already received a 5 Star Euro NCAP rating and is expected to earn top marks in the U.S. A total of eight airbags are standard, with two more optional and GM will eventually offer the car with high-tech safety systems like collision alert and lane departure warning.

The all-new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu is such a well-engineered car. GM didn’t just designed it on the simulators, they actually got on the road and tested it to destruction, hence the million mile record.

The Malibu just racked up one million development test miles accumulated in about 22 months on six continents. They went to this enormous length to make sure the car’s overall ride and handling, comfort, quality and durability is up to the highest qualities.

That’s the thing about on-road development. You come across problems that just don’t appear on computers and you can tweak the car further.

And they went around the globe for the tests because the new Malibu will be sold in nearly 100 countries on six continents, making it Chevrolet’s first global midsize sedan. The million test miles were accumulated since the first quarter of 2010 on a fleet of about 170 pre-production vehicles, driven for a cumulative average of more than 45,450 miles every month. That’s the equivalent of:

• 66.66 years of driving a car 15,000 miles annually
• 201 round-trips between New York City and Los Angeles
• Two trips to the moon and back.