2002 Chevy 1500 Silverado Ls Z71 Ext Cab on 2040-cars

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Before Chevrolet's Redline, there was the Saturn Red Line

While Chevy rolls out Redline special editions across more of the lineup at this year's Chicago Auto Show, we've been eating some 'member berries and started thinking about the last time GM used the term. Back in 2004, Saturn rolled out Red Line (two words) editions of the Ion and Vue. The lineup was joined by the Sky Red Line in 2007, and the second-generation Vue kept the tradition going in 2008. This was in the heady days of the mid-2000s, before the financial crisis and GM's bankruptcy reorganization that saw the end of Saturn. The press release headline for the 2008 Sky is now cringe-worthy: "Hot-selling Sky helps drive Saturn product renaissance." Performance lineups were the hot new thing, as automakers attempted to cash in on the tuner trend popularized by The Fast and the Furious. Chevy had SS models, Pontiac had GXP, and Saturn had Red Line. Across the Detroit Metro area, Dodge had a slew of SRT models, and Ford's Special Vehicle Team brought us the SVT Lightning pickup, the SVT Focus, and a smattering of hopped-up Mustangs. The performance cred of Red Line models varied from car to car. The Ion Red Line shared the same engine as the original Chevy Cobalt SS, a 205-horsepower supercharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, 65 hp more than stock. Car and Driver tested one with a 0-to-60-mph time of 6.1 seconds and said the Ion "tears down the wall that has separated enthusiasts from the Saturn brand for so long." The Vue Red Line, meanwhile, came with the same optional Honda-sourced 3.5-liter V6 you could get in the regular Vue, and added a stiffer, lower suspension, bigger wheels with more aggressive rubber, and recalibrated steering assist. When the Vue was redesigned for the 2008 model year, the Vue Red Line was a similar proposition. The engine was now from GM, and up 7 horsepower to 257, but you could get it in both Red Line and XE trim. Aside from the tire and suspension upgrades, Red Line models now came with a unique front fascia and rear exhaust cutouts. The most exciting Red Line, of course, was the high-performance version of the Sky roadster, which shared underpinnings with its Pontiac Solstice twin. This model came with GM's hot 2.0-liter Ecotec Turbo, good for 260 horsepower. The extra power was crucial in covering up the Sky's unfortunate manual gearbox ratios, which left the non-turbo model aching for torque in lower gears. As we all know, Saturn was taken by the grim reaper in 2009 after an attempt to sell the brand to the Penske Group.

Chevy Malibu Hybrid wins 2016 Connected Green Car of the Year

From the Washington Auto Show today, Green Car Journal's Ron Cogan announced three different fuel-efficient vehicle awards. They were: 2016 Connected Green Car of the Year: Chevy Malibu Hybrid 2016 Luxury Green Car of the Year: Volvo XC90 T8 2016 Green SUV of the Year: Honda HR-V The Volvo was nominated in two categories, but it did not win the Connected Green Car of the Year. Speaking of non-winners, the other green SUV finalists were the BMW X1 XDrive28i, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-3, and Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. The other Luxury Green Car finalists included the BMW x5 xDrive40e, Lexus RX 450h, Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid, and the Mercedes-Benz C350e. Finally, the Audi A3 e-tron, BMW 330e, Toyota Prius, and Volvo XC90 T8 were the runners up for Connected Green Car. 2016 Connected Green Car of the Year, Green SUV of the Year, Luxury Green Car of the Year Winners Announced WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Car Journal has announced the winners of its prestigious 2016 Green Car Awards at a press conference held today during the Washington Auto Show's Public Policy Day in Washington DC. Distinguished as 2016 Luxury Green Car of the Year™ is Volvo's new XC90 T8. The Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid tops the field as 2016 Connected Green Car of the Year™ and Honda's HR-V earns Green Car Journal's 2016 Green SUV of the Year™. "These are stand-out vehicles in an increasingly sophisticated and appealing field of 'green' cars," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and CarsOfChange.com. "To make the cut as a finalist is a real achievement in itself considering the considerable competition in the market today. Rising to the top as award winners means these three exceptional vehicles set a benchmark in the auto industry's effort to create vehicles that are desirable and efficient, while also achieving environmental milestones so important for our driving future." The Green Car Awards are a key feature of The Washington Auto Show, the "public policy show" on the auto show circuit and one that puts a priority on safety and sustainability. "We are extremely proud of our partnership with Ron Cogan, whose eagerly anticipated suite of awards help shape the national conversation on the innovations that will drive our industry and country forward," said Geoff Pohanka, chairman of The Washington Auto Show.

Plug In 2014: VIA makes the case for 'free' plug-in hybrid work vans, trucks

If you're a fleet manager who's been waiting anxiously for the chance to buy a plug-in hybrid van from Via Motors, your wait is almost over. If you work for the right fleet, anyway. David West, the chief marketing efficer for VIA Motors, took AutoblogGreen for a ride around the San Jose Convention Center in a Via van sporting an Electric Blue paint job as part of the Plug In 2014 Conference this week and gave us an update on how things are coming along. The big news is that the Via PHEV van production is going to start by the end of September. Via can currently build two vans an hour at its production plant in Mexico, or about 16 a day and could easily double that. "That would get us to 20,000 a year with two full lines running," West said. "We have the capacity." "There is no way gas can compete with electric." – David West, Via Motors But they can't sell that many quite yet. By the end of December, around 350 Vans will be made, mostly for a $20-million program from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the South Coast Air Quality Management District that will see the vehicles used by fleets that will report energy data to the Idaho National Lab. Via is also finishing up CARB certification for both the van and the company's plug-in hybrid pick-up truck. About 50 percent of Via's technology in the truck will not need to be tested again, since it's the same as what's in the van, but things like crash tests will need to be done twice. Despite the progress, this is not where Via hoped it would be today. The bankruptcy of battery supplier A123, "took about a year off our timeline," West said. "It's been getting a little slow getting it to market, there have been some challenges, particuarly since we had the country's worst recession right in the middle of this wrap up, but it's inevitable in my mind. There is no way gas can compete with electric." Maybe that's why FedEx has expressed an interest in buying around 5,000 units, West said. FedEx already has some pilot vehicles, just like Verizon does, and PG&E wants to replace all of their gas trucks with electric vehicles, which would be another 3,000 sales, he said. Besides the fuel savings, vehicles like these, with easy on-site power generation, could also work wonders in post-disaster situations, he said, since they could replace the need for generators.