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2015 Chevrolet Trax

After the obligatory product presentation for the 2015 Trax, I caught up with Steve Majoros, Chevrolet's director of marketing for crossovers and cars, and asked him to elaborate on which markets his planners believe will be the hot starters for this tiny CUV. Without much hesitation, Majoros began to click off traditional sales havens for Subaru, namely, New England and the snowy bits of the East Coast, Colorado and the Pacific Northwest. That news might not surprise you, but it did me. Perhaps it's something as basic as the Trax's tall-hatchback looks, or the emphasis Chevrolet put on the urban driving cycle during my test in San Diego. But before my chat with Majoros, I'd considered this a crossover pointed at the Millennial city mouse more than his bumpkin cousin. But a closer look had me re-examining the granola cred of Chevy's smallest crossover. Having spent my fair share of time in New England and around New Englanders, I started by mentally listing the Trax's Subaru-like traits: practicality, thrift, all-weather ability and, well, just a dash of ugliness. (I suppose a hatchback needn't always be ugly to sell in Maine, or Boulder or Portland... but a 'distinctive' face doesn't seem to hurt.) After a day of driving through sunny San Diego and its surroundings, I can say that Trax makes an interesting case for itself against the standard bearers of the L.L. Bean set, but I'm less sure of its argument for young urbanites. The Trax looks a lot like an Equinox whose suit shrunk in the wash. Chevy's has downsized its own, rather conservative crossover styling to fit the proportions of the subcompact Trax; to my eyes, it looks a lot like an Equinox whose suit shrunk in the wash. That's fine for offering a cohesive look for the Chevy family of crossovers, but it seems out of step with the rest of the segment. If the Trax's current competitive set were the cast of a high school-based TV show, the Kia Soul would play the lovable nerd, the Nissan Juke perhaps the outsider musician and the Subaru XV Crosstrek the athletic outdoorsy kid. Chevy may see the Trax as the hipster chick wearing intentionally ironic mom jeans, but to me the styling is a little too on the nose; more like an actual grownup trying to hang with the kids. These mom jeans are genuine. Per my earlier point, that quasi-conservative look may be just fast enough for staid New Englanders, but I have a hard time seeing the bluff, big-Bowtied front end playing in Bushwick or Wicker Park.

GM reintroduces Tripower name in the worst way possible

The story of General Motors' use of the Tripower moniker begins way back in 1957, when Semon E. "Bunkie" Knudsen, then General Manager of GM's Pontiac division, directed his engineers to inject more performance into his brand's line of V8-powered automobiles. Fuel injection was an option, but hot rodders flocked instead to Tri-Power (marketed way back when with a hyphen), which grafted a trio of two-barrel Rochester carburetors onto a single intake manifold. A legend was born. And that legend was born of performance. At idle and when full power wasn't required, Pontiac's Tri-Power system used just the middle carburetor, which helped make the setup easier to tune. Depending on the year and model, either a vacuum system or a mechanical linkage opened up the two outer carbs, thereby switching from two barrels to six, and allowing the engine to take in more fuel and air. And it was an easy marketing win – six barrels is better than four barrels, right? Because performance! So, when news filtered in that GM has resurrected the Tripower name, those of us who grew up attending classic car shows and wrenching on old Pontiacs did a double-take. And then we all collectively sighed. Turns out that today's Tripower refers to a trio of fuel-saving measures that include cylinder deactivation, active thermal management, and intake valve lift control, according to Automotive News. And, at least for now, it applies to GM's line of fullsize trucks powered by a 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. We're all for saving fuel whenever possible. And we have zero say in how any automaker chooses to market its products and technologies. But, we'll offer our two cents anyway: Relaunching a storied name from the past is fine. Relaunching a storied name from the past while completely overlooking the reasons the name got famous in the first place is only going to irritate the people who remember the name in the first place. Couldn't they just call this new technology package something else? Related Video: News Source: Automotive NewsImage Credit: Getty Green Marketing/Advertising Chevrolet GM Pontiac Automotive History Truck chevrolet silverado

2015 Chevy Colorado gets its GearOn before Chicago

Complementing the Chevrolet Silverado Midnight Edition at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show is this, the 2015 Colorado GearOn Edition, which as the name might suggest, takes full advantage of the company's truck accessory catalog. Available on the volume LT trim and in both crew and extended cab varieties and with both the short and long-bed options, the GearOn Edition adds plenty of nifty extras designed to increase the truck's versatility and help accommodate bikes, kayaks and other outdoorsy items. The GearOn bars package, divider package and tie-down rings are supplemented an "EZ" lift and lower tailgate, side steps, gloss black 18-inch wheels, a body color grille, and blacked-out Chevy badges. And although it's not specifically called out in the attached press release, the paint on this special edition looks different than anything else in the truck's catalog. We dig it, especially with the black accents. Prices, meanwhile, start at $31,250, which is not even $1,200 more than a Colorado Extended Cab LT 4x4. We'll have more on the Colorado GearOn when it makes its debut later this week at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show, including live images to add to the pair of stocks distributed by Chevy. Until then, scroll down for the press release on the limited-edition truck. Chevy Colorado GearOn™ Edition Brings More Adventure Versatile accessories package maximizes cargo capability; enables more fun DETROIT – Chevrolet today introduced the 2015 Colorado GearOn™ Special Edition, which blends the capability of the all-new midsize pickup truck with the versatility of the GearOn accessory system – and additional popular features. It makes its public debut Feb. 13-22 at the Chicago Auto Show. The Colorado GearOn Special Edition goes on sale this spring with a starting price of $31,250. It's offered on LT models in extended or crew cab configurations, with the long or short cargo bed and available 4WD. "Chevrolet Colorado answers the call for customers who have passions of all types and the GearOn accessory system enables them to bring more adventure wherever they go," said Tony Johnson, Colorado marketing manager. "And with Colorado offering segment-leading efficiency and capabilities, it's a combination that maximizes adventure without compromise." The GearOn accessory system is designed for easy configuration with a multitude of mounting accessories for everything from bikes, kayaks, skis and stand-up paddle boards to a bed-mounted tent.