Beck/arnley 173-7984 Distributor Rotor on 2040-parts.com

Chevrolet Volt production halted – again

General Motors has revealed that they are to halt production of the Chevrolet Volt for four weeks as sales stay low. Back in March, we revealed that GM were to stop production of the Chevrolet Volt range extender EV as actual sales fell well behind projected sales. At that time – with a production target of 45,000 Chevy Volts in 2012 – GM had managed to flog just 1.626 Volts in the first two months of 2012 so they decided to halt production for a moth as they had 6,300 Volts stockpiled.

Chevrolet Sonic gets $14,495 base price

The new Chevrolet Sonic small car--which replaces the Aveo in Chevy's lineup--carries a base price of $14,495 for the sedan and $15,395 for the hatchback, including shipping charges, when it goes on sale this fall. The 2012 Chevy Sonic sticker price is a jump of $2,249 to $3,005 above the 2011 Aveo, but the Sonic is a new design that includes more standard equipment. It rides on General Motors' new Gamma platform.

Car Design China Award winner benefits from Umeå placement

One of this year's Car Design China Award winners won the prize of a visit to Sweden's Umeå Institute of Design to mix with and work alongside other young aspiring designers and learn new skills using some of the latest technology available. Tsinghua University's Yulian Wu, who won the award for Best Luxury Concept along with partner Liu Kefeng at this year's awards, was welcomed to the school when he arrived on 25 September with the traditional welcome party for all new students. Umeå's program director for Transportation Design Demian Horst's first impression of Wu was a positive one.