Corvette hood, lights to influence future Chevrolet vehicle designs

Those who enjoy the view from behind the wheel of a new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray will be able to look forward to more of the view in Chevrolet’s newer designs. 

The view helps diminish the Stingray’s perceived width thanks in part to the fender peaks. This lower center presents a fine view of the road ahead, despite a lower seating position. The overall view from the driver’s seat of a Corvette Stingray offers a pure sense that a special car is being driven.

Ed Welburn, General Motors vice president of global design, said in an interview with Automotive News that the hood of the Corvette Stingray will influence some design choices of future Chevrolet products.

“I always look at the hood of the Corvette and the sectioning, the way it’s taut, very lean, very sporty,” Welburn said. “That will be a part of really everything we do for Chevrolet.”

The Corvette-like hood design likely won’t be as radical on other models due to platform constraints. Welburn went on to say that the taillights will also find a home in future designs. This is not the first time that other Chevrolet models borrowed Corvette’s style. Chevrolet veterans will remember the quad-circle taillight treatment the old Chevelles had in ’71 and ’72. The quad, bumper-mounted taillights remained through ’77 on the El Camino. More recently, the 2009-14 Camaro tails resemble those old El Camino taillights. 

To learn more about current and future Chevrolet models, contact Jim Butler Chevrolet in St. Louis at 888-640-6826. To inquire about the Corvette models, please check out JimButlerChevrolet.com or give us a call. We invite you to check out our Chevrolet inventory in person at our dealership located at 759 Gravois Bluffs Blvd. in Fenton. If you’re in the St. Louis, Arnold, Belleville or Chesterfield area, stop by our lot! Here at Jim Butler you can make your Chevrolet purchase with confidence. We are located in Fenton, Mo., and serve as your St. Louis, Chesterfield, Belleville, Fenton and Arnold Chevrolet dealer.

Premium, limited all-black ‘Midnight Edition’ Silverado hits Jim Butler Chevrolet

5,000 Silverado packages to be produced this year; Z71 variants available for order in February

Jim Butler Chevrolet in St. Louis has your opportunity to own a sleek and stealthy premium — and limited for 2015 — “Midnight Edition” 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Z71. 

Like other General Motors’ blacked-out variants such as the Silverado Custom Sport, the Midnight Edition Silverado is a trim decked out in all black including an all-black front end with body-colored grille, bumper, headlamp bezels, tow hooks and fog lamps. Other exterior specialties include 18-inch black painted alloy wheels, special Z71 badges on the doors and a black spray-in bedliner. Black Chevrolet bowties front and rear tie the Midnight Edition package together. 

As with other Silverado 1500 Z71s at Jim Butler, the Midnight Edition includes off-road suspension, a locking rear differential, hill descent control and a trailering package. These blacked-out pickups also include rear park assist and heated, power-adjusted outside rear-view mirrors. 

The Midnight Edition Silverados provide their owners with a popular custom look right from the factory. Customers can get a monochrome exterior, black alloy wheels and other customizations with this new package.

Chevrolet will publicly debut at the Chicago Auto Show next month and start delivering the Midnight Edition Silverados around that time. Chevrolet said no more than 5,000 examples will be produced in 2015; those who want the Midnight Edition can choose between double or crew-cab models. Price will be between $1,595 and $1,995 depending on style chosen.

If you’re interested in a sleek pickup truck with style, then contact Jim Butler Chevrolet today at 636-349-3222 or check out jimbutlerchevrolet.com. Act fast as only 5,000 will be available in 2015. As your St. Louis Chevrolet dealer, we invite you to check out the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 in person at our Fenton dealership. If you’re in the St. Louis, Arnold, Belleville or Chesterfield area, stop by our lot at 759 Gravois Bluffs Blvd. in Fenton. Here at Jim Butler you can make your Chevrolet purchase with confidence. We are located in Fenton, Mo., and serve as your St. Louis, Chesterfield, Belleville, Fenton and Arnold Chevrolet dealer.

2015 Silverados at Jim Butler Chevrolet to offer Custom Sport package

New package inspired by personal-use pickups of 1960s

Chevrolet looks to combine an old classic with a new truck with its Custom Sport special edition package available on its 2015 Silverados. The new edition is a tribute to the pickup trucks of the late 1960s and will be available on 2015 Silverados at Jim Butler Chevrolet St. Louis.

The 2015 double and crew cab Silverados will undergo a sophisticated and monochromatic look as well as body-colored front and rear bumpers and a body-colored grille surround with a chrome-accented black grille. Other features include 20-inch chrome wheels, chrome door handles and mirror caps and chrome body-side moldings. The Custom Sport special edition also includes projector beam headlamps, tow hooks and heated power-adjusted mirrors.

For the 2015 Silverado, the Custom Sport package can be placed on LT and LTZ trims including Z71s. LT models will be available in black or white; LTZs will come in black or White Diamond Tri-coat.

This special package pays homage to the Chevy Custom Sport Trucks (CST) of the late 1960s. It was around that time when Chevrolet trucks were becoming popular as vehicles in suburban America and not just for job sites. The 1967 CST had bright trim, plush carpet and bucket seats and helped launch generations of personal use pickups that continues today.

Package prices will vary from $1,950 to $2,950, depending on the model. Jim Butler Chevrolet in St. Louis can place orders starting this month.

If you’d like to learn more about the Custom Sports package or about the 2015 Silverado, call Jim Butler Chevrolet at 636-349-3222. If you’re in the Fenton, Arnold, Valley Park or Belleville area, stop by our dealership at 759 Gravois Bluffs Blvd. in Fenton to check out our trucks in person. Make the Chevy powerhouse Jim Butler Chevrolet in St. Louis your choice for your new 2015 Chevrolet Silverado. 

2016 Volt plug-in hybrid debuts at Detroit Auto Show

New drivetrain, fresh style, 50-mile EV range highlights of Chevrolet hybrid

When current owners of the Chevrolet Volt were asked by General Motors (GM) what they’d like to see improved on the new editions of Volts, they responded with an extended EV range and a less “quirky” look. The first looks at the 2016 Volt at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show seem to respond to those two requests.

A powerful trio of the battery pack, drive unit and a range-extending engine comprise the drivetrain — dubbed the Voltec Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) by GM. Through revising the battery cell chemistry, the storage capacity increased while the cell number decreased. The battery advancements enable the new Volt’s claimed 50-mile EV range, a significant improvement over the current car’s 35-mile rating. Overall range while using the onboard gasoline engine is projected to be 400 miles, and GM is quoting an anticipated MPGe figure of 102.

Horsepower stays the same (149) while torque increases to 294 lb.-ft. The new motor-generators are closer in size in contrast to the previous car’s large-motor/small-motor configuration. A naturally aspirated 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing 101 horsepower replaces the old 1.4-L. The first domestic application of GM’s new Ecotec engine family, the 1.5-L possesses direct injection, a variable-displacement oil pump, cooled exhaust-gas recirculation, and wideband cam phasers. As an added bonus, the 2016 Volt will now run on regular gasoline whereas the earlier model ran on premium. Even with the gasoline engine alone, the 2016 Volt gets an EPA-estimated 41 combined mpg.

The exterior maintains its four door sedan “with a hatchback” look, but another consumer suggestion was to make the Volt “less quirky.” Chevrolet addressed this request by trimming and taming the overall exterior with toned and sculpted sheet metal. Combined with headlamps that flow into the front fenders to and a more traditional rear hatch along with the aero-optimized tail lamps that form part of the spoiler, the 2016 Volt helps quell consumer’s “quirky” concerns.

According to GM, more than half of Volt owners charge their Volts at 120 volts. Charge time on the 2016 Volt at that voltage is about 13 hours; double that and reduce the time to 4.5 hours. A redesigned cord set now resides on the left side of the cargo area above the floor. An illuminated charge port has been added as well.

It will be some time before the 2016 Volt hits Chevrolet dealerships, but at Jim Butler Chevrolet in St. Louis, we have an inventory of Volts that can be viewed online. Call our sales staff at 888-640-6826 to learn more about the hybrid Volt. If you’re in the Fenton, Belleville or Arnold area, stop by our dealership at 759 Gravois Bluffs Blvd. in Fenton.

Colorado pickup wins Cars.com’s Best Pickup of 2015 award

Another pickup truck at Jim Butler Chevrolet in St. Louis earns yet another accolade. The 2015 Chevrolet Colorado was presented with Cars.com’s Best Pickup of 2015 award earlier this month at the North American International Auto Show.

Mark Williams, the pickup truck editor at Cars.com, said the 2015 Colorado “jumpstarts” the midsize pickup truck category that was slowly fading. Williams added that the new Colorado offers great features and an impressive ride at an affordable price. The 2015 Colorado also has segment-leading efficiency and capabilities.

“(The 2015 Colorado) is an efficiently sized, maneuverable solution for customers who want the cargo-hauling and trailering versatility of a truck without the size of a full-size pickup,” Tony Johnson, Colorado marketing manager, said.

The 2015 Colorado is available in four-door extended or crew-cab models. It boasts the segment’s best horsepower (200) and EPA-estimated fuel economy (27 mpg highway). New owners can get this from the standard 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder, making it the most fuel-efficient gas pickup trucks on the road. Those who opt for the 3.6-liter V6 can see the Colorado get 305 horsepower and 26 mpg. V-6 models offer a segment-leading maximum trailering rating of 7,000 pounds, as well as the G80 locking rear differential, for sure-footed track in slippery conditions and when trailering.

Congratulations to the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado! To view Jim Butler Chevrolet’s online Colorado inventory, click here or call us today at 888-640-6826. As your St. Louis Chevrolet dealer, we invite you to check out the Colorado in person at our Fenton dealership. If you’re in the St. Louis, Arnold, Belleville or Chesterfield area, stop by our lot at 759 Gravois Bluffs Blvd. in Fenton. Here at Jim Butler you can make your Colorado purchase with confidence. We are located in Fenton, Mo., and serve as your St. Louis, Chesterfield, Belleville, Fenton and Arnold Chevrolet dealer.

Four models at Jim Butler Chevrolet earn 2015 IIHS Top Safety Picks

Safety is a high priority for Chevrolet, and four 2015 models at Jim Butler Chevrolet in St. Louis have earned a 2015 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick.

The 2015 Chevrolet Equinox, Malibu, Spark and Volt achieved good or acceptable ratings in the challenging small overlap front test and received a good rating in four other crash evaluations (moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints).

The number of vehicles earning the Top Safety Pick award rose from 39 to 71 for 2015. These safety accolades can provide some comfort for past, present and future Jim Butler Chevrolet customers. The range of vehicles winning the awards — from the hybrid Volt to the fuel-efficient Equinox SUV — also means that the Chevy Powerhouse has your bases covered when it comes to a fantastic new Chevrolet model.

To learn more about these safe, award-winning models or about our inventory of Chevrolet vehicles, visit us online at jimbutlerchevrolet.com or call our sales staff at 888-640-6826. If you’re in the Arnold, Fenton or Chesterfield area and want to check out these winners in person, stop on by our Gravois Bluffs dealership located at 759 Gravois Bluffs Blvd. in Fenton.

Chevrolet’s Ecotec Silverado wins light-duty challenge

2015 model available at Jim Butler Chevrolet wins PickupTrucks.com’s yearly competition

Another Chevrolet pick-up truck model an award to add to its trophy case. The 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 — when outfitted with the available 6.2-liter Ecotec3 V8 engine and eight-speed automatic transmission — bested four other pickups in the 2015 PickupTrucks.com Light-Duty V-8 Challenge.

The Silverado’s competitors were the Toyota Tundra TRD, Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn, Ford F-150 XLT and the GMC Sierra 1500. In the field of five trucks, the 2015 Silverado 1500 emerged victorious after a week of testing and trials. Through Arizona deserts and highways, the trucks west tested on acceleration, their quarter-mile time, braking, fuel economy and a hill climb on the legendary Davis Dam grade. 

Five judges scored the newest trucks in six key categories — Overall Performance, Ergonomics, Tech and Entertainment, Suspension and Ride, Interior/Exterior, Visibility, and Value. 

The 6.2-L Ecotec3 V8 is the most powerful engine Chevrolet has ever put in a light-duty truck,

and when it’s equipped on a 2015 Silverado 1500,

it gets a class-leading 12,000 pounds of towing. This engine also produces a powerful 420 horsepower. 

Jim Butler Chevrolet in St. Louis has what you’re looking for in a light-duty pickup with our inventory of 2015 Chevrolet Silverados. To learn more about the Silverado 1500 and our arsenal of pickups, call Jim Butler’s sales team at 888-640-6826 or visit us online at jimbutlerchevrolet.com. If you’d like to check out this top truck in person, visit our dealership at 759 Gravois Bluffs Blvd. in Fenton. If you’re in the Fenton, St. Louis, Arnold or Belleville area and want a powerful pickup truck,

look no further than Jim Butler Chevrolet

in St. Louis — the Chevy powerhouse.