News: Cobalt XFE sales 2x more popular than estimated, more XFE models coming

[MetroMPG]

From ABG:

Not surprisingly, buyers are loving the new Cobalt XFE, tweaked to get 36 mpg highway. Sales make up 8% of all Cobalts (they were expecting 2-3%).

GM says it took just eighteen months to make this new version a reality, and rumors indicate there could be more XFEs on the way.

Perhaps the best news of all is that other automakers are observing the success Chevy has had with the XFE, and the concept is spreading across from GM to both Ford and Chrysler.

Aveo XFE, anyone??

From: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/07...-than-planned/

More XFE info at EM:
News: Chevy Cobalt XFE (new model with top of class highway MPG)

[Daox]

Awesome! Hope to see even higher numbers in the future (and hope the Cobalt holds up after a few years).

[ebacherville]

18 months to regear, recam and tweak the computer.. Thats ubsurd!!!!!! What the hell are they doing over there.. with todays prototyping technology and computer controlled fuel/ignition this is totally unreal to me.

GM Have a great, slow, painfull death. See ya

[tjts1]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Sales make up 8% of all Cobalts (they were expecting 2-3%).

You really have to wonder who was the genius that calculated that low expectation. GM never fails to amaze me with their total lack of foresight.

[TheDon]

Originally Posted by ebacherville

18 months to regear, recam and tweak the computer.. Thats ubsurd!!!!!! What the hell are they doing over there.. with todays prototyping technology and computer controlled fuel/ignition this is totally unreal to me.

GM Have a great, slow, painfull death. See ya

amazing what they can do in 18 months...

[akcapeco]

Originally Posted by ebacherville

18 months to regear, recam and tweak the computer.. Thats ubsurd!!!!!! What the hell are they doing over there.. with todays prototyping technology and computer controlled fuel/ignition this is totally unreal to me.

GM Have a great, slow, painfull death. See ya

It sounds like a long time, but you're talking about changes that could impact... certification... something beyond GM's control.

Think back also, 18 months ago and no one was really prescient about today's market conditions... except someone at GM. Looked at in this light, GM doesn't seem quite the dimwit the tone of the article somewhat conveys.

[Big Dave]

ebacherville posted:

“18 months to regear, recam and tweak the computer.. Thats ubsurd!!!!!! What the hell are they doing over there.. with todays prototyping technology and computer controlled fuel/ignition this is totally unreal to me.”


Dave says:

Remember that manufacturers have to get EPA approval for these changes. The EPA is never is a hurry to approve anything. Yes, small engineering outfits can do this in a matter of days, but the application will sit in the EPA for a month before they even begin doing anything.


All that said. GM needs to make a XFE version of the Malibu and Pontiac G8. If nothing else a stick shift needs to be available. I’m sure GM Powertrain has a dual-clutch transmission in their design department somewhere.

[MetroMPG]

In Canada, Honda tweaked both the Fit and Civic to marginally improve fuel economy and qualify for the fed's EcoAuto program (significant rebate for cars with fuel consumption below a certain limit). If I'm not mistaken, they did this in well under a year - but they also likely made it a top level priority.

And GM improved the Cobalt to a much greater degree than Honda did their cars.

[atomicradish]

This is great news. I hope Ford implements something similar to this on their Fiesta next year.

[Arminius]

Originally Posted by atomicradish

This is great news. I hope Ford implements something similar to this on their Fiesta next year.

They've already tweaked to Ford Focus 5-speed MT to be 1 mpg better on hwy mileage than the Civic 5-speed MT.

Focus (MT)= 35 mpg hwy
Civic (MT)= 34 mpg hwy
Cobalt XFE (MT)= 36 mpg hwy
Corolla (MT)= 35 mpg hwy

I just spent the last hour writing to Ford concerning mistakes on their website. They consistently give their competition better stats than their competition gives themselves.