A special-edition Chevrolet Camaro convertible will serve as the official pace car of the 2011 Indianapolis 500, both the famous race's and the famous Chevy brand's 100th anniversaries.

Chevrolet and Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials made the announcement at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, where the first of 50 Indy "festival committee cars" went on the block.

Courtesy Chevrolet is taking Camaro convertible orders now! A simple $500 deposit gets you on the list!

The next phase in Camaro's successful return to the market starts in February with the 2011 Camaro convertible. The starting MSRP will be $30,000 (including $850 DFC, excluding tax, title, license and other fees).

As previously announced, the new Camaro Convertible features a fully powered, soft convertible top. Like the Camaro Coupe, the convertible is available with either the 3.6L V6 or the 6.2L V8 engine. The six speed manual transmission is standard, and the six speed automatic transmission with tap shift is optional. Most of the coupe packaging carries over to the convertible. The exception is the convertible will be offered in LT and SS trim levels only. Like the coupe, the 1LT and 1SS trim levels feature cloth interiors, while the 2LT and 2SS trim levels feature leather-appointed interiors. The RS Exterior Package is also be available on the convertible.

Schedule a test drive at Courtesy Chevrolet in San Diego now!

The EPA has rated the Chevy Cruze Eco model at 42 mpg highway. It’s particularly impressive because under the new EPA guidelines, it includes things like A/C use and faster acceleration (and more properly rates hybrids). For comparison, under the pre-2008 ratings, a rating of 42 mpg would be approximately 47 mpg.

The new Chevy Cruze Eco is powered by a unique turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder with variable valve timing. Besides the engine, other advanced efficiency changes include a lower grille on the front of the car that closes at highway speeds to improve aerodynamics. The upper grille doesn’t feature as many openings as the standard model, again to improve aerodynamics. The Cruze Eco also rides lower to the ground, and the 17-inch aluminum wheels are lightweight. And you get the low-rolling-resistance 17-inch Goodyear tires.

A six-speed manual transmission comes standard; the six-speed automatic is optional. The manual will get to 60 mph in 10 seconds, the automatic in 9 seconds.

There is an optional RS appearance package for the upper LT and LTZ trims. The RS package adds unique bumpers, body moldings, rear spoiler and fog lamps. Inside, the gauge cluster gets chrome accents and a backlighting effect.

Contact Courtesy Chevrolet today to learn more about this new economical hybrid-buster today!

Order the most awarded Chevrolet ever, the all-new Chevy Volt electric car, from Courtesy Chevrolet! Motor Trend Car of the Year, North American Car of the Year, Green Car of the Year!

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Normally, the end of the year has the best deals. Not this month! With the substantial Chevrolet rebates this month, you can drive away with savings up to $10,000 or more! Chevy rebates combined with Courtesy Chevrolet discounts mean huge savings for you! Now is the best time to buy!

• Did you know that you own lease a new Chevy and have lower payments than purchasing a late-model pre-owned vehicle? Contact Courtesy Chevrolet today and find out how low your lease payment could be!
  
• During the GM Certified Used Vehicle NO WORRIES Sales Event, get 1.9% APR financing on select GM Certified vehicles, including: Chevy Impala, Chevy Malibu, Chevy Silverado, Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, GMC Sierra, and Pontiac G6. This offer won't last. Visit Courtesy Chevrolet now thru February 28, 2011. Click here to see this week's pre-owned specials.
• If you are a GM Cardmember, we can extend your savings to higher levels with the new "GM Card Topoff Incentive Program". Get GM Card Topoffs of $2,000 or $3,000! Contact us now to see if your GM Card qualifies.
• Take advantage of low lease payments like the $159 per month special on a brand new 2011 Chevy Cruze! Click here to see all of our current special lease offers.

Interest rates on auto loans are hitting record lows, a boon to car buyers and a benefit to the nation's recovering auto industry.

The interest rate on a four-year loan for a new car averaged 6.21% in the latest weekly survey of major banks and thrifts, according to Bankrate.com. That's the lowest average rate in more than two decades of tracking. A few lenders are offering rates as low as 2.99%, says Greg McBride, senior financial analyst for Bankrate.com.

Edmunds.com says interest rates on new car purchases overall in December, including automaker-subsidized loans, averaged 4.16%, the lowest since the car-buying research site started keeping track of rates in January 2002.

Rates were a half-percentage point lower than in December 2009. Edmunds recorded the highest average new car loan rate at 8% in January 2006, when sales demand was higher and credit-rating standards looser.

With the ground-breaking Chevrolet Volt now on its way to customers, General Motors is already looking to expand its leadership role in vehicle electrification, recently announcing a major expansion of its electric vehicle (EV) development and engineering operations in Michigan. A bonus: The new effort will result in the addition of a 1,000 jobs in the state over the next two years.

“We want to give our customers energy choices other than petroleum and to make the automobile part of the solution when it comes to the environment,” said GM CEO Dan Akerson. “GM is going to lead the industry in the adoption of various vehicle electrification technologies, whether its electric vehicles with extended-range capability, like the Chevrolet Volt, or the recently introduced eAssist technology that will debut on the 2012 Buick LaCrosse.”

And those two vehicles will certainly be a step (or more) in the right direction: The Volt offers 25 to 50 miles of all-electric, no-emissions driving, but also features an efficient on-board generator that can provide up to an additional 340 miles of anxiety-free driving if the batteries are depleted. Based on that kind of performance, the EPA recently rated the Volt as delivering the equivalent of 93 mpg in all-electric mode as well as a very impressive 37 mpg when relying on its gasoline-powered generator.

The Barrett-Jackson Classic Auto Auction in Scottsdale, AZ,- Chevrolet and officials from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced a special edition 2011 Camaro 2SS/RS Convertible that will serve as the official pace car for the 2011 Indianapolis 500.
 
The 2011 Camaro 2SS/RS Convertible is the 22nd Chevrolet and the seventh Camaro chosen to pace “the greatest spectacle in racing.” Adding to the rich heritage is the fact that 2011 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500, as well as Chevrolet’s centennial year.

Introducing Chevrolet's all-new, U.S. built small car, the Sonic.

In Pandora news, a new blog post from founder Tim Westergren says the service passed 75 million users in 2010, with feedback via thumbs up/down on over three billion songs. Westergren says that the new year "will bring more options than ever to listen to Pandora on the road, beyond just plugging your smartphone into an auxiliary jack. Ford, GM, Mercedes-Benz, Mini and Toyota have all announced Pandora integration into their dashboards. There's no way to describe what it's like to have personalized radio in the car. You just have to try it."