Here’s the story:

General Motors is ready to bring the fight to Ford’s Sync system with a reworked version of OnStar, but the salient details won’t be revealed for another seven days. However, we’ve gotten word from the General that it’s testing two new features: Audio Facebook updates and voice texting.

On the Facebook front, GM is the experimental phase of integrating OnStar with the 800-pound social media guerilla, allowing users to verbally update their Facebook status via audio recordings, with the possibility of utilizing the OnStar Virtual Advisor feature to read off Facebook status updates and news feeds.

Voice texting works in a similar manner, pairing the driver’s Bluetooth mobile phone to OnStar and allowing the system to read received SMS messages and reply using a voice command to select four pre-set messages. That’s not true voice-to-text functionality, but it’s similar to what’s being offered by other automakers.

Well, what do you think? Something you might like?

The talented Edmunds.com Data Department is constantly producing inspiring graphics to help illustrate the complex dynamics of the auto industry. And sometimes they just make up these cool maps for us. Next in our continuing series of pointing out where brands live is Chevy. The bowtie brand sells especially well in the “hourglass” mid-section of the country, or anywhere trucks make up a high percentage of sales.

So that you can see how these listings of current car registrations over the past five years rank state to state, the over-achieving  Edmunds Data folk has also included a (now colored-coded) numeric ranking by state (after the jump).

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing!

Saturday, September 11, 2010
You’re the driver when Texas Motor Speedway opens the Speedway to the public for the first time this year. Experience the thrill of driving your car around the 1.5-mile super speedway all to benefit the Texas Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities.

Polish up your special vehicle and come on out to “The Great American Speedway!®” on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010 for Laps for Charity II. Take three laps on the 1.5 mile Super Speedway behind a pace vehicle for just a $30 donation and have your picture taken in Victory Lane for an additional $10. Once again our fan favorite VIP Laps Experience will be offered for $250. Laps will be conducted for Car Clubs (by reservation) ours is 5:30, but we need to be there by 4:00pm and for the General Public from 7-10 p.m. No reservation is needed for the General public time. We will be arriving at TMS around 3:30 in order to take a large group photo.

So, I am sure everyone out there understands and knows the significance of our Laps for Charity day. It is indeed on 9/11 and I really felt the need to honor and pay respect to an event that so heavily impacted our country. I know there are a lot of members out there that served or currently do serve in our armed forces or risk their lives daily as a firefighter or a police officer. 9/11 may have been horrific, but the way America handled it is a testament to these peoples’ courage, determination, and unwavering nerve. With that said, LSC had to be involved and as a non-profit organization, had to also give back.

On the recommendation of Eric Hall with Classic Chevrolet (thank you Eric!!), I contacted the 9/11 Flight Crew Memorial Foundation with the intent of organizing a large scale photo-op. Well, after speaking with Dean Thompson (who is the CEO of the organization and the designer and sculptor of the beautiful bronze statue) I was left blown away by his level of commitment to the foundation and his excitement of having 50-80 Camaros arranged in front of his memorial. Therefore, LSC will be making a pit stop on its way to Texas Motor Speedway.

We will also be purchasing an engraved brick and making a donation to this great cause. Dean told me that his foundation is in the process of raising $3500 for lighting retrofits on the memorial and I would love nothing more than to come through for him. I know this is quite a bit of money, but I would love to see all of you step forward and help LSC meet that number. The brick that we are having engraved will be laid on the day we are out there, so it will be quite an awesome event to be a part of. We will have a donation jar at the next few meets and I have asked Dean to come out to our July event to talk about his foundation and the memorial.

For all that attend, you will receive a pin with the memorial logo as rememberace of this special day and you will be a part of a very large club photo. With as many people as we are anticipating making it out, the group picture should be a site to behold. I also want to mention that Dean is getting the Grapevine police and fire department out to the event to escort us over to the track from the site and he is organizing media coverage for us also.

The schedule will be as follows:

12:00-2:00 pm – We will meet at Classic Chevrolet on 9/11 to organize and yes (FREE FOOD)

2:00 pm – Head out to the memorial

2:15 to 3:30 pm – Organize the cars, take group photos, watch our brick get put in the ground, and celebrate the lives of our lost loved ones

3:30 pm – Head out to TMS for our track time at 5:30 pm (FIRST GROUP ON THE TRACK)

All in all, I think this is a very appropriate and much needed stop for our caravan to TMS. The photos will be fantastic and the memorial is a great way to honor this day. I emplore you all (sponsors and members alike) to help LSC meet our lofty donation goals and if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with me.

You can check out the memorial’s site here: http://www.911flightcrewmemorial.org/

Stay tuned for more on this as we get closer.

I know this is super long, so here are some cliffs:

-Laps for Charity is on 9/11
-LSC would like to pay tribute to this important day
-We will be making a pit stop at the 9/11 Flight Crew Memorial on our way to the track
-LSC will also be making a donation to this foundation, so break open those piggie banks!

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing!

Okay, so this video happens to be a Dallas auto auction security guard and not a valet per se, but the idea is the same: Kid gets to drive a car from A-B. Takes the long, sideways way ’round. Everyone gets in trouble.

We had a friend in high school who was a valet for a small, but pricey restaurant in a New England vacation spot. Claimed he burned a Viper’s tires to cords while the elderly owner was enjoying his chowdah. Trouble is, the guy could barely drive his 5.0 Mustang without careering into a marsh. No way he drove a Viper without dying. But without a video camera handy, well, it was our sense against his word.

That’s where this guy comes in. You can brag all you want to your buddies that you screwed around with someone else’s 638 horsepower Corvette ZR1, but unless there’s video, who can truly say you did or did not. Maybe he just videoed the boss tossing it around? That base, too, is covered by the best part of this video-- the driver exiting the car, throwing his hands in the air and finger-gunning the camera.

The guard has been fired and the Corvette’s owner--Woodhouse Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge near Omaha, Nebraska.-- is pressing charges.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYlWWazbsDk

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing.

Chevrolet Traverse LT ($39,920)
The quiet, steady-riding Traverse handles well and offers plenty of room for people and cargo. Among the larger of the “mid-sized” SUVs, the Traverse has a third-row seat that’s comfortable even for adults. Rear visibility could be better, and fuel economy of 16 mpg is mediocre at best. – Consumer Reports.

Have you made it out and test driven the new Traverse yet? If you’ve got a big family this may just be the car for you. Let your Texas Chevy Dealer take you for a test drive. I don’t think you will be disappointed by any means of the word.

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPqaivBxEFs

Chevrolet replaces the mediocre Cobalt this September with an all-new sedan, the Cruze. Already on sale in many markets around the globe, the Cruze will give the division a much more competitive small car in the States than in the past. We borrowed one recently to give our auto engineers a chance to preview this significant new model and share their impressions in this First Look video.

The Cruze will be offered with two engines: a base 1.8-liter, four-cylinder and an up-level 1.4-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder that has the potential to optimize performance and fuel economy. Both the automatic and manual transmissions offered are six-speed units. Much of the marketing attention will be on the 1.4-liter turbo, with its promised 40 mpg on the highway.

However, the bigger story is that all Cruzes, regardless of trim level or engine, are a marked improvement over the outgoing rental-ready Cobalt. Most of GM’s recent small cars have been underwhelming, but in our time with the Cruze, we found it to feel substantial and much more refined.  We think the car handles well, with responsive steering and a well-controlled ride. Noise levels are relatively low, and the cabin feels roomy for the class. Price concerns aside, the Cruze has much promise, and we are looking forward to purchasing a production example and running it through our exhaustive test regimen when it goes on sale.

—Jeff Bartlett

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing.

Click on the pictures to get a bigger view.

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oze4fmuOVxo

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing.

The most eagerly awaited car of the year is the Chevrolet Volt, the first next-generation extended-range electric car to hit the road. General Motors has a lot riding on the car, and it took a lot of workers to make it. Many of them were women in what has been traditionally the boy’s club that was yesterday’s auto industry. GM pulled together some biographies of some of the key women involved in the design of the Volt. Interestingly, each one is a mom. Here is what GM wrote about them:

Design – Nina Tortosa, pictured above, is the lead aerodynamicist on the Volt team. Her team has spent more than 500 hours of time in the wind tunnel with the Volt, often testing and tweaking changes in 1 millimeter increments. While their work is done in small measures, the cumulative impact is significant: Nina estimates that aerodynamic development on the Volt extended the electric-only range by almost seven miles at highway speeds. She has two children, ages four and five. Nina was born in Barcelona, Spain, and graduated from Mounds View High School, just outside Minneapolis.

Infrastructure - Britta Gross is director of Global Energy Systems and Infrastructure Commercialization. She is working to prepare utilities and to get communities across the country “plug-in ready,” not just for Volt but for the wave of electric vehicles predicted to be on the horizon (Global Insight estimates that plug-in electric vehicles and battery-electric vehicles could represent 20 to 60 percent of the market by 2030). This includes working with state and local governments on purchase incentives, with utilities to develop smart-grid and smart-charging technologies, and companies and municipalities to iron out home charging processes and to install charging stations at work places. Britta has two children, age 12 and 17; growing up, she lived in Kansas City, Chicago, and Baton Rouge.

Powertrain - Pamela Fletcher is the chief engineer for Volt and Plug-In Hybrid Propulsion Systems. She is responsible for the integration of the propulsion system components, including the lithium-ion battery pack, electric motors, and onboard engine generator, to ensure the cars meet customer expectations and business requirements. For the Volt this means creating an electric car with extended-range capability. Pamela has three children, ranging from 24 to 27 years of age; she grew up in Sarahsville, Ohio.

Marketing - Cristi Landy is the Volt product marketing manager. Cristi holds a degree in electrical engineering, and was part of the team that developed the Volt Concept in 2006. Currently, she acts as a liaison between Engineering and Marketing. As an example, Cristi helped identify the features and capabilities of the smart-phone application for Volt owners. This feature allows the driver to remotely heat/cool the cabin while the Volt is still plugged into the wall charger. This is much more efficient that using power from the battery for heat or air conditioning, extending the electric-only range of the Volt. Cristi has twin boys, age 10; growing up, she lived in Brookfield, Wis., and Jacksonville, Fla.

Manufacturing – Teri Quigley, pictured below, is the plant manager at Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly. Teri is responsible for preparing the plant and executing the launch of the Chevrolet Volt on the same assembly line as the Cadillac DTS and Buick Lucerne. This includes production changes to accommodate the installation of the Volt’s unique powertrain, including the training and safety protocols to install the Volt’s six-foot long, 400-pound lithium ion battery pack. Teri has four children, ranging in age from 14 to 26, and has two grandchildren; she grew up in Dexter, Mich.

Well what do you think?

Thanks to Brandi Hodge for contributing.