Starting September 7, we will begin seeing ads for the all-new Chevrolet Cruze. Four of the 30-second spots will be voiced by the very recognizable tone of Tim Allen.

Best known for his starring roles on the show Home Improvement as well as the Toy Story movies, voicing Buzz Lightyear, Allen could possibly steal the spotlight from the cars. According GM’s vice president of marketing Joel Ewanick, however, the stars of the ads will still be the cars.

Allen, who grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, is a well known automotive enthusiast who happens to be a Western Michigan University alum.

Will Allen also narrate the upcoming Chevrolet Superbowl ads? Only time will tell…

In other news, Howie Long is still missing.

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The Saturn-badged Opel Astra was a cool little car that was fun and economical at the same time – a combination that has become quite rare nowadays. Nevertheless, this particular writer hopes that Chevrolet will make a three-door hatchback version of the Cruze five-door that will get its official debut in Paris. Anyone else hoping for a three-door Cruze?

While unexpected, the move to physically downsize the engine lineup of the most popular Chevrolet sedan makes sense, especially in light of new CAFE standards that are set to take effect in 2012 and last though 2016. More than anything, the decision underscores GM’s strengthened commitment to fuel economy.

While we aren’t privy to the actual four cylinder mills that will make their way into the new Epsilon II-based Malibu, we expect to see all the four-cylinder ECOTEC choices found in the Buick Regal, including the direct injected 2.4 liter LAF/LE9, the 2.0L low-output turbo (220 hp, 260 lbs.-ft. tq.) and the LNF high-output 2.0L turbo (260 hp, 260 lbs.-ft. tq.). A mild hybrid version of the ‘Bu will be offered as well.

What’s more, we’ve heard whispers that GM is working on an all-new 2.5 liter naturally-aspirated four cylinder ECOTEC, but this powerplant has not been confirmed at this time.

For those concerned about the availability of a six-cylinder engine in larger Chevrolet sedans, fear not: the next-gen Chevy Impala is rumored to offer a choice of six-cylinder engines, including the high-feature V6 (280 hp) and upcoming twin-turbo LF3. The latter may produce upwards of 350 horsepower and would match the power output of a V8 while attaining much better fuel economy.

Though General Motors is describing the unveiled version as a “show car” (meaning it’s somewhere in the middle between a concept and production version), the production model will see very few changes when it finally hits the streets. Expect the strings of LED lights on the lower front fascia and blue brake calipers to disappear. However, something that won’t go away will be the 400 L (14 cu.ft.) of total cargo space.

In Europe, hatchbacks make up around 65 percent of the entire compact market, which makes up 4.8 million vehicles across the board. Therefore, it’s easy to see why GM Europe will get the Cruze hatch first. Let’s hope for its eventual arrival in North America.

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For decades, this has been a popular bumper sticker among Chevy owners

Due to launch in October, GM will make light of the fact that – for ages – customers have put bumper stickers on their Chevys with a child urinating on the Ford logo (and vice versa).

Ewanick said the ads would use “interesting, creative and funny ways to take advantage of the fact that there’s really the Hatfields and McCoys.” He also said that the campaign will span television, print as well as online media and admitted that the theme’s inspiration was the gatherings of his own family where members would give one another a hard time about their rival truck brands.

Ewanick was the head of marketing at Hyundai Motor America for three years before coming to Nissan and staying there from March through May 2010. He arrived at GM about three months ago and has been impressing upon his new employees that the relationship between the truck owner and his/her truck brand should be used in campaigns.

Howie Long, the longtime Chevrolet spokesperson and former NFL defensive lineman, will not be in the ads. The commercials will instead feature another well-known personality.

These will be the last series of ads to be done by Campbell-Ewald, which is being replaced by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners of San Francisco as Chevy’s ad agency of record.

Even though sales of passenger cars have been on a downturn in recent years, the Detroit Three still command 81.8 percent of the pickup truck market. This is an increase of a half percent since the same period last year. Silverado sales have increased by 13 percent since July 2009 and Ford’s F-Series trucks were up 35 percent. The American car market improved by 15 percent as a whole over the first 7 months of 2010 compared to the same period of time in 2009.

[Source: Adage]

With the CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario already running three shifts with maximum overtime and not quite enough time and money to add shifts to other plants, nor to consider reactivating a dormant one, there was little else to do. So, GM had to figure out a solution that held the combination of being effective, affordable and could be done in a pinch. What they came up with is pretty good.

Turns out there was enough space in the Ingersoll plant for trucks to dock in, load up a full trailer of five Terrain and Equinox bodies, and shuttle them two and a half hours away to Oshawa, where paint and final assembly will take place. This method allows for an additional capacity of 60,000-80,000 Terrain and Equinox models to be assembled and shipped off to product-thirsty Chevrolet and GMC dealers.

The General has been doing this since March, but we have to wonder whether there’s a more stable long-term solution in the works. Any takers?

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Coincidentally, the most recent GM Authority Weekly podcast delivered a very interesting discussion about GM’s various platforms, including the Lambda, Theta, and Epsilon (be sure to listen to the show here). But one of the more intriguing parts of the conversation centered around the Lambda architecture, with Autoblog’s Sam Abuelsamid explaining that a V8 engine is a definite “no-no” for Lambda-based vehicles.

As it turns out, the engine compartment of the Lambda platform is exceptionally narrow and a GM pushrod V8 simply wouldn’t fit.

What’s more, Sam was also told that GM’s two-mode hybrid system won’t become available in Lambda-based crossovers any time soon: the engineers cited transmission-related space constraints of the Lambda platform. Interestingly, the gearbox in question would fit into a Theta-based Saturn Vue… but not a larger Lambda vehicle.

The GM Authority Take

Needless to say, we find this news to be somewhat disheartening. Not only is the Lambda architecture not very flexible, but the next-gen Cadillac Escalade will most likely ride on the Lambda platform as well. And given the addiction of Escalade owners to their burly V8s, we’re not sure that the move to a six cylinder mill will satisfy the customers in the long haul.

When the Suburban first hit the market in 1935 – it was a very different time for the United States. The total population was only 127 million and first-class stamps were only 3 cents. There were no import brands from Japan, let alone competitive Korean cars, and the word “hybrid” was hardly used in the English language. It was a different time in the U.S. and an even more drastically different time for the automotive industry. In the interim, the Suburban became an icon as the entire industry’s longest-running nameplate, having a longer lifeline than entire brands such as Volkswagen and Toyota.

Throughout the early 1930s, most manufacturers offered only car-based wagons for professional use. Open models, known as depot hacks, were used to transport people and cargo around train stations and boat yards. Enclosed models typically did not have rear seats and were called “sedan deliveries”. Since wood and canvas were used for the bodies and roof, the car-based chassis and bodies were quite damage-prone. This compromised their effectiveness and durability, so Chevrolet saw fit to start work on an all-steel wagon body atop a commercial chassis. Thus, the Chevrolet Suburban Carryall was born.

The original Suburban had seating for 8, had a 75 inch-long and a 77 inch-high cargo bay. Today’s latest model can seat up to 9 and is capable of holding an immense 137.4 cubic feet of cargo with the second row of seats folded and the third row removed.

Originally priced at $675 ($10,900 in 2010 dollars), the Suburban was a steal. However, the origional model did not have the modern amenities that we’ve become accustomed to, including heated seats, OnStar, dual front and side airbags, ABS, stability control, keyless entry, or an automatic transmission. In stark contrast to today’s Suburban, a radio, heater, clock and even the rear bumper were options on the original Suburban. GM’s press release even jokes that it might as well have been called a “sport utilitarian vehicle.” Har, har, har.

Car-based commercial vehicles remained in production throughout World War II, but heavier-duty vehicles based on commercial chassis began to gather more favor with professional and private customers who appreciated the capability, much like today’s private customers. Fast forward about 60 years, when the Suburban hit the mainstream in the 1990s with the SUV boom. And while many customers were new to the Suburban marque at this time, there were many other lifelong patrons who owned several examples throughout their lives, using the bow tie super wagon to haul anything from Little League players to horse trailers: just another example of three-quarters of a century’s worth of versatility.

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According to Automotive News, Joel Ewanick, The General’s U.S. Vice President of Marketing, plans on spearheading the mission of promoting Chevy’s new products. He has taken measures to recruit an all new ad agency that has taken steps to develop a new slogan.

“Yes, we will be in the Super Bowl, I won’t tell you how much or what we’re doing, but I will tell you it will all be about Chevrolet.”

Conveniently, the Super Bowl takes place just after the debut of two critically vital Chevy models here in North America: the Cruze global compact and the Volt plug-in Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV). However, Ewanick did not comment on just which models will be featured in the Super Bowl Ads (or if Howie Long will accompany them). It is still safe to bet that GM wants to market these new vehicles as much as possible and – if the timing is right- it may want to include the all-new 2012 Aveo as well.

The agency now in charge of Chevy’s $600 million account is the San Fransisco-based Goodby, Silverstein & Partners rather than Publicis Worldwide, which operates out of Paris, France. Ewanick made the switch just this past May, negating the decision to give the account to Publicis made by Susan Docherty, who has moved on to GM International.

Oh, and “Excellence For Everyone” (or “Everyone Deserves Excellence”) is out the window, as Ewanick wittingly states:

“‘Excellence for all’ — it’s a great title for Stephen Covey’s next book. It’s also something I could find on every one of our competitors and one that I could put on every airline and everything else,” he said. “It’s not specific to who we are and where we’re taking Chevrolet, and I thought that was important. We took a step back and said, ‘What do we have? We have a soul.’ People have deep feelings and passion about that.”

Lastly, the Chevy Camaro will have its own advertising campaign debut in September. Ewanick added that GM plans on pushing the bow tie pony car to elevate the brand and show that Chevy is more than just a docile lineup of Toyota-fighting sedans. Take that, Toyota.

[Source: Automotive News]

The going rumor these days has it that GM’s next-gen compact trucks will return to their condensed roots. This means that we should expect something along the lines of a Chevy S10 (GMC S-15). These vehicles will most likely be considerably different that the present-day orado/Sierra counterparts, delivering less capability, conspicuously better gas mileage, and a starting price of roughly $15,000 (or even less).

But the ultimate question, however, is whether these new compact trucks should stick with the proven body-on-frame (BOF) design (like the present-day Colorado) or switch to a unibody architecture (like the Honda Ridgeline).

While BOF vehicles are tougher and very inexpensive to produce, the architecture may have passed its prime, especially considering tougher CAFE standards and changing consumer demands. But sharing a platform with an existing GM car or crossover (think: Chevrolet Equinox, Cruze, or Aveo – for example), would definitely result in decreased costs and greater economies of scale, but may compromise utility (ruggedness, power, and payload/towing ratings).

In fact, GM may even end up splitting the development of its compact trucks into two different vehicles: a unibody model for North America and a body-on-frame version for the rest of the world. The former would herald a completely new product while the latter would see the continuous development of the current Colorado/Canyon platform.

So, what do you think GM should do with its next-gen compact trucks? Should they remain BOF or switch to a car-based architecture? Vote in the poll below and sound off in the comments.