Cobalt XFE selling faster than planned
Chevrolet apparently has a hit on its hands in the form of the new XFE model of its Cobalt compact car. Relatively easy tricks such as revised gearing, low rolling-resistance tires and some computer reprogramming was enough to boost the XFE to 36 miles per gallon on the highway, up from the standard model's 33 mpg. 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.
Nancy Libby, a spokeswoman for Chevrolet, says that demand for the car surprised the automaker, as it had estimated that the XFE would make up just two to three percent of Cobalt sales. In actuality, the XFE model accounts for eight percent of sales and sits on the lot for just eighteen days on average -- lowest of any Cobalt model. 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.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dave 2:25PM (7/22/2008)
Hopefully they make these minor tweaks to all their car models if it increases mpg by nearly 10% with no additional cost to the manufacturers.
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Lou Grinzo 3:20PM (7/22/2008)
"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."
Bingo! This is exactly what I think every time I see one of these "company X is having success with technology Y" stories. The car companies are every bit as derivative as movie studios, so we can bet that others will see the XFE-like changes as a relatively quick and cheap way to grab some sales from the competition.
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Throwback 3:44PM (7/22/2008)
A large part of the increased mpg is due to the car having a manual gearbox. Most Americans prefer not to shift their own gears, so GM will need to offer a 6 speed auto to get the same mileage. In a car like the Cobalt that would mean a sizeable price hike.
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taser 4:29PM (7/22/2008)
Manual Transmission is standard on base Cobalt. The MPG increase is comparing standard MT to standard MT.
Dan 4:37PM (7/22/2008)
It seems to me that eighteen months is a little long to make such minor changes. Tires, gearing and computer reprogramming, shouldn't take that long to accomplish. I could only think that GM is such a large company that it took that long to get rolling.
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stevefazek 7:47PM (7/22/2008)
it takes GM 18 months to order new letter heads. They are one of the most inefficient companies i know. The american auto industry is bloated as a whole.
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Tonesmoke 8:26PM (7/22/2008)
18 Months, huh? I guess they have a High Rolling Resistance
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MikeW 8:54PM (7/22/2008)
18 month, more like 18 minutes.
It is just a taller gearing, econo-tires, and a new engine program.
Note that the XFE is gone for '09
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tankd0g 11:51PM (7/22/2008)
They must have realized they did all that and they only just matched the milage of a base model 5 speed automatic Civic.
jenrock 2:01PM (9/05/2008)
Hey...
Do you have a source for the info that there is no 2009 xfe? I was thinking of ordering one and went on GM's site to price it. GM's site won't let me enter a 2009, only a 2008.
Owen 9:31PM (7/22/2008)
Doesn't anyone remember the Civic HX. Sigh.
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Torrent 4:18AM (7/23/2008)
No. I'm serious. I don't remember it.
MikeW 6:51PM (7/23/2008)
I remember that Honda didn't offer ABS on that one.
tankd0g 11:47PM (7/22/2008)
It took 18 months.......were the XFE badges on backorder???
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thedog 12:03PM (7/23/2008)
It probably took 18 months because of the computer changes, they might have had to go through federal testing again or something. And as inefficient GM is at changing, we all know the government is even better.
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cobaltfanatic 10:55AM (8/15/2008)
Hey - the Cobalt is such an awesome car, glad to see it as a green option. This car is smooth, zippy, and cool.
If you want some ideas for tweaking out a balt, check out the Chevy Cobalt Labs site at http://www.chevycobaltlabs.com - it's actually fun, and gives some nice tuning concepts.
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