Cobalt XFE selling faster than planned
Filed under: MPG, Chevrolet, USA
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]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-22-2008 @ 2:25PM
Dave said...
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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7-22-2008 @ 3:20PM
Lou Grinzo said...
"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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7-22-2008 @ 3:44PM
Throwback said...
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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7-22-2008 @ 4:29PM
taser said...
Manual Transmission is standard on base Cobalt. The MPG increase is comparing standard MT to standard MT.
7-22-2008 @ 4:37PM
Dan said...
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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7-22-2008 @ 7:47PM
stevefazek said...
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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7-22-2008 @ 8:26PM
Tonesmoke said...
18 Months, huh? I guess they have a High Rolling Resistance
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7-22-2008 @ 8:54PM
MikeW said...
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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7-22-2008 @ 11:51PM
tankd0g said...
They must have realized they did all that and they only just matched the milage of a base model 5 speed automatic Civic.
9-05-2008 @ 2:01PM
jenrock said...
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.
7-22-2008 @ 9:31PM
Owen said...
Doesn't anyone remember the Civic HX. Sigh.
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7-23-2008 @ 4:18AM
Torrent said...
No. I'm serious. I don't remember it.
7-23-2008 @ 6:51PM
MikeW said...
I remember that Honda didn't offer ABS on that one.
7-22-2008 @ 11:47PM
tankd0g said...
It took 18 months.......were the XFE badges on backorder???
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7-23-2008 @ 12:03PM
thedog said...
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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8-15-2008 @ 10:55AM
cobaltfanatic said...
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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