General Motors
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Small SUVs are all the rage, steadily eating into sales of passenger sedans and hatchbacks of pretty much every size. It's not just limited to North America, either: the trend is global, which is why several makers have jacked up perfectly standard front-wheel-drive hatchbacks and turned them into "crossover" utility vehicles. Now GM may be shaking up its product lineup to redirect its plug-in hybrid technology toward smaller SUVs as well. DON'T MISS: Chevrolet CrossVolt Trademark Renewed: AWD Electric Car In Chevy's Future? (Dec 2014) And a news report yesterday suggests that it's at least...
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Chevrolet Colorado ZH2: first ride in hydrogen fuel-cell Army truck
Olive drab isn't the only green thing in the U.S. Army. Currently undergoing testing at Fort Carson in Colorado, the Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle illustrates the unlikely intersection between eco-friendly powertrains and the demanding needs of a vehicle that may be deployed to...
Andrew Ganz -
Self-driving Chevy Bolt EV electric test cars to be deployed
It's widely acknowledged that most, if not all, of the autonomous vehicles expected to reach our roads in volume will be electric cars. Without the complexity of a combustion engine and transmission that must be electromechanically controlled, the task of automating the driving of a vehicle is...
John Voelcker -
GM fuel-cell chief talks about military truck, Honda deal to build hydrogen powertrains
Innovation has no secret for GM and after tapping into hybrid and electric engine technologies, fuel-cell is its next target. In an interview with Trucks.com, GM’s global fuel-cell business director Charles Freese seemed confident that hydrogen will become a next big step in transportation...
Green Car Reports -
GM goal: profitable, affordable electric cars built in big numbers
Automotive innovation rolls out over many years, usually decades, and usually only a few companies lead. Others hang back, waiting to see if buyers will accept new features, new powertrains, and new types of vehicles. More than six years after modern electric cars hit the market in volume, many...
John Voelcker -
Q: Why is Tesla worth more than GM? A: The sins of Detroit
It remains unclear whether Tesla will survive as an independent company, given that it's had exactly two profitable quarters in its 12-plus years of existence. And yet, last week, Tesla briefly passed General Motors to become the most valuable U.S. automaker by market capitalization. It had passed...
John Voelcker -
Regardless of the number of cars they've sold—fewer than the Renault-Nissan alliance—Tesla is undoubtedly the best-known electric-car maker in the world. It delivered 76,000 cars last year, against roughly 10 million each for Volkswagen Group, Toyota, and General Motors. But its sleek, fast, electric Model S and the associated Supercharger fast-charging network turned the industry on its ear. DON'T MISS: Which electric car will sell best during 2018? Poll results No carmaker has yet produced a straight-across competitor for the Tesla Model S or Model X, and the first ones from...
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Lyft ridesharing service, part-owned by GM, said to raise half a billion dollars more
Lyft has reportedly raised a new round of funding to support its on-demand ride hailing service. It’s believed that investors have put $500 million more into the company’s coffers, probably invigorated by its recent market growth and Uber’s stumbles. A Lyft spokesperson declined...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
Europe's emission limits, small cars far from global mainstream: is this why GM sold Opel?
At the 2017 Geneva auto show, General Motors announced the sale of its entire European operations—comprising factories and the Opel and Vauxhall brands—to PSA Peugeot Citroën. German Opel and its British Vauxhall sibling have represented GM's main presence in Europe for decades...
Stephen Edelstein -
Has GM really 'already lost' the electric-car race to Tesla?
Lots of people like horse races, win-or-lose competitions, and rankings. They're easy to understand, and definitive. They may also lose the forest for the trees, which is what we're tempted to suggest about a new article that addresses the launch of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car. GM's...
John Voelcker -
What does a Chevy Volt do when it runs out of gas and battery charge?
Unlike conventional hybrids and many plug-in hybrids, the first-generation Chevrolet Volt makes extensive use of both electric and gasoline power. With a fully-charged battery pack, it will drive on electric power alone until the charge is depleted, at which point the onboard gasoline engine...
Stephen Edelstein -
GM sells Opel; is plan to switch to electric cars by 2030 now in limbo?
GM said today it will sell its European Opel division to PSA Peugeot Citroën, the French parent of the Citroën, DS and Peugeot brands, for 2.2 billion euros (approximately $2.33 billion). Among the questions surrounding the sale—which includes the U.K.-market Vauxhall brand—is...
Stephen Edelstein -
Diesel engines will continue to appear in pickup trucks, European luxury SUVs, and at least a few mass-market crossover utility vehicles. Two of those are the Chevrolet Equinox and Mazda CX-5 crossovers that will launch for the 2018 model year. But the future of diesel in U.S. passenger cars remains far more up in the air, due to a confluence of events. DON'T MISS: Chevy Cruze Diesel: quieter, more fuel-efficient, B20-capable Those include continuing low gasoline prices and the high cost of necessary diesel exhaust aftertreatment systems to keep their emissions within legal limits. Perhaps...
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Tesla has become a U.S. Big Three carmaker (by market value)
Tesla Motors has spent more than 10 years beating the odds for startup automakers. Most new, independent makers barely survive long enough to produce a handful of vehicles, let alone sell more than 100,000 and garner praise from both customers and the media—as the electric-car startup has...
Stephen Edelstein -
'Thousands' of self-driving Bolt EVs to be deployed next year: report
The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is a crucial car for General Motors in more ways than one. With an EPA-rated 238-mile range and $37,495 base price (before federal, state, and local incentives), the Bolt EV considered a groundbreaking electric-car game changer. But the Chevy hatchback is also GM's main...
Stephen Edelstein -
Is 2019 Cadillac XT4 crossover the next plug-in hybrid for luxury brand?
Spy shots are continually fascinating, for both future buyers and auto journalists. They can reveal hints about the shapes, design aspects, and powertrains of vehicles that may not hit showrooms for as much as two years. Some recent spy shots of the 2019 Cadillac XT4 small crossover utility vehicle...
John Voelcker -
GM's Maven car-sharing adds Chevy Bolt EV electric cars (in LA)
With the 238-mile Chevy Bolt EV electric car now in its third month of sales and rolling out to additional states every month, the industry is focused on its sales numbers. Retail buyers have asked to what degree GM's plans to dedicate a number of the early Bolt EVs to its Maven car-sharing service...
John Voelcker -
Chevy Bolt EV is basis for 'huge range of electric cars': GM CEO Mary Barra
It's common practice in the industry for automakers to base multiple different models on the same basic platform or architecture. This allows them to amortize the development costs of new platforms across a wider range of products. It also means that two seemingly dissimilar models—such as a...
Stephen Edelstein -
With the elimination of Volkswagen diesel models, the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel is one of the few remaining options for buyers seeking a mainstream-priced diesel car. The second-generation Cruze Diesel was confirmed last year, but the initial sedan variant is only just now going on sale. We now know that the 2017 Cruze Diesel sedan will achieve an EPA-rated 30 mpg city, 52 highway, and 37 combined. DON'T MISS: Chevrolet Cruze Diesel prices released, from $24,670 up (update) (Dec 2016) Those figures apply to models equipped with the 6-speed manual transmission, which will be standard...
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GM releases second Chevy Bolt EV autonomous driving video
The Chevrolet Bolt EV may very well turn out to be a game-changing electric car in more ways than one. With an EPA-rated 238-mile range and a base price of $37,495, the Bolt EV has the potential to appeal to a much broader range of customers than previous electric cars. At the same time, it's also...
Stephen Edelstein -
Strong demand for Opel Ampera-e in Norway moves up launch date
Just as the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car is launching in North America, its European cousin is beginning deliveries across the Atlantic. In Europe, General Motors markets the U.S.-built Bolt EV as virtually identical Opel Ampera-e under its German Opel brand. An example of what is known in...
Stephen Edelstein -
First Chevy Bolt EV electric car delivered to Canadian buyer
Following its launch last month in California's Silicon Valley, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is now rolling out in other regions of North America. Just last week, the first Chevrolet Bolt EV to be sold in Canada was delivered to its buyer. It proved to be a somewhat drawn-out process overseen by a...
Stephen Edelstein -
GM, Honda set up joint fuel-cell manufacturing plant, 2020 production goal
Battery-electric cars are being delivered in volume today, but planned hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles from major automakers are on a more gradual timeframe. This morning, General Motors and Honda jointly announced that the two companies would establish a joint venture to produce hydrogen fuel-cell...
John Voelcker -
How to figure out if your local Chevy dealer carries the Bolt EV electric car
The first few Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars were delivered in California's Silicon Valley more than a month ago, marking the start of what will be a nationwide rollout. Electric-car advocates and buyers outside the Golden State are eager to know exactly when the 238-mile electric hatchback will...
Stephen Edelstein