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2020 Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban and GMC Yukon all spied with production lights

One of our spy photographers just caught a smattering of full-size GM SUVs out testing, including the Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban and GMC Yukon. Previous spy photos of the next-generation of these big GM SUVs have revealed that GM is going with an independent rear suspension design, and these shots confirm the news once again with our best look at the hardware yet. Check them out from the rear, lined up like ducks in a row to see the beefy control arms down there. This will undoubtedly give the big SUVs a more compliant ride, and should bring it back into touch with the refinement from the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. The new bits we get to see with these shots are production headlights and taillights that are shaping up to look pretty neat. Most distinguishable are the GMC Yukon's LED DRLs. These look a lot like the C-shaped LEDs outlining the headlights on the Sierra, but they have an extra LED strip on top of the C. The parts of the taillights that we can see look significantly different than that found on the Sierra, showing GM is planning on having a great deal of differentiation there. We can sort of see through the mesh covering the grille to what appears to be a classic horizontal bar style front opening. Chevy is predictably dialing the crazy LED strip design back for the Tahoe and Suburban. The parts that are lit up look a whole lot like the headlight fixtures on the 2019 Silverado. That truck uses a stack of lights with the actual headlights separated from the DRLs. We can see the same thing going on here, with the headlight up top and curved LED DRL strip sitting below. It's tough to say if the designs are exactly alike, but we expect to see an extremely Silverado-esque look once all the camouflage comes off. Chevrolet's taillight design differs from its donor truck like the GMC, showing off a curved, vertical series of LEDs out back. Once production lights start popping up like this, we know the vehicle is moving closer to its end game. A reveal sometime later this year could be in the cards for GM's next batch of full-size SUVs. It certainly needs them quick, as Ford rockets ahead with increased Expedition production announced earlier this week.

GM promises to add 20 EVs and fuel-cell cars to lineup, paid for by SUVs

DETROIT — General Motors outlined plans on Monday to add 20 new battery electric and fuel-cell vehicles to its global product lineup by 2023, financed by robust profits from sales of gasoline-fueled trucks and sport utility vehicles in the United States and China. "General Motors believes in an all-electric future," GM global product development chief Mark Reuss said on Monday during a briefing at the company's suburban Detroit technical center. Future generations of GM electric vehicles "will be profitable," Reuss said, but added it was not clear when GM could make all its new vehicle offerings zero-emission electric cars. Regulators in China and some European countries have floated proposals to ban internal combustion engines by 2030 or 2040. "We will continue to make sure our internal combustion engines will get more and more efficient," Reuss said. GM shares were up more than 4 percent in midday New York trading on positive comments from Rod Lache, auto analyst at Deutsche Bank. Automakers, including electric vehicle market leader Tesla, lose money on electric cars because battery costs are still higher than comparable internal combustion engines. The company offered sneak peeks of three EV prototypes: a Buick SUV, a sporty Cadillac wagon and a futuristic pod car wearing a Bolt badge. GM funds its forays into new technology using a river of cash generated by old-technology vehicles popular with its core customer base in the United States heartland. In comparison, Tesla has burned through an estimated $10 billion in cash and has yet to show a full year profit. GM earned more than 90 percent of its $12.5 billion in pretax profits last year in North America, amid robust demand for its lineup of large sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks. The company's profitable operations in China rely on consumer demand for an expanding lineup of gasoline powered SUVs. GM has previously announced plans to make some of its future electric vehicles capable of driving themselves in robot taxi fleets. The company offered sneak peeks of three electric vehicle prototypes: a Buick brand sport utility vehicle, a sporty Cadillac wagon and a futuristic pod car wearing a Bolt badge. GM collaborated with Korean battery maker LG Chem to build the Bolt battery system. Company officials did not say what companies would supply batteries for the larger fleet of vehicles promised by 2023. Fuel-cell vehicles will also play a role in GM's future, the company said.

Opel Ampera-e brings a Bolt of EV driving to Europe

The Chevrolet Bolt will take a trip across the Atlantic in 2017 to become Europe's Opel Ampera-e. General Motors won't release any specs for the foreign version yet, but these photos suggest very minor styling tweaks to the upper level of the grille and to the hatchback to add the appropriate brand emblems. We would expect the same electric motor with 200 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque and 60-kWh battery as the US model, too. However, the 200-mile range number might change, but only because of the differences in European testing. GM CEO Mary Barra announced the Ampera-e at the CAR Symposium in Bochum, Germany. "GM and Opel have always been convinced that electric cars will play a defining role in future mobility. The game-changing technology of the Ampera-e is a significant step toward realizing that vision," she said. The Ampera-e is also proof that General Motors loves confusing naming for its green models. If the Volt and Bolt aren't perplexing enough, the Ampera-e is just one letter off from the Ampera – the previous-gen Volt in Europe. GM no longer sells the range-extended vehicle there, so at least both names can't be in showrooms simultaneously. However, the similar monikers still might confuse some customers who think the new EV hatchback is closely related to the old sedan. Related Video: OPEL GROUP ANNOUNCES GAME-CHANGING AMPERA-e BATTERY ELECTRIC CAR New battery electric vehicle will break down barriers to electric mobility Five-door, five-seat Ampera-e will have longer range than most electric cars Fun to drive, outstanding connectivity and affordably priced Russelsheim. Opel Group will launch a revolutionary new battery electric car next year, as the company continues the biggest, most far-reaching model offensive in its history with 29 new models between 2016 and 2020. The new five-door, five seat will be called "Ampera-e". It will not only have a longer range on a full charge than most electric cars, it will also be affordably priced. Building on the electrification expertise established with the original Ampera, which set the benchmark for modern electric cars in 2011, the new Ampera-e combines innovative electric-mobility with state-of-the-art connectivity and exciting driving dynamics. Announcing the Ampera-e today at the CAR Symposium in Bochum, Germany, GM Chairman & CEO Mary Barra said: "GM and Opel have always been convinced that electric cars will play a defining role in future mobility.