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The Jitterbugs somersaulted at the 1986 Chicago Auto Show for the Chevy Nova

Judging by the vintage videos that the Chicago Auto Show has been uploading, if you wanted to check out the latest vehicles and watch some dancers in the same place in the late '80s and early '90s, then the Windy City event was definitely the place to be. We've already seen the Footlockers pitching the Cavalier in '88 and a troupe of women singing about the Geo brand in '91. Apparently, the trend went back even further, though. Just take a look at this group called the Jitterbugs selling some badge-engineered products from Chevrolet at the 1986 show. Flanked by the Chevy Nova and Spectrum, these guys managed to do a few pretty impressive jumps and somersaults but mixed them with some rather uninspired spins, as well. Also, wait for 1:24 into the clip to see the least enthusiastic backup dancers that the world has ever known. The Jitterbugs are even further proof that Chevy's habit of mixing dancing and its vehicles goes back even further than the Volt. News Source: ChicagoAutoShow via YouTube Auto News Marketing/Advertising Chicago Auto Show Chevrolet Videos Chicago chevy nova

The Tesla Model S was the best-selling EV of 2015

According to numbers crunched over at Hybrid Cars, the Tesla Model S was the best selling pure electric vehicle last year with 50,366 deliveries. These numbers might not tell the whole story, since Tesla reports deliveries made in 2015 that might have been sold in a different calendar year, while other makers are tallying sales. However, it's inarguable that the Model S ended up in more worldwide driveways than the second-place Nissan Leaf, which did about 43,000 sales. In the US alone, Leaf sales were down 42.8 percent year-on-year, from 30,200 in 2014 to 17,269 last year, and that decline also increased throughout the year. That marks a great finish to a great start to 2015, when Tesla took the lead in EV sales in the US for the first quarter. On top of that, as of last year the Model S becomes the second-best selling EV ever, with 107,148 deliveries since the middle of 2012. It trails the Nissan Leaf, with well over 200,000 worldwide sales. The Chevrolet Volt/Opel Ampera combo takes a close third, with about 106,000 sales. The Nissan and Chevy rivals both launched at the end of 2010, a 16-month head start on the Tesla. Down the charts, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV which continues to be forbidden fruit for our market notched 39,000 sales. The BYD Qin PHEV sold 31,898 examples in China, and BYD would take the overall victory from Tesla with 58,728 deliveries if you counted all of its EV and PHEV production, such as its electric buses. The BMW i3 nabbed fourth place with 24,057 global sales. In 2011 the Munich automaker said it wanted to sell 30,000 i3s annually by 2014, but by the time the car launched the company considered 15,000 annual sales 'great for now,' so the 2015 number seems a fine place to wind up. Related Video: News Source: Hybrid Cars Green BMW Chevrolet Mitsubishi Nissan Tesla

GM recalls 55,000 trucks, SUVs for separating axles, fuel pump failures

General Motors issued four separate recalls covering eight of its truck and SUV models for issues related to fuel pump and half-shaft failure. In total, the four campaigns include more than 55,000 vehicles spread out over three brands and six model years, but they've sorted themselves neatly into two categories. Let's dive in.  Axle separation Four models are being recalled for potential axle separation: The 2023 Cadillac XT5, 2023 GMC Acadia, 2023 Chevy Blazer and 2023 Chevy Traverse. The number of units affected is incredibly small (10 units each times two recalls, for a total potential population of just 20 cars). In each case, a small number left the factory with half-shaft assemblies that may have been missing the retention rings that keep them in place, possibly allowing the axles to separate or eject from the transmission. In the case of the XT5 and Acadia, it's the right-side axle assembly; Chevy dealers, however, will have to check the left side.  Fuel pump failure Again, we have multiple vehicles being recalled for similar issues, but in this case they're a bit more distinct. The first of these recalls covers the 2021-2022 Chevy Equinox and 2022 GMC Terrain. GM says a supplier-initiated change may have led to fuel pumps shipping with inadequate clearances to allow for the prescribed flow of fuel, meaning the pump could starve the engine. Customers experiencing the issue may see a check engine light and experience engine hesitation. In some cases, the cars may not start at all. Chevy and GMC will replace the units in question with correctly specified pumps.  The second recall covers a fairly specific cross-section of GM's HD truck lines. 2017-2019 Silverado and Sierra HD trucks sold with the diesel engine and a dual-tank configuration may have shipped with a rear fuel pump that is susceptible to fouling by debris, preventing fuel from properly transferring to the front tank, or, in extreme cases, resulting in a collapse of the rear tank. This issue can lead to inaccurate/erratic fuel tank readings, engine hesitation, a check-engine light or failure to start.  In both cases, GM will inspect and replace faulty units free of charge for customers. Expect notifications to be delivered by March.  Related video: Recalls Cadillac Chevrolet GMC Ownership Safety Truck SUV