1974 Chevy C-10 Short Bed Pickup on 2040-cars

Auto blog

GM global sales off slightly this year

General Motors saw a slight dip in global sales through the first nine months of the year. In that time, the automaker moved 7.2 million vehicles – down 1.3 percent from 2014. For the third quarter alone, the numbers were down 3.1 percent with a worldwide volume of 2.3 million. The automaker had a better performance in North America, as Chevrolet is showing strength with some of its best crossover sales ever, and pickup trucks were up 16 percent for the year. Volume on the continent advanced 4.9 percent through September to nearly 2.7 million vehicles. The third quarter improved that figure even further with a 5.2-percent jump and deliveries of about 931,000. Elsewhere in the world, things were more mixed in the third quarter. European deliveries jumped 1.1 percent, but the company was still down 6.3 percent there for the year so far. Volume in China also fell 4.2 percent, but the country showed 1.6-percent growth through the first nine months. South America took the biggest, hit with Q3 numbers dropping 30.8 percent. While GM is seeing a small sales drop globally, the company could still climb up the ranking of the world's largest automakers by the end of the year. Volkswagen had the top spot in the first half of 2015, but since then, the German company has been rocked by an international emissions scandal. GM Sold 7.2 Million Vehicles in the First Nine Months of 2015 DETROIT – General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) sold 7.2 million vehicles globally in the first nine months of 2015. The company posted sales increases in four of its five largest markets, with record sales in China and strong retail sales gains in the United States. Total sales were down 1 percent, due primarily to the company's previously announced decisions to strategically reduce its presence in certain markets, as well as difficult market conditions in South America. "Our unwavering focus on the customer is paying off in our largest and most important markets as we execute one successful launch after another in the right segments," said GM President Dan Ammann. "At the same time, we have reacted quickly to challenging macroeconomic environments in other markets and have shown the discipline to exit situations where we see no long-term path to acceptable returns." Examples of GM's recent success include: GM truck sales in North America were up 16 percent in the first nine months of 2015, driven by a 17 percent increase in Chevrolet truck deliveries in the United States.

GM, Ford, Toyota, Stellantis CEOs want EV tax credit cap lifted

For just over a decade now, the U.S. has had a federal tax credit worth up to $7,500 for buyers of electric cars and plug-in hybrids. The catch has been that, once 200,000 of them were claimed for a manufacturer, that credit would be phased out. Now, automakers are asking for this cap to be lifted across the board, specifically General Motors, Ford, Toyota and Stellantis. The request comes in the form of a joint letter to Congress (which you can read here), signed by the CEOs of each company. And the ask really is as simple as that. The automakers would like the cap lifted for all EV manufacturers, and instead have a sunset date for the tax credit put in place. Broadly speaking, they want it lifted because of concerns about rising costs from materials and supply chain issues, which can lead to higher prices and could discourage buyers from getting an EV. It would also put automakers back on an even playing field. GM reached its tax credit cap a few years ago, meaning that none of its EVs are eligible for the tax credit. So while it reaped the benefits early on, it now has something of a disadvantage to competitors with credits remaining, such as those that signed on to this letter. GM wouldn't be the only beneficiary. Tesla ran out of credits years ago, too. Nissan still has credits, but likely not for much longer, as InsideEVs reports around 190,000 Leafs have been sold in the U.S. as of April. So it will probably face a phase-out soon, just as the anticipated, and more expensive, Ariya is heading to market. Making this change would also seem like a good choice for continuing to stimulate EV sales, if that's what the government is looking to do. While EVs are now reaching parity in practicality and performance with gas-powered cars, having an additional financial incentive will surely keep them looking more attractive. And automakers can push EVs without fear of running out of credits early. Certainly some sorts of changes to the EV tax credit are likely. There are bills in the works focusing on cap changes as well as the amount of money available, and which vehicles are eligible. Credits up to $12,500 have been proposed, plus possible credits for used EV sales and restricting some credits to vehicles of certain price brackets. Of course, any changes will require some cooperation in a deeply divided Congress. Related Video: Government/Legal Green Chevrolet Chrysler Ford Toyota Electric EV tax credit

2016 Chevy Volt will not need premium gas

Buried in the new technical details of the 2016 Chevy Volt released yesterday was a throwaway line about a small but important change that's due to the new 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine. The first-gen Volt has always required premium gas but the new powerplant will be happy burning plain old regular. The Volt's chief engineer, Andrew Farah, told AutoblogGreen that the change was due to today's Volt owners explaining they were not happy paying for top-shelf petroleum. "The ability to use regular unleaded was based directly on customer feedback," he said. "Since the range extender is an all-new engine, it was optimized to use regular unleaded at the outset. Using regular fuel will not have effect on vehicle acceleration or other performance factors." As Larry Nitz, GM's executive director of vehicle electrification, told AutoblogGreen yesterday, the new engine is more powerful and quieter than the outgoing 1.4-liter engine that's used in the current Volt. Fuel economy and EV range specs for the next-gen Volt are not expected until the full car is revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in January.