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How a Texas Hyundai dealer became the Chevy SSR king

The SSR isn't one of the most appreciated vehicles in Chevy's long history. With a style amalgamating the look of a vintage hotrod, convertible and a pickup, it's really serving a niche market right from the start. However, a Hyundai dealer in Texas has turned selling the cult models into a booming business and has become the de facto king of the quirky truck. According to Automotive News, Paul Peebles runs North Freeway Hyundai in Spring, TX, but he's better known in the Chevy SSR community the premiere seller of the weird model through his used car network. The odd venture started in 2010 when Peebles wanted to boost his pre-owned business and bought several sporty vehicles. Among them were five SSRs, and he threw a cookout for owners to get the word out. Things just ballooned from there. Since then, Peebles' used car dealer has had a hand in 447 SSR transactions, and some of those are the same truck coming back to sell again. With just over 24,000 of them out there, that works about to two percent of the model's production moving through just one business. The dealership also sponsors an SSR owners' forum online. Being a major broker for a niche model also means that Peebles often gets rare examples of the SSR, including some of the Indianapolis 500 pace car versions, according to Automotive News. We even saw a bizarre one last year when the business put this shark-inspired truck on eBay Motors. The whole thing also works out well for Peebles' Hyundai business. Specializing in SSRs brings other performance models in as trade-ins, and they can draw folks to the lot to check out the collection. Then, maybe visitors can take a look at a Sonata, too.

GM says EVs are the future — but trucks are going to take it there

In the PowerPoint deck for the General Motors Capital Markets Day presentation, one of the more disturbing things comes early on, during GM President Mark Reuss' initial remarks, in an area where he is discussing the company's overall strength in trucks. The point being made is that GM has a truck for all and sundry. And there it is, a phrase on a slide that should send chills up the spines of those who still pine for the old Bob Seger "Like a Rock" Silverado ads: "Little bit country. Little bit rock 'n' roll." That's right. Donny and Marie. Somehow the Denis Leary snark in the F-150 ads is all the more appealing. The Capital Markets Day presentation was chock full of observations about electrification and automation (Reuss and CEO Mary Barra both noted that the corporation's vision is one of "Zero Crashes. Zero Emissions. Zero Congestion." Dan Ammann talked about the progress being made at Cruise Automation; Reuss rolled out the plan for an array of electrified vehicles, with a luxury EV and a compact SUV being the "Centroid Entries" for the modular bases of many others). But it is worth noting that there is no getting away from the power of pickups in the U.S. market, as that was the central topic in Chief Financial Officer Dhivya Suryadevara's comments, with "Truck Franchise" being flanked by "Key Financial Priorities" and "Financial Outlook." Clearly, to gloss the old phrase, the truck segment is where the money is. Suryadevra enumerated how the truck segment is significantly different than other types of light vehicles. Among her points: GM, Ford and FCA have more than 90% of market share. The truck parc has been growing and aging over the past 10 years. Customers are fiercely loyal to the segment—as in 70% of truck buyers are truck buyers. A good number of the vehicles are for commercial use (40 percent). Trucks are "less prone to. . .mobility disruption." Trucks offer high margins. Translaton: The segment is one that they're solidly positioned in. There are lots of old trucks on the road that will need to be replaced by new ones. Perhaps buyers may switch from a Sierra to a Canyon, but it will be a truck. If your livelihood depends on that type of vehicle, even if gas prices go up or the economy begins to go south, you're going to stick with it. Most of the country isn't San Francisco, so trucks will continue to be essential. And, well, they're profitable in the extreme.

GM recalls 64k 2011-2013 Volts over carbon monoxide fears, stop sale on Trax and Encore

General Motors is recalling 50,249 Chevrolet Volts from the 2011-2013 model years in the US and an additional 13,937 exported examples because of fears over carbon monoxide buildup. According to a statement, if a Volt is accidentally left on while running on electric power, its internal combustion engine would eventually kick on to charge on the battery. If this happens in an enclosed space, then carbon monoxide can fill the area, leading to a potential exposure to the dangerous gas. According to GM, there have been two injuries reported due to this issue. To fix the problem, there's a software update to limit the time the vehicle can idle. According to Automotive News, GM is also issuing a stop sale on about 2,300 examples of the 2015 Chevrolet Trax and Buick Encore. In these compact crossovers, it's possible that the steering column assembly could touch the power steering circuit board and cause damage over time. This could potentially cause the system to stop working. Automotive News indicates that the automaker is still working with the supplier to get the necessary parts to repair this problem. General Motors is recalling 50,249 Chevrolet Volts in the U.S. from the 2011-2013 model years to implement a software update that will limit the amount of time a vehicle can be left idling in the "on" or "run" position. If a driver exits the vehicle and inadvertently leaves the vehicle "on" by failing to react to cues and warning chimes emitted by the vehicle, the vehicle's high-voltage battery will drain after a period of time and the gasoline engine will begin to run. If the gas engine runs for a long period of time within an enclosed space, such as a garage, carbon monoxide could build up. GM is aware of two injuries, both related to carbon monoxide build up. The total recall population including Canada and exports is 64,186. Related Video: