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First 2016 Chevy Volt commercial rocks us to sleep

The 2016 Chevrolet Volt, with its thorough restyling and increased all-electric range, is an exciting evolution of Chevy's groundbreaking plug-in hybrid, so it's only fitting that the commercial campaign to sell it to the masses also be engaging and vibrant. Well, the first ad has just been officially released and it rocks... us to sleep. Now, we get that General Motors didn't want to repeat past Volt-commercial mistakes. No one wants to see dogs licking feet or dumb (and weirdly horny) aliens again. Nor would it be smart to slam all-electric vehicles, since it now sells the Spark EV and has just revealed its 200-mile Bolt concept. So, what does that leave? How about a mostly computer-generated spot that relies on cliche images and an upbeat synthetic soundtrack to communicate that the Volt is now as boring as other four-door appliances? An intro, featuring a lightly-bearded gentleman peering at his tablet through designer glasses launches us into the action as the Volt makes its way across a city bridge, then a curvaceous country road. Chevrolet doesn't include voiceover to inform you that the new Volt has a 50-mile battery-only range. There's no mention of its gas mileage once its electric charge is depleted – items that just might be of importance to hybrid buyers. The ad also makes no attempt at establishing an emotional connection, either through drama or comedy. There are, however, lots of fast cuts of the new, normalized interior, including a two-second detail shot featuring the windshield wiper switch. We imagine that this is only the first in a series of spots that will tell the Volt story and motivate potential buyers to run down to their local dealer, hopefully the next spots will be more interesting and informative. View 16 Photos

The Chevrolet Bolt is headed to China as a Buick SUV

When spy photos of what appeared to be Chevrolet Bolt EV with some minor front- and rear-end updates circulated last week, Autoblog surmised that GM was working on some sort of Bolt-based vehicle — potentially a crossover — to be sold in China as a Buick. We may just have corroboration for that theory. On Thursday, Motor1.com spotted a story published earlier this week on the Chinese site Auto Home which claims that GM has applied to sell an all-electric SUV under the Velite 7 nameplate in China.  There's little differentiating the Velite 7's exterior from the Bolt EV's, apart from bumpers, badges, and a little extra ground clearance. Up front, the bowtie is replaced by a round Buick badge, and the bumper picks up an almost Prius-like appearance thanks to contrasting vertical elements and a thin grille bleeding into the head lights to give it a full-width appearance. Chevy Bolt-based prototype View 16 Photos If the Chinese report is accurate, there is one significant difference under the skin. Per the application, the Buick crossover variant is to be powered by a 174-horsepower electric powertrain. That's down 26 horsepower from the Bolt EV's powertrain, and we can't help but think that a lifted Buick variant might just need every pony it can get.  The needs of the Chinese market are unique, and we're certain GM knows what it's doing if these figures are accurate. We have no reason to believe Buick plans to sell the Velite 7 EV here in the States, though we expect an updated Chevy Bolt eventually, and we wouldn't be surprised if Buick brings something along shortly to fill the void left by the departure of the Regal sedan and its variants.  Related Video:

GM recalls 3.6 million vehicles for airbag-software problems

The Basics: General Motors is recalling 3.64 million vehicles across its lineup for an airbag-related issue. The recall covers the 2014-2015 Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet SS, and Spark EV; 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Trax, Caprice PPV, Silverado 1500, Buick Encore, and GMC Sierra 1500; and 2015-2017 Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, Silverado HD, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Sierra HD, Cadillac Escalade, and Escalade ESV. The Problem: Affected vehicles have a sensing and diagnostic module that controls the airbags and seat-belt pretensioners. The software it uses has a defect that can prompt the module to run a diagnostic test under specific driving conditions, which will also deactivate the front airbags and pretensioners. This means that it would be possible for those safety systems to not activate in a crash, potentially leading to injury or death. Injuries/Deaths: General Motors began an investigation that led to the recall after a 2014 Silverado was involved in a crash in which the airbags did not deploy. No information was given as to injuries or deaths. The Fix: Owners can bring their vehicles to a local General Motors dealer where a software update will be installed to fix the issue. The fix will be free of charge. If you own one: General Motors will contact owners of affected cars, and owners can check whether their vehicles are affected by visiting entering their vehicle identification numbers at either the GM Owner Center website or the NHTSA website. Owners can then schedule a time to have the update installed. Related Video: