1966 Chevelle, Resto-mod, Pro-tour, Auto-cross on 2040-cars

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GM recalls 200k Hummer H3s for fire risk

An issue with fires erupting in some Hummers has prompted General Motors and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue a recall for nearly 200,000 vehicles around the world. The bulk of them are in the United States. According to the first statement (below) obtained by Autoblog from GM, the issue stems from the HVAC system in Hummer H3 models. The connector module for the blower motor has, in certain cases, overheated, melted the surrounding plastic, and started a fire. 42 such cases have been reported, including three instances of occupants citing minor burns. GM confirms that two of those three cases lead to the vehicle being destroyed in the fire, but states that no crashes or fatalities have resulted. The issue affects 196,379 examples of the 2006-10 H3 wagon and the 2009-10 H3T pickup, with 164,993 estimated to be in the United States. In order to fix the issue, dealers are being instructed to replace the relevant parts of the connector and harness. In a second, unrelated campaign, GM is also calling in 50,731 Chevy Spark and Sonic small cars – 45,785 of them in the US – due to a software glitch. In those affected vehicles fitted with the base radio and OnStar system, the audio system may not be able to switch out of turn-by-turn direction mode, causing the display to go blank and all sound to mute – including key safety warnings. In addition, the system may not switch off, draining the battery. GM states that no crashes, injuries, or fatalities have resulted from this issue, and all that dealers will need to do in this case is reflash the software. Related Video: General Motors is recalling 164,993 2006-2010 model year HUMMER H3 and 2009-2010 model year HUMMER H3T models in the U.S. In certain vehicles, the connector module that controls the blower motor speed in the heat/vent/air conditioning (HVAC) system may overheat under extended periods of operation at high- and medium-high speeds. The heat could melt the plastic surrounding the connector module, increasing the risk of a fire. Dealers will replace the affected portion of the connector and harness. GM is aware of three reported minor burns and 42 fires but no crashes or fatalities related to this condition. Including Canada, Mexico and exports, the total recall population is 196,379. ### General Motors is recalling 45,785 2014-2015 model year Chevrolet Sparks, and 2015 model year Chevrolet Sonics in the U.S.

Weekly Recap: Volvo buys Polestar, makes performance a priority

Volvo is taking its performance business in-house, and the Swedish carmaker announced Tuesday that it bought tuning company Polestar, which has long been known for producing sporty Volvos. The move allows Volvo to ramp up its performance business, and it plans to increase Polestar-branded vehicle sales to 1,000 to 1,500 annually, up from the 750 total projected for this year. The companies have been working together on motorsports projects since 1996. Financial terms of the sale were not released, and Polestar workers will move over to Volvo. Former Polestar owner Christian Dahl will keep control of the Polestar racing team and operate it under a new name. In addition to sales volume, Volvo has ambitious plans for other parts of Polestar, including its aftermarket business. Volvo also said it will use its twin-engine hybrid technology for Polestar models in the future, though specifics and timing were not revealed. Meanwhile, Volvo announced it will offer a run of 265 total Polestars in the United States for the 2016 model year, with S60 and V60s available. "Driving a Volvo Polestar is a special experience. We have decided to bring this experience to more Volvo drivers, placing the full resources of Volvo behind the development of Polestar as the model name for our high performance cars," Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said in a statement. OTHER NEWS & NOTES 2016 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, get nose jobs Automakers tend to refer to light updates as 'facelifts,' and that's exactly what Chevy gave the 2016 Silverado and GMC Sierra. Chevy slightly changed the front end of the truck. Using the one photo released of the new Z71 model as a guide, we can see that the headlights went from a stacked vertical design to single bulbs, and they are set on top of LED running lights. The grille has more body-colored elements instead of shiny metal, and the hood has a new line running down the middle (look really closely). The design theme will be similar across the portfolio, though materials and details will vary, a spokesman said. Some models, like the High Country and LTZ will have more chrome, and the LEDs are only for the upper trims. Chevy also said it will use the eight-speed automatic transmission on more versions of the Silverado, and it updated the MyLink feature to support Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Autoblog In Cuba: 1957 Chevy Bel Air Review

If you've been following the Autoblog In Cuba series, you may remember that my efforts to rent a car in the country were ultimately unsuccessful. Misinformation, bad planning, and a lack of rental car inventory conspired to disrupt my hoped-for driving adventure. I discovered in my week of exploration, however, that the terrific thing about Havana is that there's always another adventure to be found – if you're willing to look. A car I could drive myself might have been impossible to come by, but a ride to remember was not. After all, even when reviewing a new car, I've found that impressions about the car and the route can be credibly formed from the right seat. Starting from the parking lot of the grand Hotel Nacional, finding an interesting car for hire is as simple as walking up and down the block. Scads of classic American iron wait just outside the hotel gates, in a riot of colors and conditions befitting the tropical climate. Fords from the 1940s are plentiful – more sedans than coupes – and the glory days of General Motors are represented by enough Pontiacs and Cadillacs to fill a Bruce Springsteen B-sides album. But the Chevy Bel Air is the king of the road here, by some margin. View 30 Photos I settled on a burnt orange 1957 Chevy Bel Air convertible, in tourist-appropriate condition. I was looking for a hardtop at the request of my crew's audio/video needs, but settled on a burnt orange 1957 Chevy Bel Air convertible, in tourist-appropriate condition. This car might look good as a prop in the background on your vacation photos – hair blowing in the breeze with the ocean at your back, parked in front of Che's face in Revolution Square, etc. – but was far from pristine on a closer inspection. A perfect representative of the Cuban average. At least the price was right: $50 for two hours to make it 12 miles to Hemingway's house, and back. My driver was a kid named Daniel who looked to be about 20 years old. The Chevy doesn't belong to him, he co-drives it with the owner, but he was able to give me the basic mechanical rundown. The eight- or six-cylinder engine that Chevy shipped this convertible with was long gone. No surprise there, as nearly every American-made car I'd ridden in so far was powered by some belching Mercedes diesel. Despite it's clattering note, Daniel said the lump under the hood of the '57 drinks gas: a four-cylinder of Russian origins, pulled out of a GAZ Volga as best I can understand.