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2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Quick Spin [w/video]

The Silverado 1500 gets what most would consider an early update for 2016. Just two years into this generation, the half-ton Chevy truck has been given a visual overhaul and a handful of feature upgrades. Chevy reps say they didn't wait the usual three years for a refresh because they knew the domestic competitors were planning updates of their own for 2015. We're told the fast refresh was always in the plans, and that it wasn't a response to critics (like us) saying "meh" to the new truck's design, which some felt hewed too close to the GMT900s that came before. If a Ford grille that reaches halfway into the headlights is good, a Chevy grille that cuts the units clean in two must be better. That's at least how we imagine the designers' thought process went. Those new split lights use HID projectors on lower models and full-LED tech on the upper trims, with all versions getting LED daytime running lights. LED taillights are also included on the fancier models. <p>Your browser does not support iframes.</p> Each of the eight trim levels has its own look, and the differentiation goes beyond the placement of chrome and the color of cladding. Look closely and you'll see that elements of the various grille treatments are repeated within the headlights. It's a neat touch, and proof that attention to detail is still a thing. Chevy also reshaped the hood, with sharp lines and pockets that look like they'll do a great job of collecting snow come winter. We get why a Corvette has troughs in its hood (you know where the wheels are and see through the valley to the road) but the surfacing on the Silverado's engine hat has only aesthetic benefits. On the feature front, almost all 2016 Silverado models get standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support; the 7.0-inch screen includes both, while the available 8.0-inch screen will add Android Auto through an update in March of 2016. The top High Country trim gets new power-articulating side steps as an option. In addition to swinging down to help you hoist yourself in through the door, the steps have a button at the rear that, when pressed, motors them down and rearward to give you a foothold at the front of the bed. Chevy also catches up to the competition with an available remote-locking tailgate. Chevy also gets further into the competitive numbers game for 2016 with expanded use of its eight-speed truck transmission.

Nissan Leaf sales get January jump as Chevy Volt trends downward

The cold January sales dip hit both the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt last month, but when compared 2014 to 2013's first-month-of-the-year sales totals, one of the two early plug-in vehicles obviously came out on top. The top Leaf market also shifted away from Atlanta for the first time in months. Last year, the Leaf sold just 650 units in January, but it managed to move 1,252 last month, a 92.6-percent increase over 2013 but a big drop from the 2,529 sold in December 2013. Paige Presley over at Nissan told AutoblogGreen that the Leaf has now broken sales records for 11 months straight and that, "we see unique seasonality with some December pull-ahead demand based on federal and state tax incentives." The number one Leaf market also shifted away from Atlanta for the first time in months, moving back to San Francisco. That change could be short-lived. "We had some inventory constraint issues early in the month in Atlanta with end-of-year demand depleting stock," Presley said. "By the time we resolved that, the weather hampered sales." There was not as much good news on the Chevrolet front. Last month, the Volt sold 918 units, down from 1,140 in January 2013 and 2,392 in December 2013. It also marks the first time the Volt has sold in the three-digit range since January 2012, when it sold 603 copies. That string of solid months means that the plug-in hybrid has a roughly 12,000-unit lead over the EV since the two cars brought plug-in vehicles back to the mass market all the way back in December 2010. We will have our full report of January's green car sales up soon.

Indian tuner turns Chevy Optra into Mustang 'Eleanor' replica

If you are a big fan of automotive oddities, this may come as a little treat. If you are a Shelby or Mustang diehard, prepare to have your sensibilities violated.
The master fabricators at BigDaddyCustoms are the minds behind what you see above. At first, it appears to be a slightly misshapen custom Mustang, modeled after "Eleanor" from Gone In 60 Seconds, but upon further examination, something appears to be amiss. In fact, the custom shop, based in India, has created an Eleanor replica grafted upon a lowly Chevrolet Optra. While it may take a second for the Optra to ring a bell, you should recognize its badge-engineered sibling, the Daewoo Lacetti, used on Top Gear.
We don't know what star would opt for the Reasonably Priced Car in Shelby's clothing, but it's clearly someone more concerned with the aesthetic than the performance credentials of this automotive mash-up.