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These are the five most ridiculous attacks on the Chevy Volt [w/videos]

It's been a long, strange trip for the Chevy Volt from the time when the now-odd-looking concept version (above) was introduced at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show to today. And now, General Motors announced that the second-generation Chevy Volt will make an appearance at the 2015 Detroit show in January. This debut represents a victory for GM with what has easily become the most politicized car of the 21st Century. There are plenty of reasons for someone to criticize the Volt, but what's amazing is just how much anti-Volt energy has been spent not on things like the styling or how the EREV setup is not as efficient as a pure-EV powertrain. As we wait for more official information on the new Volt, we thought it would be fun to go back and look at some of the most wildly incorrect reporting and strangest attacks on the Volt from the archives. There is so much good stuff out there, it was hard to pare the list down, but these are our five favorites. Amazingly, they're not all clips from Fox News. Check 'em out below. 5. GM Is Going To Stop Making The Chevy Volt In The US Do you remember when GM was about to move Volt production to China? Well, yeah, this was reported back in early 2012 when a GM executive mentioned that the automaker would get benefits of building the Volt in the places where it sells them. This was spun into a story of GM taking Obama bailout money and then running to China. The Blaze was not happy: "Given the fact that Federal government helped itself to millions and millions of taxpayer dollars under the pretense that it was going to combat high unemployment by creating 'green jobs,' it would seem that moving research and development (and possibly manufacturing) overseas is slightly, well, counterproductive." Well, of course, that never happened. There's no way to say that GM will never build a version of the Volt in China, but the news we hear rumors of these days is that GM is going to move production of more Volt parts (specifically, the motors) to Michigan from overseas. 4. The Chevy Volt Is A Fire Trap There has never been a Volt that just spontaneously lit up while driving down the road. Yes, there were Volts that caught on fire. Yes, that's a scary thing. But there has never been a Volt that just spontaneously lit up while driving down the road. These were crashed test vehicles with destroyed batteries and plugged-in vehicles that were not the cause.

2016 Chevrolet Camaro starts at $26,695

Parking the new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro in your driveway will cost $26,695, including the $995 destination charge. That's a cut from $27,000 for the same trim on a 2015 Camaro. If you prefer a V8 under the hood, then the base 1SS goes for $37,295, compared to $34,500 for that model currently. The 2016 Camaro is offered as a coupe and convertible in four trim levels: 1LT, 2LT, 1SS, and 2SS. The LT is available with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 275 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque or a 3.6-liter V6 with 335 hp and 284 lb-ft. The SS gets a 6.2-liter V8 with 455 hp and 455 lb-ft. The first examples arrive before the end of the year, but droptops and the turbo engine don't materialize until the first quarter of 2016. Base models come with tech like Chevy's MyLink infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, a rearview camera, automatic climate control, and multiple driving modes. The RS Package adds to the style with 20-inch wheels, HID headlights, LED taillights, a different grille insert, and rear spoiler. Opting for the SS brings a more aggressive exterior look, plus performance upgrades like Brembo brakes, differential and transmission coolers, and a limited slip differential on those with a manual gearbox. Upgrading to the 2SS adds amenities like heated and ventilated front seats, wireless phone charging, a Bose stereo, rear cross-traffic alert, and Side Blind Zone Alert with Lane Change Alert. Options like a Magnetic Ride Control suspension and dual-mode exhaust offer additional sportiness. Reading about the 2016 Camaro is nice, but Chevy now has a visualizer for the pony car. It's not quite a full configurator but lets you check out different colors, wheels, and stripes to imagine your future purchase. Enjoy finding just the right combo. Related Video: CHEVY REVEALS PRICE, ONLINE VISUALIZER FOR 2016 CAMARO 21/08/15 Gen Six Camaro offers more performance, technology and customization choices DETROIT – As production of the lighter, more powerful, more advanced 2016 Camaro grows near, Chevrolet revealed more details to help customers tailor their Gen Six exactly how they want it, including pricing information and an online visualizer. The 2016 Camaro offers higher levels of performance, technology and refinement, starting at a suggested retail price of $26,695 for the Camaro 1LT, while the most powerful Camaro SS ever starts at $37,295 for the 1SS.

Chevy Volt has worst sales month since August 2011, Nissan Leaf also down

January is traditionally a time when new car shoppers take a break. For the last few years, if we isolate our focus to just the first two major plug-in cars in the US market, we see that the first month of the year was lower – often dramatically lower – than the 11 that followed. So, when you see the Chevy Volt dropped and Nissan Leaf sales figures for January 2015, don't be too surprised. The Volt sold only 542 units last month, that model's lowest since August 2011. That also represents a 41 percent drop from January 2014, and it reinforces the thought that if anyone out there is interested in a new Volt, they're going to be waiting for the new model to drop later this year. While we do expect sales to climb in February and into spring, we won't be surprised if the general Volt trend remains quiet until the second-generation arrives. On the Leaf side of the ledger, January's low sales numbers were still about twice as high as the Volt's – the Leaf sold 1,070 units last month, the lowest since February 2013 – but it did break a streak for the Japanese automaker. Usually, each month represents at least an increase over the same month a year ago, but that wasn't the case this time. In January 2014, Nissan sold 1,252 Leafs. Still, Brendan Jones, Nissan's director of electric vehicle sales and infrastructure, issued an upbeat statement: "We saw a significant increase in demand in December from Nissan Leaf customers looking to take advantage of federal and state incentives at the end of the tax year, which pulled some sales ahead. We're confident that EV sales will continue to rise over time due to increasing emission regulations and other reasons for purchase of EVs such as lower operating costs, reducing dependence on foreign energy sources, environmental concerns and a great driving experience." The numbers will tell us soon enough. News Source: General Motors, Nissan Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric Hybrid ev sales brendan jones