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Chevy Bolt meets 2016 Nissan Leaf at LA NEDW event [UPDATE]

The 2015 National Drive Electric Week kicked off this past weekend with events happening all around the world. Our friends from Plug In America (PIA) send us some notes and pictures from one of the larger events in Los Angeles, CA. This event was special because it saw the debut of the 2016 Nissan Leaf and the west coast debut of the Chevy Bolt concept. The two electric vehicles were in the same place at the same time for the first time ever. Besides that little bit of electric vehicle history, the organizers helped facilitate 800 test drives, PIA co-founder Zan Dubin Scott told AutoblogGreen. The city of Los Angeles also gave proclamations to movie director Chris Paine (Who Killed The Electric Car? and Revenge Of The Electric Car) and the three national organizers of Drive Electric Week: PIA, the Sierra Club and the Electric Auto Association. Speakers at the event included names that should be familiar to AutoblogGreen readers: California state senator Kevin de Leon, race car driver Leilani Munter, and Dave Barthmuss of General Motors, among others. Joel Levin, the executive director of Plug In America, said during his speech that, "Electric cars are changing the world. Every time one of these vehicles gets sold, our air gets a little cleaner. We will take a big bite out of climate change. Our economy will not be subject to wild swings in gas prices. And we will not be involved in foreign wars over oil." Tell us about your own NEDW events (that happened already or are about to happen) in the Comments below. UPDATE: We received the text of Andrew Speaker's comments at the event. Speaker is Nissan's director of Electric Vehicle (EV) Sales & Marketing. We've included them below. Thank you, and good afternoon! On behalf of Nissan, we are proud to sponsor National Drive Electric Week, and we're excited to be able to celebrate it here in Los Angeles with all of you. This is actually my first National Drive Electric Week event, and I am inspired by the level of enthusiasm here today, and seeing everyone's passion for electric vehicles first hand. Nissan has had some big news in the last few days with the introduction of the 2016 Nissan LEAF, which is the world's first affordable electric car to get more than 100 miles of range on a single charge. The 2016 LEAF offers a new 30 kWh battery with an EPA-rated 107 miles of range... and its making its global debut here in Los Angeles.

GM extends production at Detroit factory until early 2020

General Motors Co said on Friday it had extended the production at its Detroit Hamtramck plant until January 2020, against an earlier plan to discontinue production in June this year. The No.1 U.S. automaker is revamping its operations, which include plant closures and thousands of job cuts, as it looks to boost profitability in the wake of declining U.S. auto sales. The Hamtramck plant will continue to produce the Chevrolet Impala and Cadillac CT6 sedans until early next year, the company said. "We are balancing production timing while continuing the availability of Cadillac advanced technology features currently included in the CT6-V — the Blackwing Twin-Turbo V-8 (engine) and Super Cruise (driver assistance system)," GM said. The plant has already discontinued production of the Buick LaCrosse sedan and Chevrolet Volt electric hybrid car. Detroit-based union United Auto Workers' President Gary Jones said GM's decision to continue production at the plant was a relief for the workers as well as their families. "We commend GM for today's decision and we reiterate the importance of a collective bargaining process in times like these," Jones said. Reporting by Ankit Ajmera. Related Video:

2015 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra recalled for steering issues

DETROIT — General Motors Co is recalling more than 1 million pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles in the United States due to issues with a temporary loss of power steering, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. The recall is for 2015 models. They are: the Chevy Silverado 1500, Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon and Yukon XL and Cadillac Escalade. The problem may cause difficulty steering the vehicle, especially at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash, the auto safety regulator said in a document dated Sept. 12. The document did not highlight any reports of accidents and injuries, because of the power steering issue. GM dealers will update the power steering module software, free of charge for owners of the affected vehicles. In 2014, the No.1 U.S. automaker had recalled nearly 800,000 pickup trucks worldwide because of the same problem. GM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Related Video: