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Worldwide, Nissan Leaf has outsold next two competitors combined

Nissan may not be meeting some of the more optimistic prognostications with sales of its Leaf electric vehicle, but it's certainly kicking the competition's butt. EV Sales is tracking global sales of plug-in vehicle models and estimates that Nissan has sold almost 172,000 units of the Leaf worldwide. That's more than the two next-best-selling plug-ins combined. Globally, EV Sales estimates, the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in has moved about 88,000 units, while Toyota has sold about 71,000 of its Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicles worldwide. Fourth-place Tesla Model S is close behind at about 66,000 units. Among automakers, Nissan is also by far the lead dog, but Mitsubishi has leapfrogged Chevrolet among plug-in vehicle makers, as the Outlander Plug-in Hybrid continues to sell well. Impressively, the relatively new BMW i3 has moved almost 23,000 units since its debut in Germany last year. As for Nissan, company chief Carlos Ghosn said at the New York Auto Show earlier this month that the company could sell as many as 50,000 units a year of the Leaf in the US, provided that charging infrastructure throughout the country improves. Earlier this year, cumulative US Leaf sales moved past 75,000 units since its late-2010 launch. Related Videos: Featured Gallery 2013 Nissan Leaf View 55 Photos News Source: EV Sales Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric volt

GM says its electric pickup truck is 'in development'

GM President Mark Reuss just reiterated the company's support for an electric pickup project. He also claimed that GM is going to be selling its future electric cars at "very average transaction prices" during the same conference with Wall Street analysts. Previously, Mary Barra informed the world of GM's electric pickup truck aspirations, but didn't tell us anything else. Reuss says the truck is already in development, though, according to a Wards Auto report. "We will have a complete electric lineup, including a pickup truck that's in development," Reuss said. This comment marks the second time GM has gone on the record about its intentions to bring an electric pickup to market. Additionally, Reuss said GM's third-generation global EV platform will be used to help develop the electric pickup. This platform was recently announced to underpin at least 20 new EVs from GM in the future — the platform itself is slated to be unveiled in 2021. Of course, this platform will be flexible and modular to allow various body styles to be used with it, a truck being one of those. Reuss still hasn't said what GM brand the pickup will be sold under, or what class of truck it will be. GM thinks this new platform is also going to be what helps it drive down the cost of building EVs. "We'll reach parity a lot sooner than people think," Reuss said comparing EVs to traditional gas-powered engines. "We're driving down the cost of batteries and the whole EV in general." As for electric pickups, Ford is also deep in development of its own electric F-150. However, neither of these truck projects have official timelines on them, so we can't say when they'll hit the market. For now, the cross-town rivals are both in development with their respective electric pickups. Even further across town is Rivian (in which Ford just invested half a billion dollars), a company that says its electric R1T pickup is right around the corner, with the official due date being end of 2020 for the time being. Green Chevrolet GMC Green Culture Green Driving Truck Electric Future Vehicles

GM recalling over 243,000 crossovers over possible seat belt defect

2010 Buick Enclave - Click above for high-res image gallery
The summer of 2010's recall hit parade continues unabated today, with General Motors having just announced that it is asking 243,403 owners of its 2009-2010 Lambda crossovers to bring their three-row haulers in for inspection. The culprit? Second-row seat belts in select Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Saturn Outlook CUVs have "failed to perform properly in a crash."
According to GM, a second-row seat-side trim piece is to blame, as it can impede the upward rotation of the buckle after the seat is folded flat. As a result, if the buckle makes contact with the seat frame, cosmetic damage can occur, potentially requiring additional force to operate the buckle properly. So far, no great shakes, but in the process of applying that additional force, the occupant may push the buckle cover down to the strap, potentially revealing and depressing the red release button. As a result of this, the belt may not latch, or in certain cases, it may actually appear to be latched when, in fact, it isn't.