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Nissan Leaf ends 2013 with best sales month ever, but can't catch Chevy Volt

Nissan and Chevrolet both ended 2013 with solid sales figures for their plug-in vehicles, the first two that were released (all the way back at the end of 2010) from major automakers. As has been the story for most of 2013, December sales for the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt were roughly the same. When we left the year-to-date running tally at the end of November, the Volt was at 20,702, while the Leaf was at 20,080. As you can tell from the image above (if you've been noticing the trend in these EV sales monthly flash-reports), the Leaf outsold the Volt, but was it enough to put the Nissan on top for the year? In 2013, Nissan sold 22,610 Leafs, more than twice as many as in 2012. Almost. The Leaf made a valiant attempt, and did have its best month ever with 2,529 units sold. That means that for 2013, Nissan moved a total of 22,610 Leafs, more than twice as many as in 2012 (that year, Nissan sold only 9,819 Leafs in the US) and actually more than 2012 and 2011 Leaf sales combined (which was 19,493). Nissan continues to see the effects of its price drop and expanded sales areas, with Georgia rapidly becoming a Leaf hotbed. Nissan's Paige Presley said that Atlanta was once again the Leaf's number one market and that, "sales are expanding deeper into Georgia markets such as Macon and Columbus." The Volt saw a boost upwards from a November slump and sold 2,392 units in December. That puts the plug-in hybrid's annual total at 23,094, just down from the 23,461 sold in 2012. For all of 2013, though, the Volt outsold the Leaf by 484 vehicles. In a competition like this, we'll count that as a win for both sides. We will our more detailed monthly green car sales report, which covers more of the fuel efficient vehicles on the market, up soon. News Source: GM, Nissan Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric Hybrid PHEV ev sales hybrid sales

1970 Chevy Camaro gets 650-hp crate engine for SEMA

The latest edition of the Chevrolet Performance catalog arrives at the 2015 SEMA Show, and to demonstrate the insane creations that are possible with it, the company has a seriously powerful machine in tow. This custom 1970 Camaro RS boasts the new LT4 crate engine that makes a staggering 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. The offering gives hot rod builders the ability to put the Corvette Z06's 6.2-liter supercharged V8 into any project where they can make the mill fit. This Hyper Blue Metallic Camaro should offer neck-snapping performance with its massively powerful engine and a T-56 Super Magnum six-speed manual gearbox. Chevy's show car is about more than just packing copious horsepower into a classic shape, though. The builders also overhaul the suspension with coilovers at the front and rear, in addition to a four-link setup at the back. Behind the 19-inch aluminum wheels, the coupe has Z06-based brakes at both ends. For better visibility, it wears LED headlights and taillights. Plus, the interior gets custom gauges and a six-point roll cage. With pieces like titanium intake valves and forged aluminum pistons, the LT4 crate engine comes ready to offer serious performance, but Chevy also gives builders a few options to fit their application. The mill is available with either wet- or dry-sump lubrication. Depending on the version, there are kits to fit front-end accessories, air conditioning, and power steering, as well. The new Chevy Performance catalog features other high-performance components like Z06-based parts for the standard Stingray and an array of performance upgrades for the 2016 Camaro, including suspension lowering kits, brake upgrades, and more. We look forward to seeing this vast collection of goodies at SEMA this year. Related Video: Classic 1970 Camaro Shows Supercharged LT4 Heart Contemporized muscle car highlights new Corvette Z06-based crate engine LAS VEGAS – Chevrolet Performance is showing off the new LT4 crate engine in the most attractive way possible – under the hood of a classic 1970 Camaro RS. The concept vehicle was introduced today at the SEMA Show, in Las Vegas. As the supercharged 6.2L heart of the Corvette Z06, the LT4 is rated at 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful production-vehicle engine ever from General Motors. The new crate engine – offered in dry-sump and wet-sump versions – allows builders to use the high-tech performance engine in their hot rod projects.

GM announces net 220 job increase as Trump visits Michigan

GM announced today that about 900 jobs would be added (or, importantly, retained) ahead of President Trump's arrival in Michigan, where he is expected to discuss his plan to roll back fuel economy standards. The timing of the announcement is almost certainly not coincidental, as appending it to a Trump visit gives it a higher profile and dovetails with the President's jobs agenda. It's less likely the decision itself was made for those reasons, but the free PR boost is a nice bonus. As for those 900 jobs themselves, they aren't all new jobs. The only net gain is approximately 220 jobs at the Romulus Powertrain Plant, which produces the 10-speed automatic transmission that's proliferating through the company's lineup. The 180 jobs at Flint Assembly and 500 jobs at Lansing Delta Township are retained jobs – that is to say, spots the company found for workers who would otherwise have been laid off. By the way, the Flint jobs will help with production of heavy-duty pickups, and the Lansing jobs are to produce the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave. Finding jobs for manufacturing workers in the auto sector, whether new or retained, is admirable. No matter how GM couches it, the company has created or retained a total of 7,000 jobs this year, and its total reinvestment in US production is around $1 billion. But these decisions are business ones, not political ones – timing the announcements to make them seem inspired by economic policy, or the political situation, is simply smart PR. Related Video: Image Credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images Celebrities Government/Legal Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GMC