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Most of the US won't get 2016 Chevy Volt

Every major plug-in vehicle launch in the US has been a patchwork operation, with automakers focusing their initial efforts on targeted locations like California where they expect to sell the most units. Today, we learned that even five years into the plug-in car project, the game remains the same. According to GM, the second-gen Chevy Volt is going to be rolled out in the same manner. In fact, GM is limiting availability of the 2016 model year Volt so much that most of the US will not have access to the car at all. For 39 states, the second-gen Volt will first be available as a 2017 model year vehicle at some point in the spring of 2016. When GM announced the buying process for the new Volt, it made it clear that dealers in California would be the first to place their orders. Hybrid Cars now reports that the first deliveries will be also limited to California and 10 other states that follow the California Air Resourced Board (CARB) rules: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland , Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont. GM spokesman Kevin Kelly told AutoblogGreen that this is all according to plan. "Chevrolet has a shortened model year for the 2016 Chevy Volt that will have a limited distribution network," he said. "The 2016 Volt will be sold in our strongest EREV markets. The 2017 Chevrolet Volt will begin production early this spring and will be available throughout the country." It appears that non-CARB state Volt customers will be able to order their Volts starting October 1, according to documents posted on Hybrid Cars, where we also learn that 2016 Volt production for California started in August, will begin in late October for the other 10 CARB states, and in early 2016 for the rest of the US. Unsurprisingly, dealers outside of the 11 CARB states have been complaining that they can't order the much-anticipated new Volt for their customers just yet. Related Video:

IIHS Crash-tests Expose American Muscle Cars' Weaknesses | Autoblog Minute

Turns out American muscle cars aren?t that strong according to IIHS crash tests. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put three iconic American sports cars through a range of performance crash tests. Chevrolet Dodge Ford Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video crash test camaro challenger

Why does Chevy want to trademark Camaro Krypton?

The Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang have the type of long-lived rivalry that is often found in the pages of comic books. Is the Camaro the Kryptonite to the Mustang's Superman, though? We might get to find out soon, if two recent trademark filings are any hints. On May 5, General Motors filed trademarks in the US for both Krypton and Camaro Krypton (not pictured above). While the move seemed potentially timed with the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice next year, engineer Al Oppenheiser shot that theory down to The Detroit Free Press. "I think that's just Internet buzz, which is great," he said to the newspaper about the alleged connection. "It's another thing about this segment of cars: there's always Internet buzz." Rather than a special edition connected to next the superhero film, Oppenheiser speculated something else. "Sometimes when we come up with a new color in our studios, they just apply [for a trademark] in case we ever use it," he said to The Detroit Free Press. "We never said we're going to do anything with that color." Still, as Superman's home planet and part of the name for the mineral that can harm him, Krypton undoubtedly has a superhero connection. To maintain the link to the comics, such a color would likely be a shade of green. Although, depending on the depiction in the books, the exact hue can vary between bright neon and a darker tone. Related Video: