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2016 Chevy Volt powertrain video teasers

If there's one thing we've learned about plug-in vehicle fans, you have a thing for seeing your cars get made. The series of videos showing BMW i3 production was strangely popular, as were the shots from inside the VW e-Golf plant. Well, with General Motors pulling the veil off of the 2016 Chevy Volt this week, it's time to take a peek at the production process for that vehicle as well. You're welcome. Up first we've got a clip from CNN Money showing a little bit about how the new Volt's new battery pack and other powertrain components are made. Those of you who are trying to read the lithium tea leaves and see if the new shape reveals that the 2016 Volt will have five seats might want to check it out. Then we've got two clips from GM itself, one showing an animation about the updated Voltec powertrain and another with some B Roll of the old Volt. Since GM doesn't want us to see the new car quite yet, we'll have to enjoy this for now. Watch below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Chevy Bolt EV might not come to UK

Anyone expecting the upcoming James Bond movie to feature scenes with the suave namesake cruising around London in a Chevrolet Bolt (yes, there are some of us around) will likely be disappointed. That's because it is apparently doubtful that the General Motors flagship division will make right-hand-drive versions of the electric vehicle for the UK. So we'll have to suffice with the dashing spy ripping around town in Aston Martins and the like. The UK's Autocar reported from the Frankfurt Auto Show and quoted a Chevrolet spokeswoman saying the Bolt with be "a global vehicle," though she wasn't more specific, or specific enough for the British. Indeed, GM is prepping to sell the Bolt in the US and will also distribute the EV in Europe with an Opel nameplate. This is how it worked with the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in (known as Opel Ampera across the Pond). That said, the fine citizens of the UK will be left out of the opportunity to buy the electric vehicle, which may make a pretty big splash thanks to a single-charge range of about 200 miles, or more than double anything that's not a Tesla Model S. The Bolt will sell in the US for $37,500 before government incentives kick in. It was announced this past February that the Bolt will go into production at GM's Orion plant near Detroit at some point. For a time, GM thought of changing the name because of potential confusion with the Chevy Volt, but GM confirmed this past spring that the name will stick. The car is expected to go on sale in 2017. Related Video:

NHTSA investigating nearly 750,000 GM models over non-deploying airbags

Nearly 750,000 vehicles built by Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac are the subject of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation due to non-deploying driver-side airbags. While the investigation is ongoing, the agency believes the issue is likely due to rust particles that form on the inflator's connection terminal interface. The list of nameplates included in the investigation includes Chevrolet's Silverado, Tahoe, and Suburban, GMC's Sierra, Yukon, and Yukon XL, plus Cadillac's Escalade, Escalade ESV, CT4, CT5, and XT4. All of the potentially affected vehicles are 2020 or 2021 models, according to a bulletin published on the NHTSA's website. Investigators launched the probe in April 2021 after 15 consumers reported airbag-related issues, including nine who said an airbag malfunction light appeared in the instrument cluster. More alarmingly, the NHTSA is aware of six accidents that caused significant damage to the car's front end yet didn't trigger the driver's airbag. It adds that there are no fatalities linked to the issue, but there are six crashes and eight injuries reportedly blamed on it. No evidence suggests this problem is related to the millions of potentially deadly Takata inflators recalled over the past few years. General Motors is aware of the defect. It sent a technical service bulletin (TSB) to its dealers in March 2021 to address the aforementioned warning light. The note explains the issue is due to "rust particles in the connection terminal interface of the driver's airbag inflator." The company hasn't issued a safety recall yet, however. Whether it will partially depends on the NHTSA's findings. It's currently looking into the scope and the severity of the problem, and it wants to understand its implications on driver safety. Investigators will decide whether General Motors needs to recall the 749,312 cars that are part of the probe when they close their investigation. General Motors has already spent a significant amount of money replacing defective airbag-related parts in its cars. In November 2020, it was ordered by the American government to recall nearly 6 million pickup trucks and SUVs equipped with potentially dangerous Takata airbag inflators. It repeatedly argued that testing proved the inflators were safe, and it petitioned the agency four times starting in 2016 to avoid a recall, which cost an estimated $1.2 billion (about a third of its net income in 2020).