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Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt sales both down in June

The best news you can slice out of today's sales reports for June 2015 is that things have to get better at some point. Most likely, sales of the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt will see a big increase once the second-generation models of both vehicles arrive (the Volt later this year and the Leaf, well, at some point after that). For now, though, the best-selling EVs in the US are both suffering compared to where the numbers were at last year. The numbers are also suffering compared to last month, which was the best of the year so far for both vehicles. Looking just at June, though, Leaf sales totaled 2,074 units, down 11.6 percent from a year ago (the EV sold 2,347 units in June 2014). The world's best-selling EV is now down 22.9 percent for the year so far (12,736 in 2014 vs. 9,816 in 2015). Things are a bit worse over at Chevy, where news about the pretty-much-better-in-all-ways second-gen Volt is coming out with great frequency. Nonetheless, people are still buying the outgoing Volt, snapping up 1,225 units in June. That's down 31.1 percent from the 1,777 sold in June 2014. So far in 2015, the Chevy has sold 5,622 Volts, a drop of 34.7 percent from the 8,615 Volts sold in the first six months of 2014. As always, we're working on our full tally of green car sales for June and will bring that to you shortly. For now, discuss the sales of these two plug-in pioneers in our Comments, below. News Source: GM, Nissan Green Chevrolet Nissan Hybrid ev sales

Peter Max staring down $1M lawsuit over Corvette collection sale

Pop artist Peter Max recently sold off his collection of 36 vintage Chevrolet Corvettes – one each from 1953 to 1989 ­– for an undisclosed amount. The new owners have already announced plans to restore some of them and auction the models off sometime soon. Up until then, the sports cars had been languishing in various garages around New York City for decades and were caked in dust and grime. However, Max's end of the transaction has just become more complicated, because two men are suing the artist claiming he employed them to complete the deal first. The men allege that Max hired them to broker the sale of the 36 Corvettes in exchange for a 10-percent commission, according to the New York Post. They claim to have emails and text messages proving the existence of the deal, and are taking Max to court for $1 million over the squabble. The collection of Corvettes was amassed in 1989 as part of a prize package from the television network VH1, and Max bought the cars from the winner intending on using them for an art project. He never got around to it, though, and parked the sports cars around New York, until he finally sold them over the summer.

Porsche, Jaguar continue dominance in 2015 JD Power APEAL study

The top of JD Power's 2015 APEAL Study has not changed much in the last year. Porsche remains No. 1 with Jaguar nipping at its heels, although both premium brands saw their overall score fall compared to 2014. For those that need a refresher, the APEAL Study looks at how "gratifying" a vehicle is to own and drive, rating cars and brands on a 1,000-point scale. The industry average for 2015 has increased from 794 to 798, while the total number of automakers that finished above the curve increased from 16 to 20. While Porsche and Jaguar finished at the top, their scores dropped eight and seven points, respectively, to 874 and 855. The top "non-premium" brand was Mini, which scored an impressive 825, up from 795. If the BMW-owned British marque is still a bit too premium for your tastes, last year's non-premium winner, Hyundai, did climb five points and is this year's runner up. At the opposite end of the scale, Smart sits at the very bottom of the rankings, with a score of 683 (it didn't appear on the 2014 rankings). Fiat also dropped, from fourth worst in 2014 to second worst in 2015, despite the 500 being named most appealing city car. Subaru made an impressive climb, from third worst to seventh, falling just 10 points shy of the industry average and two points south of the non-premium average. In the individual vehicle segments, eight brands earned multiple awards, with Ford, Chevrolet, and Porsche earning three apiece. Surprise segment victories included the new Ford Expedition, which beat out Chevy's popular Suburban. The Infiniti QX80 bested the likes of the Cadillac Escalade and Range Rover for best large luxury SUV, and the Dodge Challenger beat its muscle car rivals from Ford and Chevy. Most of the victories, though, were quite predictable. The Mazda6 and CX-5 took wins for the midsize sedan and compact SUV categories respectively, while the Volkswagen Golf captured the compact car win. The Ford F-150 won the large pickup category, while the Porsche Cayman was named most appealing compact premium sporty car. Check out the official release on the 2015 APEAL Study, available below, from JD Power. 2015 U.S. APEAL Study Results The latest safety-related technologies are among the drivers of customer satisfaction with new vehicles, according to the J.D. Power 2015 U.S.