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2016 Chevrolet Camaro: Everything we know so far [UPDATE]

UPDATE: We fully expect the floodgates to open as facts and photos leak throughout the day. Watch this space for more information as it breaks, including these leaked photos, and some new powertrain speculation. Chevrolet has made a grand production of teasing the all-new, sixth-generation Camaro. That slow trickle will become a deluge this weekend, when the 2016 model hits the stage on Detroit's Belle Isle as part of an all-day Camaro-palooza. Considering you're likely to hear plenty about the next-gen muscle car in the next couple days, we figured now is the perfect time to sort out all the facts and rumors we've heard about the next-generation coupe that's coming this weekend. Here's everything we know about Camaro Six. What Will It Look Like? Arguably the easiest Camaro question to answer after all the teasers and spy shots, General Motors' design team favored evolving the current car's retro design language while retaining the same basic shape. The long hood will carry on, joined by an even shorter, wing-topped rear deck, giving the 2016 an almost fastback-like look. The greenhouse is still slim, but lateral visibility may improve slightly owing to the larger quarter windows. We can only hope. The rear end looks to have been rounded, while Chevy's own teaser shows off larger, more prominent taillight housings than the simple rectangular lights on today's car. Expect quad-tipped exhausts to be offered on at least one version of the Camaro. Judging by the single teaser of the car's profile, the rear haunches will be larger and more chiseled. The muscular aluminum hood and its accompanying power bulge are more heavily styled than on today's car, although it looks largely similar in terms of size. It sits atop an even slimmer upper grille that's barely big enough for Chevy's Bowtie logo, with most of the visual mass moving to the gaping lower grille. One of the more tantalizing rumors surrounding the new Camaro focuses on its roof. As evidenced in a rather bizarre round of spy photos, it almost looks like Chevy is considering a removable panel, a la Corvette Stingray. T-tops are also a distinct (and more probable, we hope) possibility. The new shape will result in a more aerodynamic car, and Chevy claims the 2016 Camaro spent 350 hours in the wind tunnel. Overall lift has apparently been cut by 30 percent, thanks partially to a new, smooth underbody panel. Chevrolet has been far less forthcoming with information on the new Camaro's cabin.

2019 Chevy Blazer vs Honda Passport, other midsize crossovers: How they compare

The two-row midsize crossover market is a sizable one that just keeps growing. The two newest additions being the 2019 Chevy Blazer and the 2019 Honda Passport, additions we just recently drove. As such, it seemed like a good time to see how their numbers compare with the veterans of the segment: Ford Edge, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Hyundai Santa Fe and Nissan Murano. In this comparison to see where it lands in the numbers game, we'll take a look at everything including power, torque, towing, ground clearance, passenger room, cargo space, fuel economy and pricing. Cue the chart. Powertrain The Passport only has one engine option, Honda's trusty 3.5-liter V6. You can find this engine in both the Pilot and Ridgeline, and we like it in all its applications. But if you're looking for something more affordable or more frugal, you're out of luck. The Passport is one of just two that offer just one engine option. Most of the others have two choices, and Jeep even offers three. Compared with similar engine options, the Passport is pretty middling. The Ford Edge ST's turbo V6 makes the most power and torque at 335 ponies and 380 pound-feet. Next up is the Blazer, the only other to break 300 horsepower, and then the 295-horsepower Grand Cherokee. The Passport does beat the V6 Murano and the turbocharged Santa Fe, though. 2019 Chevrolet Blazer View 37 Photos For vehicles with smaller engines, the Edge wins again with its 250-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder. The Chevy Blazer is next, but at 193 horsepower, it's barely ahead of the 185-horsepower Santa Fe. The Jeep Grand Cherokee has a couple of powertrain aces, though. It's the only vehicle available with a V8, and it makes an impressive 360 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. There's even a turbodiesel model with 240 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, the most twist of the group. The Grand Cherokee is also the choice if you want to tow much. The V6 models will pull 6,200 pounds, and the V8 and diesel can handle 7,200 pounds. Add 200 more pounds to the diesel if it only has rear drive. 2019 Honda Passport View 19 Photos When it comes to fuel economy, the front-drive four-cylinder Edge and Santa Fe are tied for the best, with the all-wheel-drive Edge getting one more mpg on the all-wheel-drive Santa Fe on the highway. The Murano comes up next.

Recharge Wrap-up: Range-extended EV taxis in London, 2016 Chevy Volt interior two years old

The first Metrocab range-extended EV taxis are operating on the streets of London. The cabs use a 12.2-kWh battery and two 50-kW motors, as well as a 1.0-liter gasoline range extender. Fuel economy is 98 MPGe on the ECE101 cycle, and total driving range is over 348 miles before needing to charge or refuel. Cabbies can expect to save GBP20 to GBP40 (about $30 to $60) per day on average. "The cash savings on fuel are significant, the ride and comfort outstanding, and my first customers are thrilled with the new cab," says the first operator of the new EV taxi, Preston Morris. "With its air suspension providing unrivaled comfort, panoramic glass roof for views of the city and silent powertrain, what's not to like?" Read more in the press release below. Chevrolet has had the interior design of the 2016 Volt finished for two years already, according to GM interior designer John McDougall. Beginning around 2010, GM received sketches from designers worldwide before narrowing it down to a handful of designs. Then the top three choices were molded from clay. The chosen theme was then refined for up to 18 months. "Every little thing you can imagine goes into that," says McDougall. "The glare angle from the windows, the placement of the controls, the placement of the seat. You have to create something that's beautiful and functional." Read more at GM Authority and at Inside EVs. More details have emerged about the Second Life Batteries Alliance. Vattenfall has announced a research project in partnership with BMW and Bosch to use retired EV batteries for stationary, grid-connected energy storage in Hamburg, Germany. Over 100 lithium-ion batteries from BMW i3 and ActiveE vehicles will make up a two-mWh storage unit for grid balancing, enough to power 30 four-person households for a week. The system is "compact enough to fit in a small building," says Bosch. Such storage systems are especially fit for storing and moving alternative forms of energy, which often fluctuate in supply more than electricity from a traditional power plant. Vattenhall will operate the storage unit for 10 years, with Bosch managing the batteries, during which time the three partners hope to learn more about battery applications and their performance over time. Read more at Green Car Congress, or in the press release below.