2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Lt on 2040-cars

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May 2016: FCA wins, Ford and GM stumble on weak car volumes

The May 2016 sales numbers are in, and it looks as though FCA is getting some vindication for boldly cancelling two slow-selling car models. Meanwhile, Ford saw overall sales dip and GM's May volume took a big dive versus the same month in 2015. While Marchionne's decision to axe the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart has drawn criticism as being short-sighted, it's working for FCA so far. Although the Dart and 200 aren't out of production yet and no capacity has been shifted to crossover or trucks, May's numbers show that the emphasis on Jeep and Ram models makes sense right now. FCA's US sales rose 1 percent last month compared to May 2015, putting the year-to-date total at 955,186 vehicles, an increase of 6 percent compared to the same period last year. Standouts included the Jeep Renegade, Compass, and Patriot, and the Fiat 500X. Ram pickup sales were down 3 percent. And your fun fact is that Alfa Romeo sales were up precisely 10 percent, for a total of 44 4Cs sold versus 40 in the same month last year. At FoMoCo, the Ford brand took a hit to the tune of 6.4 percent from May 2015 to 2016, registering 226,190 sales last month. Lincoln showed improvement on its modest numbers, going from 9,174 to 9,807, a 6.9 percent increase. Overall, Ford was down 5.9 percent for the month to 235,997; despite the slump, year-to-date total Ford sales are up 4.2 percent to 1,112,939. Strong sellers included Escape, Expedition, F-Series, and Transit - big stuff. Most small and/or efficient models (Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, C-Max) saw sales slides. Fusion sales were also down, likely due to effects of model changeover to the freshened 2017 model. Ford has promised four new crossovers and SUVs by 2020 and if things keep trending this way the company will be able to sell them, but things could change in the next four years. GM saw the worst of it for domestic brands. Retail and fleet sales were down for each of the four divisions, with the May 2016 total dropping 18 percent to 240,450 vehicles. GM's year-to-date sales are down 5.0 percent in 2016 to 1,183,705. Both the Sierra and Silverado were down significantly, and the majority of Chevy, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac nameplates saw sales decreases, with both small cars and larger utilities included. Not even big stuff could help GM this month, it seems. We'll have more on the rest of the industry's May sales as those figures trickle in.

GM exploring ways to raise half-ton Duramax diesel tow rating

Lots of truck owners cheered when GM announced fuel economy numbers for the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado with the 3.0-liter Duramax diesel inline-six. Even after Ram let loose its EPA mileage ratings for the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, the Chevy oil-burner still took the trophy. The victory was years in the making, GM engineers spending an entire four-year development cycle refining the LM2 Duramax to increase mileage. The tradeoff, as well all know by now, is towing; the Duramax in half-ton duty pulls a maximum 9,300 pounds in the Silverado. Rivals across town can do more, the Ford F-150 PowerStroke rated at 11,500, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel game to pull 12,560. GM engineer John Barta told Muscle Cars & Trucks that more hauling chops could be on the way, explaining, "We’re actually looking at upgrading some of the materials around (the engine bay) to see if we can maybe raise our tow rating." Engine bay materials are at issue due to thermal complexities underhood. John Barta, GM's assistant chief engineer of diesel engine controls, said the Duramax's inline-six configuration allowed engineers to get emissions hardware like the combined selective catalytic reduction, diesel oxidation catalysts, and diesel particulate filter unit closer to the engine, where it heats up quicker, getting emissions down quicker. But that filter puts another heat source in those confines, enforcing a cap on the tow rating to keep the engine and other systems from overheating. "If you look under the hood," he said, "youÂ’ll see a significant amount of silver ‘moon tapeÂ’ around to make sure things arenÂ’t getting overheatedÂ… if we were to go up in higher towing, which we can, we start impacting the possibility of deteriorating some of the components.” There isn't much space for more grille, so swapping for a better grade of "moon tape" or a different kind of material could reduce engine bay heat, extracting a higher tow rating in the process.  It's important to note a point Barta's been making for months about the Duramax figures, though. "Even though itÂ’s nice to brag about big numbers, in reality, light duty customers are not towing that large with their trucks," and, "We do know that (95 percent) of our light duty customers donÂ’t tow over 9,000 pounds." On our First Drive of the 2020 Silverado diesel we called out the tow rating, but emphasized that the Chevy and GMC have more important challenges to overcome.

2016 Chevy Malibu exhaustively tested with four decades of data

Chevy is preparing to unveil its new Malibu sedan at the upcoming New York Auto Show next month. But when it does, it's not like it will have appeared overnight. The development of any new vehicle – especially one as widely produced by a major automaker as the Malibu – involves rigorous and relentlessly punishing tests. In the Malibu's case, that meant 1.5 million miles of driving from the scorching heat of Arizona in July to the frigid cold of northern Canada in January and everything in between. The Bowtie brand also says it incorporated four decades' worth of data taken from vehicles driving in locations around the world since 1972 in order to make the Malibu the best it could be. We'll have to wait to find out the results of all that exhaustive testing, but you can catch a sneak peek at the new sedan in the video above. Four Decades of Data Used to Test 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Recorded customer use drives durability testing for next-generation midsize sedan 2015-03-11 DETROIT – Data collected over decades from across the globe is helping ensure the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu can handle the world's worst roads even if the all-new midsize sedan never drives on them. Data collection boxes are placed in cars in real-world driving conditions around the world. Since 1972, these devices have accurately recorded the harshness and frequency of every jounce, bump and shudder inflicted on the car on roads in the U.S., Russia, Saudi Arabia and developing markets. "Although most Malibu owners will never put their car through similar abuse, we test all new vehicles in extreme climates, inclement weather and on punishing road surfaces," said Dan Devine, Malibu validation engineer. "The 2016 Malibu is definitely up to these challenges." Tests like these ensured the current generation Malibu was dependable and durable, two qualities that in turn helped Malibu stand out from its rivals in important quality surveys, such as J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study and Vehicle Dependability Study. General Motors engineers analyze the data to calculate the precise amount of damage potholes and other hazards create over 150,000 miles. Then the conditions are replicated at GM's Milford Proving Ground in Michigan on three unique road courses, each riddled with simulated potholes of increasing severity. Engineers run preproduction cars through the course up to hundreds of times.