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GM claims it's first to sell million 30+ mpg vehicles

As we continue to put together all the data for the year-end edition of By The Numbers, General Motors has announced that it sold more than a million vehicles in the US last year that achieved at least 30 miles per gallon on the highway. More impressively, GM managed this feat using multiple strategies including small vehicle size, turbocharged engines and hybrid or plug-in technologies across four brands (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC) accounting for 13 separate models. This number will grow even more in 2013 thanks to cars like the all-electric Spark, the diesel Cruze, the range-extended Cadillac ELR and the Buick Encore compact CUV.
GM's small car sales were up 39 percent last year helping to attain this million-sales mark for 30-mpg models, and almost 40 percent of all GM sales consisted of cars with fuel-efficient I4 engines. In regards to more advanced means of improving fuel economy, GM says that it plans on having 500,000 vehicles with "some form of electrification" on the road by 2017.
Scroll down for the full list of GM's million 30+ mpg cars as well as an informative press release.

VW, Jeep and Cadillac top list of most-tattooed car brands

Most car enthusiasts own at least one piece of gear with their favorite brand's logo on it. It can be a T-shirt, a pen, a hat, or a garage sign, for example. It takes a much greater degree of dedication to get a car-themed tattoo, and a study suggests this sky-scraping level of obsession is most often found in Volkswagen, Jeep, and Cadillac fans. Compare the Market analyzed Instagram hashtags and posts to compile a list of the most commonly tattooed brands. Volkswagen came out on top, with 5,507 posts; note that anything related to the Wolfsburg-based brand earns it a point, whether it's a logo, a cutaway diagram of the Beetle's air-cooled flat-four engine, or a Touareg V10's firing order. Jeep finished second with 2,139 posts, followed by Cadillac at 1,775 posts. Surprisingly, the fourth spot is occupied by Pontiac, which appeared in 1,609 posts in spite of the fact that it hasn't built a car since 2010. Holden appears near the very bottom of the top-20 chart, ahead of Lamborghini, and its result might be influenced by the fact that General Motors announced plans to shutter it earlier in 2020. BMW and Mercedes-Benz are in sixth and 12th place, respectively. Alfa Romeo doesn't appear in the top 20, though its decades-old Quadrifoglio logo (pictured) can easily be mistaken for a symbol of Irish luck. Searching for posts that show a tattoo of a specific model uncovered even bigger surprises. According to the same study, the most-tattoed nameplate is the Chevrolet Impala, which appears in 823 posts. Odds are the earlier generations, like Dr. Dre's famous six-four, are more often tattooed than the final-generation model, which unceremoniously went out of production in February 2020 without a direct replacement waiting in the wings. Second place goes to the DeLorean DMC-12, which has transcended its status as an esoteric fiasco on wheels thanks to its role as a time machine in "Back to the Future." It appeared in 800 posts. Chevrolet's Corvette takes a distant third with 180 posts, followed by the Volkswagen Beetle (147 posts) and the Mini Cooper (116 posts). All told, car-themed tattoos are relatively rare. To put some of the aforementioned numbers into context, searching Instagram for the hashtag Volkswagen yields over 15 million posts, while the hashtag tattoo appears in over three million publications. Auto News Cadillac Chevrolet Jeep

2016 Chevrolet Equinox gets styling tweaks, not much else

The current Chevy Equinox debuted over five years ago, in late 2009. Since then, the midsize crossover segment has become increasingly important, with brand-new entries meeting substantially overhauled versions of existing nameplates. But the Equinox carried on, largely unchanged. And while Chevy is using its Chicago Auto Show stage to debut the freshened, 2016 Equinox, it appears there isn't a whole lot to talk about. Take a look at the updated Equinox's exterior and you're pretty much going to see all that's new for 2016. Sure, the Chevy still boasts a handsome, inoffensive design, and it's now upgraded with things like LED running lamps on top-level trims, as well as new 17- and 18-inch wheel designs, projector beam headlamps, and revised taillamp styling. Moving inside, Chevy has added a standard seven-inch color touchscreen to all models, which includes a backup camera. New-to-Equinox safety features like side cross traffic alert and side blind zone alert are also available for 2016. And really, that's about it. Powertrain options carry over from last year. On the base end, there's a 2.4-liter inline-four that's good for up to 32 miles per gallon on the highway (with front-wheel drive). Buyers can also opt for a 301-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 that allows the Equinox to tow up to 3,500 pounds. Will this be enough to keep the Equinox fresh in its highly competitive class? In 2014, the Equinox did outsell lower-volume competitors like the Mazda CX-5 and Subaru Forester, but was bested by fresher offerings like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4. Have a look at all there is to know about the 2016 Equinox in the press blast below. We'll have live images and more impressions direct from the Chicago show floor, soon. Fresh Face: Chevrolet Introduces Restyled 2016 Equinox Premium cues, new safety features enhance Chevy's record-selling compact SUV CHICAGO – Chevrolet today introduced the 2016 Equinox – a contemporized version of the popular compact SUV. Updates include new styling with premium accents, new wheel designs and new available safety features, as well as a larger color touchscreen radio and a standard rear-vision camera for entry-level models.