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Nissan Leaf has outsold Chevy Volt by 50% so far in 2015

We know, we know. The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf sales numbers for mid- to late-2015 aren't all that meaningful because of the impending arrival of the next-gen Volt and the expected but not-yet-totally-confirmed debut of the second version of the Leaf. Nonetheless, tracking the sales of the first two major plug-in vehicles is something that remains interesting to us, if for nothing else that the all-electric Leaf remains slightly more popular than the plug-in hybrid Volt after all this time. If we just look at August, the numbers were basically tied in the US. Chevy sold 1,380 Volts while Nissan moved 1,393 Leafs. But when we take a 10,000-foot view, the differences starts to appear. So far in 2015, GM has sold 8,315 Chevy Volts while Nissan has sold 12,383 Leafs. That means that the Nissan has outsold the Chevy by around 50 percent (to be specific, it's 48.92 percent). Since the two vehicles went on sale in the US at roughly the same time at the end of 2010, 81,672 Volts have been sold, compared to 84,705 Leafs. That's a difference of only 3,033 vehicles, so proponents of both powertrains can hold their heads high. Looking just at last month, Volt sales were 45 percent lower compared to August 2014. So far this year, Volt sales are down 36.7 percent. The Leaf didn't fare any better. Month-to-month, Leaf sales were down 43.7 percent in August, while year-to-date, Leaf sales are down 65.3 percent. Those second-gen models can't come soon enough. As always, we'll have our broader wrap-up of monthly green car sales for August up soon. Stay tuned. Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric Hybrid ev sales

Recharge Wrap-up: Volt makes up third of Quebec Chevy dealerships sales, Tesla seeks Aussie talent

A Chevrolet dealership in Quebec has had the Volt make up 35 percent of its sales so far this year. Bourgeois Chevrolet in Rawdon, Quebec received recognition for the feat at the 2014 Electric Vehicle Conference, where it won the award for Leading Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Dealership. To sell that many, Bourgeois Chevrolet had to import used Volts from the US, and keeps about 50 units on the lot in various configurations. The conference also saw Park Avenue Nissan of Brossard, Quebec win the Leading Battery Electric Vehicle Dealership Award, and Loch Lomond Mitsubishi of Saint John, New Brunswick receive the award for Electric Vehicle Dealership Inspiration. Read more at Green Car Reports. Tesla Motors has begun scouting Australian engineers as other automakers shutter operations there. Ford, General Motors and Toyota have announced that they will shut down their Australian factories, leaving behind a lot of unused talent. Tesla recently held a "Recruiting Open House" in Melbourne for engineers to fill positions at its plant in Fremont, CA, where they will be paired with other Aussie engineers already on staff. Read more at Green Car Reports, or at Motoring. Electric turbochargers may come to play a key role in making internal combustion engines more efficient. Valeo recently showed an electric turbo it plans to supply to an unnamed automaker at a fuel economy showcase event at the EPA's National Vehicle Emissions and Fuel Lab. Electric turbochargers have the advantage of greatly reduced lag when compared to exhaust-driven turbos. They also work well when paired with cylinder deactivation, providing a much-needed boost when driving on a grade, which can help reduce the need for cylinders to reactivate. Independence from the exhaust system also makes it easier to package the turbocharger wherever there is room. Read more from Navigant Research. US crude oil futures have dropped to their lowest in more than two years. Saudi Arabia cut oil costs for the US and raised them for Europe and Asia as the US has increased output. On November 3, US crude futures fell as much as 2.2 percent in New York. West Texas Intermediate closed at $78.78, the lowest since June 2012. Brent crude slipped $1.08 to $84.78 a barrel. Read more at Bloomberg.

Danica Patrick hands over keys to first 2016 Chevy Camaro

Alican "Turk" Boyacioglu got more than he expected this weekend when he picked up his new 2016 Chevy Camaro, the very first sixth-gen Camaro to be delivered to a private customer. That's because racer Danica Patrick was on hand for the delivery. The handing over of the keys took place at Texas Motor Speedway – a stop along the brand's Find New Roads trip. The journey is being conducted to introduce America to five new Chevy models: the Camaro and also the new Malibu, Cruze, Volt, and Spark. The road trip kicked off on October 19 and will conclude next week on November 14. Boyacioglu ordered up a red Camaro SS from Huffines Chevrolet in Lewisville, TX, north of Dallas. When he headed from Kansas to northern Texas to take delivery, he was pleasantly surprised to see Danica climb out of the car to hand him the keys. Though she may have raced under Honda power during her IndyCar days, Danica's NASCAR stock cars have always been powered by Chevrolet. She even drove a Camaro in the Nationwide Series. The smile on Turk's face ought to last him the nearly five-hour drive home to Wichita. For everyone else, deliveries are set to commence in earnest in the middle of this month. The first models to be delivered will be V6 coupes. Convertibles and turbo-four models will start shipping early in the new year. Customers will be able to choose between six powertrain combinations, made up of the 2.0-liter turbo four, the 3.6-liter V6, and the 6.2-liter V8, each available with a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic. Pricing starts at $26,695 for the base 1LT trim and extends up to $37,295 for the 1SS. DANICA PATRICK SURPRISES CUSTOMER WITH 2016 CAMARO Huffines Chevrolet delivers first 2016 Camaro to Alican 'Turk' Boyacioglu DALLAS – Racecar driver Danica Patrick helped the team at Huffines Chevrolet deliver the first sixth-generation Camaro to a customer from Wichita, Kan., at the Texas Motor Speedway stop of Chevrolet's Find New Roads Trip today. Alican "Turk" Boyacioglu had been eagerly tracking the build of his 2016 Camaro SS and could not contain his excitement when Patrick emerged from the car and handed him the keys. "This whole experience was surreal," Boyacioglu said.