1989 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 Coupe 2-door 2.8l on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: Chevy Volt promos, Audi e-gas partnership

GM is offering promotions on the 2017 Chevrolet Volt. As dealers receive the first shipments of the new model year of the Volt, the automaker is giving customers in certain areas (California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont) $1,000 cash back on their purchase. GM Financial is also offering lease discounts for a limited time, and trade-ins may be eligible for even more money back. State and federal incentives could add up to make the new Volt quite the bargain for the right customer. Read more at Clean Technica. The UK's potential exit from the European Union could mean tighter emissions regulations, potentially even in the UK. While Britain has fought against the EU on stricter rules, the "Brexit" could leave officials in Brussels free to strengthen air quality laws. The UK, despite giving up its seat at the table, would still be beholden to some rules as a member of the European Economic Area free trade agreement. British voters vote on a referendum to leave the EU on June 23. Read more from Bloomberg Business. Daimler will refrain from investing in battery pack production with other automakers for the time being. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche cites an overabundance of battery production, saying, "Contrary to the expectation four or six years ago when everyone thought that the cells would be a rarity that could even be used as a tool of industrial policy, there is de facto a massive overcapacity in the market today and cells have become a commodity." Daimler recently shuttered its own lithium-ion battery production due to high costs and low demand. Read more from Automotive News. Audi is partnering with the Viessmann Group to increase e-gas production using a new biological process. Audi has been making the renewable fuel through a two-part process of electrolysis (splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen) and methanation (reacting hydrogen with CO2 to make synthetic methane). The new biological process uses microoganisms to absorb hydrogen and CO2 to make methane. The process requires lower temperature and pressure, and doesn't require high concentrations or purity of CO2. Read more in the press release below.

'Killing a Duramax' Gale Banks YouTube series methodically tunes a diesel to death

Learning or perfecting a skill by watching YouTube videos is known as attending YouTube University. GM Authority picked up on one of the video site's more fascinating courses, hosted by Gale Banks; in a fair world, he should be referred to as Professor Banks when it comes to diesel engines and truck tuning. A few months after GM introduced the updated L5P 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8 in the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD that ships with 454 horsepower and 910 pound-feet of torque, Banks decided he wanted to methodically tune the engine to death. The purpose of the resulting series, called "Killing a Duramax," is to push more power out of the engine in order to discover which parts break and when — or, as Banks puts it, force-feed the Duramax "until the crank hits the street and the heads hit the hood." With that knowledge, Banks can figure out all the weak points on his way to building what he calls a "Superturbo," that being a supercharged, twin-turbo race engine with more than 1,000 hp. What makes the series fascinating is Banks' knowledge, paired with the company's comprehensive iDash engine monitoring system that keeps tabs on a glut of parameters every step of the way. So for instance, you get Banks explaining the differences between inches of mercury and barometric pressure, how those are different from the water content of the air measured in grains, then showing those readouts on the iDash, then explaining in detail how they affect the air density in the Duramax system. The stock Borg-Warner variable turbo gets a lot of airtime — Banks accuses it of being "out to lunch" because he feels it's the weakest link on the engine. That turns into a turbo teardown and a deep explanation of performance pitfalls, such as when air pressure on the turbine begins to diverge from the boost pressure coming from the compressor. Banks says he can keep close tabs on where power's coming from, because the iDash monitors the horsepower contribution provided by the ambient air, the turbo, and the intercooler separately. The major changes so far are a stouter Precision 7675 turbo and TurboSmart wastegate (episode 5), a twin intake (episode 6), a custom liquid-cooled intercooler from a marine engine, a new GM oil cooler and synthetic oil (episode 10), and new injectors (episode 11).

2022 Chevy Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Cadillac Escalade up another $1,600

The 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, the 2022 GMC Yukon and the 2022 Cadillac Escalade have all gone up by $1,600. The GM profit and loss department added $1,500 to the MSRP for each of the full-sized SUVs and $100 to their destination charges, that destination fee now $1,795 for each vehicle. It's not an inconsequential bump; however, considering where the trucks were priced at launch, and everything that's happened since, the latest retail prices don't seem that bad. Take the Suburban — in February 2020, Chevrolet practically carried over pricing for the truck with a revamped interior and independent rear suspension, starting it at $50,295 after destination. After this latest increase, the 2022 Tahoe LS in two-wheel drive costs $55,590, after destination.  The delta between the 2021 Suburban at launch in March 2020 and the current model is a little grander compared to the Tahoe, like the SUV itself. Back then, it started at $52,295, the same price as the outgoing model. After this third price increase in the past year, the 2022 Suburban LS in 2WD starts at $61,290 after destination. GM Authority says the 2023 Tahoe and Suburban are reportedly headed down production lines in the middle of July. The biggest addition to both models will be the availability of Super Cruise, which is already available on the sister SUV, the Cadillac Escalade. The hands-free driving assistance feature can only be optioned on the Premier and High Country trims. It costs $2,500 to put Super Cruise on the Escalade. GM hasn't divulged the feature's price yet for the Chevy twins; that's likely to come when the automaker announces 2023 Tahoe and Suburban MSRPs, so beware of more potential price increases. After that, there's a heavy refresh planned for the 2024 model year, including a new instrument panel design that looks like it replaces the current gauge cluster with a large, freestanding screen.  The Yukon's entry-level price goes up to $57,590 for the SLE trim turning the rear axle.   The Cadillac Escalade's second MSRP bump takes it to $81,235 for the Luxury 600 trim in 2WD, and $84,235 for the extended ESV model in the same trim. The price creep hasn't stopped Escalades from pulling off dealer lots almost as soon as they're delivered, sales for the first quarter of the year totaling 10,505 units, trouncing domestic and foreign competition. Related video: