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GM CEO to meet with U.S. lawmakers over job cuts

WASHINGTON — General Motors Co Chief Executive Mary Barra plans to visit Capitol Hill next week to discuss the company's plans to halt production at five plants in North America next year and cut up to 15,000 jobs, two congressional aides said on Friday. GM has come under harsh criticism from lawmakers from both major political parties, and from President Donald Trump, since Monday when it announced the biggest restructuring for the U.S. No. 1 carmaker since its bankruptcy a decade ago. Barra is expected to meet with lawmakers from Michigan and Ohio, where GM plans to shutter three plants, as well as senior leaders in Congress. GM did not immediately comment. Barra has been calling lawmakers this week to explain the decision to end production. Trump has threatened to revoke subsidies for GM. The Detroit automaker plans to halt production next year at three assembly plants: the Lordstown small-car factory near Youngstown, Ohio; the Detroit-Hamtramck complex in Detroit; and the Oshawa, Ontario, assembly complex near Toronto. It will also stop building several models now assembled at those plants, including the Chevrolet Cruze, the Chevrolet Volt hybrid, the Cadillac CT6 and the Buick LaCrosse. Additionally, GM plans to shutter the Warren transmission plant outside Detroit and a plant that makes electric motors and drivetrains outside Baltimore, Maryland. The Cruze compact car will be discontinued in the U.S. market in 2019, although GM may continue building it in Mexico for other markets, Barra said. Reporting by David Shepardson. Related Video:

Dodge vs. Chevy tug-of-war taken to the extreme

They say "idle hands are the devil's playground," but said playgrounds grow to Disney-sized proportions when a pair of jacked-up trucks, two egos, a chain and an empty mall parking lot are involved. Proof of this is the video below, which shows a Cummins-powered Dodge Ram circa 2006 to 2008 chained tail-to-tail with what looks to be a gasoline-powered Chevrolet Silverado from the late 1990s or early 2000s.
We don't necessarily have to tell you who wins this battle, but we'll let you see for yourself the lengths the "winning" driver goes to prove his point. There's plenty of foul language in the video below, so beware that this might be Not Safe For Work, and not that we should have to tell you, but please, do not try this at home.

Chevy Volt sales surge with 2016 model, Nissan Leaf continues Autumn fall

The Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt have been locked in sales combat since they arrived within a short distance of each other way back in 2010, and we continue to follow that fight closely. Though both vehicles approach driving efficiency from a different angle, they each have plugs and owners put a surprisingly similar number of electric miles on them. With the launch of its 2016 model, the Bowtie brand now appears to have the upper hand, clocking in a solidly improved performance for the month of October. According to GM's sales charts, the Chevy Volt made it into the loving embrace of 2,035 buyers last month. That's up a whopping 41 percent over the same period in 2014, and more than a 100 percent improvement from the 949-unit result in September. Now, we don't know how many of these were 2015 models and how many were the all-new 2016 edition. Dealers are, no doubt, incentivized to move the old inventory, and the latest and greatest is still only available in a limited number of states. Breaking out the sad trombones, Nissan recorded a mere 1,238 units moved in October. That's down 52.2 percent from the same month in 2014. That's also nine fewer examples than last month. Despite its recent sales travails, the Leaf still leads the calendar-year-to-date figures by a commanding 14,868 to 11,299 tally. We imagine the Japanese manufacturer is counting on an improvement in the situation once the 2016 model, with its larger, optional 30 kWh battery becomes available. You can compare these two stalwarts with the rest of the green-vehicle field in our By The Numbers post due out tomorrow. Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric Hybrid ev sales hybrid sales volt