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Chevy Volt beats Nissan Leaf again in February

For Chevy, February was a good month for Volt sales. They were up 62.5 percent compared to 2015, as the company locked in 1,126 sales. No one should be surprised, since buyers have a new generation Volt to look at on the lot this year. It was introduced late last year in just 11 states, with the nationwide roll-out not happening until this spring. Nonetheless, GM put the new Volt on sale in the states where it sold the most first-gen Volts, so the sales increase was totally expected. Year-to-date, Volt sales are up 71.8 percent: 2,122 for 2016 vs. 1,235 for January and February of 2015. Over in the Nissan lot, things look pretty much the same. By that I mean both the numbers (steadily down, recently) as well as the car itself. We've had numerous hints about a new Leaf, but nothing confirmed, and that means that fewer and fewer people are interested in the aging first-gen model. By the numbers, Nissan sold 930 Leaf EVs in the US last month, down 22.4 percent from the 1,198 it sold in February 2015. For the first two months of the year, Leaf sales are down 25.7 percent: 1,685 in 2016 compared to 2,268 in 2015. As always, we follow up our flash sales report for the Volt and Leaf with a more in-depth look at all the green cars sold in the US last month. Look for that soon, and discuss the latest numbers – which are a lot like the not-as-late numbers – in the Comments. Related Video: Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric Hybrid ev sales hybrid sales

New 2016 Chevy Volt ad arrives in time for Tomorrowland

As summer approaches, so do the blockbusters. We've already seen Furious 7 and The Avengers: Age of Ultron, while Mad Max: Fury Road arrives this week. Next week's big debut is Disney's Tomorrowland, starring George Clooney, and not surprisingly, the advertising campaign is kicking into gear. Perhaps attempting to capitalize on the high-tech theme of the flick, Chevrolet has teamed up with Disney for the second-generation Volt's very first commercial appearance. As we reported previously, the Volt will star on the big screen when Tomorrowland hits theaters, and it will be accompanied by the EN-V Concept. Take a look at the Volt's Tomorrowland spot, up top. Related Video:

Here's why automakers roll out those Texas-themed pickup trucks

Every year, automakers with a full-size truck link make a big show of the Texas State Fair, usually involving a reveal of a new model. Sometimes they show a whole new truck, and other times a special edition centered on the Lone Star state. While some people might write this off as a quirk of the industry, others might be wondering, "What's the big deal with Texas?" As it turns out, part of the big deal with Texas is big truck sales. According to Dave Sullivan, product analysis manager at AutoPacific, Texas buys more trucks than any other state in the country. It's not a small margin either. Edmunds.com, one in five trucks sold in the US are sold in Texas. The state also accounts for 15 percent of the country's large truck sales, which is more than twice that of California, the second largest truck market in America. Even when you break down sales only in Texas, trucks are a huge piece of the pie - Sullivan says that a quarter of new vehicle sales in Texas are trucks. One in five trucks sold in the US are sold in Texas. But it's not just sales that make truck builders give attention to Texas. As Sullivan explained, "Pickups are life in Texas." Both he and Hugh Milne, marketing and advertising manager for the Chevy Silverado line, said that trucks are key fixtures in Texas society, as both work trucks and luxury vehicles (or Texas Cadillacs as Milne called them). Milne said Texas is so important in the truck market that if you want to be successful in the rest of the country, "you've got to be successful in Texas." As for the State Fair, it has become a prime location for reveals in part because of the importance of the Texas market and because of how big the fair is. Milne also revealed that the State Fair also hosts its own auto show, so it's an ideal venue for a vehicle introduction. So there you have it. Why do truck builders obsess over Texas? It's because Texas obsesses over trucks. When you have one market that loves your product that much, you give it the attention it deserves. Related Video: Image Credit: Donovan Reese via Getty Images Auto News Marketing/Advertising Chevrolet Ford RAM Truck f-150 texas state fair