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2015 Chevy Volt will be available with 4G LTE

General Motors teased consumers two years ago when it showed off a Chevrolet Volt decked out with 4G LTE connectivity. More details were finally unveiled this month at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas: the 2015 Chevy Volt will have a 4G LTE option and will offer consumers an as-yet-unpriced option with much faster wireless internet connection and more smartphone apps. GM's OnStar has teamed up with AT&T to come up with several mobile apps alongside the roadside assistance. The Volt joins the 2015 Corvette, Impala and Malibuz models that will debut with a 4G LTE option this year. The first four 4G ChevroLTE models will be released this summer and will be joined by the Spark (EV and gas versions), Equinox, Silverado and Silverado HD. GM has yet to announce whether any Cadillac or Buick models will get the 4G option. Chevrolet Accelerates to 4G LTE Speeds in 2014 Bowtie brand models in U.S. and Canada to get OnStar 4G LTE by summer LAS VEGAS – Starting this summer, Chevrolet will have some of the fastest vehicles on the roads, and that has nothing to do with horsepower. Chevrolet drivers will be enjoying high-speed data - made possible by a new OnStar 4G LTE connection in the vehicle, running on AT&T's network, the nation's fastest and most reliable 4G LTE network. Chevrolet today announced at the Consumer Electronics Show that the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette, Impala, Malibu, and Volt would be the first General Motors' vehicles to come optionally equipped with OnStar 4G LTE. They will be followed by the Equinox, Silverado, Silverado HD, Spark and Spark EV. In the Canadian market, OnStar with 4G LTE will be introduced on the Chevrolet Trax as well. The majority of the 2015 Chevrolet lineup in the U.S and Canada will have a 4G LTE connection built-in at vehicle launch. More models will be announced later this year. "Chevrolet is expected to implement the broadest deployment of 4G LTE in the automotive industry," said Alan Batey, senior vice president of Global Chevrolet. "The fact that OnStar with 4G LTE will be available in models that range from the Chevrolet Spark to the Silverado to the Corvette, is indicative of our broad commitment to deliver more value and convenience through smart technology applications.

Leveling kit now available for Chevy Colorado, but not yet for GMC Canyon

In various bits of news this year concerning the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups, we kept hearing about a front leveling kit. GM Authority found a few details in early order guides in January. In February, the kit came up in relation to the Canyon's AT4 Off-Road Performance Package, and again with AEV's upgraded Colorado Bison. After three months of waiting, GMA has more info. The kit eliminates the trucks' raked stance by raising the front by one inch, using an electro-coated upper spacer and a polyurethane lower spacer in order to maintain the proper suspension geometry. Installation is a bolt-on job with low-profile nuts, but the task will require a spring compressor. Fitted properly, the kit doesn't void GM's new vehicle warranty on the Colorado. Why do we only mention the Colorado? Because for some reason, the kit isn't available for the Canyon yet as a standalone component; the GMC stays raked without one of the aforementioned option packages. For Chevy, the leveling kit is compatible with any trim in four-wheel drive except the ZR2. It cannot be installed on two-wheel-drive trucks, nor any truck wearing wheels that are 20 inches or above. The kit is available now, ordered through any Chevy dealer for $150. There is a treat in store for GMC buyers, though, but it requires spending a lot more money. GM Authority discovered that the 2021 Yukon will offer the brand's first illuminated emblem. Priced at $475 as a dealer-installed option, a backlit glow will show off the GMC logo in the grille. The brand makes the logo in red and black, it's thought the red logo will get the nod, at least at first. Only the front logo earns the spotlight, not the one on the tailgate. GMA says the tchotchke will be available on all four trims when the new full-size crossover goes on sale in a few months.

GM announces 3 new recalls affecting 1.7M vehicles in North America [w/video]

Still embroiled in the ongoing ignition switch recall, General Motors announced today three more discrete recalls, affecting a grand total of 1,546,900 vehicles in the US. The Detroit News reports that some 1.7 million vehicles are affected overall in North America. The first and largest of the trio of new recalls concerns some 1.18-million Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia crossovers from the 2008-2013 model years, Chevrolet Traverse from 2009-2013 (pictured above) and Saturn Outlook vehicles from 2008-2010. All of the crossover utilities may have an issue with the wiring harness for their seat-mounted side airbags. Apparently, the vehicles are equipped with a Service Air Bag warning light that, if ignored, "will eventually result in the non-deployment of the side impact restraints." Those restraints include the side airbags, a front-center airbag if the vehicle is so equipped and seatbelt pretensioners. Dealers of affected vehicles will be instructed to remove driver and passenger side airbag wiring harness connectors, and then "splice and solder the wires together." The second recall affects 303,000 Chevrolet Express (pictured right) and GMC Savana vans from model years 2009-2014, and with gross vehicle weights under 10,000 pounds. Said vehicles do not comply with a head impact requirement for unrestrained occupants, and will need a reworking of the instrument panel material to be sent back on the road. It doesn't sound as though there's a quick fix for this one, as the GM press release states: "Unsold vehicles have been placed on a stop delivery until development of the solution has been completed and parts are available." Finally, the third recall affects 63,900 Cadillac XTS luxury sedans from model years 2013 and 2014. A brake booster pump may be susceptible to corrosion by way of the relay, potentially causing and electrical short, overheating, melting of plastic components and even engine fires. GM says it is aware of two engine fires in unsold XTS models and two cases of melted parts. Repairs for the issues affecting the XTS have not not mentioned by GM in the release. The Detroit News is also reporting that along with news of the triple-recall, GM is taking a $300-million credit to help pay for the repair costs, and to deal with the ongoing costs associated with the ignition switch recall. In an attempt to explain just what GM has been doing in the face of these very serious issues, newly minted CEO Mary Barra has addressed the issues in a new video.