1997 Chevy Tahoe No Reserve on 2040-cars

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GM applies for LT5, LTX trademarks... are new small block variants coming?

Recently discovered General Motors trademark applications for LT4, LT5, LT88 and LTX have observers wondering what kind of high-performance offerings could be on their way. A new LT4 would mark a return of the engine designation first used on the Corvette Grand Sport, SLP Pontiac Firehawk and SLP Chevrolet Camaro SS from 1996 and 1997. Supposition at Corvette Forum - which provided advance intel on the C7 like these leaked images - believes a new LT4 could go into the high-performance trim of the next-gen, 2015 Camaro that would be more powerful than the 580-horsepower Camaro ZL1.
Seeing an LT5 again would also be déjà vu - in its former life it was a 5.7-liter V8 for the C4 Corvette ZR-1 from 1990-1994 designed by Lotus, producing from 370 hp to 405 hp. A mix of rumor and hope is that the new LT5 will be a supercharged evolution of the 6.2-liter LT1 (pictured) placed in the new C7 Corvette, and that it will go into the C7 version of the ZR1 pumping out something like 700 hp.
The LTX trademark is, as with that last letter, a complete mystery. If the "X" isn't a generic way to denote the whole LT family, it's wondered if it LTX could refer to a crate motor offering like the LSX.

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla factory tour video, Obama rejects Keystone XL

Tesla takes us on a 90-second factory tour in a new video. In the footage, we see humans and robots hard at work putting together the electric cars we all know and love. Pieces of the manufacturing process are interspersed with larger shots of the factory floor. In the end, we see the finished product leave the factory and speed off onto a cone course. Check it out in the video above. President Obama has rejected the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline. After a seven-year review, he says it would not be in America's interest to build the 1,179-mile pipeline to bring oil from Canada's tar sands to the Gulf of Mexico. He cites passing a bipartisan infrastructure bill as a better way to create jobs, says US gas prices are already falling, and that reducing reliance on fossil fuels is a better way toward energy security. "The industry can find a different way to move that oil," says Christine Tezak, energy market analyst at ClearView Energy Partners. "If prices go up, companies will get the oil out." Read more at The New York Times. Chevrolet is donating a 2016 Volt to support For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). Donations raised from the auction will help the organization bring student robotics projects to communities in need of greater science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education representation. "The Volt exemplifies technology, and behind the next-generation Chevrolet Volt is a diverse team of engineers who understand the power of science and math," says Chevrolet Marketing Director Steve Majoros. "FIRST brings science and math alive outside the classroom, just like we are bringing it alive on the road." Read more from Chevrolet. Nissan has been ranked among the top five percent of global corporations in the Carbon Disclosure Project's (CDP) 2015 Climate Change Report. Nissan scored a perfect 100 points in CDP's Climate Disclosure Leadership Index. Nissan's successful Leaf EV, as well as its efforts to reduce well-to-wheel CO2 emissions by 90 percent by 2050, earned the automaker its high marks. "Nissan is providing customers with innovative products and promoting effective use of energy and resource by increasing sourcing diversity, such as with renewable energy and recycled materials," says Nissan Corporate Vice President Joji Tagawa. "We will continue our activities to achieve our environmental philosophy of 'a Symbiosis of People, Vehicles and Nature.'" Read more in the press release below.

GM plans to sell the Chevy Tahoe and Cadillac Escalade in China

General Motors Co plans to sell full-size sport-utility vehicle (SUV) models in China for the first time, and will import a range of models to beef up its product lineup into the world's biggest car market, its China chief told Reuters. The plan would mark a change of tack for GM, which currently produces all of the vehicles it sells in China within the country, which is set to be the only major economy to grow this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. GM, China's second-biggest foreign automaker, is aiming to offer four models as it looks to improve its brand image and support a sales recovery: Chevrolet's Tahoe and Suburban, Cadillac's Escalade and the GMC Yukon Denali. The Detroit-based company is showcasing those models at the China International Import Expo, or CIIE, an annual import show in Shanghai which started on Wednesday and runs into next week. "Our intention is to get customer reaction and find a way to sell these cars in China," said GM's China chief Julian Blissett. The automaker sees opportunities for such vehicles, partly because Chinese families are expanding, he added. "We are looking into a variety of market sales plans for these vehicles, including online sales, leasing and others," he said, declining to give a detailed timeframe for the plan. GM's Buick and Cadillac mid-size SUVs helped the group's Chinese sales grow 12% in the third quarter this year, the first quarterly growth in the past two years. But it does not have full-size SUV models, which usually have a third row of seats and has room for six or seven people. BATTLEGROUND China, where over 25 million vehicles were sold last year, is a crucial battleground for global automakers including Volkswagen AG, the biggest foreign player by sales volumes, GM and Toyota, as well as local leaders Geely and Great Wall. The country has seen auto sales pick up in recent months following a COVID-19-induced slump, and authorities say they have largely brought the epidemic under control following its emergence in the central city of Wuhan at the end of last year. The expansion plan would also mark GM's first official sales in China of GMC vehicles, a premium brand in the group. Previously GMC vehicles were only sold in the country via unofficial grey importers. The imports will, however, not change GM's basic production strategy in China. It will still mostly sell vehicles made in China - for now, at least. "Depending on however we go we might make other decisions," Blissett said.