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Autonomous tech will drive motorheads off the road

While autonomous technology could make car travel much safer and more efficient — and automakers and marketers are salivating over the prospect of a "passenger economy" that could potentially generate $7 trillion by 2050 — those of us who enjoy driving are not so stoked. Experts have predicted that as autonomous vehicles are deployed in large numbers, human-driven cars eventually could be outlawed on public roads due to the carnage they create, which is currently more than 41,000 deaths a year in the U.S. alone and climbing. Such scenarios have driving enthusiasts envisioning a "Red Barchetta" style nightmare becoming reality, making Rush lyricist Neil Peart a clairvoyant as well as one of rock's most badass skin-pounders. But there could be a couple of refuges left for motorheads, and they won't be on public roads. As Popular Science's Joe Brown points out in a recent editorial, we're seeing a wave of vehicles being offered by legit mainstream automakers that aren't made for public roads. The poster child of this vanguard is the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, which comes with a crate full of goodies that lets you turn the already formidable street-legal muscle car into a drag-strip dominator. Brown also notes that two out of five of the Ford GT's driving modes are for use on the track, "catering to the $450,000 machine's club-racing clientele." We're also currently enjoying the heyday of production off-road-ready pickups that kicked off with the Ford Raptor in 2009. The latest salvo in this escalating war of overachieving trucks is the Chevy Colorado ZR2 that can take on the likes of California's Rubicon Trail without issue. Brown also gives a shout-out to his magazine's Grand Award Winner, the Alta Motors Redshift MX, which "isn't even allowed on public roads" and is "meant for bombing around motocross tracks, big backyards and single-track woods trails." If you follow Brown on Instagram, you know that he's also a two-wheel aficionado, and he points out that sales of off-road bikes are leaving street machines in the dust. Sales of off-highway motorcycles rose 29 percent between 2012 and 2016, according to the ­Motorcycle Industry Council — compared to 6 percent for road-bike sales during the same period. "That's a nearly 400-percent drubbing," Brown remarks.

2015 Chevrolet Silverado Custom glitzes up volume model [UPDATE]

UPDATE: The original prices listed in Chevrolet's press release did include destination charging, despite not being specifically called out as such. We've edited the story to reflect this. The Chicago Auto Show's reputation as the home of special edition debuts grows stronger today, as Chevrolet is complementing the news that it'd unveil the Silverado Midnight Edtion and Colorado GearOn special editions in the Windy City with the debut of the Silverado Custom. And yes, it's different than the higher-spec Custom Sport that debuted just last month in Detroit. What's so custom about the Silverado Custom, you ask? Well, not a whole lot. The new truck is based on the popular Silverado LS Double Cab, and adds, among its most noteworthy features, a set of 20-inch, five-spoke wheels. From there, chrome is the order of the day, with shinier front and rear bumpers, mirror caps and door handles. The top portion of the front bumper, which is finished in black plastic on the standard LS, is matched to the body color on the Custom model. Standard LS interior features, like the 4.2-inch MyLink system with 4G LTE wireless internet, 40/20/40 cloth front seats, remain in place on the Custom, while it's a similar story with the powertrain. Choices below the sheetmetal will force buyers to choose between a 5.3-liter V8 or a standard 4.3-liter V6, and two- or four-wheel drive. Chevy is pricing a V8-equipped Silverado Custom 4x2 at $33,820 (including $1,195 in destination charges). Adding four-wheel drive brings the price up at $37,800, although as we said, selecting the 4.3-liter V6 will yield a more affordable Custom. Check out the full press release on the newest member of the Silverado clan, available below. 2015 Silverado Custom: Back to Basics, with Style $33,820 starting price for a well-equipped double-cab V-8 CHICAGO – Chevrolet takes aim at the heart of the pickup market with the Silverado Custom, which offers Chevy Truck capability and dependability in a stylish package, priced within reach of many truck customers. "The economic recovery has led to booming sales of high-end pickups like the Silverado High Country," said Sandor Piszar, marketing director for Chevy Trucks. "But there are also millions of customers in the heart of the market who want a great looking, well-equipped truck at an affordable price.

Pics Aplenty: Meet the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra [w/poll]

Today was a pretty big day for General Motors, debuting the all-new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra light-duty pickup trucks ahead of their official showcase at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. And now that the dust has settled at GM's big reveal event, we've had a chance to snap dozens of photos of the new pickup pair from every angle.
We already told you the important bits earlier today (click here in case you missed it), but let's recap. Under the hood are three new engines - a 4.3-liter V6, 5.3-liter V8 and 6.2-liter V8 (you know, a version of the small-block that'll also be found under the hood of the C7 Corvette), all mated to six-speed automatic transmissions. The 2014 model year marks the return of the Z71 off-road package with Rancho shocks, front tow hooks and beefier underbody protection. Inside, there's a host of new technology and a greater focus on better quality and refinement.
Some of the nitty-gritty specifics (like engine output numbers and fuel economy) have yet to be revealed, and since we haven't driven the finished products yet, it's hard to say how these trucks will fare against rivals like the Ram 1500 and Ford F-150. For now, we can only judge these two books by their covers, and while we do like the designs of the new trucks, we Autoblog staffers are torn on exactly which one looks best.