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GM shows off 'digital vehicle platform' enabling more in-car tech and OTA updates

It appears to have dropped the sobriquet "Global B," but General Motors' new electrical architecture has bowed in drawings and video. This is the "digital vehicle platform" GM president Mark Reuss spoke to Reuters about in 2015, saying it would move a great deal of a vehicle's computer work to the cloud and enable over-the-air updates. Reuss took the microphone for the debut, too, saying, "Our new digital vehicle platform and its eventual successors will underpin all our future innovations across a wide range of technological advancements, including EVs and expanded automated driving." The system will go into production later this year, appearing in dealerships first either on the 2020 Cadillac CT5 or the mid-engined 2020 Chevrolet Corvette. Yes, these are the same electronics cited for delaying the launch of the C8 Corvette over excessive draw, security and getting the more-than-100 computer modules to communicate seamlessly. When Car and Driver asked about that, GM replied with "No comment." Volkswagen's having the same issues with the Mk8 Golf right now, though, so GM isn't alone, and this will be the new normal among OEMs for a while. What's certifiable is that the new architecture is robust enough to handle 4.5 terabytes of data per hour, which is five times what GM's current wiring can handle. And thanks to Ethernet connections of 100 Mbps, 1 Gbs and 10 Gbs, communication within and without the vehicle happens much faster. The advances mean better screen resolutions, better battery management for hybrids and electric vehicles, the capability for over-the-air updates and "functionality upgrades throughout the lifespan of the vehicle." Cadillac's Super Cruise has already been lined up as a leading candidate for constant improvements in the driving assistance suite, a key part of GM's "vision for a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion." And whenever GM decides to take the plunge, it will mean a 48-volt electrical system. More than 300 specialists worked on the digital platform, and security was a huge part of the task. We've already heard that GM consulted with Boeing and military contractors on how to prevent hacking. The carmaker has an internal Product Cybersecurity group that reached out to the research community, and created a "bug bounty" program to crowdsource uncovering any flaws.

Here are the best-selling cars and trucks from January 2015

Every month, Autoblog slogs through all the sales figures reported by automakers that do business in the United States, and, after a little bit of sorting, we put it into an easy-to-read chart in an attempt to make it as easy as possible to follow the ins and outs of sales and shipments. But that only covers the brands themselves, not the individual models they sell. And we think you'd all be interested in knowing which vehicles beat their rivals in sales from month to month, so we've put together this handy gallery to keep you in the know. While the leader of the pack may not come as much of a surprise, the order that the top ten finishes in changes frequently – due to automaker deals, the price of gas, etc. – and we've included some statistics to help you see how their current performance stacks up to month's past. Click here to see January 2015's Top Ten Best-Selling Cars And Trucks In America. By the Numbers Chevrolet Ford GM Honda Nissan RAM Toyota Car Buying

Let's Drive NYC is GM's car sharing program for the Big Apple

Under a new car sharing program offered by General Motors and others, a New York Minute will cost about 15 cents. GM is working with a luxury-apartment building owner and a parking lot operator to run a car sharing program in Midtown Manhattan. The program is called Let's Drive NYC and it was announced Thursday. Let's Drive NYC is being offered to residents of the Ritz Plaza, a 479-unit luxury apartment building near New York's Times Square. The program is being run with the help of Icon Parking Systems, which runs about 200 parking garages in Manhattan where the cars can be parked. GM is contributing eight Chevrolet Trax crossovers and two Chevrolet Equinox SUVs, and the automaker is slated to add more vehicles "later." Residents of the Ritz Plaza, which is owned by Stonehenge Partners, can make "periodic apartment lease payments" and in exchange receive electronic credits for three hours of driving a month. After those three hours are up, the drivers will be charged less than $10 an hour, or as much as $75 a day. The program was piloted earlier this year to some of the apartment's tenants. The program marks the second bit of car sharing news in New York within the past two months. In August, Mercedes-Benz and Smart parent Daimler announced that its Car2go car sharing service would expand into Queens and add about 100 Smart ForTwo two-seaters to the city's program. Car2go made its New York debut in Brooklyn last October and has attracted more than 27,000 members since then. You can take a look at Let's Drive NYC's press release below. GM Unveils 'Let's Drive NYC' Car-Sharing Program NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Running an errand to a big box store or planning a weekend excursion are about to get easier for some Manhattan residents because of a car-sharing program revealed today by General Motors. It's the company's latest move to deliver urban mobility options to customers around the globe. Let's Drive NYC is available to eligible residents of The Ritz Plaza, a 479-unit luxury apartment building at Times Square in midtown Manhattan, owned and managed by Stonehenge Partners. Residents use a GM-developed mobile app to reserve a vehicle and access parking in one of 200 garages throughout Manhattan managed by Icon Parking Systems. The fleet currently includes eight Chevrolet Trax small SUVs and two Chevrolet Equinox compact SUVs, with more vehicles to be added later.