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2016 Green Truck of the Year, Commercial Green Car of the Year finalists

Not only are commercial-grade haulers getting more green love lately, they're getting more different kinds of green love. The 2016 Green Truck of the Year, the second time the award has been handed out, is being decided by judges from Green Car Journal and the San Antonio Auto & Truck Show. This year the award is joined by the new 2016 Commercial Green Car of the Year, which crowns one of the little vans increasingly used by small business as cargo and delivery vehicles. The Green Truck of the Year finalists are the Chevrolet Colorado Duramax (pictured), Ford F-150, GMC Canyon Duramax, Nissan Titan XD, and Toyota Tacoma. The first three of those were on last year's list, but since they are completely new or upgraded for 2016 - Ford with its all-aluminum body, the General Motors twins with the new diesel Duramax engine - they qualify for entry again. The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel won last year. The Commercial Green Car finalists are the Chevrolet City Express, Ford Transit Connect, Mercedes-Benz Metris, Nissan NV200, and Ram ProMaster City. You can read more details in the presser below, and the awards will be announced in San Antonio sometime during the show from November 19-22. San Antonio Auto & Truck Show Announces 2016 Green Truck of the Year and Commercial Green Car of the Year Finalists SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Car Journal and the San Antonio Auto & Truck Show have announced finalists for the 2016 Green Truck of the Year™ and 2016 Commercial Green Car of the Year™ awards. The Green Truck of the Year™ nominees are the Chevrolet Colorado Duramax, Ford F-150, GMC Canyon Duramax, Nissan Titan XD, and Toyota Tacoma. Vying for the all-new 2016 Commercial Green Car of the Year™ award are the Chevrolet City Express, Ford Transit Connect, Mercedes-Benz Metris, Nissan NV200, and Ram ProMaster City. "Over the past few decades, new car models have benefitted from design and technology improvements that have brought higher fuel efficiency and greater levels of environmental compatibility," said Green Car Journal and CarsOfChange.com Editor and Publisher Ron Cogan. "With models like these ten deserving finalists, we're witnessing the pickup and light commercial vehicle field enjoying the same attention." The new Commercial Green Car of the Year™ award is part of an expanded awards program presented at this year's 2015 San Antonio Auto & Truck Show.

Now's the time to buy a cheap first-gen Chevy Volt

Would you fork over 18 grand and change for a new Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in vehicle? If so, there are some for the taking. Since the updated Volt is about ready to hit dealerships, current models have become a lot easier to afford. For some reason, it appears the best deals are in Iowa, recalling some sort of Field of Dreams-style whispering voice luring car shoppers to their first plug-in vehicle, according to EV Obsession. To wit, a couple of 2014 Volts with a sticker price in the $35,000 range are being offered for less than $26,000 in that Midwestern state. Factor in the $7,500 tax credit from the federal government, and the Volt can be had for less than the sticker price of a Toyota Prius C compact hybrid. Chevy started priming that particular pump earlier this year, though didn't appear to have a ton of success. This past spring, Chevrolet was offering some impressive lease deals on the Volt, with monthly payments dropping to less than $250. There's a reason buyers will want to wait for the second-generation Volt. The 2016 version will have a 53-mile all-electric range, up from the 38-mile range in the current version, along with 106 MPGe. Some will say that the style is improved as well, and the first-gen's touch-sensitive control panel was discarded for more buttons. Still, if you're more concerned about price than having the newest car on the lot, now's a good time to shop. And speaking of the current version, sales remain down substantially. Last month, Chevy moved 1,380 Volts, a 45-percent plunge from a year earlier. Through August, Volt sales were down 37 percent this year compared to 2014 numbers, to 8,315 units.

LG Chem ready to double workforce at plant that makes Volt batteries

With a history that involves paying people not to work, the fact that LG Chem is going to hire more people for its electric-vehicle battery plant in Holland, Michigan is good news on a couple fronts for the Korean company. The South Korea-based LG Chem is holding a job fair at the factory about 30 miles west of Grand Rapids. The company wants to double its workforce this year to "several hundred people." LG Chem, whose factory notably makes the cells for General Motors' Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle battery, is looking for everything from technical operators to maintenance workers to production supervisors. The company held a previous job fair last September that resulted in about 40 people being hired. The prior year, though, LG Chem gained a measure of infamy after the US Department of Energy (DOE) discovered that workers were, for a time, getting paid to do absolutely nothing because low demand for battery packs made it cheaper for the factory to remain idle. With LG Chem also making electric-vehicle battery components for Ford, Renault, Hyundai, and Volvo, though, those lazy days appear to be long gone. Take a look at LG Chem's press release below. Show full PR text LG Chem Michigan Inc. 2nd Job Fair Will Help To Double Its Holland Workforce HOLLAND, Mich., May 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Chem Michigan Inc. (LGCMI) is conducting a 2nd job fair on Thursday, May 14 as part of the company's efforts to double the size of its production workforce in 2015. LGCMI is an air-conditioned, clean room production environment with strong opportunity for career growth. Over 250 people attended the first job fair and the company is looking for more people to help it grow with increased production volume and new models. The company is adding production equipment and new processes and expects to employ several hundred people by the end of the year. Globally, LG Chem has numerous automakers as clients for EV batteries including GM, Ford, Renault, Hyundai/Kia, Volvo, Audi and Daimler etc. The company's push to build its workforce continues on Thursday, May 14 with an all-day job fair at the company's facilities, located at 1 LG Way in Holland. The event will take place from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and is open to everyone seeking employment opportunities with the company. Prospective candidates should plan to meet with members of LGCMI's staff to learn more about opportunities available at this market-leading, advanced-technology manufacturing company.