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Weekly Recap: Volvo buys Polestar, makes performance a priority

Volvo is taking its performance business in-house, and the Swedish carmaker announced Tuesday that it bought tuning company Polestar, which has long been known for producing sporty Volvos. The move allows Volvo to ramp up its performance business, and it plans to increase Polestar-branded vehicle sales to 1,000 to 1,500 annually, up from the 750 total projected for this year. The companies have been working together on motorsports projects since 1996. Financial terms of the sale were not released, and Polestar workers will move over to Volvo. Former Polestar owner Christian Dahl will keep control of the Polestar racing team and operate it under a new name. In addition to sales volume, Volvo has ambitious plans for other parts of Polestar, including its aftermarket business. Volvo also said it will use its twin-engine hybrid technology for Polestar models in the future, though specifics and timing were not revealed. Meanwhile, Volvo announced it will offer a run of 265 total Polestars in the United States for the 2016 model year, with S60 and V60s available. "Driving a Volvo Polestar is a special experience. We have decided to bring this experience to more Volvo drivers, placing the full resources of Volvo behind the development of Polestar as the model name for our high performance cars," Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said in a statement. OTHER NEWS & NOTES 2016 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, get nose jobs Automakers tend to refer to light updates as 'facelifts,' and that's exactly what Chevy gave the 2016 Silverado and GMC Sierra. Chevy slightly changed the front end of the truck. Using the one photo released of the new Z71 model as a guide, we can see that the headlights went from a stacked vertical design to single bulbs, and they are set on top of LED running lights. The grille has more body-colored elements instead of shiny metal, and the hood has a new line running down the middle (look really closely). The design theme will be similar across the portfolio, though materials and details will vary, a spokesman said. Some models, like the High Country and LTZ will have more chrome, and the LEDs are only for the upper trims. Chevy also said it will use the eight-speed automatic transmission on more versions of the Silverado, and it updated the MyLink feature to support Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

GM alerting truck and sedan owners to a do-over on brake recall

A recall campaign intended to address issues with braking systems on certain 2019 General Motors trucks and sedans may have introduced a new issue, the automaker has acknowledged, and thousands of owners driving repaired vehicles may need to return to their service departments for another update.  The update addresses a fix that was pushed out to owners of more than half a million brand-new GM trucks and sedans that could potentially lose partial braking function, according to the Detroit Free Press. The original software fix helped address situations where the vehicles' anti-lock braking systems would become disabled, which in turn would prevent electronic stability control from activating. Vehicles subject to the recall would often experience software glitches that prevented them from properly communicating the operational state of these systems, meaning drivers would have no idea that their brakes may not behave as expected in an emergency. The 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Cadillac CT6, and GMC Sierra 1500 were all recalled in the original campaign.  Unfortunately, the early version of this fix appears to have introduced yet another software glitch, indicating that the original fix did not do the trick. Those who have not yet had their cars serviced can rest easy; they will only receive the most up-to-date version of the software fix.  Related video    

GM ending stop-sale order on heavy-duty trucks

General Motors responded to an inquiry from Autoblog regarding a stop-sale order on its full-size heavy-duty pickup trucks. Here's GM's official statement. GM is committed to building the highest quality products possible. We paused delivery on a small number of HD pickups with the 6.6 liter Duramax engine last week to finalize an investigation into a potential quality issue. The investigation has been completed and the stop sale will be lifted for the small number of vehicles at dealerships.Customers can be assured GM’s heavy duty pickups are covered by a 5 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty. The original article continues below. General Motors has reportedly sent its Chevrolet and GMC dealers a stop-sale order that applies to some examples of the 2022 Silverado HD, the 2022 Silverado MD, and the 2022 Sierra HD. The units affected by the stop-sale order may develop an engine-related problem. Citing anonymous sources, website GM Authority wrote that the Duramax 6.6-liter turbodiesel V8 in the affected trucks can hydrolock, which means liquid could enter the cylinders and cause a substantial amount of damage. The report does not specify where the liquid would come from; hydrolocking can happen by driving through a deep puddle of water, for example, but a large amount of coolant can cause it as well. The publication adds that the stop-sale order was assigned internal reference number N222362910. It also notes that the trucks included in it can't be sold, delivered to buyers, traded with another dealer, sent to auction, or even used for demonstration purposes until further notice. Earlier in April 2022, GM Authority reported that General Motors planned to buy back an unspecified number of Silverado HD and Sierra HD trucks due to quality-related issues with the 6.6-liter V8. Details about the problems experienced by customers haven't been released; all we know is that each truck will be replaced, though the replacement may not have the same equipment due to the ongoing chip shortage. Related video: