1987 Monte Carlo Ss Areo Coupe on 2040-cars

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NACTOY announces top nine finalists for Car, Truck and Utility of the Year

Finalists for the 2024 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) Awards were announced at this year’s L.A. Auto Show. This whittles the field down to nine vehicles in total, with the winners scheduled to be announced on January 4, 2024. The finalists in their respective categories: Car category: Honda Accord, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Toyota Prius Truck category: Chevrolet Colorado, Chevrolet Silverado EV, Ford Super Duty Utility category: Genesis Electrified GV70, Kia EV9, Volvo EX30 These nine cars were chosen from a list of 25, which was previously narrowed down from a list of 52 eligible vehicles. Notable misses include the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, Toyota GR Corolla, GMC Canyon, Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Chevrolet Equinox EV, Mazda CX-90 and Toyota Grand Highlander, among others. Jurors will now evaluate the final nine through the end of the year to determine the four winners. Autoblog Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is among the jurors. Green LA Auto Show Chevrolet Ford Genesis GM Honda Hyundai Kia Toyota Volvo Truck Crossover Hatchback SUV Electric Hybrid Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance Sedan

GM to sink over $900M into 4 plants, mostly for a new V8

FLINT, Mich. — General Motors says it will spend more than $900 million to update four factories, with the bulk going to an engine plant in Flint, Michigan, to build the next-generation V8 for big pickup trucks and SUVs. Factories in Rochester, New York; Defiance, Ohio; and Bay City, Michigan, also will see investments, some to make V8 engine components as well as parts for future electric vehicles, the company said Friday. The investments won't create any new jobs, but they will preserve about 2,400 hourly and salaried positions positions at the four sites, the company said. The investments “provide job security at these plants for years to come,” Gerald Johnson, GM's manufacturing chief, said in a statement. Much of the money, $579 million, will go to Flint Engine Operations for equipment to build the sixth-generation small-block V8 that will go into the next round of big pickup trucks and SUVs. The plant now employs about 700 people who also will keep making their current product, a diesel engine used in light trucks. GM, like other automakers, is facing stricter government fuel economy standards and pollution limits starting in the 2024 model year. New vehicles sold in the U.S. will have to average at least 40 miles per gallon of gasoline in 2026, up from about 28 mpg, under new Biden administration rules that undo a rollback of standards enacted under former President Donald Trump. That means the new V8 will have to get better mileage and pollute less than the current versions. Although GM wouldn't release details on the new engine, Johnson said during a news conference at the Flint plant that it would be more efficient than the current version. GM has a goal of selling only electric passenger vehicles by 2035, but Johnson said that's a dozen years out, a period when many customers will still want gas engines. “We know that has a horizon,” he said. “Between here and there, there are a lot of internal combustion customers that we don't want to lose,” he said. In addition to Flint, GM's engine components plant in Bay City, Michigan, will get $216 million to build camshafts and connecting rods, and to machine engine blocks and heads for the new V8 being built in Flint. The plant now employs about 425. The Defiance, Ohio, foundry will get $55 million to build a variety of block castings for the new V8. Included is $8 million for castings to support future electric vehicles, the company said. The plant has about 530 employees.

2016 Chevrolet Camaro design teased

Chevrolet just can't seem to help itself from continuing to tease the next-gen Camaro. The pony car gets its official debut at a big event on Detroit's Belle Isle on May 16, but the upcoming model's new exhaust, suspension components, and wheels are already well known. With this latest taste, we're finally getting an official glimpse at what the coupe actually looks like. The 2016 Camaro's shape hasn't completely been a secret, and even Chevy showed it testing while covered in camouflage in March. Still, these shots are a great opportunity to check out some undisguised details for the new model. The styling is supposed to be "more athletic," according to Chevy, and the aluminum hood looks especially good with crisp, straight lines forming the design. "It's a more expressive evolution of the Camaro's iconic character – and one that complements its leaner size and sharper reflexes," GM global design boss Ed Welburn said in a statement. These two photos suggest a more angular, futuristic shape for the upcoming pony car. We're looking forward to seeing it all in a couple weeks. Sculpted Exterior Reflects 2016 Camaro's New Athleticism 2015-04-30 DETROIT – For the all-new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, the design team set out to create a leaner, more athletic design that complemented the new driving experience. "The Camaro went to the gym and came out with a lithe, more athletic physique for the sixth generation," said Ed Welburn, vice president, GM Global Design. "It's a more expressive evolution of the Camaro's iconic character – and one that complements its leaner size and sharper reflexes." The exterior design vocabulary is defined by complex shapes, which appear to be form-fitted around the mechanical components. Every shape and surface detail is a skilled, artistic collaboration of hand and digital sculpting. Camaro's new design details draw the eye into the design. For example, the new aluminum hood features powerful, smoothly curved sculpted forms accented with sharp creases. As a result, the hood appears to be shrink-wrapped around the engine. Similarly, the new Camaro retains the broad, dramatic rear fenders that became a defining feature of the award-winning Gen 5 Camaro. The design is updated with greater detailing, including a subtle crease running parallel to the fender edge. The effect makes the new Camaro look even lower and wider despite having a slightly smaller footprint than its predecessor.