Chevrolet Shows Off New 2017 Chevy Cobalt…for South America
Welcome back the Chevrolet Cobalt, previously discontinued in 2010, and now showing up as a new subcompact sedan. Unfortunately for us in the United States, it is only to be offered exclusively in developing South American markets, and will be sharing the Gamma II platform with the Chevrolet Sonic, Aveo, Onix, and Prisma. That means […]
There is a 570hp Chevy Cobalt SS, Of Course. Why Wouldn’t There Be?
Not every piece of news these days involving the Chevy Cobalt has to do with the gloom and doom associated with the ignition switch recall. This decidedly sunnier story comes to us from TX2K14, which has gathered high-powered street cars for roll races and a dyno competition. The latter measures a vehicle’s wheel horsepower (WHP) […]
Canadian Teens Push a Stranded Driver’s Broken-Down Chevy Home
Sometimes in the surge of negative headlines you find a few drops of positive stories that restore your hope in humanity. A recent story that hails from Fonthill, Ontario falls into that category. Learn more about the charitable teens who went the extra mile (literally) for a stranded driver in need. The dilemma According to […]
The Democratic Republic of the Congo Triples the Royalty Rate for Cobalt
Cobalt is a major component in the batteries that EVs use, and its increasing price could hinder EV development
Numerous automakers are predicting that electric vehicles will be the future of the industry, and have adjusted their product strategies accordingly. However, any number of factors could affect their efforts to develop such vehicles. The latest obstacle for EV developers to overcome is an increased royalty rate on cobalt imposed by the Democratic Republic of […]
Panasonic To Switch Out Controversial and Expensive Cobalt for Nickel in Its EV Batteries
Electric cars have always been plagued by a specter haunting the origins of battery materials, as the world’s main source of a major ingredient in current lithium-ion batteries from those used in cell phones to those in an electric car, the rare mineral cobalt, is mainly mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which […]
Chevy to (Probably) Bring Back Cavalier Name
It seems we hear about every new General Motors vehicle ahead of time when GM applies for a trademark on the name. It’s something that we report on all the time, with GM most recently patenting the name “Corvette E-Ray,” hinting at an electric Corvette. Well, it’s that time again: GM has filed a trademark […]
Chevy Announces 2015 Cruze Pricing
With so much attention on the all-new Colorado as of late, it’s easy to forget about Chevy’s other offerings. But we hope you haven’t forgotten about the little ol’ Cruze. After all, Chevy’s compact sedan is a fairly big hit with drivers, and has been around since 2008, when it replaced the outgoing (and rather […]
Current-Gen Chevy Camaro Recall — And More
GM is at it again, but at this point, no one is surprised. The company is being over-sensitive to recalls following the ignition switch fiasco, and I can’t blame them. Still, it’s disheartening (and slightly anticlimactic) to see more GM recalls pour in on a weekly basis. This one is a current-gen Chevy Camaro recall […]
Will the GMC Granite Rock Our World in 2020?
Back in 2010, GMC debuted the Granite concept at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. While that was a hot minute ago, GMC has just renewed its trademark on the Granite nameplate — for the fourth time. Previous filings occurred in 2009, 2010, and 2015. While there’s no guarantee that GMC will […]
Meet Ravon: The GM Brand That Few People Know About
If you’re a fan of GM, you’re likely familiar with models like the GMC Yukon and Chevy Silverado. You’re likely less familiar about one of the company’s more obscure sub-brands: Ravon. Enjoy stumping your car geek friends with this random piece of trivia, the next time anyone brings up GM models. A brief history of Ravon […]
GM Ignition Switch Victims Fund Receives First Claims
The GM ignition switch victims fund, under the direction of Kenneth Feinberg, opened for claims on August 1, 2014, and will remain open until 11:59pm on December 31, 2014, to settle with anyone harmed in a vehicle affected by the recall. In the first couple days of the fund’s existence, General Motors received around 40 […]
GM is Being Sued For $10 Billion
The news that GM is now the target of a potential $10 billion lawsuit is almost enough to make you feel sorry for them…and then you read another headline about how the company basically ruined Courtland Kelley’s career for having the gall to suggest that defective ignition switches could be a deadly problem and then […]
GM Increases Accident Tally to 47
The company told NHTSA on Friday that 47 crashes have been linked to the faulty ignition switches, but will not budge from their claim of 13 fatalities.
General Motors told federal regulators on Friday that the number accidents related to ignition switch defects is 47 and not 32 as they had previously told NHTSA. GM is otherwise unwavering when it comes to their fatality count, sticking with the company line that only 13 people died behind the wheels of vehicles such as […]
GM Faces Losing $10 Billion in Lawsuits
If it indeed comes to pass, it certainly couldn't happen to a nicer company.
General Motors says that it is facing no less than 79 lawsuits from customers seeking upwards of $10 billion for the loss of value in their recalled cars. 20 class-action lawsuits have been filed since the beginning of May, many of which use the concept of successor liability to hold “new GM” accountable for the […]
Jim Federico, GM Global Head of Subcompact Vehicles, Announces Retirement
Jim Federico has been with General Motors for 36 years but formally announced his retirement just two days ago. Federico served as the Executive Chief Engineer of Subcompact and Electric Vehicles. Most recently, he reported to Mark Reuss, GM Head of Product Development, though he used to report to Mary Barra before her promotion to […]
GM Recall Roundup: What’s Done in the Dark…
Documents suggest that Barra knew of issues with the Ion as far back as October 2011, the two engineers placed on paid leave are named, and five Democrats urge the DoJ to force GM to establish a victim's fund.
This weekend’s GM recall roundup sees a number of documents coming to light and a number of signs pointing to the conclusion that GM and Delphi both knew that something was wrong with their ignition switches. Of particular interest is the fact that current GM CEO Mary Barra had at least some rudimentary understanding of […]
Latest GM Recall: 490K Trucks and SUVs, 172K Cruzes
The latest recall of a combined 662,000 GM-made vehicle brings the total number of vehicles recalled in March to 4.8 million.
To General Motors, vehicle recalls for safety-related issues may well be the equivalent of Pringles: “Once you pop, you can’t stop.” Except in this case, their reward is not the salty goodness of potato chips, but rather the confidence that the survival of their empire may well depend on how they handle the mess that […]
GM Ignition Switch Recall Expands to 2.2 Million Vehicles
GM ads 824,000 vehicles to already-massive ignition switch recall. Barra: "We're taking no chances with safety."
Everybody loves Friday. Everybody, it seems, except for General Motors. First, news broke that they had ordered that dealers stop all sales of 2013-2014 Chevy Cruze models fitted with 1.4-liter turbo engines, leading many to suspect that Chevy’s top-selling vehicle might be the next to get recalled. Then came news that they are recalling 656 […]