Those tax incentives could amount to as much as $7,500, depending on where the car is registered. Add in California credits some are eligible, and that could knock another $2,500 off the sticker; in fact, GM says, the Spark EV could end up $17,495 if the driver can get all the potential discounts.

Difficulty in getting behind the wheel might be a matter more of finding a showroom with the Spark inside, rather than affording it. Chevrolet’s initial roll-out plans consist of select dealers in California and Oregon; beyond that, it’s not clear which states will get the car next.

As for the lease, that’s $199 per month over the course of three years, after a $999 initial payment and fees, assuming you qualify.

Since range anxiety is likely to be a lasting concern for electric car drivers, the Spark EV works with Chevy’s RemoteLink app that hooks up via Bluetooth with the in-car systems and OnStar; that can re-plan your journey so that you drive via a charging station if you won’t have sufficient power to make it all the way.

That’ll work best with the optional DC Fast Charging – though not quite ready for the June launch – which will allow the Spark to power back up to 80-percent in around 20 minutes. Chevrolet says that, unlike some of its (unnamed) rivals’ cars, the Spark can use DC Fast Charging multiple times during the day without ill-effect. From a 240V supply the car will get to 100-percent in under 7hrs.

Once the circuit board overheats, it can cause the cars’ 12-volt battery to drain and one of several indicator lights to turn on on the instrument panel, which means that owners will be aware of the issue when it happens. However, if drivers ignore the warning lights (which we all do sometimes, right?), the engine could eventually stall and start a fire in the trunk.

Thankfully, though, the issue doesn’t affect the rechargable lithium-ion battery that’s a part of the cars’ electric hybrid system. If you’re curious to know whether your specific car is or will be affected, General Motors says that most of the incidents reported have happened within the first 1,000 miles of driving with the cars. No accidents or injuries were reported.

We actually took a look at Buick’s latest LaCrosse and Regal hybrid models during the New York Auto Show back in March. These new models aren’t a part of the recall, as they’re the 2014 models. The new cars come with the company’s next-generation IntelliLink infotainment system, which we got our hands on as well.

[via LA Times]

General Motors also revealed official photos of the pace car bearing the “Indianapolis 500″ logo on the doors of the Corvette, as well as “Official Pace Car” towards the bottom of the car on the sides. The Corvette will have strobes in both the headlights and taillights, as well as flashing lights pointing out the back window of the car.

General Motors says that no engine modifications were needed to the pace car in order to keep up pace duties throughout the race, which isn’t a surprise considering that the car has a top speed of 190 mph thanks to its 450 horsepower motor under the hood. This year’s race marks the 24th time that Chevrolet has had the honors to pace the Indy 500, which is more than any other auto maker.

1948 was the first year that Chevrolet paced the Indy 500 with a Fleetmaster sedan. Then in 1978, the Corvette saw its first time leading the Indy Car pack around the 2.5-mile track. At that time, the Corvette was in its third-generation (also called the Stingray back then as well), and the car was most known for its elongated front end and the short, stubby rear end with the fierce raised-up fenders in the front.

Images via General Motors

It’s under the hood that things could be expected to get exciting, of course, and that’s where a clutch of new trademarks – believed to be connected to engine variants – come in. Most interesting is the LT5, spotted by GM Authority, which is rumored to be a supercharged LT1 V8.

That would hark back to the original LT5 engine, which GM used to good effect in the Corvette ZR1 C4 of the early 1990s. At the time, GM looked to Lotus for help tuning the original LT5, though the company is expected to take the reins itself for coaxing extra power out of the new variant.

Reports from mid-February were already claiming that the Corvette Stingray C7 shown off in January for the first time would not be the most potent iteration of the car. Work is already afoot, Motor Trend claimed, on the Z06 and ZR1 engines, even if the cars they’d power were at least a year out.

Before then, of course, the Corvette C7 – which itself musters almost 450 HP from its small-block V8 – will arrive on forecourts, with Chevrolet only just announcing pricing for the car. Deliveries should begin in Q3 2013.

[via Autoblog]

Of course, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise if you’ve been following the Indy 500 the past few years. The race has used a Corvette as the pace car every year for the past 10 years or so, but this will be the first year that the Indy 500 will be using a brand spankin’ new 2014 Corvette C7.

The photo below is a spy shot of the pace car that will be used in the race next month. Obviously, it’s nothing too special, save for the blue and white paint scheme and the strobes plastered all over the car. We’re guessing that the car will eventually be suited with Indy 500 decals on the sides to make it look more official, but in the meantime, the car sports a rather plain look.

We took a look at the new Corvette last month at the New York Auto Show, where we also got to chat with the chief engineer behind the new car, as well as get a look at the interior since the outside of the car is only half the story. If you’re curious about learning more on the 2014 Corvette C7, we highly suggest you check out our in-depth look at the car.

[via Road and Track]

Those sensors include radar, ultrasonics, and cameras, in addition to GPS map data. All are said to be seamlessly integrated into the car itself, with Cadillac saying it leaves it near-production in appearance rather than sporting a huge radar stem as per Google’s self-driving vehicles.

However, Cadillac’s system will also have reduced functionality in comparison to the entirely autonomous projects Google and others are working on. The car company says that it will be applicable in freeway situations, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and on long road trips; however, adverse weather or poorly painted road markings will cause the car to prompt the driver to take the wheel again.

The road testing Cadillac has in mind should amount to “hundreds of thousands of miles” in a range of conditions, including day and night, various weather types, and among different levels of traffic. However, it will also be used to monitor how drivers themselves react to the car taking a greater role in driving, something the Super Cruise safety team expects to prompt another change in behavior.

“Drivers may be tempted to engage in secondary tasks during semi-automated driving,” one of GM’s safety specialists explains, with Cadillac “developing techniques to manage secondary task behavior to assist in our development of techniques for the road.”

Tesla started selling its Model S vehicles back in the middle of 2012, and it has plans of delivering 20,000 of its vehicles this year. So far its shipments are limited to North American consumers. Customers are able to purchase a Model S thanks to Tesla’s financing tool that will allow customers to pick up a Model S for virtually no down-payment and with monthly payments of $500 a month for 36 months. Elon Musk also promises customers that they can sell their Model S back after 36 months for the “same residual value percentage as the iconic Mercedes S Class.”

However, despite Tesla’s growth in sales last quarter, it still won’t reach the sales of GM and Nissan, who both sold 30,000 of their rechargeable vehicles last year. Tesla, being a small business, is limited to sales in only the United States and Canada, and until it can sell its Model S vehicles to other countries, it may have a tough time. According to one analyst, its small size will put it under financial pressure. John Wolkonowicz, an auto analyst in Boston, states,

“Tesla’s small size, relative to GM and Nissan, will keep the electric-car maker under financial pressure. The auto business is all about capital intensity, you have to spend money to keep improving your products and develop new ones. A small little auto company like Tesla, I just don’t think they can do it.”

Regardless, Tesla is doing well so far. The company says that in its 10-year history, it will be reporting its first-quarter profit on May 8th. The company also plans on repaying its loan from the Department of Energy 5 years in advance. Tesla’s vehicles appeal to customers not just because of their build quality, but also because of the company’s policies that assure that its customers will receive high quality service when purchasing their vehicles. Alongside the financing tool, Tesla will also provide a complete warranty program that will cover “essentially anything that happens to your vehicle”. The program will last for 8-years after you purchase your vehicle.

[via Bloomberg]

With the 2014 Corvette Stingray, Chevrolet has promised a carbon fiber hood, a carbon fiber removable roof panel on coupe models, and an aluminum frame all around. These vehicles work with a five-position Drive Mode Selector able to work with 12 vehicle attributes, seven-speed manual transmission with Acrive Rev Matching, and seating that’s made with magnesium frames – also bringing eight-way power adjustment.

These vehicles are aiming to be a perfomance set of cars with a price point that allows them to stand alone, with the coup coming in at $51,995 suggested retail and the Convertible coming in at $56,995. Both vehicles include a $995 destination fee and exclude the cost of tax, title, and licenses. Drivers will also be able to purchase a Stingray coupe with a collection of top-tier options that’ll cost $73,360, this vehicle including such features as a 3LT interior package with leather-wrapped interior.

This 3LT interior package also works with a Bose 10-speaker surround-sound audio system, SiriusXM Satellite radio, and a color heads-up display. This top-tier package also includes the Z51 Performance Package which works with “high performance gear ratios,” transmission-cooling system, larger wheels, upgraded “unique” chassis tuning, and the ability to accelerate from 0-60 mph in under four seconds.

Be sure to check out SlashGear’s Car Hub for more information on all of the high-tech next-level releases coming to a road near you soon, and very soon!

Engineers and designers at GM developed the electric motor for the Spark EV to provide maximum efficiency and extreme reliability. The motor uses a permanent magnet design to precisely deliver power to the driver. The electric motor used in the Spark EV will produce 130 hp and 400 pound-foot of torque.

The electric motor will not only deliver efficiency to drivers, but it will provide impressive performance as well with the ability to rocket from a standstill to 60 mph in under 8 seconds. The first Spark EVs will go on sale in California and Oregon this summer. Sales will later expand to Canada, Europe, and South Korea.

GM said that all of its employees at the Baltimore assembly plant underwent extensive training to be able to operate the sophisticated machinery required to build the electric motors. The workers were also extensively trained on how to configure portions of the electric motor and drive units. There’s no indication at this time of when the vehicle will be offered for sale outside of California and Oregon within the United States.

[via GM]

In the past, many vehicles had used four or five-speed automatic transmissions. The six-speed automatic transmission became common over the last several years and now manufacturers are looking beyond that to seven and eight-speed transmissions. Ford and General Motors recently announced that they will jointly develop advanced nine and 10-speed automatic transmissions.

The two automakers say that the initial design and engineering work on the new transmissions is already underway. The new transmissions being developed will be used for both front and rear wheel drive vehicles and promise better fuel efficiency and improved performance. The agreement between Ford and GM marks the third time in the last decade the two automakers have collaborated on transmissions.

Previous engineering tie-ups between the two companies helped produce high-quality six-speed transmissions for front-wheel-drive vehicles. The two automakers have delivered more than 8 million of these transmissions to vehicles around the globe. The nine and 10-speed automatic transmissions will be used in just about every automotive segment including cars, crossovers, SUVs, and trucks. More details will be announced closer to the launch of transmissions.

[via Ford]

General Motors surprised the online industry back in May 2012 by ditching Facebook from its advertising strategy, using only free company profile pages for user-engagement. At the time, sources inside GM claimed that the firm had found paid Facebook promotions “had little impact on consumers” despite rumors of a $10m advertising spend.

In the intervening months, however, Facebook has refined its advertising systems, including introducing its FBX ad-exchange which can push targeted promos directly into the user’s timeline. Another improvement is how mobile adverts are displayed, something which appears to have ticked off some of GM’s requirements too.

“Today, Chevrolet is launching an industry-first, ‘mobile-only’ pilot campaign for the Chevrolet Sonic” Perry confirmed, describing Facebook’s role as being part of “testing a number of mobile-advertising solutions.”

Although GM cut off its advertising drip to Facebook last year, that didn’t stop negotiations between the companies. ”We’ve had an ongoing dialogue with GM over the last 12 months” a Facebook spokesperson confirmed, “and are pleased to have them back as an advertiser on Facebook.”

Still unclear is how much, exactly, General Motors will be spending on its Facebook campaigns. Last year, the car company was believed to have a $40m budget for the social site, only $10m of which actually went on paid advertising.

EPA fuel economy estimates are often wildly misleading when it comes to purchasing new vehicles. Many automotive manufacturers are at the focus of investigations and complaints over drivers being unable to come anywhere near the EPA estimates promised for fuel efficiency. Chevrolet has taken the time to point out that owners of the Volt are routinely exceeding the EPA estimates for driving distance using the Volt.

According to Chevrolet, the typical owner of one of these extended range electric vehicles who regularly charges the vehicle is going 900 miles between fill ups. Chevy says that kind of fuel efficiency is saving these drivers about $1300 a year at the gas pump. Some drivers are going even longer with one Volt owner named Brent Waldrep from Michigan saying that he has driven more than 23,500 miles in his car over the last 21 months only going to the gas station twice.

Waldrep claims that the last time he filled up his Volt was in August of 2012 and he still has 65% of that tank of fuel left. He claims to travel 9000 to 10,000 miles between fill ups. A Volt owner in Texas has been able to travel over 5000 miles on two full tanks of gas. Another owner from California claims to get about 7000 miles between fill ups adding about 3 gallons of fuel to his car every three months. The Volt as an all-electric driving range of 38 miles before the gasoline generator kicks on to keep the car going for up to 344 miles per tank of fuel.

[via GM]

We’re no strangers to GM’s in-car tech. The company announced earlier this year that it would be equipping all of its models with in-car LTE, and promptly showed off a demo of what you could do when your 4G connection is actually baked into the car’s electronics, rather than just a dumb mobile hotspot in the glovebox. We also played extensively with Cadillac CUE, the infotainment system built into the 2013 ATS, last year.

GM isn’t a late entrant to the infotainment market, however, and gambles like baking expensive LTE radios into every single model aren’t exactly new. “If you look at our history, we’ve long had OnStar as an asset” GM President Mark Reuss told us. “So I think bringing that demonstrates the commitment we’ve made. There were a lot of tough times at the company when we looked at the equipment that we put in to do that, and generally did not price for. So that’s generally a long-term financial commitment to what we think we’re now being able to look at: an amazing opportunity for us for 4G, the expansion of that pipe we’ve invested in.”

In fact, Reuss argues, car connectivity and the functionality that enables could well end up being the 21st century’s equivalent of extreme customization. “If you look at how people use their cars, if you look at the changing demographics, new people coming into the car-buying market, most of those people have sort of an “ultimate customization” available, they see all the different devices available today” he pointed out. “That’s a reflection of who you are, that’s a reflection of how you live … it’s almost like hot-rodding used to be, right, sort of like that type of creativity that you have. It’s very low-cost, it’s very fun.”

Examples of that flexibility GM has already demonstrated range from remotely setting LED color schemes and cabin temperature, monitoring fuel levels and economy from across the country, and turning your car into a Skype video conferencing suite. However, Reuss says, the key is minimizing the stress involved in owning a car.

“That attention and care is now delivered through the pipe of the car, because the car is now bringing that information back to both the dealer, our engineers, and us as an OEM, and that’s really important data to us from a safety standpoint, and it’s important to the customer” Reuss says. “It takes the challenge of thinking about “when’s my oil going to be changed?” and “when are my tires going to be rotated?”; it takes that away from your busy life. And these are big, big things because the world is not getting less complex, and these type of tools in fact can make your daily life less complex.”

Still, it’s a big investment to web-enable every car you produce, especially when only part of your audience might walk into the showroom with an understanding of cutting-edge informatics. According to Reuss, GM has tackled that in how it markets each system across each of its brands, picking out the key functionality it knows potential drivers are going to be most interested in, as well as able to afford.

At the budget end, for instance, there are models like the Chevy Spark, aimed at younger drivers who are particularly smartphone-savvy. “You see widely different approaches in GM in how we’re doing this” Reuss points out. “The reason for purchase in a Spark of the screen we have in the car, the bring-your-own-media, don’t underestimate that. This is a car that’s under $13,000 … so that car in that price point is one approach to connectivity and bring-your-own-media, that replicates basically what you have on your phone in a very simple way, a fun way.”

On the other end of the spectrum is Cadillac’s CUE, which doesn’t assume the driver will necessarily be coming to the car with a pocket or bag full of the latest phones and slates. Instead, Reuss says, “the CUE system embeds more of that technology into the car, into the center stack of the car.”

For Cadillac drivers, the appeal of a system like CUE might not be its streaming media capabilities but how it unlocks new safety and convenience features: tech that builds on the same underlying informatics hooked into the car, but delivers that access and data in differently focused ways. “The price point is wildly different,” Reuss concedes, “but that type of information, integration, safety systems, crash avoidance, automatic cruise-control, radar-detected cruise control: that data and that format in the car you’ll see on the most expensive models in the range. And it replicates a lot of the function of what a tablet, or a smartphone, would do for you on a use-basis.”

The next example of that growing technological focus inside and outside of the car comes in the shape of the new 2014 Cadillac CTS, the company’s latest sports sedan. Set to hit the road later this year, the CTS builds on the excellent example of last year’s Cadillac ATS, borrowing the expansive all-digital driver instrumentation from the more expensive XTS, and cladding it in a sharp suit with echoes of the eye-catching 2014 Corvette Stingray.

On the outside, that design language expresses itself in features like the daytime running lights, extending down from the main lamp cluster and under the bumper. Like on the new Corvette, GM has worked hard to diffuse the LEDs so that they illuminate as two solid strakes of light; that, director of Cadillac exterior design Bob Bonaface tells us, gives the whole family a recognizable face, and one which you can spot no matter whether it’s day or night.

It’s arguably on the inside that the technological and materials focus is most obvious. Just as the Corvette team strove to be “authentic” in their choice of finishes – opting for real carbon-fiber, real metal, real leather rather than cheaper lookalike alternatives – so the new CTS dresses its cabin in premium materials. Eight interior finishes will be offered, ranging from the more traditional black, tan, and brown leather, through to more eye-catching shades like blue, each with optional contrast stitching. Real carbon-fiber and aluminum also show up again, joined by open-pore and natural finish wood.

The center stack has the same zero-profile touch sensitive buttons, topped by an 8-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen with anti-gloss and oleophobic coatings, as we saw in the Cadillac ATS last year. However, the ATS’s LCD sub display in the driver’s binnacle has been replaced with a huge, 12-inch 1280 x 480 cluster display, capable of showing multiple instrument layouts and even 3D graphics of the car which can be scrolled through using wheel-mounted controls. It’s all driven by a tri-core ARM11 processor running Cadillac’s proprietary Linux OS.

The only visible sign of that underlying tech that GM wants drivers to see, though, is a smooth and responsive interface. It’s still a work-in-progress, Reuss tells us, but it’s one the car company is committed to: making its car’s controls just as tactile and efficient as analog would be, while also having the flexibility benefits being digital brings. “Things we’re working on to make them perfect is the feedback and latency of something so simple as a volume control,” he says, “so we’ll work to perfect that, but the use and layout of it is spot-on, so we’re committed to that.”

If the proof of the pudding is in the eating (or, in this case, how many drivers aren’t punching their dashboards in confusion), the GM President says the response – even from those who might traditionally be considered more tech-averse – has been positive. “While the demographic for Cadillac may not be the very youngest car-buying population, our population is currently changed by the use of those devices no matter what your generation is” he argues. “You immediately understand what [CUE] is and how to use it, so we’ve had very little feedback that that’s a problem; very little from the CUE system in both the XTS and ATS.”

Next up is third party developers wading in, as GM throws open its In-Vehicle APIs and invites coders to cook up new functionality and features based on having core access to the infotainment stack. Alongside that, there’s an official plan for “agility and capability” over the next decade, Reuss says, though he also points out that consumer demands more than anything might well shape what car dashboards look like and deliver in tomorrow’s models.

“I don’t know how it’s going to evolve, and that’s exciting to me” Reuss concluded. “It’s sort of an open world of possibilities for it, and our job is to provide those open world of possibilities enabling people’s lives to be easier, to provide new advantages to buy a GM car, and to provide a user-interface that’s extremely safe, and easy to use, and very consistent.”

As for a breakdown of some of GM’s subsidiaries, Cadillac sales were up 38% from last year, while Buick was up 28%. GMC saw a 14% increase, and Chevrolet saw the smallest gain, with a 5% jump. Overall, GM saw an increase in sales across the board, which is no doubt a good sign for a company that recently found itself in a deep hole.

As for what types of cars have most popular during the past year, GM reports that crossover vehicles saw the biggest increase from last year, with a 25% jump, while trucks were up 10%. As for the folks who want more fuel-efficient vehicles, those numbers saw an increase, but not as much as you’d think — combined mini, small, and compact cars were up 14% from last year.

Unfortunately, GM didn’t report any of their financial earnings — just sales numbers this time around, but with such an impressive increase in sales, we have to guess that GM is slowly starting to make progress digging themselves out of that wretched hole. With the launch of the 2014 Corvette later this year, we should hopefully see GM further into the black as we go along in 2013.

The 2014 Silverado has quite a few features and improvements, but a handful standout among them, including the new EcoTec 3 engine, which is said to be both quiter and more fuel-efficient than the previous offering. The cab has been given a boost in both strength and insulation, with less road noise than the 2013 model; the interior has been completely redesigned as well. The bed is new and offers standard box-rail protector, and a CornerStep bumper has been tossed into the mix.

The Silverado is rated at 23MPG on the highway for 2WD midels, with the 4X4 dropping down to 22MPG. Those who purchase this beast of a truck will receive a two-year/24,000 scheduled maintenance program, with up to 4 maintenance appointments included in the truck’s price. These maintenance visits include tire rotations, multi-point inspection, and oil changes with filter replacement.

Said the company’s vice president of sales and service in the US Alan Batey: “The 2014 Silverado is new from hood to hitch. When you combine the innovative features of the new Silverado with base pricing equivalent to 2013 models and standard scheduled maintenance, Silverado becomes a great choice for pickup customers, helping them save money when they buy – and when they drive.”

[via GM]

From the outside it’s clearly a Corvette at first glance, but take a longer look and the evolution of the design becomes clear. The 2014 car is 4mm lower than before, as well as being wider and 15mm longer; the wheelbase has increased by an inch, pushing the front wheels forward and giving the car a better footprint and handling, in addition to making it look more composed and aggressive. New lights front and rear, as well as a new collection of vents, perforate the bodywork, which has a new blend of creases and sweep-lines.

Importantly, the design elements aren’t done solely for the sake of appearance, but also invariably serve a performance element too. “You want a compelling design, you want a strong aesthetic” GM’s Kirk Bennion, Exterior Design Manager for Corvette, told us. “We try to do things where, okay, this gives us a new look that we like, we think it’s attractive, but if we can also benefit with some functionality then it’s a double win. We like to do that with Corvette especially.”

So, the front grill and the hood vents aren’t just for show, but sit at either end of a new, ducted extractor that feeds cool air across the radiator. That itself has taken on a whole new angle: where Corvette radiators of old went from upright to leaning back, Bennion explained, the 2014 model actually tips its radiator forward, into the flow of air. Each of the grill blades in the hood sits at its own, specific angle for the best flow.

That’s not the only trick ducting. The 2014 Stingray sees the return of intakes on top of the rear arches, sitting on the long swathe line that runs from the back of the car, down the shoulder-line, and blends in interesting angles with the hood and arch creases. They’re not for cooling the brakes, but instead are the rear trans and diff coolers, which are just visible through the upright outlet vents at the back of the car. They also saw GM’s engineers take on the challenge of delivering a huge eight cubic meters of air per minute through each intake, while simultaneously avoiding debris. Side vents – finished in carbon-fiber – are also fully-functional, delivering a reduction in drag as well as cooling benefits.

Like many other recent cars, the 2014 Corvette Stingray makes ample use of LED lighting; however, GM has taken a few new approaches in how it implements those lamps. Up front, there’s a new single, bi-functional headlamp with daytime running lights replacing separate fog lamps. That’s something we’ve seen on models from Audi and others, but GM has played with the positioning and angles of the LEDs to make the lighting more consistent.

“We wanted to avoid ‘carnival light’ spacing” Bannion told us, referring to the tendency for LED lamps to look like a string of individual bulbs rather than a solid bar of light. “We really worked hard to keep the LEDs close together, to diffuse the light.” To do that, the LEDs are actually downward-firing, into a diffuser lens that smooths out the individual brightness of each into a consistent whole. They’re set next to a stack of amber LEDs for the turn signals, which also blend together into a solid lozenge of light, and everything is embedded into a black stainless steel assembly which creates interesting reflections depending on the angle from which you’re looking at the car.

That same attention to detail is continued at the rear of the car. GM has stuck with the dual-element tail lamps that have been a feature of Corvettes since 1961, but it has used the same downward-firing LED technology as on the headlamps for some extra visual flourish. “The technology here again is indirect LEDs, so the LEDs are horizontal, they’re throwing the light down into the cavity, for even-lit appearance. They kinda avoid having the spottiness” Bannion explained. “Also, with the lamps being three-dimensional, is very new for the car as well.”

The result is a car that treads the line between classic and contemporary, just as GM expects a Corvette Stingray buyer to demand. “They’re still dual-almond shape, but we really felt we needed to break tradition, have a car that’s more distinctive, more unique at night” Bannion pointed out. “There’s a lot going on with lighting technology right now, and you can see manufacturers are doing more and more to have their cars be seen, or be seen as exclusive with the night-time signature.”

It’s when you’re inside that the changes are most obvious, however, particularly if you’ve ever found yourself behind the wheel of a previous-gen Corvette. The dashboard and seats are less of an afterthought compared to the exterior, Helen Emsley, Interior Design Director for Performance Cars at GM, told us. So, the 2014 dash is more like a jet-fighter cockpit, surrounding the driver in an arc of controls and gages. Those gages have been redesigned for the new Corvette Stingray, with a choice of digital and analog views in the 8-inch instrument binnacle, and variations according to which of the three driving modes – touring, sport, and track – the car is currently set to.

Just as the exterior design has sought to make aesthetic details serve a functional purpose, so part of Emsley’s focus with the new Corvette has been to make the interior more authentic. “This is a Corvette. If it’s metal, if it’s aluminum, it should be real – it is real aluminum. If it’s carbon fiber, it’s real carbon fiber,” she explained to us. “It was very important to us that we show real, authentic materials.”

That approach has continued over to the passenger seat, with Emsley saying that GM wanted to make the 2014 Corvette Stingray just as much of an experience for the person not driving. So, the “co-driver” gets a separate interior, in Emsley’s words, a second cockpit arch with their own speed gage and heating controls. Materials all round have taken a step up in quality, with hard surfaces replaced by soft-finish plastics and contrast-stitched leather. In fact, GM has even cooked up two new, exclusive leather colors for the Corvette: black may well be the most popular, Emsley concedes, but the new beige and new red finishes are expected to draw some buyer attention, along with the existing black & grey and black & dark brown options.

Everywhere you look there are thoughtful design decisions, showing just how much consideration the GM team has put into the interior of the new car. Recognizing that many Corvette buyers want to replace the standard seats with more sports-focused alternatives, Emsley points out, GM will offer a choice of two styles with the 2014 model: either the normal touring seats, or special sports seats as a cost-option. More mundane – but no less important – considerations like storage have been addressed in clever ways, too, like a sizeable storage cubby hidden behind an 8-inch motorized drop-down infotainment display.

The Stingray convertible – which made its North American debut at the New York show – is certainly beautiful, but those who opt for the coupe also get a choice of roofs. Three targa tops are on offer: the standard, carbon-fiber roof which is painted to match the body; a premium version which is left in exposed carbon; and a polycarbonate version which is translucent, allowing more light into the cockpit. There’ll also be various body/performance packages, such as the Z51 with its tall rear spoiler – helping reduce lift – and larger wheels.

All in, it’s a suitably considered approach to what’s undoubtedly a muscle-car icon. “When you think of the opportunity, every time you get to do a new next-generation Corvette, you realize that there has to be certain calculated moves in order for it to be seen as the next-generation, and that’s why we felt we needed to make some of these changes” exterior design chief Bannion told us. Throw in a new LT1 6.2L V8 engine capable of 450 HP and 450 kb-ft of torque, and you’ve got performance that matches the great looks, too. The new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray will go on sale this fall, in both coupe and convertible versions.

Inside this next-generation automobile you’ve got a set of hardware that’s ready and willing to be compared to the more powerful Camaro ZL1. As Chevrolet let us know this week, you’ll find that the Z/28 is 300 pounds lighter than the ZL1, this thanks to a series of changes in the makeup of the car. From its lighter wheels to the thinness of the rear window glass panel, this car has been polished to perfection. Even the air conditioning has been made available only as a stand-alone option for your ability to keep the weight low.

Chevrolet has also noted that this 2014 model has averaged three seconds faster than the ZL1 in tests they’ve conducted thus far.

While the new Camaro Z/28 is not intended to compete in a specific race series, it is solely focused on track capability. In initial testing, the Camaro Z/28 is three seconds faster per lap than the Camaro ZL1. That extra speed comes from three areas:

• Increased grip: The Z/28 is capable of 1.05 g in cornering acceleration, due to comprehensive chassis revisions
• Increased stopping power: the Z/28 features Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes capable of 1.5 g in deceleration, and consistent brake feel, lap after lap
• Reduced curb weight: The naturally aspirated Z/28 weighs 300 pounds less than the supercharged Camaro ZL1, with changes ranging from lightweight wheels to thinner rear-window glass

Once you’re past the tweaks and pushes, you’ve got a fabulous set of Recaro racing seats inside that complement a set of aesthetics across the entire vehicle that make it appear ready for any of your most race-ready road-blasting adventures. You’ve got a flat-bottom steering wheel, blacks and grays with bright red accents – mostly in the stereo and speedometer areas – and an overall look that reads: SPEED.

The engine, again, is of course the monstrous heart of this amalgamation of Camaro bits and pieces – here you’ve got your hand-assembled 7.0L (427 cid) V-8 made from top-end parts as follows:

• Titanium intake valves and connecting rods, and sodium-filled exhaust valves
• CNC-ported aluminum cylinder heads
• Forged-steel crankshaft and main bearing caps
• High-lift camshaft
• Hydroformed exhaust headers
• 11.0:1 compression ratio, and a 7,000 rpm redline.
• 10.5-quart, dry-sump oiling system

You’ve got what Camaro engineers describe as “the very best components in the industry” used here in the chassis of this high-performance vehicle, including 19-inch diameter wheels and tires, forged aluminum wheels that is, wrapped with “massive” 305/30ZR19 tires. This vehicle uses the ultra-high performance Pirelli PZero Trofeo R tire, the first production implementation of said technology – one that they say they believe is now the widest front tire on any production car – hot and large!

You’ve got Brembo Carbon Ceramic Matrix™ rotors as well as fixed, monoblock calipers. You’ve got 394 x 36 mm front rotors matched with six-piston calipers up front and 390 x 32 mm rear rotor paired with four-piston calipers. This setup saves another 28 pounds (12.5 kilograms) compared to comparable two-piece steel rotors.

And that’s not all! We’ll continue to run down the full layout of this lovely vehicle as it hits the road later this year. Chevrolet dealers will be getting the Camaro Z/28 “later in 2013″ while the vehicle will be appearing in track events throughout the USA in Spring of 2014.

Keep tuned to the whole industry in SlashGear’s Car hub and don’t forget to catch the rest of our show coverage in our New York Auto Show 2013 tag portal, too!

Buick’s next-generation IntelliLink infotainment system works with wireless connectivity for your mobile devices, customizable options galore, and an easy-to-use user interface from start to finish. And it’s all builds on a hearty connection of both safety and security with OnStar. If you’re an OnStar user, you’ll be able to access city-by-city weather reports and ultra-simple embedded navigation using their “traditional Blue button” – rather handy.

You’ll be working with connectivity to a selection of apps for music, starting with Pandora. With Pandora you’ll have a collection of custom-built radio stations with new music coming in by the day – you’ll also be working with a set of 60 “favorites”, starting with radio stations outside of Pandora. These stations can be AM, FM, or XM, and you’ll have plenty of space left over to store “favorites” in contacts, destinations, and music from media aside from radio.

You’ll be able to connect with your media and your apps for control of the many various things IntelliLink works with using your touchscreen or by controlling your system with your voice. IntelliLink employs natural language voice recognition allowing you to control most anything you’d be able to control with your finger. You can enter destinations, browse media, safely place calls, play music, and control a variety of other functions as well.

If you’re a fan of using your touchscreen interface, you’ll find the controls to be rather familiar. You can do what Buick calls a “fling” through your lists, swipe up and down, and drag all around – basic control cues you’ll have learned well by now due to your everyday use of your smartphone or tablet devices. You can also control your music, set destinations, and more with IntelliLink’s connection to your smartphone – this done with a USB cord or Bluetooth wirelessly.

Of course the audio experience you’re going to have with the output this IntelliLink system is controlling depends entirely on the vehicle you’re driving. With the 2014 Buick Regal you’ll be working with a new nine-speaker Bose sound system including “strategically placed” tweeters and a fabulous subwoofer – you’ve got an acoustically optimized interior as well. With the 2014 Buick LaCrosse you’ve got seven standard speakers including the, again, “strategically placed” tweeters as well as a subwoofer all coming together to complement a quiet, acoustically optimized interior – with optional 11-speaker Bose Centerpoint Surround Sound being available as well!

Have a peek at our Buick tag portal for more information on the IntelliLink system as it appears in more vehicles through the future, and don’t forget to check the rest of our Car Hub for auto action from here until forever!

This vehicle line works with Adaptive Cruise Control as well as – for the first time – all-wheel drive. With Adaptive Cruise Control your vehicle will be able to sense traffic ahead of it, adjusting speed and stopping the vehicle automatically while in heavy traffic. This vehicle also introduces a set of new technologies in the radar- and camera-based safety features category:

• Rear Cross Traffic Alert
• Lane Change Alert
• Side Blind Zone Alert
• Lane Departure Warning
• Forward Collision Alert
• Collision Mitigation Braking

In the 2014 Buick Regal you’ll also find the next generation of IntelliLink integration – that’s natural speech recognition as well as a set of controls more intuitive than ever before! The new Regal works with a more “expressive” look both inside in out – starting with new front and real styling, signature wing-shape LED daytime running lamps as well as LED taillamps, you’ll also find a fully redesigned central instrument panel and console with new fashion interior trim.

Under the hood you’ve got a new 2.0L turbo engine (as noted above) with 18 percent more horsepower than with what’s found in the Regal Turbo. The first all-wheel-drive system you’ll be working with here goes by the name Haldex. In addition to rolling out with superior use of the traction you’ve already got, this Haldex all-wheel-drive system will enhanced cornering with the Regal GS when driving in GS mode. That GS mode comes straight from your Interactive Drive Control System – and you’re going to love it!

You’ve also got the option to work with a 2.4L engine with eAssist light electrification technology on this 2014 Regal model. You’ll be working with six-speed automatic transmissions that are matched with both of your engines and you’ll have a six-speed manual with your Regal GS as well – and electric power steering is featured on all models here and into the future, too.

This all-new Regal is making its debut this week at the New York International Auto Show 2013. We’ve got our eyes on it and will be pushing more information – and more up close and personal action – to you soon! Stick with SlashGear in our Car hub as well as our New York Auto Show 2013 tag portal all week long!

With this full-size LaCrosse you’ll be working with Buick’s next-generation integration of IntelliLink, their infotainment system for entertainment and voice-activated control of your vehicle. You’ll have a newly upgraded, even more intuitive than in past iterations, user interface and control, complete with natural voice recognition – speak as you normally would! This vehicle also works with a collection of camera-based safety features including:

• Side Blind Zone Alert
• Lane Change Alert
• Lane Departure Warning
• Forward Collision Alert
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert
• Automatic Collision Preparation

These features each work with GM’s patented Safety Alert Seat – that’s a vibration from the seat from the direction of a potential crash threat. Quite helpful when you need more than a half-moment’s notice of impending doom.

This vehicle has been enhanced with some fabulous new design cues both inside and out, starting with new front and rear styling – signature wing-shaped LED daytime running lamps as well as LED wraparound tail lamps are in place to, as they say, “complement [the 2014 LaCrosse'] sculpted exterior design.” Inside you’ll find new seats, a redesigned central instrument panel and console, and enhanced materials used throughout.

The Ultra Luxury Interior Package is one you may be lusting after. Included is a sangria seating color, ebony accents, all work semi-aniline leather (both seats and trim), with Shadow Tamo Ash wood decor. This package’s semi-aniline leather covers the seats, console armrest, door armrests, and is complemented with a bit of synthetic suede in both the headliner and door pillars. This color and material combination is exclusive to the LaCrosse and this Ultra Luxury package.

The Buick 2014 LaCrosse is being offered in front-wheel-drive as well as all-wheel-drive models and will have two powertrain options available. The first is a 2.4L engine with eAssist light electrification technology. The second is a 3.6L engine with direct-injected V-6. Both models are paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, and both will have Adaptive Cruise Control available as well. With Adaptive Cruise Control, the system is able to sense traffic in front of the vehicle and adjust vehicle speed in real time, stopping the vehicle when traffic is especially heavy, and accelerating when traffic becomes light once again.

The details will continue here on SlashGear as we see more of the 2014 Buick LaCrosse at the New York International Auto Show 2013. We’ll be seeing more IntelliLink, more of the innards and surroundings of this and other Buick vehicles – and whatever else you’d like us to check out! Have a peek at our Car Hub for more information, and stick to the New York Auto Show 2013 tag portal as well!

However, one major detail we didn’t know about the new CTS was exactly what the vehicle will look like on the outside. Some official photographs of the 2014 Cadillac CTS have leaked online ahead of the car’s official launch in New York. The images show a distinctive front grill and a front bumper area that has a sporty look.

The images also show what appear to be LED daytime running lights, HID headlights, and LED fog lights. The rear of the car has a small deck lid spoiler, LED tail lights, and the familiar Cadillac crest. On the inside, the car is all-new using lots of leather, real wood trim, and Alcantara along with contrasting color stitching.

There will be multiple engines available in the new Cadillac, the most powerful being Cadillac’s new twin turbo V-6 engine. We previously talked about that new V-6 in depth and it will provide the new CTS with 420 hp and 430 pound-feet of torque. Cadillac says that the CTS fitted with this engine will be able to reach 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and have a top speed of 170 mph. I’d wager that engine will be available in the CTS V performance version only.

[via Motoward]

That attention will require a trip back to the dealership, and can’t be done remotely. General Motors says that 26,582 of the impacted cars are located in the US, though insists that it’s yet to hear of an injury or a crash caused by the problem.

Exactly what the cause of the software issue is, GM hasn’t said, only that it identified the fault while testing a 2014 engineering model. However, the end-result is clear: during driving, the auto gearbox can unexpectedly flick over from manual mode and into Sport mode, something which could increase the risk of a crash.

That’s because Sport mode has the side effect of “removing any transmission-related engine braking effect” GM explains [pdf link], so that taking your foot off the gas doesn’t allow the car to naturally slow itself. General Motors expects to kick off the recall on March 28, and owners of affected vehicles should speak to their local dealership to arrange a fix. There’s more information

The new twin turbo V6 will also be the first twin turbo engine for Cadillac and the first be paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The V-6 engine uses a smaller pair of turbochargers combined with an efficient charge air cooler to reduce turbo lag and provide immediate power delivery. The engine displaces 3.6-liters and GM says that 90% of engines peak torque is available from 2500 RPM up to 5500 RPM.

That broad torque curve will give drivers of the vehicle a feeling of available power in almost any driving condition. Cadillac says that the CTS sedan equipped with the optional twin turbo V-6 engine will be able to reach 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. The vehicle will have a top speed estimated to be 170 mph.

The 2014 CTS sedan is set to debut in the US this fall. GM says that almost every component in the V-6 engine is new including stronger connecting rods, machined aluminum pistons, and lots more. The turbochargers produce over 12 pounds of boost. The 2014 CTS will also be available with a naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V6 and a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine.

[via GM]

Chevrolet says that the convertible features “an all-new, fully electronic” top that can be lowered and raised using the car’s key fob, meaning you don’t actually have to be in the car to activate it. The top can also be opened or closed while driving as well, at speeds of up to 30 mph. Who knows what would happen at faster speeds, but we wouldn’t dare to test it out.

Of course, unlike other expensive convertibles, the 2014 Corvette convertible comes with a soft top rather than a retractable hard top, and this has been a Corvette staple for many years, so it makes sense that Chevrolet is wanting to stick with tradition. However there are a few changes to the car besides just the top being chopped off, although they’re rather minor.

The side vents located by the rear wheels are gone from the convertible version, apparently so that the car can make room to store the top, which features a hard tonneau cover to protect the top when it’s down. And sadly, the convertible loses the awesome fastback style of the 2014 Corvette coupe, but we suppose that’s a tradeoff when you want the wind in your hair.

The choice of show is because GM sees its drive to adopt 4G as about more than just fitting off-the-shelf hardware: it’s about making the car another node on the network. While this isn’t the first time we’ve seen mobile hotspot functionality in a car, it is the tightest integration of that connection to the car’s underlying systems. That makes a big difference, Abram points out, when it comes to what you can actually do with the data that the car is producing, such as fuel efficiency, speed, direction, engine status, entertainment, and more.

For instance, there’s GM’s own mobile app which can be used to remotely control several of the features in the car: lock and unlock it from wherever you are in the world, sound the horn, and turn on or off the lights. With a persistently connected car, however, the app can also display real-time statistics, such as fuel levels.

It goes beyond time-saving measures, however. GM’s demo vehicle has three cameras on the interior and four outside, covering the front two passengers and the rear seat, and all four of the outward directions. They can be reviewed on the dashboard – handy, if you’re parking up and want to make sure you’re not too far from the curb – or streamed over the 4G to a smartphone or tablet. GM envisages rear seat passengers being able to hold Skype calls while being driven around, for instance, or the car automatically alerting you, complete with video recordings, if it’s hit or damaged while you’re away.

The potential for streaming also includes entertainment, using the 4G to push entertainment content to the dashboard (albeit only when you’re parked up). However, the concept car can also push its streamed video over WiFi to a tablet, so rear passengers could watch their own content rather than what’s on the integrated screens.

Not all of these features will be present when GM’s 4G cars actually begin to roll out to buyers; there won’t be cameras, at least not initially, for instance. However, the car company is hoping that developers will see the potential of being persistently online, and swiftly come up with new functionality to take advantage of that.

“We’ve taken one of the variables out of the equation,” Abram explains, pointing to the fact that those coders taking advantage of the APIs GM revealed back at CES will be able to make the assumption that drivers have a persistent data connection. One lingering question is exactly how much drivers will have to pay for actual data, or at least to access the service; Abram wouldn’t discuss fees, beyond pointing out that OnStar is a subscription-based service (current prices start at around $19 per month). That could have implications for how apps consume data, if it’s billed on a per-MB style basis.

That may well be an evolving issue, Abram points out, as drivers, GM, and developers get to grips with the potential of having 4G in your vehicle. The infotainment chief hopes that the key apps users are familiar with and already consider essential – Pandora, Spotify, and others – will transition over to the GM system, but also that we’ll see new and imaginative software that takes specific advantage of the context that you’re in a vehicle.

GM needs developers to there, but meanwhile it will be tailoring its connectivity message across its various brands. That’s going to take some careful explanation, Abram says, differing not only on a marque by marque basis, but by individual cars too, depending on the priorities of their target audiences. For instance, GM’s current message around the Chevy Sonic is to do with smartphone integration, while for the CUE system the focus has been on how interwoven it is through the car.

Standard 4G will begin showing up in 2015 model year GM vehicles from Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac, with AT&T providing its LTE network, on US and Canadian forecourts sometime in 2014. However, the company plans to expand the service across Europe and other territories in time.

This announcement has been made in part with AT&T for 4G LTE and will be brought on over the next few years. It’s interesting to hear that we’ll see solutions as soon as 2014, especially since it was only this January when AT&T and GM hosted a Hackathon for mobile app developers at CES 2013. We expect the software development to continue into the future, especially with a jolt to action such as this.

It would appear that AT&T and GM are ready to rock and roil with this boost in speed and reliability – and not just in the USA. Both the USA and Canada are on the docket, and several international locations will be coming up within the next few years as well. Buic, GMC, and Cadillac are on board for the near future as well.

So get yourself pumped up for extra-fast connectivity to the world wide web right from your car or truck’s dashboard. You’ll be working with streaming audio, voice calling, general web access, video (for your passengers, of course), and apps of all kinds – within reason, of course. Speed is the name of the game here, as is constantly – reliably – being able to access the internet.

Have a peek at the GM tag portal to find more information about GM’s recent updates and don’t forget to hit up SlashGear’s Mobile World Congress 2013 tag portal for more up to the minute updates as well as hands-on action all week long!

When Chevrolet was planning to redesign the Corvette starting with the 1997 model year, they wanted to stick with something conservative, which meant that a lot of design proposals were thrown out. At that time, the Corvette didn’t see a makeover since 1983, so a long-awaited redesign was definitely due, but it seems the company didn’t want to surprise too many people.

One of the design proposals that Chevrolet threw out was the one pictured above. It looks quite familiar, right? The taillights are same square shape of the 2014 model, and the quad-exhaust is all there in the middle (which showed up on the Corvette C5 actually, so that’s sort of out of the question). This particular design, though, was deemed too crazy for 1997, so it was eventually thrown out.

However, here in 2014, it seems the design is ready for prime time, and while many thought that the 2014 Corvette’s taillights came straight from the recently-redesigned Camaro, it seems that the Camaro might have actually gotten the idea from this 1997 Corvette design proposal. Plus, the 2014 model has the same overall fastback shape and the diagonal air vents towards the front. Coincidence?

[via Jalopnik]

That interactive touchscreen doubles as a PIN-activated retractable faceplate over a secure storage bin that is large enough to hold various personal items. That means if you don’t want to take your wallet or iPod into a restaurant with you, you can enter a key code, open the bin, and hide your personal items from prying eyes. Users will only be able to access the items stored behind the faceplate if they have the PIN number.

Not only will entering the security PIN number lock the bin holding your personal items, it also secures any personal data the cars infotainment system contains. That means all of your addresses and contacts stored in the Chevrolet MyLink system will also remain PIN-protected. The system uses a four-digit code likened to a hotel safe.

Chevrolet says that creating the storage space behind the system faceplate was accomplished by moving the MyLink electronics to another location the vehicle. This created space behind the faceplate to act as a storage bin. The Chevrolet MyLink system in the Impala also offers four different skins to change the look and style to suit different drivers. The 2014 Impala will go into production this spring and will initially be offered with a 3.6-liter V6 engine with pricing starting at $30,760.

[via GM]

The reveal of the new 2014 SS may not garner as much attention as the 2014 Corvette did last month, but the new SS should be able to turn some heads. However, unlike its Holden brethren, the new SS doesn’t come with a true manual transmission, and instead packs a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters that enable manual shifting in a way.

As far as the motor is concerned, the 2014 SS packs a 6.2-liter LS3 V8 engine (the same one used in the 2013 Corvette), and boasts 415 horsepower with 415 pound-feet of torque. This will allow drivers to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in “about 5 seconds,” according to GM. So, while the missing manual transmission is a bummer, the high-performance engine definitely makes up for it.

The 2014 SS is also replacing the Impala as GM’s official NASCAR vehicle starting this year, with the first race of the season, the Daytona 500, taking place this weekend. The company actually unveiled the new car at Daytona International Speedway in conjunction with the season-opening race. The Chevrolet Impala has been in the NASCAR circuit since 2007 when it replaced the Monte Carlo.

The hatch vent release is designed to release air from the trunk of the Corvette. The vent is important because it allows the trunk lid to close more easily than on previous editions of the Corvette where trapped air made closing the trunk more difficult. Chevrolet says that its shape memory alloy wire is typically made from copper-aluminum-nickel or nickel-titanium.

The material is able to change its shape, strength, or stiffness when activated by heat, stress, a magnetic field, or electrical voltage. The material is able to remember its original shape and return to the original shape when deactivated. In the 2014 Corvette the shape memory alloy wire opens the hatch vent whenever the deck lid is opened using heat from an electrical current in a method similar to how trunk lights activate.

When that wire is activated, it contracts and moves a lever to open the vent allowing the trunk close. When the trunk closes the electrical current turns off, the wire cools, and the vent closes to maintain cabin temperature. Chevrolet says that there are approximately 200 motorized movable parts on a typical vehicle that could be replaced with these lightweight smart materials. With weight reductions one of the common ways automakers such a Chevrolet are attempting to increase fuel economy, replacing these parts with smart materials could mean a significant weight reduction on vehicles moving forward.

[via GM]

Chevrolet is pointing to this data as an indication that the Spark minicar is bringing some of Chevrolet’s youngest buyers to the brand. Chevrolet data also shows that the Spark appeals mostly to female buyers with 51% of all Spark vehicles sold being purchased by women. That is a higher percentage of women buyers than any other vehicle in the Chevrolet fleet.

That’s actually an interesting metric considering that every other woman in my area is driving a Tahoe or Suburban. The most popular color for the tiny Spark is Salsa Red with 23% of buyers opting for that hue. Chevrolet’s data also shows that other bright colors are appealing to Spark shoppers with jalapeno green and denim blue being the second and third most popular colors.

Chevrolet notes that the biggest reason that buyers note for purchasing the Spark have to do with fuel economy and price. While the tiny Spark originally launched and only 18 markets, Chevrolet says the vehicle will be available in all 50 states in 2013. The tiny Spark is a four-passenger, five-door hatchback promising an EPA estimated fuel economy of 38 mpg on highway.

[via GM]

Another automaker that was in the hunt for the title of world’s largest automaker was the Volkswagen, selling 9.07 million vehicles globally. Toyota sales numbers also include its sub brands including Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Limited. Toyota was the world’s largest automaker for the first time in 2008.

However, Toyota fell behind GM a few years later after its supply chain was disrupted as a result of the earthquake in Japan and flooding in Thailand. Toyota credits much of its success to high demand for its Prius hybrid vehicle line, Toyota Camry, and SUVs. For 2013, Toyota is forecasting 9.91 million vehicles sold.

That prediction shows an expectation of modest growth in 2013. Toyota didn’t offer insight on its sales for specific geographic areas when it announced it was the world’s largest automaker. The company did say that it didn’t expect to meet its 2012 goal of selling 1 million cars in China. Toyota previously noted that it had sold 2.1 million vehicles in the United States during 2012.

[via Wall Street Journal]

We’re not sure why this is, but there’s something about seeing a new product out in the wild that gives you a different perspective on it. It happens with phones and tablets all the time, but here we have a brand-new car that we’re seeing on the road for the very first time, thanks to car blog Jalopnik. Of course, the new car looked great on the show floor in Detroit, but it looked even better under the hot Arizona sun.

Seeing the new 2014 Corvette in open daylight allows you to inspect the car’s curves and overall design in an environment that isn’t biased. We have to say that the 2014 Corvette looks way better on the road than it does on a rotating platform in some convention center — the taillights offer a more aggressive look, and the exhaust pipes scream, “Yeah, I’m a 2014 Corvette. What of it?”

Of course, we’d love to see more of the interior, including that awesome all-digital instrument panel with the different modes, but we can’t complain about seeing the new car out on the road, especially in different colors from what we’ve already seen. The 2014 Corvette is expected to show up at dealerships sometime during the third quarter of this year.

[via Jalopnik]

Autoblog ended up getting a much closer look at the new instrument panel in the 2014 Corvette at NAIAS 2013, and it’s about as stunning as you’d expect. You’re essentially looking at an 8-inch “high-resolution” display that’s fully reconfigurable, and it has three modes that you can scroll through.

Sport Mode features one large, central tachometer, and you can configure it to show different types of information, like G-forces, tire pressure, oil pressure, etc. Race Mode gives you a bar graph tachometer that’s meant for it to be easily read out of the corner of your eye to make sure that drivers keep their eyes on the racetrack. Touring Mode allows drivers to push the tachometer off to the side a bit and make room for infotainment information or navigation information.

Off to the sides of the 8-inch display are regular instrument clusters. Off to the left is the speedometer, which maxes out at 200mph, and then off the right side, is what appears to be the fuel gauge and the oil pressure gauge, both of which are slightly blocked by the steering wheel, so we’re not 100% sure, but this photo from Car and Driver gives an unobstructed view of the instrument panel.

[via Autoblog]

Chevrolet and Polyphony Digital Inc. have collaborated to bring the new car to Gran Turismo 5, and after nearly 500,000 people have already driven the previous camouflaged Corvette prototype since it was introduced in the game back in November, the success of this new model will no doubt be rejoiced by gamers. The new C7 car will be available tomorrow for GT5 players.

During the creation of the virtual Corvette C7, both Chevrolet and Polyphony paid careful attention to the tiniest details of the new design, both inside and out, and they even attempted to perfect the driving characteristics of the new car, right down to the shift schedule for the 7-speed manual transmission.

The 2014 Corvette will produce 450 horsepower and 450 ft. lbs. of torque, and is capable of accelerating from 0-60mph in less than four seconds. The new car will also be able to achieve more than 1G of force in cornering grip, and it will be the most fuel efficient Corvette ever, exceeding the EPA-estimated 26mpg of the current C6 model.

Aesthetically speaking, Chevrolet made the biggest change to the Corvette since the last major leap the company took with the C5 back in 1997. Of course, it still looks like a classic Corvette, but Chevrolet made some big changes to this new model. The headlights and grille are completely new, and the taillights ditch the circular approach and go for more of a Camaro-like look.

There’s also a lot of vents, and not in the interior. There’s vents on the tail, vents on the side, and vents on the hood. There’s definitely no shortage of vents, and it gives the A/C unit on the inside a run for its money. The interior will be familiar to anyone who’s seen the inside of a Corvette, but it has the new digital instrument panel that we saw in the past.

Also, as we already knew, the 2014 Corvette features a new 450 horsepower 6.2-liter Gen V LT1 V8 motor, which features direct fuel injection, as well as cylinder deactivation to improve gas mileage to something a little more acceptable — we’re talking around 26 mpg or so on the highway, and it’ll go from 0-60mph in under four seconds. There’s also a seven-speed transmission connected to the motor, with the option of a six-speed automatic for those who want the car to do the work.

Corvette did not disclose pricing for the new 2014 C7, but we’re expecting a price tag of at least $50,000 here. Dealerships should be expecting the new car to arrive sometime in the third quarter of this year.

That is obviously no good, and specifically, the problem centers around faulty park lock cables and warped steering column lock actuator gears. If your car is affected by the issue, it means you could potentially shift your car from park without the key in the ignition or without pressing the brake pedal while the key is in the off position. This in turn could lead to a very bad day, and to make matters worse, this problem seems to affect a number of different models.

The 2013 Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT are the cars from Cadillac that could potentially be affected by this flaw. For Chevrolet, we’re looking at the 2013 Avalanche, Express, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, and Tahoe. Finally, GMC cars affected by this defect include the Savana, Sierra HD, Sierra LD, Yukon, and Yukon XL. A total of 55,000 of these vehicles are currently in the US, while 6,310 are in Canada, 670 are in Mexico, and the remaining 7,084 are exports.

Despite this potentially dangerous flaw, there is some good news in that GM hasn’t had any reports of injuries or crashes. The company also says that only 1 in 1,000 of the recalled cars are believed to be affected by this issue, and that most of them are still on dealer lots or on the way to dealers. Affected cars that are still with dealers will be fixed before being sold off, while GM will be sending out letters to owners starting January 22. GM will replace the flawed steering columns at no cost to the owners.

[via Reuters]

The company has announced that they’re dropping the cookie-cutter approach to the interiors and exteriors of its full-size SUVs and pickup trucks, beginning with the redesigned 2014 models. We already took a look at the 2014 Silverado and Sierra from Chevrolet and GMC, respectively, but it looks like 2014 SUVs, like the Tahoe, Suburban, and Yukon, will look a bit different this time around.

Chris Hilts, creative manager of interior design at General Motors, says that in the past, the company has “shared SUV and truck interiors. That is not the case going forward.” When the Chevrolet Tahoe and the Suburban, the GMC Yukons, and the Cadillac Escalades get their redesigns for 2014, they’ll be getting their own instrument panels, consoles, instrumentation, knobs, materials, and other design elements.

Previously, the Escalades and Yukons shared similar door panels, but since these two vehicles have different prices ranges that cater towards different types of people, GM thought it was necessary to finally give each of their SUVs a unique look that differentiated from one another. Essentially, GM says that a 2014 Silverado and a 2014 Tahoe will look completely different, and won’t have similar qualities that the two vehicles have shared for so long.

[via Car and Driver]

According to documents filed with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, GM is recalling the mid-size trucks because the hood may be missing a secondary hood latch, so if the primary latch is not engaged the hood could open and block the driver’s view, thus increasing the risk of an accident.

Luckily, there haven’t been any reports of accidents or injuries related to the issue, and there are only four known cases of the secondary hood latch actually missing, but as with any recall, it’s better to be safe than sorry, and GM is asking those 145,000 affected to bring their truck in for an inspection.

GM said they’ll be notifying owners and instructing them to either inspect their trucks themselves (since it’s an easy inspection compared to most other recalls), or take the truck to a GM dealer for a free inspection. If inspectors discover that the secondary latch is missing, a new hood will be installed for free. GM expects to begin mailing letters to owners on January 17.

[via Reuters]

Image via Flickr

I mentioned earlier this week that the official NORAD online search destination for tracking Santa this year is Bing rather than Google, which has held the contract for the last few years. OnStar will be tracking Santa from 7 AM on December 24 until 5 AM on December 25. Anyone with an active OnStar subscription can press the blue OnStar button and request a “Santa Update” to find out Santa’s current location.

This year owners of vehicles made by manufacturers other than GM can also use the service if their car has one of the OnStar accessory mirrors that are available. There are many ways to keep track of Santa this Christmas eve. You can use OnStar, or you can go online for the official NORAD tracking with Bing. While Google is no longer the official NORAD tracking partner, it is also keeping track of Santa using Google Maps.

There is also an official NORAD Track Santa mobile app for various platforms. The only downside to tracking Santa with OnStar is children are likely to have parents running back and forth to the car constantly on Christmas Eve.