gm

With current technology, GM can't give its upcoming Spark EV more range, but its OnStar division is giving drivers the tools to deal with limited driving range. A new feature of OnStar's RemoteLink Mobile app will let drivers plan trips based on charging-station availability along a route.

Volt owners use the RemoteLink Mobile app to program charging times remotely. OnStar will add the new Waypoint tab in anticipation of next year's launch of the Spark EV. When a driver enters a destination, the Waypoint feature will plot a route incorporating necessary charging-station stops.

Given that the Spark … Read more

When Samsung debuted the Galaxy Note last year at CES, the phone met with, well, a mountain of mockery.

It was inexplicably huge, it came with a stylus, hallmark of the hopelessly unhip, and worse, pundits took to calling it a "phablet" -- half phone, half tablet. It appeared to be a product in search of a market it could never, ever hope to find.

We were wrong. The Note found a following, and Samsung reportedly sold 20 million of the funny little things. That's pretty good for a tweener device with no known purpose.

And here … Read more

You may already be familiar with the maxim, "Less is more." Clearly the infotainment engineers over at General Motors are, because it seems that they've taken this approach to designing the dashboard of the 2013 Chevrolet Spark LT.

There are only four buttons for volume up and down, power, and home below the 7-inch touch screen. There are only three knobs for the basic climate control system. There isn't even a CD player -- GM's betting that you probably won't even notice that last bit, because its target market carries music around on phones … Read more

Interesting news out of Detroit, General Motors donates leftover sound absorbing material to be turned into warm weather clothing for the city's homeless.

In total, GM has given over 2,000 lbs of unused and leftover materials to the Empowerment Plan, a Detroit-based nonprofit aimed at providing the homeless of that city a job with pay, and a coat. A coat, that in this case, is not only self-heating, waterproof, and transforms into a sleeping bag, but is also made from material donated by GM. In one of the coldest cities in the United States, a coat can go … Read more

Hybrid drive systems in modern cars store what would otherwise be wasted kinetic energy from braking, making it available to supplement the work of the gasoline engine. These hybrid cars get much better fuel economy than their gasoline-only equivalents, and, due to regenerative braking, reduce brake pad wear. Although the Prius is the hybrid poster car, many other types of hybrid cars exist today, meeting the American buyers' variety of needs.

Here are five of the latest hybrids hitting the market. … Read more

According to a report at GMInsidenews.com, GM will cease production of the Two-Mode hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra, and GMC Yukon. The company has decided to axe upcoming generations of these hybrid trucks due to low demand and out-of-control costs.

GMInsidenews.com suggests the move is unusual so close to the vehicles' 2014 launch. However, modest fuel economy gains over the non-hybrid versions likely contribute to slow sales. Overall fuel economy in most applications is between 20 mpg city and 23 mpg highway.

There is still hope for the next-generation Cadillac Escalade hybrid, which … Read more

Depending on who you believe, the Volt is either alive and kickin' or in its death throes.

The most recent news about GM's plug-in hybrid gives fodder to both sides. On the upside, GM said on Wednesday that it already has sold more than 2,500 Volts this month. That would be a monthly record, bringing the global total this year to about 13,000, according to reports.

But critics quickly jumped on another piece of news: GM's suspension of Volt production for four weeks.

That shutdown is attributed to a retooling of the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant where … Read more

One of the greatest automotive rivalries exists between the Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang. Although it lay dormant when the Camaro ceased production, the 2010 model reignited the rivalry. However, when it comes to discussions of horsepower, Ford could hold the Mustang-based Shelby up as having no competition among Camaros. Until now.

The 2012 Camaro ZL1 adds a supercharger to a big V-8, the same strategy as the Shelby, to produce massive horsepower. And while the Shelby is still the power king, Chevy can boast other tech tricks that help give the Camaro ZL1 the edge at the track.

Foremost … Read more

With increasing numbers of airbags, side-impact beams, and other safety reinforcements, cars have gained weight over the last 20 years. And with that extra poundage comes decreased fuel economy. Now, as automakers search for ways to comply with new CAFE rules in the U.S. and CO2 limits in Europe, bringing automotive weight back down is one obvious target. GM is looking to a company called NanoSteel, which is developing a new steel alloy that could shave weight without compromising safety.

NanoSteel has developed new iron-based alloys through nano-structuring, and says it can have automotive-grade sheet metal products ready in … Read more