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[/media] [/media] When IIHS gets to trucks we will be sure to bring the results to you ASAP. For now, you can check out the results of the mid-size car evaluations. Only one vehicle scored good, a Prius V with optional LED lighting. You can see how the Malibu did here.

With 460 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque the LT1 has enough power and twist for most road-going project cars or track day cars. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q50GD8eIra8&feature=youtu.be GM is calling this its most technologically-advanced crate engine ever, which is high praise given the LT4's higher power and torque output. You can learn more about the new LT1 here at Chevy's website.

The folks in southeast Asia also get a Colorado-based SUV that we don't, the 2017 Trailblazer Premier. The styling looks perfect. Who can argue the Colorado would not make for a super SUV? If you could pick one to come to the U.S. market, which would it be and why?

Mark Reuss, executive vice president of Global Product Development was there that day and he and I sat together at lunch. I guess if it gets any better that is how. He is a pretty big fan of the new 2017 ZL1, and said this week, “The Camaro ZL1 is designed to excel at everything. It’s a 2+2 coupe offering incredible performance – acceleration, handling and braking – with the highest levels of technology and perfect chassis damping, making it suitable for everyday driving. It will compare well to any sports coupe, at any price and in any setting.” Please read about the new ZL1 here at our recent overview. Chevy is adding just few things to the ZL1 drop-top: Unique 20-inch forged aluminum wheels with 285/30ZR20 front and 305/30ZR20 rear tires Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires with a compound and construction developed exclusively for the Camaro to offer exceptional grip on the track Brembo brakes with six-piston monobloc front calipers – featuring the ZL1 logo – and massive, 15.35-inch (390 mm) two-piece front rotors. Chevy promises the track-ready convertible Camaro ZL1 will be available in about a year.

Outside the new 2017 Encore gets a new front end and taillights that gives the vehicle more "visual flow" in the words of GM designers. Upscale trims will have LED headlights. The new changes are finished off with a chromed exhaust tip and new 18-inch wheels. “Sporting cues first shown on the award-winning Avenir and Avista concepts, the 2017 Encore embraces Buick’s modern design aesthetic,” said Holt Ware, design director, Buick Exteriors. “The Encore is a crossover known for its presence – the appearance is sleek, muscular and modern.” The new updated interior of the Encore features more brightwork and contrast stitching. The center stack is all-new and has a frame-less eight-inch screen. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility will be included, and Buick’s connectivity includes OnStar 4G LTE with a Wi-Fi hotspot.

The folks at KBB highlighted the Denali sub-brand within GMC for this win, saying "GMC Sierra Denali truck and GMC Terrain, Acadia and Yukon Denali SUVs are all distinguished by boldly luxurious styling enhancements and elevated feature sets that add more than a measure of luxury to the mix. Almost its own sub-brand, the Denali lineup also creates a halo effect within which the entire GMC lineup shines brighter." If we could add a comment to this, it would be that although Mercedes-Benz does make fine automobiles, the complexity of their infotainment systems is almost too much to take. Coupled with the price levels that Mercedes offer it is easy to suggest to buyers that they look elsewhere when shopping. Maybe at GMC. GM also earned a spot on the Best Value Brand list with Buick. Seeing Buick next to Honda on this list also makes perfect sense to anyone who has looked at Buick's reliability scores lately. We would be remiss if we did not report that Ford took the best truck category. To which we might reply "How's Ford's mid-size truck doing?"

The Terrain is GMC's second-leading selling vehicle after the Sierra. The model also has two other positive aspects in the eyes of GM. Half of all Terrain buyers are women, and half of all Terrain buyers are new to the GMC brand. For a brand with a history of selling heavy-duty premium trucks to repeat buyers, a model like Terrain is hugely valuable. Duncan Aldred, vice president of GMC Sales and Marketing said of the new trim, "Terrain continues to attract new and style-conscious customers to GMC. The new Terrain Nightfall Edition adds another great-looking and well-equipped choice for this popular SUV – one that will stand out in a crowd.” The new Nightfall Edition builds upon the new 2016 styling with the following enhancements: -18-inch machine-faced aluminum wheels and gloss black spokes - Charcoal grill with a gloss black surround and accents - Gloss black front and rear fascia accents - Gloss black rear license plate surround trim - Gloss black outside mirrors and black luggage rails. The 2017 Terrain Nightfall Edition will be offered on SLE-2 and SLT models with four exterior color options: Summit White, Onyx Black, Graphite Gray Metallic and Crimson Red Metallic. Look for it to arrive this fall.

Graphic courtesy of Spork Marketing and GMPartsCenter.net

1) The F-150 (loaded with 1500 pounds of cinder blocks, by the way) hits your Colorado without slowing. You can imagine the results. 2) Ford's forward collision mitigation system notes the impending collision. It takes action, alerting the driver and applying a full panic braking procedure before the driver can respond. A crash is averted. Only the newborn sees anything was amiss, and you start off when the light turns green. Most reader comments I have gotten over the past few years while covering forward collision prevention with auto-braking are something to effect of "Drivers should just pay attention." Who can argue that? Not this writer, who has never rear-ended anyone in over 30 years of driving. However, there is a footnote in my driving record. Last year I was on the highway at the end of rush hour when a flock of turkeys ran out of the woods and then stopped across all four lanes of the highway. Before I could react, the Acura I was in applied full braking. I'm almost certain it prevented me from hitting the pickup ahead of me who also was in full panic braking mode. All of the other lanes also had a car stopped I was not on the phone. I was alone in the car and paying attention. Still, the system saw a situation better than I could, and it helped me. I was not rear-ended, though there were cars and semis behind me doing that swervey-stop thing and a lot of smoking brakes and rubber. GM is one of the companies that signed on to offer this technology on all its cars and trucks by 2022. You may have heard about it in the news this week. All automakers are now signed up. 2022 sounds far off, but about half the GM vehicles I test have it now already and you would never know it's there unless you have an emergency. Some cars I have tested, like the Subaru Forester in 2015, have been a little over-sensitive and had some false alarms. However, the Subaru Legacy I just tested this month had it, and there were no false alarms. Automakers are good at improving technology rapidly. False alarms are visual alerts by the way. In three years of testing vehicles with these systems I have never had one apply the brakes when there was not actually something ahead approaching very quickly. Real-life testing proves the systems prevent crashes and injuries. IIHS conducted a three-year study comparing the same vehicles with and without forward collision prevention and found that the vehicles with it crashed into vehicles ahead of them about 40% less. They estimate that if all vehicles had the system it would prevent 700,000 crashes - each year. Cost is always an issue. Who wants to pay for something they don't think they need? Apparently a lot of people do. Subaru's Eyesight system is at full capacity. Subaru would put it into more vehicles, but it cannot meet demand. A forester with FCP costs about $1100 more than one without. Toyota, however, has started to add FCP as a $300 option. Once the technology is widespread it will be cheap. I was watching Wheeler Dealers last night. Edd China was troubleshooting an ABS sensor issue. He noted that when the system debuted the sensor cost a "few hundred English pounds." The cost on current vehicles? Three pounds. Take it from a person that tests vehicles every week with and without automatic emergency braking. You're right to grumble that drivers should pay closer attention, but this technology works.

GM is wisely creating a new Colorado trim aimed at that market. Whether this new trim called the Colorado Shoreline will hit its target is not yet certain, but it is refreshing to see GM adapting its products to try to meet its customers' needs rather than yet another more extreme off-road trim designed for deep forest slogging on logging trails. Those trucks have their place, and customers love them. After all, 40% of all mid-size truck buyers (GM And Toyota alike) opt for some form of off-road upgrade at the time of purchase. What is sometimes forgotten is that 60% don't. Back in 2015 when researching a related story I closely looked at every GM media image available for the Colorado. There were 29 images of the Colorado blasting through woods. Not a single image from GM showed the Colorado in an urban or shoreline setting. The new 2016 Colorado Shoreline will start with extended cab models in LT trim, with both two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive versions available. GM says that it is giving the trucks the colors its customers in LA have been selecting. That means bright exterior colors. The three choices will be Silver Ice Metallic, Summit White, Laser Blue, or Red Hot. Offsetting that bright main color will be with blacked-out trim, black door handles, mirrors and beltline and minimal chrome accents. The exterior will also be slightly adapted to the choices that buyers have been asking for in urban markets. The Shoreline gets a body color front grill, black 18-inch wheels, a spray-in bedliner, all-weather floor liners, and one-year of Sirius XM radio subscription. “The Shoreline is a great example of our strategy to offer unique trucks designed for very specific customers,” said Sandor Piszar, Chevrolet truck marketing director. “These trucks have clearly resonated with customers, as last year our special edition trucks sold in one-third the time, and to younger, more affluent buyers than the industry average.” The new Colorado Shoreline joins the Realtree, Special Ops, Z71 Midnight Edition, and Trail Boss as part of the 2016 Colorado line this spring. Image note: Second Image is not a Shoreline Edition.

According to Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain, “Cruise provides our company with a unique technology advantage that is unmatched in our industry. We intend to invest significantly to further grow the talent base and capabilities already established by the Cruise team.” As we have recently reported GM bought Lyft and Maven. GM sees car-sharing services, car for hire, and automated vehicles merging in the future.

Normally, GM-Trucks.com can find recalls like this at NHTSA's recall site and explore the details, but according to that site there are no GM recalls this month. As always, if you have a vehicle you suspect may be covered under a GM recall, you can check it yourself here.

First up, the Malibu and Impala basically crushed the list by winning the two most important categories, mid-size car and large car. Those two categories really are the two actual family car categories and GM should be proud to have earned the wins. Of the new Malibu, U.S. News said, "Testers say the redesigned 2016 Chevrolet Malibu is a strong contender with class leaders thanks to its spacious seats, user-friendly infotainment system and good trunk space. The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu has the best combination of interior space, safety and reliability ratings, and available family-friendly features in its class, making it our 2016 Best Midsize Car for Families." Note that U.S. News wisely includes reliability and safety in this type of vehicle. U.S. News gets it. Meanwhile, over at the "car magazines" they are doing top speed runs in 4-cylinder economy cars and talking about "lift throttle oversteer at high Gs." There are families that want big, and the Yukon delivers. We just tested the 2016 Yukon Denali, and it is hard to argue there is a better beast that does what it does. The Escalade wins its category too. Some families do want luxury along with size and the Escalade coddles you and the rest of your basketball team. Check out the rankings here for yourself. Look for our new road test format coming soon. The Denali will be the first up.

Polaris' Slingshot X and Tanner Foust are a match made in heaven. This guy has done stunt driving for just about every modern car movie worth a damn and he has won races of all types. What he is really best at though is flogging street-legal machines. Check out the vide and tell us how this is not more fun than any modern muscle car.

This is not the first time that Motor Trend has been surprised by a car matching the M4's capabilities on track. Last year, the magazine ran the and the two cars were within a fraction of a second of one another on the track. Unlike the Camaro SS, the Lexus RC F cannot match the drag-strip times of the M4.

The Grand Sport is all about lightness and cornering. Chevy calls it "A pure expression of the car’s motorsports-bred pedigree." This track-'Vette starts off with the LT1 V8 engine rated at (343 kW) 460 hp, with dry-sump oiling system and active exhaust. Both the rev-matching 7-speed stick and 8-speed paddle shifting automatic are available, and the auto has a Grand Sport-specific calibration. For the first time, the Grand Sport can also be combined with the Z07 package. When set up this way, the car can corner at up to 1.2gs. Chevy says that the new Grand Sport with Z07 package is within a fraction of a second of the prior ZR1's time around the Milford Proving Ground. Here are the highlights of the package: Michelin Pilot Super Sport summer tires: 285/30ZR19 (front) and 335/25ZR20 (rear) Specific Grand Sport wheel design: 19x10 inches (front) and 20x12 inches (rear) Brembo brake system with (355 mm) 14-inch rotors and six-piston calipers in front and (340 mm) 13.4 inch rotors and four-piston calipers in the rear Standard magnetic ride control, specific stabilizer bars and unique springs Standard electronic limited-slip differential Front Fender Inserts, Z06 Grill, Widened Rear Fenders Optional Grand Sport Collector Edition features an exclusive Watkins Glen Gray Metallic exterior with Tension Blue hash-mark graphics Available Z07 package adds carbon ceramic-matrix brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport 2 Cup tires. The Grand Sport will be on sale this summer in the U.S. and the Grand Sport Collector Edition in the fall. Chevy plans to offer the Grand Sport in Europe as well about three months behind the U.S. inventory allocations.

So a small number of GM truck owners will have their vehicles recalled because the chime we hear when we open the truck door to step out and get our mail isn't working. If only they would give us the exact details on how to break the trucks in this fashion. Recalls like this are a good reminder that the number of recalls a vehicle has is not indicative of safety or quality.

We maintain connections with stock experts and even former GM insiders who made a living trading automotive stocks. If this is a topic you want to be followed more closely in our news section let us know. For more on today's downgrade check out our source.

GM says the new systems will only add $500 to the cost of a 2016 Silverado 1500 crew cab in 1LT trim. GMC will add it to its 2016 Sierra 1500 SLT crew cab 2WD model with the SLT Premium Plus package. That truck will have a beefy Eaton locking rear Diff. and a 9,400 pound trailer rating. Silverado eAssist models will be matched to the 5.3L V8 and the Sierras will as well or with the 6.2L V8. Here is what GM says the trucks with eAssist can do: Electric Power Boost: The on-board electric motor provides up to 13 hp and 44 lb-ft of supplemental power during acceleration and passing. The electric motor also enables the Active Fuel Management system on the 5.3L V-8 engine to operate in 4-cylinder mode for longer periods, resulting in additional fuel economy benefits. Stop/Start capability: Added fuel savings are achieved by seamlessly turning the engine off when stopped at a traffic light or in congested traffic and turning the engine back on when the accelerator is pressed. Regenerative Braking: By using the on-board electric motor as a generator, the energy recovered while braking is converted to electricity to recharge the onboard battery system. Coupled with active cylinder management and aero enhancements the eAssist trucks will add 2 MPG to the all the mileage numbers of the trucks that get it. So figure for the 5.3L trucks 18 mpg City, 24 mpg Highway and a Combined 20 mpg rating. GM is also not slinging any BS. This is a trial run and the trucks will all start out in California. If it works out it will expand. If not the program will be ended. What are your thoughts?

Ready for the bad news? Pricey Cadillac was called "Worst" by Consumer Reports for predicted reliability and ranked 24rth overall. Only Land Rover was lower among luxury brands. Fiat Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge were at the bottom along with Mitsubishi. This is the group Cadillac falls in with. That is not good company for a brand trying to sell a premium product as a fashion accessory. Cadillac does a bit better finishing right at about the average line on the J.D. Power list. GMC is 23rd out of 30 on Consumer Reports Ranking, and Chevy is 20th. Both brands do much better on the J.D. Power list. The J.D. Power list looks back three years and has a heavier emphasis on problems like "Can't pair my cell phone via Bluetooth." The Consumer Reports listing is more intensive, and the group both reports the total problems reported on its surveys, and also looks ahead based on the trend over the past years for each brand. You can see the J.D. Power report right here. Consumer Reports is available by on-line subscription, or you can buy the magazine to see the details of its report.

NHTSA says that the recall covers 2015 model year trucks made from January through April of last year. GM will replace the steering gear pinion sensor cover assembly at no cost to owners. To see if your truck is affected by the recall click here.

The remaining trucks rank as follows: - Sierra K 1500 24.4% - F-150 23.1% - Tundra 23% - Ram 1500 20.6% - Sierra C1500 19.4% Oddly, the insurance.com list omits the Chevy Silverado. The front-drive Lexus ES 300 is the number one most ticketed vehicle this year at 33% (makes no sense), having displaced last year's top most ticketed vehicle, the Subie WRX (makes perfect sense). STI image courtesy of Matt Blouin.

Perhaps Chevy's plan to increase production of Colorados a bit is taking shape and will allow Chevy to produce more specialty mid-size trucks. With sales still strong GM could bring the new ZR2 to market around the same time that Toyota's Tacoma TRD Pro begins to arrive. What do you think? Is Chevy going to market the ZR2 or just keep on teasing fans?

A tour of Daytona International Speedway An on-track driving experience A keepsake to commemorate the experience Authentication that the vehicle was delivered and driven at the Speedway Commenting on the new program, Daytona International Speedway president Joie Chitwood III said, “The Chevrolet Delivery Center is the type of elevated experience that guests visiting Daytona International Speedway come to expect. This new offering complements the enhancements already made to the ‘World Center of Racing’ through the $400 million DAYTONA Rising redevelopment project. We’re looking forward to witnessing that first delivery later this year.” Chevy has not announced pricing, but we will update our group with that and more detail when it is available. First and third images by John Goreham. Use with permission only.

The Enclave with an MSRP of $39,990 has a KBB Fair Purchase Price of $37,899. That in itself is a good deal, but the 39-month leases being offered at $319 per month with $1,899 down are the best value according to the folks that track car values and pricing. We copied the KBB press release chart for you below including the fine print gibberish. Let us know in the comments is you got a great lease deal from GM recently.