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Jay Leno gets pulled over while roaring in a Corvette Z06 convertible

No one is above the law, even if that person is a certain silver-haired auto enthusiast with a popular weekly video series about the cars in his garage. This week, Jay Leno experiences the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z06, but he also gets to have a meeting with some of California's Finest immediately after a high-speed blast. As opposed to the full-bore Z06 coupe with the seven-speed manual, Leno gets behind the wheel of the slightly heavier convertible version with the eight-speed auto. Being a droptop doesn't bother him too much, but Leno makes it obvious he wishes that he could be shifting for himself. Even if the auto is technically quicker, Leno says that swapping gears gives him something to do while driving. Of course, one of the major advantages of the convertible is the ability to listen to the Z06's thumping V8 unimpeded. With 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque from 6.2-liters of supercharged muscle, it already puts down impressive numbers, but the sound might just be the best part of all. Around town, the 'Vette is quiet enough to easily blend in with the rest of traffic. However, tip the throttle down and the valves in the exhaust open up to turn the engine into roaring monster. Be careful where you make this thing howl, though, because it's pretty easy for the police to take notice. The host finds that out the hard way in this week's episode of Jay Leno's Garage. Related Gallery 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Convertible View 18 Photos News Source: Jay Leno's Garage via YouTube Celebrities Chevrolet Coupe Performance Videos Jay Lenos Garage chevy corvette stingray chevy corvette z06

It won't be long now before Nissan Leaf finally overtakes Chevy Volt

The two best-selling plug-in vehicles ever are the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. When the two vehicles launched in late 2010, the plug-in hybrid Volt quickly outpaced the all-electric Leaf and, despite lots of ups and downs since then, continues to hold on to a cumulative sales lead. This will change in 2015. Cumulatively, from November 2010 through November 2014, the Volt sold 71,867 units while the Leaf trails with 69,220. That's a difference of just 2,647. Based on current trends (with the Leaf selling around 2,500-2,700 a month and the Volt at 1,500-1,700) we expect the Leaf to take over either in January or, more likely, February when the Leaf takes over as the most popular plug-in car in America. Perhaps even March, depending on how low the numbers are for January and February, which are always slow sales months in the US. Of course, once it takes the crown, the Leaf can't expect to easily hold on for long. A new Volt is coming in the second half of 2015, likely beating a new Leaf to market. The question is, then, how well the Chevy sells with all of its new bells and whistles. Do you think the Volt will be the comeback kid once the 2016 model becomes available? Featured Gallery 2013 Nissan Leaf View 55 Photos Green Chevrolet Nissan AutoblogGreen Exclusive Electric Hybrid ev sales hybrid sales

General Motors CEO Provides Few Details In Appearance Before Congress

It was only two months ago that Mary Barra, freshly crowned as the new General Motors chief executive officer, visited Washington DC as an esteemed guest of First Lady Michelle Obama for the State of the Union address. On Tuesday, Barra returned to the Capitol under more strained circumstances. For more than two contentious hours, she took questions from members of a House of Representatives subcommittee investigating General Motors years-long delay in initiating a recall of millions of vehicles that contained a defect that has killed at least 13 people. Why did GM accept faulty ignition switches that were below the company's set specfications? Why did GM learn about the problem in 2001 yet take no action until 2014? Will GM compensate victims' families even though the company's bankruptcy may limit its liability? Those were a few of the questions members of the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee asked. Few concrete answers were forthcoming. For her part, Barra sidestepped most of the questions, saying she wouldn't have information needed to answer them until an internal review is completed. David Friedman, the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, testified after Barra. The biggest news that emerged from the hearing was that General Motors has retained attorney Kenneth Feinberg to advise the company on its civil and legal responsibilities. He has made a career of resolving disputes and serving in a 'fixer' role, serving as the chief of the federal government's September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, as an administrator of compensation fund for victims of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster and a similar fund for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. Barra, who has been GM's CEO since January but been with the company since 1980, expects to meet with Feinberg on Friday, and have a concrete plan within the next 30-60 days. Yet Barra would not say for certain Tuesday that GM would compensate the victims at all. Despite repeated questions from Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Barra did not outline the company's intentions. "I assume GM is hiring (Feinberg) to help identify the size of claims and then compensate the victims? Is that right," DeGette asked. "Is GM willing to put together some kind of a compensation fund for these victims that Mr. Feinberg will then administer?" "We've hired him to help assess the situation," Barra replied. "So really, there's no money involved at this point," DeGette asked.