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Porsche wins the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans

The question going into this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans was whether or not the Porsche 919 Hybrid would be able to combine its qualifying pace with race reliability. After battling neck-and-neck with Audi's R18 for most of the race, the answer is a resounding yes. Not only did Porsche drivers climb the first two spots on the podium, they did so without any major mishaps on track. This win is the first overall trophy for Porsche since 1998. Audi previously won the last five races, and 13 of the last 15. Corvette also returned to the winner's circle, with the No. 64 C7.R taking winning the GTE Pro division. The victory is the first class win for Corvette since 2011. KCMG won the LMP2 class in ninth overall. With 45 minutes to go the No. 98 Aston Martin crashed out of first place in GTE Amateur, giving the class win to SMP Racing's Ferrari and second place to the Patrick Dempsey Racing Porsche 911 RSR. For the full list of official results, click here. The GTE Pro class proved to be just as exciting as the P1 class, with a four-way battle for first after four hours into the race. For most of the race, the battle at the top went back and forth between the two German manufacturers. An tire puncture in the No. 7 Audi gave up the lead to Porsche, and moments later a crash forced the No. 8 into the garage. But a three-minute replacement of the front and rear bodywork kept the Audi in contention. As the race wore into the night, Porsche maintained a slightly faster pace than Audi. Nick Tandy took the lead on Lap 253 early Sunday morning, and car No. 19 never gave up the top position. The win is the first for all three drivers of the No. 19 – Nico Hulkenberg, Earl Bamber, and Nick Tandy. A lap behind in second was the No. 17 Porsche. The Audis fought reliability problems late in the race but still finished third with the No. 7 R18. The GTE Pro class proved to be just as exciting as the P1 class, with a four-way battle for first after four hours into the race. As the Aston Martin cars dropped away, the lone Corvette Racing entry took over, followed by a charging AF Corse team Ferrari 458 Italia. The Corvette and Ferrari continued to trade places in the final hours until gearbox trouble forced the No. 51 Ferrari out of contention. It was eventually passed by the other AF Corse car, No. 71. Nissan experienced all the pain of a first-year effort with its front-wheel-drive GT-R LM Nismo.

'Tomorrowland' movie will advertise Chevy Volt, E-NVs

Before the 2016 Chevrolet Volt arrives at dealerships, it's going to come to a cineplex near you. The next-generation hybrid and the EN-V electric networked vehicle concept will play bit parts in the background of the upcoming Disney movie Tomorrowland starring George Clooney and Britt Robertson. Chevrolet will run digital and television ads around the movie's opening, which is May 22 in the US. The Bowtie and Disney tie-up is another in their years-long collaboration, going back to the revamped Test Track that opened at Epcot Center in 2012, and Chevolet is also the official vehicle of Shanghai Disney. The press release below has more on the movie and the Volt, the movie trailer is above – there's no Volt in it, but there is a late-model Buick. Chevrolet and Disney See Possibilities in 'Tomorrowland' Film to help kick off marketing efforts for next-generation Chevrolet Volt DETROIT, 2015-03-26 – At their core, Disney and Chevrolet are entities of optimism, believing that with a little ingenuity, anything is possible. They will come together in the new Disney film "Tomorrowland" to imagine the possibilities. The all-new 2016 Chevrolet Volt and EN-V concepts appear in the backdrops of the present day and Tomorrowland. The film's U.S. debut is May 22. In Disney's riveting mystery adventure "Tomorrowland," a jaded scientist and an optimistic teen embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space. "Tomorrowland is a place where nothing is impossible, which is something that Chevrolet believes can exist in the here and now," said Tim Mahoney, vice president, Global Chevrolet. "The Chevrolet spirit reflects the hopes and possibilities of tomorrow in real instruments of change for today like the next-generation Chevrolet Volt." The first marketing efforts for the 2016 Chevrolet Volt will be tied to Tomorrowland. A television spot and digital advertising will debut in early May. The all-new Volt is an electric car with extended range, showcasing a sleeker, sportier design that offers 50 miles of EV range, greater efficiency and stronger acceleration. The Volt's new, efficient propulsion system will offer an estimated total driving range of more than 400 miles. With regular charging, owners can expect to average more than 1,000 miles between gas fill-ups. Chevrolet and Disney have a long history of collaboration around the globe.

GM puts e-commerce shopping in car dashboards

DETROIT — General Motors on Tuesday said it will equip newer cars with in-dash e-commerce technology, betting it can profit as drivers order food, find fuel or reserve hotel rooms by tapping icons on the dashboard screen, instead of using smartphones while driving. GM's Marketplace technology, developed with IBM, will be uploaded automatically to about 1.9 million model-year 2017 and later vehicles starting immediately, with about 4 million vehicles across the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac brands equipped with the capability in the United States by the end of 2018, GM said. GM will get an undisclosed amount of revenue from merchants featured on its in-dash Marketplace, Santiago Chamorro, GM vice president for global connected customer experience, said during a briefing for reporters. Customers will not be charged for using the service or the data transmitted to and from the car while making transactions, he said. "This platform is financed by the merchants," Chamorro said. GM will get paid for placing a merchant's application on its screens, and "there's some level of revenue sharing" based on each transaction, he said. It is too soon to say how much revenue GM could realize from the Marketplace system, he said. The GM Marketplace will compete for customer clicks and revenue with hand-held smartphones, which offer a far richer array of applications than the GM system will at the outset. Amazon.com is partnering with other automakers, including Ford, to offer in-car e-commerce capability through Amazon's Alexa personal assistant system. For example, GM will launch Marketplace with just Shell and Exxon Mobil icons in the fuel category. The only restaurant available for in-car table reservations at launch is the chain TGI Fridays, GM said. In addition, there will be apps for parking, and ordering ahead at coffee shops and restaurants such as Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts and Applebee's. "We will be adding more vendors," with some coming in the first quarter of 2018, Chamorro said. In addition, he said GM plans to expand integration into its vehicles of music, news and other information services. GM also hopes to use its in-car Marketplace connections to expand purchases of products and services, such as additional access to in-car wifi, from its own replacement parts business and dealer network. Customers can "expect to see more service promotions coming through the platform," Chamorro said. Reporting by Joe WhiteRelated Video: