2012 Chevrolet Equinox 1lt on 2040-cars

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NACTOY announces top nine finalists for Car, Truck and Utility of the Year

Finalists for the 2024 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) Awards were announced at this year’s L.A. Auto Show. This whittles the field down to nine vehicles in total, with the winners scheduled to be announced on January 4, 2024. The finalists in their respective categories: Car category: Honda Accord, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Toyota Prius Truck category: Chevrolet Colorado, Chevrolet Silverado EV, Ford Super Duty Utility category: Genesis Electrified GV70, Kia EV9, Volvo EX30 These nine cars were chosen from a list of 25, which was previously narrowed down from a list of 52 eligible vehicles. Notable misses include the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, Toyota GR Corolla, GMC Canyon, Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Chevrolet Equinox EV, Mazda CX-90 and Toyota Grand Highlander, among others. Jurors will now evaluate the final nine through the end of the year to determine the four winners. Autoblog Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is among the jurors. Green LA Auto Show Chevrolet Ford Genesis GM Honda Hyundai Kia Toyota Volvo Truck Crossover Hatchback SUV Electric Hybrid Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance Sedan

GM files to trademark name Badlands

If you've been hoping for General Motors to come out swinging at the Ford F-150 Raptor, we've had some tantalizing news for you of late. Last month we brought you a report that indicated GM has trademarked the name "Z71 Trail Boss," suggesting a potential hardcore off-roader. Now it seems the General has filed for a potentially even better name. That name, as our friends over at GM Authority have discovered, is "Badlands." The application, filed on February 16, indicates that it's for a truck, but of course it doesn't specify just what form it would take... or for that matter, under which division it would fall. So we could, in theory, be looking at the nameplate for a Raptor rival from Chevy or GMC (like the 2011 Sierra All Terrain HD concept pictured here), or for some other trim level, a concept truck, a special edition... just about anything. Heck, it could be for a Vauxhall, Opel or Holden for all we know at this point. Or GM could choose not to use it on anything at all, but here's hoping it'll emerge as something awesome in US showrooms sometime soon. Featured Gallery 2011 Detroit: GMC Sierra All Terrain Concept News Source: GM AuthorityImage Credit: Copyright 2015 AOL Government/Legal Chevrolet GM GMC Truck Off-Road Vehicles trademark

GM execs fired over fraudulent India emissions testing

General Motors hadn't had a recall in India since 1995. That changed when it was discovered that certain employees were playing tricks with local emissions testing in order to ensure passing grades for engines. More than ten GM Powertrain employees in India and the US have been let go over the ensuing emissions flap, including Sam Winegarden, VP of global engine engineering, a man who has been with the company since 1969, leading development of some marquee powerplants.
According to Automotive News, an internal investigation revealed that employees "violated testing procedures," sometimes swapping specially prepared low-emissions engines during testing regimes for the Chevrolet Tavera SUV equipped with the 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter engines. Employees were also manipulating weights in order to get vehicles placed into different emissions categories. The discovery has led to GM recall the 114,000 Taveras produced over an eight-year period and halting their production and sale.
The Economic Times of India reports that the issue is due to "a faulty component." GM has developed a solution to the issue, and once it is validated in testing and approved by the Indian authorities, the recalled vehicles will be fixed at dealers and production will resume.