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Chevy bringing Spark RS Concept to SEMA

Well, the SEMA mess has well and truly begun. Every year, an increasing number of automakers flock to the Las Vegas auto show, bringing accessories and concept vehicles that are both awesome as well as occasionally questionable. Chevy will bring an RS concept of the new Spark to SEMA, signaling that its styling package will be applied to the brand's smallest vehicle in the near future. We can expect the usual stuff in a production Spark RS – larger wheels, a slightly sportier cabin, a more aggressive body kit, and a small drop in ride height – but for the concept, Chevy wasn't restrained by things like budget. The front splitter, and sill extensions, foglight surrounds, and rear bumper insert are all finished in carbon fiber. The 17-inch alloys are apparently inspired by the Corvette Z06's Z07 package, while the Dark Liquid Switchblade Silver paint is broken up only by a driver's-side stripe. The company is also using SEMA to show its new Red Line accessories, features both concept and production parts for the Trax, Camaro, Malibu, Colorado, and Sierra. Every vehicle gets Enhanced Silver Metallic paint, a charcoal finish on the roof, satin graphite/red graphics, black/red badge kits, and aside from the Colorado, tinted lamps. Individual mods for the Trax include relatively simple tweaks, including new 18-inch wheels, blacked-out bowtie badges, a lowered ride height, and custom badging. It's a similar story on the Malibu, except that its 19-inch wheels are a smidge larger, and its lowered ride height is the result of a concept kit. The first concept based on the new Camaro opts for 20-inch wheels, while adding a few more performance items. The ride height has been lowered, there's a new air intake system, and an upgraded brake package. Chevy has also replaced the front upper and lower grilles inserts with red accents. On the pickup side of the coin, the Colorado gets 18-inch wheels, new intake and exhaust systems, Goodyear Wrangler Fortitude tires, and flared wheelarches. The Silverado gets similar intake and exhaust upgrades, as well as the largest wheels of them all, with 22s at all four corners. The full-size truck also gets a Brembo brake package, while every vehicle, aside from the Camaro, gets Thule roof-mounted accessories. You can check out all six concepts in the gallery above, and then be sure to keep an eye open for live images from the floor of the 2015 SEMA show, slated to open next month.

Chevy Bolt EV, Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Ridgeline take 2017 NACTOY prizes

Every year the 2017 North American International Auto Show kicks off with the North American Car of the Year Awards. We say "awards" after all those mentions of our home continent because it's not just cars. This year, in fact, the awards spread out to three separate honors: Car, Truck, and Utility. And without further ado, here are the winners. The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is the Car of the Year, the Honda Ridgeline is the Truck of the Year, and the Chrysler Pacifica is the Utility of the Year. Honda's win is perhaps the biggest surprise, upsetting favorite the Ford F Super Duty for the win. The second-generation Ridgeline rides on a unibody platform and is offered in front- or all-wheel-drive, which is unconventional for a pickup. But the layout also offers a cargo bed with an in-floor trunk and solid fuel economy figures of 19 city, 26 highway in its most-efficient form. The Chevy Bolt EV, however, was probably the easiest winner to predict. Its 238-mile range and sub-$30,000 starting price after tax credits make it a breakthrough in the landscape of electric vehicles. With the Chrysler Pacifica available in a plug-in hybrid form, this year's award illustrates the industry's shift towards efficiency and electrification. And with Ford's recent announcement on future EVs, it might not be long will it be until we see a hybrid truck on the award stage as well.Related Video:

National Corvette Museum to recreate sinkhole experience for patrons [UPDATE]

UPDATE: The Thunderdome at the National Corvette Museum is not a ride; instead it's an experience that mixes digital graphics and thundering sound. For a brief period, it looked like the National Corvette Museum was going to preserve that sinkhole that ate eight important 'Vettes last year. After all, tourism boomed there afterwards. However, keeping the crater would have been more expensive than just doing the repairs. The museum isn't ready to let people completely forget, though, and now intends to make a major attraction out of a recreated version of the calamity. The museum's plan turns the sinkhole disaster into an amusement park ride called the Thunderdome, according to GM Authority. In a smaller recreation of the Skydome, 15 people at a time would get to watch an imitation of the sinkhole devouring the eight Corvettes. To make the experience even more immersive, visitors would get to view this all from an artificial, underground cave. If you missed seeing the actual pit, this would certainly be a bizarre way to experience it. According to GM Authority, the exhibit would also include an explanation of how sinkholes occur. The Corvette museum reportedly wants the attraction open by this fall.