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Final C6 Corvette built in Bowling Green

With all of the attention given to the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray lately, you could be forgiven for thinking that it's already well along in production, yet tooling up for the new C7 has only just begun. In fact, production of the outgoing C6 generation in Bowling Green, Kentucky just halted on Thursday.
As the C6 has aged, production numbers have predictably ebbed along with demand, but this year, the addition of the 427 and 60th anniversary models resulted in an uptick in vehicles built - this, despite a model year shortened by around 25 percent to accomodate the new model changeover. The final C6 Corvette ever, No. 13,466 built this year, was a white 427 Convertible destined for the General Motors Heritage Center museum. The car's 7.0-liter V8 heart was assembled by Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter himself.
In total, Bowling Green pushed out 215,100 C6 Corvettes over nine years. If you're still a C6 fan at heart and are hoping to get a good deal on a phase-out model, step lively - Chevrolet reportedly had about 6,100 unsold units, which Autoweek suggests is good for around five and a half months of supply at the model's current sales rates. Given that demand will likely slacken even further as the C7 draws closer, that should be a big enough stockpile to keep dealers satisfied until 2014 Stingrays begin showing up on their forecourts in December.

Chevy Bolt will go into production in Michigan in 2016 [UPDATE]

While nothing official has been announced, it appears that General Motors may actually put the all-electric Chevy Bolt into production next year. That's the rumor that Reuters is reporting, citing two sources at suppliers for the upcoming $30,000 EV (although that $30,000 number bears some scrutiny). This rumor does fit in with earlier comments that the Bolt would arrive on the market in 2017. If it gets built, the Bolt will share more than a similar-sounding name with the Chevy Volt: the EV will be put together in metro Detroit. Reuters says the 200-mile electric car (and an Opel version) will be made in "an underused small-car plant north of Detroit," which means the Orion Township plant. GM could make between 25,000 and 30,000 Bolts a year there, if what the suppliers are saying is true. We have asked GM for a statement on this story and will update it if we hear back. UPDATE: General Motors manager of electrification technology communications, Kevin Kelly, told AutoblogGreen that, "Bolt EV Concept is just that – a concept. We're currently evaluating the vehicle program, but do not have any production announcements to make at this time."

Recharge Wrap-up: Chevy Volt's new, improved powertrain; Inabikari wants to build Tesla Model X fighter

We knew the 2016 Chevrolet Volt's new powertrain would provide more range, but we didn't know how much. According to GM's Executive Director Larry Nitz, it is about 12 percent more, overall. "I can't think of a powertrain we've re-engineered more extensively within a five-year period than this one," he said. The battery, electric drive system and gasoline generator have all been reworked to allow for an overall driving range of up to 425 miles, with electric range speculated to reach 42 miles or more. The new Volt will also benefit from 20 percent quicker low-end acceleration, weight reductions and improvements in NVH. Read more at Hybrid Cars and at the SAE website. Hyundai's FCEV research and development boss, Dr. Sae-Hoon Kim, is optimistic about the future of hydrogen mobility in Japan. With the Tucson Fuel Cell already in production ahead of Toyota's FCV, Hyundai has a foothold in the hydrogen car scene. Kim believes that since the Fukushima disaster, Japan's attitudes toward energy make it friendly to a growing hydrogen economy. He also says that hydrogen won't be limited to Hyundai, with Kia getting all the battery EVs. "Both types are for both companies," Kim says. "For the moment, volumes are small and it is not wise to have Hyundai and Kia competing." Read more at Just Auto. The Latvian/German startup Inabikari is using crowdfunding to build an electric crossover for Europe. The Rev.01 EV hopes to compete with Tesla's upcoming Model X with a range of over 400 miles and a five-second 0-60 time. The group currently is trying to raise initial funds through an Indiegogo campaign, with hopes of more investment in the future and sales beginning in 2017. See the video below, and read more at Hybrid Cars and at the Inabikari website. Fuel economy and emissions regulations could lead to some interesting design changes to automobiles. The World Light Duty Test Procedure, set to replace the New European Driving Cycle in 2017, will push automakers to find new ways to reduce drag on their vehicles. For better aerodynamics, we could see traditional side-view mirrors replaced by cameras that display what they see on screens inside the vehicle. Another likely change will be the introduction of smaller, narrower wheels. Improving the average drag coefficient from 0.32 to 0.20 could reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 20 percent. Read more at Automotive News Europe.