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Safety group pans GM’s new Marketplace in-dash shopping

When it comes to our cars, is the Internet of Things a godsend? Or a hidden menace that will create more problems than it will solve? On the same day General Motors announced it will equip newer-model cars with its in-dash Marketplace e-commerce app, a prominent safety group was shooting it down. National Safety Council President Deborah Hersman tells Bloomberg the technology will only contribute to distracted driving and hurt efforts to stem the tide of rising auto fatalities, which grew 5.6 percent to more than 37,000 in the U.S. in 2016. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says distracted driving was responsible for 3,477 fatalities and 391,000 injuries in 2015, the most recent year for which it has data. "There's nothing about this that's safe," Hersman told Bloomberg. "If this is why they want WiFi in the car, we're going to see fatality numbers go up even higher than they are now." Marketplace, developed with IBM, will allow drivers — or more often, one hopes, their passengers — to order coffee or food, find gas stations and reserve hotel rooms from their dashboard screens. The technology is set to be uploaded automatically to nearly 1.9 million GM vehicles model-year 2017 and later that are equipped with WiFi hotspots and compatible systems. By the end of 2018, about 4 million Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles will be equipped with Marketplace. The app will debut with a limited number of participating retailers, including TGI Fridays, Shell, Exxon Mobil and Starbucks, with more likely to join later. Online retail giant Amazon is also partnering with automakers such as Ford to bring e-commerce capabilities inside the car through its Alexa personal assistant. While convenience is nice, one other thing is becoming clear as the IoT wedges its way into our cars: It's taking aim at some decidedly first-world problems.Related Video: Image Credit: GM Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GM GMC Technology Infotainment in-car entertainment marketplace e-commerce

GM might lose 90-year U.S. sales crown over chip shortage

Automotive News editor Nick Bunkley tweeted on October 1 that according to AutoNews data, General Motors "has been the largest seller of vehicles in the U.S. every year since passing Ford in 1931." With automakers having turned in light car and truck sales data for the first three quarters of 2021, GM's 90-year-run might not reach 91. According to AN figures, Toyota was 80,401 vehicles ahead when the October workday started. Worse, GM is so far behind its historic pace that it might only sell enough light vehicles in the U.S. to match its numbers from 1958.  Meanwhile, the New York Times put a few more salient numbers to the pain GM and Toyota are enduring alongside the the rest of the industry. GM sold 33% fewer cars in Q3 2021 than it did in Q3 2019 during the dark days of the pandemic, 446,997 units this year as opposed to 665,192 last year. GM's Q3 2020 was only down 13% on Q3 2019. Over at Toyota, the bottom line showed a 1% gain in Q3 2021 compared to 2020, with 566,005 units moved off dealer lots. The finer numbers show two steps forward and one step back, though; Toyota's September sales were down 22% compared to last year.  GM remains optimistic about what's ahead, GM's president of North American operations telling the NYT, "We look forward to a more stable operating environment through the fall." We'd like to see that happen, but we don't know how it happens. The chip shortage said to have been the inciting incident for the current woes isn't over, and not only can no one agree when it will be over, the automakers, chip producers, and U.S. government still can't get on the same page about who needs what and when. Looking away from that for a second shows articles about "No End In Sight" for supply chain disruptions in early September, before China had to start working through power supply constraints, global supply chain workers started warning of a "system collapse," and roughly 500,000 containers sat waiting to be unloaded at Southern California ports — a record number seemingly broken every week. And back to chips, we're told just a few days ago the chip shortage is "worse than we thought."   For now, the NYT wrote that GM dealer inventory is down 40% from June to roughly 129,000 vehicles, and down 84% from the days when dealers would cumulatively keep about 800,000 light vehicles in stock. However, GM just announced it would have almost all of its U.S. facilities back online next week, although some would run at partial capacity.

2025 GMC Terrain fully revealed in spy photos

A couple of months ago, GMC teased the 2025 Terrain compact SUV and said there'd be a reveal sometime this year. We're still waiting on the official reveal, but in the meantime, a spy photographer caught the GMC out and about without any coverings. So this is an early look at the Terrain, both in AT4 and Denali trim levels. Being a mechanical twin to the recently revised 2025 Chevy Equinox, there are some similarities in the roofline, the prominent C-pillar and the window lines, but beyond that the Terrain continues to be solidly distinguished from the Chevy. The front has GMC's more vertical headlights and tall grille, with the latter getting a unique black surround. The fender flares are given more prominence, particularly from the signature amber marker lights over each wheel, and there are subtle taillight and bumper changes. There are design differences between the AT4 and Denali, too. The AT4 has black contrasting flares and bumpers, whereas the Denali has body color pieces. And the AT4 has tow hooks and smaller wheels with all-terrain tires. The Terrain really differentiates itself from the Equinox inside, though. It trades the more organic, trapezoidal Chevy design for the crisp, rectangular looks of larger GMC models. Complementing the look is the touchscreen in portrait layout compared to the Chevy's landscape unit. We don't know for sure whether this screen will be standard across the lineup (the photo is of a Denali), but considering GM's willingness to include big screens in all its models, we wouldn't be surprised if this is included even on base Terrains.  Underpinning the Terrain will be the same new platform as Equinox, and almost certainly the same turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder with 175 horsepower. Front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive should be on offer, with the former getting a CVT and the latter an eight-speed automatic. The AT4 model clearly has reworked bumpers for better approach and departure angle than the standard Terrain, and probably has some additional light protection. We'll be curious if GMC offers a twin-clutch rear differential for some locking and torque-vectoring functionality to help it stand out and potentially compete with the likes of high-end Bronco Sport. But that's more in the realm of speculation. We should have confirmation of many of these details and much more soon when GMC officially reveals the Terrain itself.