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Nissan Leaf sales get January jump as Chevy Volt trends downward

The cold January sales dip hit both the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt last month, but when compared 2014 to 2013's first-month-of-the-year sales totals, one of the two early plug-in vehicles obviously came out on top. The top Leaf market also shifted away from Atlanta for the first time in months. Last year, the Leaf sold just 650 units in January, but it managed to move 1,252 last month, a 92.6-percent increase over 2013 but a big drop from the 2,529 sold in December 2013. Paige Presley over at Nissan told AutoblogGreen that the Leaf has now broken sales records for 11 months straight and that, "we see unique seasonality with some December pull-ahead demand based on federal and state tax incentives." The number one Leaf market also shifted away from Atlanta for the first time in months, moving back to San Francisco. That change could be short-lived. "We had some inventory constraint issues early in the month in Atlanta with end-of-year demand depleting stock," Presley said. "By the time we resolved that, the weather hampered sales." There was not as much good news on the Chevrolet front. Last month, the Volt sold 918 units, down from 1,140 in January 2013 and 2,392 in December 2013. It also marks the first time the Volt has sold in the three-digit range since January 2012, when it sold 603 copies. That string of solid months means that the plug-in hybrid has a roughly 12,000-unit lead over the EV since the two cars brought plug-in vehicles back to the mass market all the way back in December 2010. We will have our full report of January's green car sales up soon.

Engine block heater issues force GM to recall 324,226 diesel heavy duty trucks

General Motors has issued a recall on 324,226 diesel heavy duty trucks that could be susceptible to short circuits, and consequently, potential fire. The recall affects several models of heavy duty Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras with optional engine block heaters. GM is recalling seven different truck models spread across three years. The recall affects the 2017-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD, 2017-2019 Silverado 3500HD, 2019 Silverado 4500HD, 2019 Silverado 5500HD, and 2019 Silverado 6500HD, plus the 2017-2019 GMC Sierra 2500HD and 2017-2019 Sierra 3500HD. Specifically, it includes these models with the 6.6-liter Duramax diesel engines and the optional engine block heater. The recall technically deals not with the engine block heater itself, but the way it is connected. According to NHTSA campaign No. 19V328000, the engine block heater cord or the terminals that link the cord to the heater could short circuit. A short circuit could potentially damage engine components and result in a fire. According to The Detroit News, 19 fires have been reported but nobody has been injured. GM has yet to figure out a fix, and thus has not yet released a notification schedule for affected customers. If you believe your vehicle is part of the recall, contact GM customer service at 1-586-596-1733 and use reference number N182206310.

2016 Chevy Camaro Convertible coming on June 24

With the new sixth-generation Chevy Camaro now upon us, Chevrolet is gearing up to drop the top on the new 2016 Camaro Convertible, previewed in this latest teaser video. There isn't much to go on from this short clip – the new convertible will feature a fully automated folding roof that will retract at the push of a button. Beyond that, we expect it to carry over the same features as the hardtop version we've already seen. Chevy is due to unveil what it calls "the most innovative Camaro Convertible ever" just a couple of days from now, so watch this space.