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2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 [w/videos]

I think I was supposed to be back hours ago. Driving northwest on State Road 190 with a final destination deep in the heart of the Death Valley National Park, it occurs to me that I might have agreed to return after an hour or so, instead of the four I'll end up stealing, solo, in the new Z06. Somewhere in the combination of mountain vistas, arching, speed-hungry desert roads, and the sound of this titanic engine on a constant run up the rev ladder, I forgot everything I'd promised back at home base. The generous, civilized part of me worries for a moment that absconding with the new-best Corvette might have left one of my fellow journalists without a car. But the selfish part of me – the part largely in control of the rocket-launcher of a throttle under my right foot ­– says "screw it." I spent two days with the 2015 Chevy Corvette Z06, a monster of a sports car that will soon be dominating track days everywhere, and I never once was inclined to share it. Hurtling through the shattered stillness of the desert and pulling big Gs at Spring Mountain circuit, I never felt overly disposed to give up my seat. This Corvette, more than any I've yet driven, was deep enough to hold my attention; for two days, for two years, probably. With this Z06, the Corvette steps over the amazing-for-the-price category, and solidly into the best-cars-in-the-world zone. There are peripheral elements that remind me of its blue collar, Bowtie heritage, sure, but there's more that simply begs me to carry on driving... faster. Most casual car observers will be able to pick the 2015 Z06 out from its less aggressive Stingray brothers. Subtler hints include a new, more open grille, larger extractor on the taller hood and rather discreet badges on the flanks of the car. More outrageous is the finned spoiler on the rear trunk lid, and the widebody look offered from flared fenders – an extra 1.57 inches (40 millimeters) at their beefiest point. Even driving around performance-car-laden Pahrump, NV – loaded thanks to the very active community at the Spring Mountain racing resort – members of the local populace were turning heads, waving and generally noting the Z06 with approval when I drove through town. In Torch Red over black painted aluminum wheels, staggered at 19-inches in front and 20 at the back, the amped-up Z06 hits a new level of road presence for the C7.

MotorWeek's 80's GM muscle coupe roundup includes Regal GN and Monte Carlo SS

Even with just four brands in the family, General Motors still represents a performance powerhouse. Between the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Camaro Z/28, Cadillac CTS-V and ATS-V, The General can still deliver plenty of thrills. The 1980s, though, saw the brand go even crazier with performance. While the Camaro and Corvette were still around back in the day, GM had a number of other interesting performance offerings. The Bowtie was complemented by the long-deceased Monte Carlo SS, while the now-defunct Pontiac and Oldsmobile offered the Grand Prix and thumping 442, respectively. And Buick, which isn't short on performance with its Regal GS and Verano Turbo, offered a much more serious vehicle, in the form of the Grand National (not to mention the Darth Vader-spec GNX). MotorWeek, in its hugely entertaining retro flashbacks, looks back on these three long-lost GM performance icons, and it's just as good as you might expect. News Source: MotorWeek via YouTube Buick Chevrolet GM Pontiac Coupe Performance Classics Videos buick grand national chevy monte carlo oldsmobile 442

GM won't really kill off the Chevy Volt and Cadillac CT6, will it?

General Motors is apparently considering killing off six slow-selling models by 2020, according to Reuters. But is that really likely? The news is mentioned in a story where UAW president Dennis Williams notes that slumping US car sales could threaten jobs at low-volume factories. Still, we're skeptical that GM is really serious about killing those cars. Reuters specifically calls out the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Sonic, and the Chevrolet Volt. Most of these have been redesigned or refreshed within the past few model years. Four - the LaCrosse, Impala, CT6, and Volt - are built in the Hamtramck factory in Detroit. That plant has made only 35,000 cars this year - down 32 percent from 2016. A typical GM plant builds 200,000-300,000 vehicles a year. Of all the cars Williams listed, killing the XTS, Impala, and Sonic make the most sense. They're older and don't sell particularly well. On the other hand, axing the other three seems like an odd move. It would leave Buick and Cadillac without flagship sedans, at least until the rumored Cadillac CT8 arrives. The CT6 was a big investment for GM and backing out after just a few years would be a huge loss. It also uses GM's latest and best materials and technology, making us even more skeptical. The Volt is a hugely important car for Chevrolet, and supplementing it with a crossover makes more sense than replacing it with one. Offering one model with a range of powertrain variants like the Hyundai Ioniq and Toyota Prius might be another route GM could take. All six of these vehicles are sedans, Yes, crossover sales are booming, but there's still a huge market for cars. Backing away from these would be essentially giving up sales to competitors from around the globe. The UAW might simply be publicly pushing GM to move crossover production to Hamtramck to avoid closing the plant and laying off workers. Sales of passenger cars are down across both GM and the industry. Consolidating production in other plants and closing Hamtramck rather than having a single facility focus on sedans might make more sense from a business perspective. GM is also trying to reduce its unsold inventory, meaning current production may be slowed or halted while current cars move into customer hands. There's a lot of politics that goes into building a car. GM wants to do what makes the most sense from a business perspective, while the UAW doesn't workers to lose their jobs when a factory closes.