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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #321 LIVE!

We're set to record Autoblog Podcast #321 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #321
Unibody Ford Ranger replacement

Nissan Leaf sales double Chevy Volt to close out winning 2014

To close out the year, sales of the two most-popular plug-in vehicles in the US kept going in the direction that they had been all year. The Chevy Volt dropped and the Nissan Leaf had another record month. Sound familiar? The Volt sold 1,490 units in December, a year-to-year drop of 37.7 percent. For all of 2014, Volt sales were down 18.6 percent to just 18,805 (from 23,094 in 2013). On the Nissan side of the ledger, the Leaf sold 3,102 units, up 22.7 percent from the 2,529 sold in December 2013. For the year, Nissan sold 30,200 Leafs, up 33.6 percent from the 22,610 sold in 2013. A few other things to note: For every month in 2014, the Leaf sold more than it did for the same month in 2013. For the Volt, this was only true for three months (April, May and July). Funnily enough, the Volt sold exactly 1,478 units in both March 2013 and 2014. The Volt's 2014 total was lower than both 2013 and 2012, while the Leaf had its best year ever. There were three months in 2014 when people bought at least twice as many Leafs than bought a Volt (September, November, December). The Leaf outsold the Volt every month in 2014. The closest gap was 215 units, in February. The biggest was 1,612, in December. As you've most likely seen, GM is still busy teasing the new Volt, which will make its official debut at the Detroit Auto Show next week. We'll have a more in-depth green car sales post up soon. <iframe embedded="true" "="" scrolling="no" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oIuH75vaSHaaplD4x6gLsYjSsiN4oGmez1T63eaYdhY/pubhtml?widget=true&headers=false" height="430"> Nissan celebrates 30,000 leaf sales in 2014, best year ever for sales of any plug-in vehicle NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 5, 2015) – Nissan, the world leader in electric vehicle sales, shattered yet another sales record with 30,200 LEAF vehicles sold in 2014, which is the first time any plug-in has sold more than 30,000 units in a single year. "Now in its fifth model year, Nissan LEAF is more popular than ever and continues to bring new buyers to Nissan," said Brendan Jones, director, Nissan Electric Vehicle Sales and Infrastructure. "From the beginning our vision was to bring electric vehicles to the mass market in a practical and fun-to-drive package, which is what makes Nissan LEAF the best-selling electric car in the world." Last month, Nissan sold 3,102 all-electric LEAFs, up 22.7 percent from the prior year and a December record.

Chevy exec confirms SS production model reveal at Daytona on Feb 16

The 2014 Chevrolet SS will make its racing debut for the 2013 Daytona 500, but the production version of the car will get its official unveiling on February 16 in Daytona, a week before The Great American Race. According to a report by Automotive News, the reveal has been confirmed by Jim Campbell, Chevy's US vice president of performance and motorsports. With the departure of the Dodge Charger, the new Chevrolet racecar will be the only competitor to feature a V8, rear-wheel-drive layout in both street and NASCAR form.
NASCAR fans will be able to see the new fullsize performance-oriented sedan on display in the festivities leading up to the Daytona 500, but the car won't go on sale until later in the year. The Australian-built Chevy SS will be a low-volume performance model, and it will be priced above the 2014 Impala, which starts at $27,535.