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Auto Show Notebook: Legendary Continental name inspired Lincoln's designers

What's in a name? A lot for the Continental concept, and it gave Lincoln designers a sense of purpose as they styled the brand's upcoming flagship sedan. "The moment that we told them, it was amazing," Lincoln president Kumar Galhotra said. "They totally got it." "It" is cutting-edge technology wrapped in stately, large-sedan design. It's a nod to Lincoln's storied past, but a signpost for where the brand is heading. Though the Continental name dates to the late 1930s, Lincoln designers avoided making the concept overtly retro. "You can't let it pull yourself back too far in history, but you've got to design a car that lives up to the name," Galhotra said. Speaking to Autoblog on the floor of the New York Auto Show where the Continental formally debuted Wednesday, the Lincoln president reiterated that the car is on track to launch in 2016. It will compete against the Audi A6, Lexus GS, BMW 5 Series and other large luxury sedans. After its debut, the concept in New York will fly to China – another critical market for Lincoln – for display there. It will be replaced in New York by a prototype without an interior. The Continental is the latest high profile play by Lincoln to raise its image with consumers, who have either ignored or forgotten about it amid steep competition in the luxury sector from German and Japanese brands and a potentially resilient Cadillac. Lincoln sales are essentially flat compared with 2014 through the first quarter of this year, with total volume of 21,478 units. The middling start to 2015 comes on the heels of nearly 16-percent sales growth last year spurred by the launch of the MKC and the prominent signing of Matthew McConaughey to star in Lincoln advertisements. Other News, Notes & Quotes Speaking of names, Chevrolet did its homework before deciding to proceed with "Malibu" for its new generation of midsize cars. "We went out and researched it," said Alan Batey, president of General Motors North America. "People actually like the name 'Malibu,'" he said. Admittedly, the current Malibu has struggled in the marketplace against entrenched competitors, Batey said, but he's optimistic its awareness and historical value are assets to the dramatically redesigned sedan."The name's strong," he said. Meanwhile, in other Chevy news, the brand kicked off a new marketing campaign, "Real People, Not Actors" Wednesday. It will show consumers interacting with Chevys and their spontaneous reactions to the vehicles.

These are the five most ridiculous attacks on the Chevy Volt [w/videos]

It's been a long, strange trip for the Chevy Volt from the time when the now-odd-looking concept version (above) was introduced at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show to today. And now, General Motors announced that the second-generation Chevy Volt will make an appearance at the 2015 Detroit show in January. This debut represents a victory for GM with what has easily become the most politicized car of the 21st Century. There are plenty of reasons for someone to criticize the Volt, but what's amazing is just how much anti-Volt energy has been spent not on things like the styling or how the EREV setup is not as efficient as a pure-EV powertrain. As we wait for more official information on the new Volt, we thought it would be fun to go back and look at some of the most wildly incorrect reporting and strangest attacks on the Volt from the archives. There is so much good stuff out there, it was hard to pare the list down, but these are our five favorites. Amazingly, they're not all clips from Fox News. Check 'em out below. 5. GM Is Going To Stop Making The Chevy Volt In The US Do you remember when GM was about to move Volt production to China? Well, yeah, this was reported back in early 2012 when a GM executive mentioned that the automaker would get benefits of building the Volt in the places where it sells them. This was spun into a story of GM taking Obama bailout money and then running to China. The Blaze was not happy: "Given the fact that Federal government helped itself to millions and millions of taxpayer dollars under the pretense that it was going to combat high unemployment by creating 'green jobs,' it would seem that moving research and development (and possibly manufacturing) overseas is slightly, well, counterproductive." Well, of course, that never happened. There's no way to say that GM will never build a version of the Volt in China, but the news we hear rumors of these days is that GM is going to move production of more Volt parts (specifically, the motors) to Michigan from overseas. 4. The Chevy Volt Is A Fire Trap There has never been a Volt that just spontaneously lit up while driving down the road. Yes, there were Volts that caught on fire. Yes, that's a scary thing. But there has never been a Volt that just spontaneously lit up while driving down the road. These were crashed test vehicles with destroyed batteries and plugged-in vehicles that were not the cause.

Recharge Wrap-up: Renault Zoe recall, Proterra buses log 2M miles

Renault is recalling 10,649 examples of its Zoe electric car for potential brake hose failure. Cars built at the company's Flins factory between the Zoe's 2012 introduction and October 6, 2014 - a quarter of all Zoes ever built - are subject to the recall, though no accidents have been reported from rupturing brake lines. Recalled vehicles will have the brake hose positions inspected and, if need be, fixed. Read more from Reuters. Proposed legislation in Massachusetts would make the state even more EV friendly. While the state already encourages EV adoption with a $2,500 rebate incentive, the new bill would give battery electric vehicle drivers HOV lane access. Additionally it would set up a standard building code for EV chargers, and allow EV-only parking spaces. "With decreased gas prices, a 10 percent increase in vehicle miles traveled over the last 20 years, and a carpool rate below the national average, we must address personal vehicle use directly as part of our transportation emissions reduction strategy," says Rep. Frank Smizik. Read more from Teslarati. The New York Daily News has named the 2016 Chevrolet Volt as its "Green Machine of the Year." Seamless operation, peppiness, and a nice suite of equipment make it a top choice for the publication. "The 2016 Chevrolet Volt is all new, inside and out, and takes the plug-in hybrid segment to another level, thanks to its increased EV range, updated cabin, and more efficient gas-powered engine," writes Daily News Autos writer (and all-around good guy) Nick Kurczewski. Honorable mentions go to the Tesla Model S, BMW i3, Toyota Prius, and the hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai. Read more from the Daily News, or at Clean Technica. Proterra electric buses have accumulated 2 million miles of revenue service. That equals 3,800 tons of carbon emissions that have been prevented and 420,000 gallons of fuel unburned. Proterra says it has 63 buses in service in 15 cities, and that it is ramping up production to meet growing demand. "This latest milestone exemplifies the economic, environmental and civic value of electric mass transit," says Proterra CEO Ryan Popple, "and demonstrates to the transit agencies that diesel - often viewed as a necessary evil - is no longer necessary." Read more at Inside EVs. Evercar, a unique EV carsharing service, has found success in Los Angeles. Evercar bills itself as carsharing for rideshare and delivery drivers.