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Nissan Leaf sets new November sales record, Chevy Volt drops again

When you talk to people in the plug-in vehicle industry, one theme you hear repeatedly is that the more plug-in cars that are out there, the better things are for everyone. One reason is that more EVs build a need for more public chargers, and more chargers mean more people see that plugging in is feasible. But there's still something to be said for old-fashioned competition, and in the sales race between the two long-running plug-in vehicles in the US, the Nissan Leaf is resoundingly beating the Chevy Volt for 2014. In fact, it won't be long before the EV's cumulative sales top the PHEV's. But that's a topic for another month. For now, we have the sales results from November. Unsurprisingly, Nissan set another monthly record (that is, the best Leaf sales in any November, the 22nd time in a row we've seen a monthly record) with 2,687 sales last month. That's up 34 percent over last November and up 35 percent year-to-date. Toby Perry, Nissan's director of electric vehicle marketing, said in a statement that, "Our 'Kick Gas' ad campaign and 'No Charge to Charge' launch in Chicago and Atlanta drove an increase in November Leaf sales. Even with gas prices falling across the country, consumers appreciate that the cost of driving a Nissan Leaf is still a fraction of that of a gas-powered car." Over on the Chevy side of the ledger, there were 1,336 Volt sales last month, down 30.4 percent from the 1,920 sold in November 2013. So far this year, Volt sales are down 16.4 percent and Chevy has sold 17,315 Volts in 2014. As we said last month, the Volt slump might be due to people waiting on the new version to make an appearance at the Detroit Auto Show next month before going on sale in the second half of 2015. So far in 2014, Nissan has sold 27,098 Leafs. Look for our detailed post of US green car sales in the near future. Until then, please discuss last month's Leaf and Volt sale in the comments, below. News Source: Nissan, General Motors Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric Hybrid PHEV ev sales hybrid sales

New Bright creating exclusive 1:8 scale radio-controlled C7 Corvette

If you want a new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette but can't quite save up enough pennies for the monthly payment, we have good news for you. Toymaker New Bright has pulled the covers off of its 1:8 scale remote-controlled version of the American sports car. Complete with a very detailed interior and LED headlights, this large-scale R/C is as close as most of us will ever come to having one of the menacing Chevrolet models to call our very own. New Bright still hasn't released pricing or availability, but word has it the coupe should hit the market soon.
Right now, it appears as if the C7 will hit shelves in Torch Red, though we don't know if other colors are planned as well. The good news is that New Bright isn't exactly turning its back on the old C6 - representatives say the company will continue to make its popular C6R racecar for those who prefer round taillights.

Why does the Corvette Stingray have so many vents? Here's why

Just looking at the new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, it's not hard to see that the car's design was created with aerodynamics at the forefront, but Chevrolet designers point out exactly what went into designing the iconic coupe in a pair of recently released videos. The videos show the Corvette going through early design phases, including clay models and wind tunnel tests, as well as talking to the car's chief engineer, Tadge Juechter.
Both videos help explain various aspects of the C7 Corvette, but it's the aero tuning of the car that is most interesting. This includes extra attention paid to the lower air dam and vented hood to help reduce drag and lift, while the rear quarter inlets are for differential and transmission cooling. Juechter said that some of these aero-tuned elements were inspired from GM's involvement in racing.
If you have about five minutes and you can't get enough information about the new 'Vette, then check out the videos posted below.