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Texas sues GM, saying it tricked customers into sharing driving data sold to insurers

Texas filed a lawsuit Tuesday against GM over years of alleged abuse of customers' data and trust. New car owners were presented with a "confusing and highly misleading" process that was implied to be for their safety, but "was no more than a deceptively designed sales flow" that surrendered their data for GM to sell. The suit contends that at no point was selling driving data ever even suggested as a possibility, putting GM in violation of the state's consumer protection laws. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is seeking a jury trial and at least $10,000 per offense (every GM car sold in the state since 2015) and a hefty add-on of $250,000 in cases where the victim was over 65. Texas seems to be flying high after a recent $1.4 billion settlement from Meta over other privacy concerns. This may well be a way to solve any pending budgetary issues in the Lone Star State.

2018 GMC Terrain loses the V6 and gains a diesel for an all-turbo lineup

You may have noticed that compact crossovers are kind of a big deal these days. After eight years on sale, GMC is finally getting a new version of its littlest ute, the Terrain, for 2018. And it can't arrive a moment too soon. The 2018 GMC Terrain made its debut tonight on the eve of the 2017 Detroit Auto Show. The 2018 Terrain looks to be completely new, and is now built on GM's D2XX platform. It again shares a platform and major components with the Chevrolet Equinox; like the 2018 Equinox, the Terrain will offer three engines, including two turbocharged gas four-cylinders and a turbodiesel four. The base 1.5-liter gas four makes 170 horsepower and 203 pound-feet of torque, while the 2.0-liter inline-four puts out 252 hp and 262 lb-ft. (The 2.0 basically takes the place of the 3.6-liter V6 offered in the outgoing Terrain.) GM's 1.6-liter diesel four will also be available, making 137 hp and 240 lb-ft of torque in this application. Both gas engines will be paired with nine-speed automatic transmissions, while the diesel gets a six-speed auto. No fuel-economy claims have been made, but we expect the new models to outdo the current versions, with the diesel reaching around 40 mpg on the EPA highway cycle. View 14 Photos The new Terrain's design is equally fresh and does a good job of differentiating it from the related Equinox, with details very reminiscent of the new GMC Acadia. The lighting elements are even more intricate here, with LEDs used for the daytime running lights and taillamps. GMC designers gave it the floating-roof look, which is successful aside from the odd placement of a trim badge at the base of the D-pillar. Terrains will again be available in SL, SLE, SLT, and range-topping Denali trim, with the latter featuring the signature satin chrome grille, chrome accents, and monochrome paint scheme GMC uses on all of its top-trim models. The interior sees an upgrade in materials and a more-thoughtful layout, with a new version of GM's Electronic Precision Shift gear selector using buttons and switches instead of a lever to open up more space on the center console. Both front- and all-wheel-drive models get a Traction Select system that will tune the shift points and throttle points for specific driving conditions via a knob at the rear of the console. On models equipped with all-wheel drive, a front-drive mode disconnects the rear axle to improve fuel economy.

GMC Hummer EV will weigh 9,046 pounds

In the 2000s, Hummer's unique breed of off-roaders summoned a dark cloud of disapproval from environmentalists because they were gas-guzzling SUVs with mammoth dimensions. GMC's born-again Hummer EV will escape the gas guzzler label by running solely on electricity, but it will be even bigger and much heavier than its predecessors. Enthusiast site GM-Trucks reported the Hummer EV will tip the scale at 9,046 pounds (4,103 kilos if you're outside of the United States) in its quickest configuration, and a GMC spokesperson told Autoblog that figure is accurate. For context, the H1 Alpha released for 2006 (and often considered the ultimate Hummer) weighed 8,113 pounds, the H2 checked in at 6,614 pounds with the 6.2-liter V8, and the H3 was comparatively light at 4,600 pounds. When it lands, the Hummer EV will be one of the heaviest new cars sold in the United States. Part of its plumpness can be attributed to its colossal dimensions; it measures 216.8 inches long, 86.7 inches wide, and 81.1 inches tall. In comparison, the H1 stretched 185 inches long, 87 inches wide, and about 78 inches tall. The electric powertrain also played a major role in slinging the Hummer's weight into dually pickup territory. Batteries are heavy, and the Hummer EV's Ultium pack reportedly has a capacity of over 200 kilowatt hours. It has three electric motors, too. Note the 9,046-pound figure applies only to the sold-out Launch Edition model, which will offer 1,000 horsepower, the aforementioned 200-kilowatt battery, and the supercar-like ability to hit 60 mph from a stop in three seconds. GMC will launch cheaper, slower, and presumably considerably lighter variants of the truck in the early 2020s. Although SUVs are often heavier than comparable trucks due to the additional sheet metal, the people-hauling Hummer should weigh less than the cargo-carrying variant. As we reported in April 2021, its output will be limited to 830 horsepower because it's 20 inches shorter than the truck, and the bigger battery pack doesn't fit in this footprint.