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2016 Green Truck of the Year, Commercial Green Car of the Year finalists

Not only are commercial-grade haulers getting more green love lately, they're getting more different kinds of green love. The 2016 Green Truck of the Year, the second time the award has been handed out, is being decided by judges from Green Car Journal and the San Antonio Auto & Truck Show. This year the award is joined by the new 2016 Commercial Green Car of the Year, which crowns one of the little vans increasingly used by small business as cargo and delivery vehicles. The Green Truck of the Year finalists are the Chevrolet Colorado Duramax (pictured), Ford F-150, GMC Canyon Duramax, Nissan Titan XD, and Toyota Tacoma. The first three of those were on last year's list, but since they are completely new or upgraded for 2016 - Ford with its all-aluminum body, the General Motors twins with the new diesel Duramax engine - they qualify for entry again. The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel won last year. The Commercial Green Car finalists are the Chevrolet City Express, Ford Transit Connect, Mercedes-Benz Metris, Nissan NV200, and Ram ProMaster City. You can read more details in the presser below, and the awards will be announced in San Antonio sometime during the show from November 19-22. San Antonio Auto & Truck Show Announces 2016 Green Truck of the Year and Commercial Green Car of the Year Finalists SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Car Journal and the San Antonio Auto & Truck Show have announced finalists for the 2016 Green Truck of the Year™ and 2016 Commercial Green Car of the Year™ awards. The Green Truck of the Year™ nominees are the Chevrolet Colorado Duramax, Ford F-150, GMC Canyon Duramax, Nissan Titan XD, and Toyota Tacoma. Vying for the all-new 2016 Commercial Green Car of the Year™ award are the Chevrolet City Express, Ford Transit Connect, Mercedes-Benz Metris, Nissan NV200, and Ram ProMaster City. "Over the past few decades, new car models have benefitted from design and technology improvements that have brought higher fuel efficiency and greater levels of environmental compatibility," said Green Car Journal and CarsOfChange.com Editor and Publisher Ron Cogan. "With models like these ten deserving finalists, we're witnessing the pickup and light commercial vehicle field enjoying the same attention." The new Commercial Green Car of the Year™ award is part of an expanded awards program presented at this year's 2015 San Antonio Auto & Truck Show.

2024 GMC Acadia gets bigger, goes entirely turbocharged

For an entire generation now, the GMC Acadia, the brand's largest unibody SUV, has sat in an unusual zone in between the typical midsize two-row and large three-row segments. But the completely redesigned 2024 Acadia is stepping confidently into the latter camp, growing to roughly match its cousin, the also fully redesigned 2024 Chevy Traverse. And adding to its greater size and performance, the Acadia brings unique exterior and interior design. The size increase is impressive. The wheelbase has grown 10.6 inches, overall length by 8.4, and overall height by 3.2. GMC claims this has increased cargo space by 80% and second-row seat room by 27%. These changes all make it about the same size as the Chevy, too, instead of a smaller option.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. That doesn't mean the two look the same, though. The front fascia clearly borrows heavily from the GMC Sierra 1500 with a tall grille and C-bracket headlights. The flanks really depart from the aggressive shape of the Traverse. It also skips the fat C-pillar. GMC designers noted they specifically worked to reduce the size of that pillar, in part to improve visibility for third-row passengers. Conversely, the D-pillar is relatively large and is finished in body color to reveal it. But to keep it from looking overly large, there's a black plastic panel that helps give the rear window a bit of a wraparound effect. The taillights also have a gloss black panel to blend them into the rear window area and reduce the visual mass of the hatchback. The interior is the biggest differentiator between the Traverse and Acadia, though. The entire dashboard is unique to the Acadia. The 11-inch instrument display sits under a cowl that extends horizontally to meet the unique vertical 15-inch infotainment screen. That screen overlaps a squared-off, horizontal dash design, and it's flanked by vertical air vents. The Acadia picks up a column-mounted shifter, too, freeing up space for storage in the center console. There are practically no parts directly pulled from other GM products. And unlike GM's upcoming EVs, the Acadia will have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. Individual Acadia models even have unique features. The luxury Denali trim and off-road focused AT4 trim both return. The AT4 stands out the most with an extra inch of ground clearance in part from the all-terrain tires on 18-inch wheels.

IIHS: High numbers of drivers treat partially automated cars as fully self-driving

WASHINGTON — Drivers using advanced driver assistance systems like Tesla Autopilot or General Motors Super Cruise often treat their vehicles as fully self-driving despite warnings, a new study has found. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an industry funded group that prods automakers to make safer vehicles, said on Tuesday a survey found regular users of Super Cruise, Nissan/Infiniti ProPILOT Assist and Tesla Autopilot "said they were more likely to perform non-driving-related activities like eating or texting while using their partial automation systems than while driving unassisted." The IIHS study of 600 active users found 53% of Super Cruise, 42% of Autopilot and 12% of ProPILOT Assist owners "said that they were comfortable treating their vehicles as fully self-driving." About 40% of users of Autopilot and Super Cruise — two systems with lockout features for failing to pay attention — reported systems had at some point switched off while they were driving and would not reactivate. "The big-picture message here is that the early adopters of these systems still have a poor understanding of the technologyÂ’s limits," said IIHS President David Harkey. The study comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is scrutinizing Autopilot crashes. Since 2016, the NHTSA has opened 37 special investigations involving 18 deaths in crashes involving Tesla vehicles and where systems like Autopilot were suspected of use. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment. Tesla says Autopilot does not make vehicles autonomous and is intended for use with a fully attentive driver who is prepared to take over. GM, which in August said owners could use Super Cruise on 400,000 miles (643,740 km) of North American roads and plans to offer Super Cruise on 22 models by the end of 2023, did not immediately comment. IIHS said advertisements for Super Cruise focus on hands-free capabilities while Autopilot evokes the name used in passenger airplanes and "implies TeslaÂ’s system is more capable than it really is." IIHS in contrast noted ProPILOT Assist "suggests that itÂ’s an assistance feature, rather than a replacement for the driver." NHTSA and automakers say none of the systems make vehicles autonomous. Nissan said its name "is clearly communicating ProPILOT Assist as a system to aid the driver, and it requires hands-on operation.