GM Aims for 500,000 Vehicles With Electrification by 2017

Call it a power play in the electric-car market: GM projects that by 2017 it will have as many as half a million vehicles on the road with some form of electrification. Its next plug-in vehicle will be the Chevrolet Spark EV.

The focus will be on plug-in technology; GM's introduction of the extended-range Chevrolet Volt has energized the automaker to focus on the electric-vehicle market.

"What started out as a technology proof point … has turned into a real-world starting point to push EV technology further and faster than we thought possible five years ago," Mary Barra, GM's senior vice president of Global Product Development, said in a statement. "The unique propulsion technology pioneered in the Volt … will be a core piece of our electrification strategy going forward."

Not all of that experience has been positive, though. A report released by Reuters in September alleged that GM loses tens of thousands of dollars on every Volt due to development costs. Although the automaker disputed that figure, it acknowledged that Volt profits would not be immediate, but insisted that startup costs would be spread over future models.

Chevrolet Spark EV to Debut at L.A. Auto Show

Chevrolet is hoping to spark some interest in its new minicar when an electric version of the Spark makes its debut later this month at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show.

So far, Chevy's smallest car has been a sales success. "Building on that success, the plug-in electric version of the Spark EV will offer consumers the same package that has made the gasoline-powered model so popular while delivering the technology and performance of pure electric power," the automaker said in a statement.

In addition to the Spark EV, other Chevrolet vehicles expected to be on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show, which runs Nov. 30 through Dec. 9 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, include the new Impala, Malibu Turbo midsize sedan, Sonic RS compact car, Traverse crossover and Camaro Hot Wheels Edition.

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October's Fastest- and Slowest-Selling Cars

It appears shoppers clamored more aggressively for incoming 2013s last month. Cars for the 2013 model year averaged just 23 days to sell from the day they hit lots while 2012s averaged 121 days. Combined, the group averaged 73 days to turn. That's a wider gap than October 2011 when 2011 and 2012 cars averaged 15 and 93 days to turn, respectively.
 
New or redesigned cars topped the month, with the seventh-generation Nissan Sentra and all-new Subaru XV Crosstrek taking just five days each to move. The redesigned Ford Fusion and Honda Accord plus the all-new Ford C-Max Hybrid made this month's movers, as well.
 
We focused on just 2013 models for October since automakers had a vast majority of 2013 models on sale. October did have one notable redesign in the Loser column: the Chevrolet Malibu Eco, which averaged 92 days on dealer lots. The regular Malibu, meanwhile, took 32 days to sell. That’s better but still below average for 2013s. Is the new Malibu getting lost in the slew of redesigned family cars? Sales fell 6% in October, putting the Malibu behind the Fusion and well in back of the redesigned Accord, Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima.

Here are October's fastest- and slowest-selling cars:

2013 Chevrolet Malibu Earns Five Stars From NHTSA

Competition in the midsize sedan segment is heating up, with redesigned entries from Chevrolet, Honda, Ford and Nissan for 2013. The Chevrolet Malibu was recently crash-ested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and earned the agency's top honors: an overall score of five stars.

The 2013 Malibu's composite score consisted of five stars in front and side crashes and four stars in rollover testing. The eAssist mild hybrid version received the same rating. The 2013 Nissan Altima was tested last week and also earned overall score of five stars. The new-for-2013 Honda Accord and Ford Fusion have yet to be tested.

Other notable model-year 2013 vehicles tested in this batch include the Coda electric vehicle (two stars in frontal testing and five stars in rollover testing) and the Toyota Venza (an overall score of five stars).

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Recall Alert: 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6, 2007-2010 Saturn Aura

GM is recalling 426,240 model-year 2008-10 Chevrolet Malibus and Pontiac G6s, along with model-year 2007-10 Saturn Aura sedans due to problems with the automatic transmission, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles are equipped with a four-speed automatic transmission with a faulty shift cable. The tabs on the cable may fracture, so the shift lever and the position of the transmission may not match. This could cause the car to roll away if the driver thinks it’s in Park and it isn’t, increasing the risk of a crash.

GM has not provided an owner notification schedule, but dealers will replace the affected parts free of charge. Owners can call GM at 800-521-7300 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

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August's Fastest- and Slowest-Selling Cars

The Hyundai Santa Fe Sport topped last month's fastest-selling cars — a list that mixed the usual influx of redesigns and introductions with a lot of older cars. The 2013 Toyota Corolla, Honda Fit, Mini Cooper, Audi A3 and Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen flew off dealer lots last month. All but the A3 saw sales increases, with the Corolla, Fit and Cooper up more than 25% apiece. But all five cars have been on the market for some time since their last update, and none offer major incentives. One possible factor is gas prices, which have risen 20 cents in the past month. All five cars have variants with combined EPA mileage of 30 mpg or better.

Response to the redesigned Hyundai Santa Fe has been "nothing short of remarkable," Hyundai sales chief Dave Zuchowski said in a statement Tuesday. However, sales for the nameplate — whose redesign sprouts a new Santa Fe Sport derivative that's lumped into the same sales figure — fell nearly 50% for the month. What gives?

Car Backseats to Avoid

Car shoppers without families often overlook the backseat. It can go empty weeks at a time, until friends jump in for that trip across town and find out Johnny's shiny new ride has a backseat best suited for groceries, overcoats and Hobbits. No one expects a two-door hatchback or sports car to offer much room in back, so we've picked cars that look like they should have decent room … but don't. If Johnny pulls up in one of these, call dibs for the front seat right away. You'll thank us later.

Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu

Chevy debuted the 2013 Malibu with a mild-hybrid system it called Eco. Now, you can finally buy a Malibu with a traditional and less expensive four-cylinder gas engine. How does it drive? Pretty well, according to Cars.com Managing Editor David Thomas, who found it an ideal commuter car. But even with a larger trunk than the Eco, there are still some areas where the Malibu comes up short.

2013 Chevrolet Malibu Review

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: June 2012

Sales for major automakers improved more than 20% over a dismal June 2011 as the hardest-hit brands during last year's Japan earthquake recorded huge year-over-year gains. Toyota gained 60.3%; Honda picked up 48.8%, and Nissan added 28.2%. Not that the Detroit Three stayed behind: Ford sales improved 7.0% last month, while GM and Chrysler both piled on double-digit gains of 15.5% and 20.3%, respectively. On strong gains for the Jeep and Chrysler brands, Chrysler reported its best June since 2007 and its 27th consecutive month of year-over-year gains.

The results made for a similar list of best-sellers to last month, with one swap — the Ford Escape for the Honda CR-V. The Escape improved 28.0% with a slight uptick in year-over-year incentives as the redesigned 2013 Escape trickled into dealerships, but the 2013 might be a hard find. The prior-gen 2012 Escape still outnumbers its sharp-looking successor by more than a 4-to-1 ratio on Cars.com's national new-car inventory, and Ford sales chief Ken Czubay said each 2013 Escape takes just five days to sell.

Base 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Priced at $23,150

The 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco has been on sale for a while now, with a starting price of $25,995. Today, the rest of the 2013 Malibu lineup was priced, with a base 2013 Malibu LS starting at $23,150, including a $760 destination fee.

That puts the Malibu toward the higher end of midsize sedans in terms of base pricing. The 2012 Toyota Camry ($22,815), 2013 Nissan Altima ($22,280), 2012 Volkswagen Passat ($20,765) and 2013 Hyundai Sonata ($21,670) can all be had for less and with essentially the same features. When you compare the price to a 2012 Malibu, the price change is more subtle — just $280 more.