Volvo is making its Volvo On Call and Sensus Connect technology suites standard on its entire 2015.5 model lineup. All Volvo owners will also have access to the Volvo On Call smartphone app.

Similar to General Motors’ OnStar system, Volvo On Call provides Volvo owners with 24-hour roadside assistance, SOS emergency services with crash notification, and stolen vehicle tracking. When used in conjunction with the Volvo On Call smartphone app, owners can remotely keep tabs on things like fuel level or the lock status of their vehicle’s doors.

Volvo’s Sensus Connect is all about infotainment and uses 3G connectivity to bring streaming music, restaurant reviews and even WiFi to the vehicle’s cabin. The system also handles Bluetooth connectivity and a text-to-speech text message feature.

Owners that upgrade to a navigation system on their 2015.5 Volvo will also be given lifetime map updates and a new 3D feature.

Volvo’s lineup of 2015.5 vehicles is available now at dealers nationwide.

General Motors may already be considering retirement for the Cadillac ELR, which is still experiencing extremely poor sales in its first year on the market.

“As time draws closer to switching to the new Volt platform, senior management will make a decision about the future of the product,” Cadillac chief engineer David Leone told Autoguide in a recent interview.

The executive acknowledged lackluster sales numbers and noted that GM is “in the business of making money,” suggesting the ELR won’t be kept alive if the company can’t make a profit from the model.

Less than 600 ELR units left showrooms in the first seven months of the year, though dealer incentives are credited with fueling a jump from 97 sales in June to 188 units in July.

The latest comments appear to contradict earlier statements claiming that GM is not viewing the ELR’s success in terms of sales volume, while expressing optimism that sales will accelerate at some point.

A $75,000 price tag is generally viewed as the deal breaker for many potential customers. The company suggests the Tesla Model S is not a direct rival, but the all-electric sedan targets the same demographic with a slightly lower base price.

GM recently poached Infiniti head Johan de Nysschen to help lead a turnaround effort, as German and Japanese rivals continue to steal market share from Cadillac in the luxury segment. It is unclear if the executive shakeup has brought a different attitude toward the ELR.

Alfa Romeo is reportedly developing a new coupe, referred to as the 6C, that will slot above the new 4C.

The front-engine model is expected to take design inspiration from the Maserati Alfieri concept, taking direct aim at the Jaguar F-Type and Porsche 911, unnamed sources have told Auto Express.

Power is said to be provided by the same twin-turbocharged V6 that can be found under the hood of Maserati’s Ghibli, where it delivers 345 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque with the standard-output tune. Output specs for the 6C remain unclear, as the same engine can be tuned to produce over 500 ponies.

A shortened version of the Ghibli platform is said to underpin the 6C. It is expected to feature Alfa’s characteristic triangular grille, with thin LED headlights similar to the Alfieri concept.

The new coupe is not expected to arrive on the market until 2017. In the interim, the company is also rumored to be working on a high-performance variant of the next-generation Giulia sedan. Powered by the same V6 mill, the M3 fighter is believed to be on track for a 2015 debut.

General Motors has announced the grand opening of its latest Information Technology Innovation Center, located in Arizona.

The 170,000-square-foot facility aims to take advantage of local IT talent in Chandler outside of Phoenix. Approximately 500 workers have already been enlisted, including more than 100 recent college graduates.

The opening marks the latest step in GM’s IT transformation plan, allowing the company to further reduce its reliance on outside agencies for research-and-development work.

As the fourth IT Innovation Center, the Chandler establishment joins other facilities already operating in Warren, Michigan; Austin, Texas; and Roswell, Georgia.

“The GM Innovation Center is a perfect complement to Chandler’s Price Corridor, and furthers the city’s reputation as a regional hub for innovators and world-class IT professionals,” said Chandler Mayor Jay Tibshraeny at the opening ceremony.

The company expects the Chandler center to eventually employ 1,000 workers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a new VIN-lookup tool, allowing anyone to quickly determine if a vehicle has been recalled but not yet fixed.

The agency already offered a lookup system organized by model and year, however it lacked repair status information for individual vehicles.

The move follows reports that General Motors had bungled its own VIN lookup system, which only identified a vehicle as recalled if the repair process had begun. Most repair programs do not begin until months after the initial recall announcement, leading the NHTSA to accuse the company of providing ‘misleading’ results.

“Safety is our highest priority, and an informed consumer is one of our strongest allies in ensuring recalled vehicles are repaired,” said US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

The agency has also issued a mandate that requires manufacturers to provide VIN search capability for uncompleted recalls on their own websites. The data is required to be updated at least weekly.

Some legislators are separately pushing for tighter regulations regarding used-vehicle sales, highlighting a loophole that allows used dealers to sell unrepaired vehicles. In the meantime, the NHTSA tool can be utilized by buyers who want to know if a potential purchase has been properly repaired by the dealer or previous owners.

Troubled Saab has published preliminary details about an experimental battery-powered version of the 9-3 sedan.

Based on the existing 9-3 Aero, the electric sedan is powered by a 140-horsepower electric motor that allows it to hit 62 mph from a stop in about ten seconds. Top speed is reached at roughly 75 mph.

The motor can spin the front wheels for up to 124 miles by drawing electricity from a lithium-ion battery pack mounted under the floor, a setup that allowed Saab engineers to preserve the stock 9-3′s trunk and interior space. The location of the pack also lowers the 9-3′s center of gravity and gives it a near 50/50 weight distribution.

Drivetrain aside, the electric 9-3 is nearly identical to the gasoline-burning model that briefly rolled off of the Trollhättan, Sweden, assembly line earlier this year.

Saab parent company National Electric Vehicles Sweden (NEVS) explains the prototype was built last May in order to gather data about how electric vehicles work. NEVS is also using the car to test out new technology and to verify that the Trollhättan factory is capable of churning out electric vehicles in an efficient and reliable manner.

Dire Straits?
Financial issues forced NEVS to stop 9-3 production last May. The company is keeping mum about its current financial situation but an earlier report indicates is it busily negotiating the terms of a two-pronged alliance with India’s Mahindra and China’s Dongfeng.

Analysts predict the partnership would prevent Saab from going under a second time. It will also give NEVS the resources required to develop new models (including an EV) and re-introduce the Saab brand in key markets all around the globe.

BMW has released a promotional video showing an “initiation” of its new M4 coupe.

Highlighting the history of the M brand, the new addition drifts through a course lined with 37 old and new M-badged cars. A few E36 and E46 M3 models can be seen around the course, along with E30 examples and several M5 models, among others.

“No BMWs were harmed in the making of this film,” the company promises, crediting the precision driving of BMW Performance Driving School chief instructor Matt Mullins and drifting legend Chris Forsberg.

Keeping the tires smoking throughout the entire run, a 3.0-liter inline six utilizes twin turbochargers to give the new M4 425 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque. The latter figure has been significantly increased over the outgoing M3 Coupe’s V8 mill, while the curb weight has been reduced by 176 pounds thanks to carbon fiber and aluminum.

The promotional video was shot with 52 different M cars, including 37 examples on loan from private owners.