GM
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Holden has given us a preview of its future small car plans with the unveiling of its own version of the Cruze compact sedan at the Melbourne Motor Show today. As most of you would know, the Cruze is General Motors’ new global small car and has already been launched in South Korea. The Aussie version will go on sale in the second quarter of the year and European customers will be able to buy their own Cruze this April. Unfortunately, Americans once again get the short end of the stick as we will have to wait until late next year for its arrival in showrooms. Americans will also likely...
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Saab forced to halt productionEarlier this week Saab announced its independence from General Motors with optimism, but today the carmaker has been forced by Sweden's Customs Office to cease production and delivery of cars because it hasn't paid the required fees. The Trollhattan plant has stopped production temporarily, though...
Nelson Ireson -
Chrysler still sees GM merger as best betDesperate times call for desperate measures and at Chrysler it appears every option is on the table. The Auburn Hills carmaker has been tied with at least five major carmakers in the past six months, even coming close to a merger with Detroit rival General Motors. While such a move may seem a...
Ralph Hanson -
Camaro SS and Corvette ZR1 are safe despite disbanding of GM performance divisionYesterday’s grim news that General Motors had decided to pull the plug on its High Performance Vehicle Operations (HPVO) caused shockwaves around performance circles, with many believing some of the company’s top sports cars, both current and future, could meet their demise. The HPVO is...
Ralph Hanson -
GM disbands High Performance Vehicle OperationsIn what may come as a surprise to many, General Motors has decided to disband its High Performance Vehicle Operations (HPVO) as it seeks to reduce costs and focus on mainstream products. The go-fast center consisted of a small skunk works of GM engineers who worked in the company’s suburban...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
GM reveals production CTS Coupe in viability presentationJust as Chrysler previewed its next-gen 300 sedan and Jeep Grand Cherokee in its viability plan submitted to the U.S. Treasury today, General Motors, too, in its own plan, revealed the final design of the upcoming Cadillac CTS Coupe. Apart from this official image, the only other details revealed...
James Martinez -
Chrysler’s request for an additional $2 billion in government funded loans in its latest viability proposal looks trivial compared to the $16.6 billion requested by General Motors today in front of the U.S. Treasury. Without this funding GM says it could run out of money as early as next month but a number of drastic restructuring plans could help prolong this deadline. This level of funding would increase GM’s burden to the government to $30 billion. The company received the last instalment of a previously approved $13.4 billion loan today, but is requesting another $4.6 billion...
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Chrysler's viability plan requires additional $2 billion in loansBuilding a foundation for the reconstruction of the industry, General Motors and Chrysler are required to submit new plans for viability today as part of the loan agreement established late last year. GM has yet to unveil their reworked plan, but Chrysler has just released the key details of its...
Ralph Hanson -
Spy shots: Seven-seater Chevrolet Tacuma MPVChevrolet is planning to expand into the seven-seater MPV market with an all-new model designed as a replacement for the Tacuma (a Daewoo model that was later rebadged a Chevy). Unlike the previous Tacuma, the new model is tipped to be manufactured in the U.S. and may be offered with a hybrid...
Ralph Hanson -
GM planning quick upgrades for Volt thanks to high-tech platformOne of the harder things about designing a new car is making it sufficiently futuristic that it's actually current when it finally makes it to market. Then the struggle becomes keeping it fresh and relevant - in terms of not just design, but capability and features. Chevrolet thinks it has a winner...
Nelson Ireson -
Vauxhall unveils 560hp VXR8 Bathurst EditionsGeneral Motors has already cast doubt on next-generation hopes for the Pontiac G8 in the U.S., but the current generation of the car is still slated to get its GXP variant, equivalent to Vauxhall's VXR8 in the UK. But the lucky drivers in Great Britain have a hotter car yet headed their way with...
Nelson Ireson -
GM to cut 10,000 salaried positionsGeneral Motors has notified its employees that it will reduce salaried employment globally from a current level of 73,000 to approximately 63,000 - a reduction of 14% - over the course of the year. The company will also slash compensation and benefits for its remaining salaried employees as it...
James Martinez -
Saab is close to completing development work on a new midsized crossover based around GM’s Theta platform and expected to be revealed for the first time in production late this year for sale in early 2010. To spread development costs, most of the 9-4X’s design has been shared with the 2010 Cadillac SRX and both vehicles are tipped to be manufactured at a plant in Ramos, Mexico. The 9-4X will be similar in size to BMW’s X5 but pricing should be closer to that of the X3 and Volvo XC60 – two of the Saab crossover’s prime targets. According to previous reports, the...
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Bob Lutz to retire from GM at end of 2009Bob Lutz, the iconic and often polemic Vice Chairman of General Motors' global product development team, has announced he will be retiring from the company at the end of 2009. Until then, Lutz will adopt a new role as Vice Chairman and Senior Advisor starting April 1. During his 46 year career in...
Nelson Ireson -
Video: Technology behind the Opel Ampera explainedGeneral Motors recently gave us a preview of a new plug-in hybrid vehicle based on the Chevrolet Volt that the company plans to sell in Europe under its Opel division. The car is the new Opel Ampera and it is set to make its world debut at March’s Geneva Motor Show. GM has now released a...
Alex Kaufmann -
First Chevrolet Volt engines will come from AustriaGeneral Motors has confirmed that the first batch of its upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrids will feature an internal combustion ‘back-up’ engine sourced from Aspern, Austria, and not from Flint, Michigan, as originally planned. The announcement comes just a week after it was...
Ralph Hanson -
Pre-production Camaro assembly line photos released by GMGeneral Motors announced it would delay production of the new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro by a month in mid-January, but photos released today reveal cars being built on an assembly line in Oshawa, where production will eventually take place. The full-scale production run isn't expected to start until...
Ralph Hanson -
GM working with U.S. cities to develop plug-in hybrid infrastructureGeneral Motors today outlined a comprehensive plan of action at the Washington Auto Show to help communities get ready for plug-in hybrid vehicles such as its upcoming Chevrolet Volt. The carmaker revealed that it plans to collaborate with communities such as San Francisco and Washington, D.C...
Jeremy Weber -
Telematics services are expanding even as the global car market contracts, with Toyota/Lexus the latest to join the arena with its recently-announced Enform system. Now General Motors' OnStar system is looking to expand by partering with other carmakers, according to the latest reports. Talks between GM and 'several automakers' are currently underway, reports Automotive News, in pursuit of deals to share the OnStar service in the U.S., Canada and potentially other parts of the world as well. The decision to get back into the business of re-selling OnStar services overturns GM's previous end...
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Report: GM has no plans for non-core brandsGeneral Motors has made it clear that it intends to focus most of its resources on just four core brands in North America but has left much doubt about the long-term viability of its other brands. The Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC brands accounted for 83% of GM's total sales volume in the U.S...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Next-gen Buick small sedan could be built by OpelA next-generation Buick small sedan, headed for sale in the U.S. and China, could be built around the FWD Delta II platform in Opel's Russelsheim, Germany plant, according to sources inside Opel. The move would displace some Saab production, but the next-generation 9-3 is already expected to be...
Nelson Ireson -
AM General layoffs could spell end for Hummer H2General Motors yesterday announced it would be laying off 2,000 workers and reducing production at 10 North American plants over the coming months. At the same time, AM General, producer of the Hummer H2, laid off 200 workers from its Mishawaka, Indiana plant. Now GM's extended production halts...
Nelson Ireson -
GM receives additional $5.4 billion in federal fundingThe $17.4 billion bridge loan package signed into action by President Bush late in December has begun disbursement, with General Motors receiving $4 billion earlier this month and now the second instalment of $5.4 billion as well. This additional funding comes at a crucial time for the General...
Ralph Hanson -
GM sells 8.35 million vehicles in 2008, down 11% on previous yearGM has announced today that its global sales tally for 2008 has come in at 8.35 million vehicles, which represents a 10.8% decline on 2007’s levels and a substantial 616,000 units short of Toyota’s tally over the same period. Toyota also experienced a sales decline over 2008, with its...
Jeremy Weber