GM
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The much anticipated Chevrolet Volt, the car pegged with rescuing GM from impending financial doom, is about to start the next phase of testing despite threats of bankruptcy looming on the horizon. Development work on the Volt is continuing uninterrupted and the first fleet of prototypes with actual Volt bodies and interiors will begin testing by the middle of the year. Until now GM had been using Chevrolet Cruze bodies to test the upcoming Volt powertrain. At the moment, the car is slated to hit dealerships in late 2010 and this goal appears to be on track. "At this point in time, I know of...
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Artisan dials up 600hp from Camaro SS with new twin-turbo kitHot on the heels of the 800hp (597kW) tuned Camaro from Lingenfelter comes another hotted up version of the rejuvenated muscle car that's set to do battle on the black top this June. The latest tuned Camaro is based on the range-topping SS and picks up a pair of GTK350 turbochargers for an...
Jeremy Weber -
GM issues first recall for Chevrolet CamaroGM's much awaited 2010 Chevrolet Camaro has only been on dealership floors for a few weeks but the car has already suffered its first recall due to an exposed power cable. The issue lies in the V8 Camaro's battery, which in some cars has been experiencing short circuits due to the exposed cable...
James Martinez -
Report: GM wants 30% stake in possible joint Opel-Fiat companyThe landscape of the automotive industry is changing, and before things are done, the changes may be massive. Already Fiat and Chrysler are forging an alliance, and Fiat is also going after part of Opel. Now a source says General Motors wants a piece of any merged Fiat-Opel operation that might...
Ralph Hanson -
Opel planning electric city car based on Trixx conceptDespite its financial woes on the back of General Motors’ money troubles, Opel is still working on developing its own new models and technologies, including what could prove to be the European division’s first all-electric vehicle. While it’s long been anticipated that Opel would...
Kenneth Hall -
GM posts $6 billion first quarter lossGM is now less than a month away from its June 1 restructuring deadline imposed by President Obama’s auto industry task force, but any signs that it’s on the path to becoming viable may be a little hard to find considering the carmaker has just announced a $6 billion loss for the first...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
When General Motors disbanded its High Performance Vehicles unit in February, a ripple of fear shot through the automotive press over the future of the Corvette. GM was quick to quell the concerns, however, and today GM's CEO Fritz Henderson has again spoken directly on Corvette's secure future. "Corvette pays its rent," said Henderson in an interview with AutoWeek. The next-generation C7 Corvette had been put on indefinite hold as the global market entered its tailspin last October, but Henderson says plans for the car's development are in place and moving forward. Interestingly, Henderson...
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Report: GM to move Astra to Buick with Saturn out of pictureMany have wondered what will happen to all the new Opel products being brought to the U.S. now that Saturn is facing sale or termination in the next few months. The answer may lie in a new report that the Astra - built by Opel, sold in the U.S. as a Saturn - may be branded as a Buick in North...
Ralph Hanson -
Saab open to Fiat takeoverThe last thing we heard about Saab was that the struggling General Motors division had up to 20 interested buyers and a May 20 deadline to restructure under the guidance of Swedish courts. Now it’s been revealed that Saab is open to talks with Fiat, which is currently eyeing a takeover of...
Kenneth Hall -
2010 Chevy Equinox to get 32mpg highway rating, beats Honda and ToyotaChevrolet revealed pricing for its all-new Equinox crossover earlier this month, and now it has released the expected fuel efficiency rating for its four-cylinder model. Set to go on sale across the U.S. this June at prices starting from $23,185 (including a $745 destination charge) for the...
Ralph Hanson -
Ford's image improves by staying above the fray, says studyIt wasn't so long ago that people were deriding Ford for mortgaging the Blue Oval itself, key investors were dumping shares into the open market and the company was forced to sell off its stake in Mazda. But now a study is saying things have turned around, with Ford's image improving in relation to...
Nelson Ireson -
Fiat wants to form new company to combine Chrysler and GM EuropeFiat has confirmed that it wants to acquire General Motors' European operations and to do so the Italian auto giant may form a new company to combine its Fiat car brands (Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo) along with Chrysler and any acquired GM entities. The information was revealed in a statement issued...
Jeremy Weber -
Texas-based tuning firm Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) has announced plans for several highly modified Cadillac CTS-V sedans that the company plans to launch later this year. Dubbed the ‘V’ series, the uprated cars will offer outputs from 610hp (455kW) all the way up to 800hp (595kW) and joins other mega-power custom cars like the recently launched ‘Godzilla 700’ Nissan GT-R and a string of ‘Venom’ Dodge Vipers. At the heart of tuned Cadillacs is GM's new 6.2L LSA supercharged V8, which in standard trim already outputs a healthy 556hp (414kW). Add...
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Pontiac G8 may live on as police squad carGeneral Motors CEO Fritz Henderson has confirmed that the Holden-sourced G8 will die out along with its adopted Pontiac brand at the end of 2010, but the sporty sedan may live on in the U.S. at the hands of local police squads around the country. The G8 is essentially a rebadged Holden Commodore...
Jeremy Weber -
Cadillac to replace BLS with global model based on Epsilon II platformCadillac knows its future lies in small cars, especially if it wants to be considered a global player, but GM’s financial woes means the company has had to pare back some of its more ambitious plans. In the latest viability plan, GM CEO Fritz Henderson revealed that Cadillac would have to...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Poll: most Americans will buy a new American car within two yearsDespite the troubles in Detroit and Washington for U.S. carmakers, almost three-quarters of the buying public say they'd buy American - and over half of U.S. consumers are in the market for a new car within two years, according to a recent survey. The news is a glimpse of silver lining in the cloud...
Kenneth Hall -
Chevrolet releases more details on Corvette Grand SportThe Corvette Grand Sport is back. Set to roll in later this year as a 2010 model in both coupe and convertible bodystyles, the new Grand Sport combines the standard Corvette LS3-based powertrain with widebody styling and a race-bred suspension, and gives Corvette fans a new performance option...
James Martinez -
GM in talks with Toyota to source replacement for Pontiac VibeGeneral Motors revealed in its latest viability plan that it will cut more than 21,000 jobs and reduce its total number of assembly, powertrain, and stamping plants in the U.S. from 47 last year to just 31 by 2012, but the company is still in talks with Toyota about sourcing a new model to replace...
James Martinez -
It’s official. Pontiac will be phased out from General Motors’ portfolio by 2010 as revealed today in the carmaker’s updated Viability Plan, designed to speed the restructuring of its operations in the U.S. into a leaner, more customer-focused, and more cost-competitive unit. The latest Viability Plan was included in an exchange offer whereby GM is also offering certain bondholders shares of GM common stock and accrued interest in exchange for certain outstanding notes that total some $27 billion. One of those bondholders is the U.S. Treasury, which, under the plan offered...
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Chevrolet Corvette gets launch control for 2010Chevrolet is planning a series of updates for the Corvette for the 2010 model year, with changes affecting the entire lineup, from the base model all the way up to the scorching ZR1 supercar. First and foremost is the introduction of the Grand Sport Model, which returns for 2010 with widebody...
Ralph Hanson -
Fesler-Moss accessories line for Chevrolet Camaro announcedFesler-Moss may be relatively unknown in tuner scene but its two individual constituents, Chris Fesler and Jon Moss have been involved in the aftermarket segment for quite some time. For those who don’t know, Chris Fesler is the man behind Fesler Built, a vehicle customizer and manufacturer...
James Martinez -
Buick reveals Business MPV concept in ShanghaiWe've seen some amazing concepts from Buick unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show in previous years, and this year was no different with the release of the Buick Business concept. Unlike the handsome Buick Riviera Concept we saw at Shanghai a couple of years ago that was built in collaboration with...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Obama's task force orders GM to convert all of its debt to equityThe U.S. government may soon become a substantial shareholder in General Motors if a new plan to convert all of GM's debt to equity goes forward. On Friday, President Obama's task force on the industry ordered GM to prepare a plan to convert all of its debt - about $48 billion in total - to equity...
Nelson Ireson -
Last hurrah for Corvette GT1 race carThis Saturday at Long Beach, Corvette Racing will mark the end of an era with the final U.S. appearance by the Corvette C6.Rs in the GT1 category for the American Le Mans Series. The series will give a send-off to the GT1 Corvettes in a special post-qualifying ceremony in the Long Beach winner's...
Ralph Hanson