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Beyond Chevy Volt, Electric Cars From Cadillac, Pontiac - Plug-in Car Rumors - Pop...
Even as General Motors executives used the company’s boisterous 100th birthday bash today to pull the wraps off the production Chevrolet Volt, GM designers and engineers are quietly laying the foundation for what could become a full range of plug-in cars that the company refers to as Extended-Range Electric Vehicles, or E-REVs.
Scheduled to head for production in November 2010, the eagerly-awaited Volt is a cross between a pure electric vehicle and more conventional hybrids, such as the popular Toyota Prius. And like the Prius, Chevy’s new entry features a distinctive body. But under the skin, Volt shares much of its platform with GM’s global compact architecture, known as Delta. That means it has a lot in common with upcoming products like the new Chevy Cruze.
"The reason it’s on a global architecture is to make it possible to do other variants," said Bob Lutz, GM’s vice chairman and product chief. Even as General Motors executives used the company’s boisterous 100th birthday bash today to pull the wraps off the production Chevrol... more -
General Motors executive doesn’t recognize global warming as fact — He should be f...
So why is such a high level executive publicly denouncing corporate policy? If GM really cared about global warming and the environment they would get rid of this denier immediately. So why is such a high level executive publicly denouncing corporate policy? If GM really cared about global warming and the environmen... more
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Dalla GM la prima vera auto elettrica
Auto ecologiche e mobilità sostenibile. Trend generale delle case automobilistiche è fare una bella analisi di coscienza e convertirsi all’ecologico. Voltare le spalle alla vecchia e molto cara benzina e aprirsi a nuove avventure della mobilità sostenibile! E così anche la General Motors guarda al futuro, dice addio a Suv e presenta con grande orgoglio la sua prima auto ibrida (ma potenzialmente anche solo elettrica), la Volt. Auto ecologiche e mobilità sostenibile. Trend generale delle case automobilistiche è fare una bella analisi di coscienza e convertirsi... more
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GM to invest $500 million in small car plant
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- General Motors Corp. said Thursday it will invest more than half a billion dollars in its Ohio plant, where the new Chevrolet Cruze compact will be built as part of the automaker's sweeping plans to more align production with changing consumer tastes. SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- General Motors Corp. said Thursday it will invest more than half a billion dollars in its Ohio plant, w... more
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Flint man takes home his 53rd brand new Cadillac
Few people love Cadillacs like Joseph Macko.
The 84-year-old Flint man has been driving a new Cadillac every year since 1955. And, he took home his 53rd Cadillac Thursday from Al Serra Auto Plaza.
Why does he do it?
"You only live one time. Money is to spend," Macko said. "I spend it once I get it."
His wife, Marcella Macko, said the annual trip to the dealership for Joseph Macko to trade in his old car and take delivery of his new one is something she just doesn't get excited about anymore.
"He does, but I don't," she said, chuckling.
And, Marcella Macko said her husband isn't really as loose with money as he claims. He actually saves up all year long for the new car, she said.
Joseph Macko used to buy the cars, but a couple years ago started leasing them -- including the black 2009 Cadillac DTS he took home on Thursday.
Joseph Macko, a General Motors retiree, said he likes Cadillacs because they are made with a high standard of quality.
Gordon Taylor from Al Serra has been selling Joseph Macko Cadillacs for 22 years. Taylor said Joseph Macko is a "Cadillac-kind-of-guy." Few people love Cadillacs like Joseph Macko. ... more -
U.S. Jobless Rate Hits 4-Year High
The nation's unemployment rate climbed to a four-year high of 5.7 percent in July as employers cut 51,000 jobs, dashing the hopes of an influx of young people looking for summer work. The nation's unemployment rate climbed to a four-year high of 5.7 percent in July as employers cut 51,000 jobs, dashing the hopes... more
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'New car smell' becoming less toxic, report says
Car interiors and car seats are becoming less toxic, although "new car smell" continues to carry poisons linked to allergies and cancer, according to a report last week by the Ecology Center.
The Ann Arbor, Mich., group found that General Motors made the most progress in reducing potentially harmful materials, followed by Mazda and Nissan, since the nonprofit's initial Healthy Car report last year.
The Acura RDX appears to smell sweeter than other SUVs in a report by the Ecology Center.
The ingredients in question include lead, chlorine, and phthalates from plastics, as well as brominated flame retardants from cushions and padding.
The car with the best marks was the Acura RDX SH sport-utility vehicle. Three Smart cars made the list of 10 best picks, as did two Chevy models and two Toyotas. Also among the lauded models were the Chevy HHR SUV, as well as the BMW MS and Honda Accord EXL sedans.
Among the worst vehicles, according to the rankings, were the Mitsubishi Eclipse Spider convertible and Suzuki Reno hatchback, as well as the BMW 120i and Volkswagen Beetle convertibles. Car interiors and car seats are becoming less toxic, although "new car smell" continues to carry poisons linked to allergies... more -
2010 Chevy Camaro Revealed
Monday's introduction of the highly anticipated 2010 Chevy Camaro was surrounded by the kind of excitement normally reserved for new iPods and Hollywood blockbusters featuring superheroes and aliens. It’s not coincidence that a concept version of the car had a starring role as Bumblebee in the 2007 cars-to-robots film "Transformers."
Offered with a choice of either a 296 horsepower 3.6-liter V-6 or a big, honking 416 horsepower 6.2-liter version of the V-8 found in the Chevy Corvette, it isn’t exactly an economy car. That said, the V-8 is able to turn itself into a four-cylinder when you’re just cruising down the highway. Chevy claims it’ll get more than 30 mpg in this mode, though the EPA rating will likely be quite a bit lower than that. Monday's introduction of the highly anticipated 2010 Chevy Camaro was surrounded by the kind of excitement normally reserved for ... more -
Transformers Corvette concept shows some tush
Someone slipped Jalopnik a new pair of shots of the mysterious Corvette concept that’s appearing in next year’s Transformers sequel.
So far, we’ve seen good views of the car from the front and side, but rear-end shots had yet to surface. Well, that’s over.
The concept — now a confirmed product of the GM Design studios (note the plate in back), has large ducts in back that mimic the openings in front and presumably also hide the car’s taillamps. Four big centrally-mounted exhaust outlets poke through the bodywork as well.
Frankly, the rear view is the car’s least appealing, with that chunky boattail mixed in with all those sharp angles. There’s also a new detail shot of the front quarter, which focuses on that very traditional Corvette fender shape. Is it just a movie character or also a concept that GM’s going to drop on us somewhere along the line? Your guess is as good as ours, and the trickle of spy shots is probably far from over. Someone slipped Jalopnik a new pair of shots of the mysterious Corvette concept that’s appearing in next year’s Transformers sequel. ... more -
Carmakers 'send message' with new logos
When the Insignia, a new car from the General Motors brands Opel and Vauxhall, is introduced this week at the London Motor Show, it will come, fittingly, with some new insignias.
Opel, General Motors' biggest-selling division in continental Europe, and Vauxhall, its equivalent in Britain, are getting new logos as the company aims to "send a message that something is happening with these brands," said Alain Visser, chief marketing officer at GM Europe.
The new Vauxhall badge shows the brand's longtime mascot, a griffin, in a bigger, bolder way, zooming in on his upper body. The mythical beast, which joins the head and wings of an eagle to the body of a lion, also appears more three-dimensional; previous versions of the griffin were flat.
The Opel logo, a stylized lightning bolt, also gets more depth in the redesign, though the general shape is unchanged.
In giving Opel and Vauxhall an updated look, General Motors joins a series of other automakers, including Volvo, Fiat, Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz, that have recently refreshed or redesigned their logos, seeking an edge in a difficult market. When the Insignia, a new car from the General Motors brands Opel and Vauxhall, is introduced this week at the London Motor Show, it wi... more -
who killed the electric car?
This 2 minute version of the documentry shows us ho GM had an electric car the would have helped us ween off of foreign oil & GM killed the idea by CRUSHING all the cars, none exist..... Also shows why Bush's hydrogen cell is not a good idea. This 2 minute version of the documentry shows us ho GM had an electric car the would have helped us ween off of foreign oil & GM k... more
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GM Announces Big Cuts
General Motors Corp. said Tuesday it will lay off salaried workers, cut truck production, suspend its dividend and borrow $2 billion to $3 billion to weather a severe downturn in the U.S. market. General Motors Corp. said Tuesday it will lay off salaried workers, cut truck production, suspend its dividend and borrow $2 billion t... more
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GM cuts white collar jobs, light truck production.
"General Motors Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner is expected to announce this morning white-collar job cuts, changes to executive compensation and financial arrangements aimed at calming Wall Streets fears of a bankruptcy by the world's largest automaker.
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GM announced plans at its annual meeting June 3 to close four North American truck plants by mid-2010, increase car production and consider selling its Hummer brand. Since then, the automaker has cut planned 2008 truck production by 170,000 units, added 47,000 units of car production and indefinitely frozen development of its next-generation large trucks." "General Motors Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner is expected to announce this morning white-collar job cut... more -
General Motors blames its lagging hybrid tech on public.
Head of GM Rick Wagoner, speaking at an industry conference in Dallas commented, "We have to build cars and trucks that people want to buy," in response to why GM's hybrid lineup is lagging behind.
Autoblog continues, "..your company also has to have at least a modicum of foresight in order to be successful in the tough American market these days. For instance, Toyota is just now reaping the benefits of its hybrid electric vehicles, despite the fact that the automaker has been building them since 1997. Did Toyota know something that GM didn't? Not really". Head of GM Rick Wagoner, speaking at an industry conference in Dallas commented, "We have to build cars and trucks that people wa... more -
Toyota to build Prius in US, stops truck production
"The company said Thursday it will start producing the Prius in 2010 at a plant it is building in Blue Springs, Miss. Toyota already builds a hybrid version of the Camry sedan in Kentucky, but this will be the first time the Prius, which has been on sale for more than a decade, will be built outside of Asia." -MSNBC
Toyota is also planning on temporarily stopping US production of its trucks and large SUVs because of declining demand. The plants will either temporarily close or build hybrid SUVs instead.
This is great news both for the environment and for our economy. It will ultimately result in more jobs for Americans and strengthen the "green-collar" job market. This is evidence of our economy's shift in the right direction.
What do you think? "The company said Thursday it will start producing the Prius in 2010 at a plant it is building in Blue Springs, Miss. Toyota alre... more -
GM may become bankrupt
General Motors Corp will need to raise as much as $15 billion in cash to shore up liquidity and bankruptcy is "not impossible" if the US auto market continues to slump, Merrill Lynch said. General Motors Corp will need to raise as much as $15 billion in cash to shore up liquidity and bankruptcy is "not impossible... more
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Dramatic drop in SUV sales motivates GM to halt production
By JEFF KAROUB, AP Business Writer
5 HOURS AGO
DETROIT - General Motors Corp. is indefinitely halting a major overhaul of its full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles as it deals with a drastic drop in sales of those products.
GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson said Thursday the automaker instead will work on more modest updates and enhancements as it shifts resources toward higher-mileage vehicles. The move has been largely spurred by skyrocketing gas prices that have radically changed customers' buying habits, he said.
"We're delaying it _ at least until we have a better sense of where the market is going," he said. "There's now so much uncertainty of where the full-size truck market is going, primarily because of the increase in fuel prices."
U.S. pickup sales in May fell more than 38 percent, and the company has said the market declined more rapidly than expected last month. Detroit-based GM announced this month it was closing Oshawa, Ontario, and three other pickup truck and sport utility vehicle factories as $4 per gallon gas has caused sales to tumble. By JEFF KAROUB, AP Business Writer 5 HOURS AGO ... more -
GM to get Battery Powered Car to Market by 2010
This is the recharable car---GM, an American company actually intends to lead the market with this new battery technology...
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G.M. Closing 4 Plants in Shift From Trucks Toward Cars
Responding to a consumer shift to more fuel-efficient vehicles, General Motors said Tuesday that it would stop making pickup trucks and big S.U.V.s at four North American assembly plants and would consider selling its Hummer brand.
The moves, announced Tuesday by the company chairman, Rick Wagoner, will slash 500,000 units from the automaker’s overall production, and pave the way for increased investment in smaller cars and passenger vehicles. Within three years, he said, trucks will account for less than 40 percent of the vehicles that G.M. produces in North America, down from about half today.
Mr. Wagoner said that rising gasoline prices had forced a “structural shift” by American consumers away from truck-based vehicles built by G.M.
“These prices are changing consumer behavior and changing it rapidly,” Mr. Wagoner said in announcing the cuts before G.M.’s centennial shareholders meeting in Wilmington, Del. “We don’t believe it’s a spike or a temporary shift. We believe it is, by and large, permanent.”
In what he called “difficult” decisions, Mr. Wagoner said that G.M. would close plants in Janesville, Wisc.; Moraine, Ohio; Oshawa, Ontario; and Toluca, Mexico by or before 2010.
The cuts will affect about 8,000 workers at the four plants, although not all of those people will lose their jobs. Some will be able to fill spots created when other workers leave because of early retirement and buyout offers.
The actions follow previous moves to cut shifts at two truck plants in Michigan. Responding to a consumer shift to more fuel-efficient vehicles, General Motors said Tuesday that it would stop making pickup trucks an... more -
General Motors closes plants due to high fuel costs
High gas prices are here and they're leaving their mark. Ride a bike!
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- General Motors announced plans Tuesday to shut four truck and SUV plants that employ thousands of workers, saying high gas prices are here to stay - and, with them, consumers' growing preference for more fuel efficient vehicles. High gas prices are here and they're leaving their mark. Ride a bike! ... more
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