Auto & Car Blog

Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, GM, GMC, Earnings/Financials

After announcing earlier this week that GMAC would only finance customers who hold credit scores higher than 700, General Motors has decided it would be prudent to reassure consumers that they are still in the business of securing loans and selling vehicles. Starting Friday, GM will launch a “Financing That Fits” campaign on a national level. Through advertising on television, newspaper, radio, and the Internet, GM will promote dealer financing with GMAC Financial Services and, for the first time, with other lenders. To further restore consumer confidence, the ads are also designed to promote the experience and expertise of the dealership professionals who work in finance and insurance. The economy has taken a serious toll on GM’s showroom traffic over the past few weeks, and the announcement Monday of stricter lending policies dried up business even further. The automaker is hopeful that its new ad campaign, and cash-back deals of up to $6,000 on every 2008 vehicle left in stock, will bring them back in.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req’d]

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Filed under: Government/Legal, GM

You know what they say: “Buy low and sell high.” General Motors stock closed at $9.45 on September 30, which is 78% below its 52-week high of $43.20. That little piece of news, coupled with GM’s enormous financial losses and declining sales, makes stock in the 100-year-old company sound like a bad bet, but employees don’t agree. The low price of GM shares has lead workers to snatch up all available employee purchasable stock, which is capped by volume in the company’s two 401(k) programs. As a result, GM employees can no longer buy stock in the automaker through the company. Because of the share freeze, GM executives are also not allowed to buy, sell or trade any of the company’s stock during this time due to the Sarbanes Oxley act. To obtain more employee purchasable shares for its 401(k) program, GM has to register more shares with the SEC, which is expected to happen on November 9.

[Source: Detroit Free Press, Photo by jzakariya | CC2.0]

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Filed under: Economy, Sedans/Saloons, Paris Motor Show, Chevrolet, GM

The Chevrolet Cruze is three kinds of car: small, American and important. And with the state of General Motors, it isn’t even the individual words that mean the most: it’s whether The General can combine them into a reliable, fuel efficient and cost effective package. True, we don’t get to drive these things while they’re parked under the lights, but to have a seat in the Cruze is to imagine a GM that begs the question, “Where was all this before the meltdown?” The studio imagery we’ve seen so far translates nicely into real life, and the center console looks and feels substantial - in fact, it looks like it could be foreign - even if the silver mesh treatment in the show car was a bit much. The car has a compact yet full-bodied stance, and will probably look even better on the road in a color other than scarlet, and not under klieg lights. Spring of ‘09 will welcome this first Cruze variant to Europe, after which other regions will get it, as well as a probable hatchback and wagon. It will be powered by a 1.4-liter turbo four-cylinder that charts up to 140 hp and is said to return 40 mpg. Have a look at the high-res gallery of live shots below to get a better idea of what to expect when the Cruze goes on sale here in a couple years.

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Filed under: Green, Tech, Chevrolet, GM

At a press conference on Thursday, shortly after announcing plans for a new engine plant in Flint, Michigan, General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner said his employer, “should be able to put to good use its portion of a $25 billion government loan package.”

Wagoner goes on to say he’s concerned about the details of the plan but hopes the package is expanded to include all gas-saving technologies, not just electric cars. Which is understandable, considering GM has already invested a great deal of money into the Volt and would logically welcome financial assistance in investigating other fuel-saving methods. Then again, the Volt may just yet turn out to be classified as an electric car by the EPA, as the California Air Resources Board just did.

Wagoner was also pleased to hear about the Senate’s approval of a $7,500 tax credit for buyers of electric vehicles. The tax break is something the company has been lobbying for since May, and would certainly help to get the Volt’s price tag closer to the original $30k estimate and hopefully allowing the General to sell the estimated 60,000 units we once heard.

[Source: The Associated Press via Yahoo Finance]

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Filed under: Etc., Chevrolet, GM, Honda, Toyota

Bloggers love environmentally friendly cars. Or so it seems, according to research performed by J.D. Power and Associates. The most commonly referenced brands in blog posts over the last six months are Toyota, Honda and General Motors. This shouldn’t come as shocking news, considering that the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Chevy Volt are all hot topics right now and are all expected to be thoroughly redesigned or first introduced within the next few years. Naturally, then, these are the brands that are getting the most publicity and are likely the ones that you are most interested in hearing about.

Not all of the blog posts were positive, though, and JDP therefore kept separate numbers for each manufacturer counting how many good things were written about their sustainability and efforts to reduce global warming. The surprising winner of that group was Nissan, though that brand only got two percent of all mentions overall. We blog, they watch, we blog. Fun!

[Source: The Car Connection]

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Filed under: Ethanol, GM

Massachusetts-based Mascoma Corp. has added Dr. Andreas Lippert to its scientific advisory board. Mascoma, along with Coskata, is one of the two companies working on cellulosic ethanol technology that GM invested in earlier this year. Dr. Lippert is the Director of Global Energy Systems for GM and is responsible for strategic analysis and outlook on global energy developments and energy supply chains. Lippert is expected to lend his knowledge in those areas to Mascoma as they move forward with commercialization of cellulosic ethanol production in the next few years. The press release is after the jump.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading GM Energy Systems director to join Mascoma advisory board

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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Green, Hatchbacks, Chevrolet, GM

Everyone who has been waiting with bated breath for the past year and a half to see the production version of the Chevy Volt can now breathe a big sigh of relief. After some extremely unflattering press shots shots were accidentally released last week, people were extremely disappointed with what appeared to be little more than a Prius clone. Anyone who spends time photographing cars knows how hard it can be to make them look good and how easy it is to make them look really awful. Unfortunately, those shots that were unapproved and never supposed to be released anyway fell into the latter category.

The car that GM rolled out this morning as part of its centennial celebration in Detroit is a much more attractive machine that while different from the concept is still very attractive. Rather than the egg shape look we saw, it’s actually much more like the car we saw in the Transformers 2 spy pics a few weeks back. The greenhouse is longer and the raked back windshield gives a very slick look. Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the design is the black trim around the side windows. The thick black border along the lower edge is meant to recall the transparent beltline of the concept. It definitely works better in darker colors where there is less contrast. On the inside, a fully configurable LCD instrument cluster allows different drivers to select the gauges they want to see. Overall the design team appears to have created a car that while certainly more mainstream than the concept, is still recognizable as the Volt and something different from the Japanese brand hybrids.

UPDATE: More live shots are on their way. Wi-fi at the GM Renaissance Center is particularly bad this morning.

UPDATE 2: First gallery of live shots added below, and here are some live shots from autoblog china (Shanghai).

UPDATE 3: Video of the actual reveal added after the jump!

Continue reading Officially Official: GM reveals the 2011 Chevy Volt!

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Filed under: GM

Tuesday is the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of General Motors by Billy Durant. In spite of the financial crisis swirling around all three of the Detroit-based automakers, GM intends to take that day to celebrate. Part of that celebration includes the official unveiling of the production design of the Chevy Volt and supposedly some other surprises. Sebastian and I will be on hand live in Detroit on Tuesday, but you can follow the events in a live webcast at GMNext.com. Several more on-line chats with GM executives will be taking place throughout the day including Jon Lauckner and Bob Lutz. Get a preview of what’s coming in the video after the jump and stay tuned here on Tuesday morning as we bring you live photos of the Volt and more.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading VIDEO: General Motors centennial celebration to be broadcast on GMNext

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By Bob Lutz
GM Vice Chairman
Here’s something that arrived in my e-mail inbox recently from an old friend. I thought I’d pass it along to the FastLane crowd, because I know you’ll find it as interesting as I did. The Big Three has taken a lot of heat in recent years over falling sales in the […]

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Larry Nitz
Executive Director, Hybrid Powertrain Engineering
With all of the excitement created by Bob Lutz’s first drive of the Chevrolet Volt test mule vehicle recently, some may have forgotten GM has another plug-in vehicle that is approved for production and progressing through early program development stages.
As I revealed to the audience today at the Plug-in 2008 […]

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There’s no better moment than the day after Earth Day to announce a new smaller, kinder, gentler Hummer. Martin Walsh, Hummer’s general manager, said “Our growth will be downwards in terms of size,” and that begins with the now-official H4. Walsh also indicated there might be a smaller model than the H4 if need be.
The […]

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Filed under: New York Auto Show, Podcasts, Economy, Sedans/Saloons, Hatchbacks, Ford, GM, Suzuki

It’s nice to be back in the swing of things. We’re once again cranking out weekly podcasts, and #63 is a compact one. We start off salivating over the news that the next generation Suzuki Swift will be headed for US shores. We devolve from discussing an unsubstantiated rumor into wistful praise for the current can’t have it Swift, and even make mention of Swifts from nigh on twenty years ago. The dustup over Alan Mulally’s work of fiction at the New York Auto Show keynote draws our ire next. This one has it all, lies, grandstanding media with agendas, attacks, grandstanding media with agendas, misinformation, grandstanding media with agendas, disinformation, and finally, grandstanding media with agendas. Speaking of grandstanding, we nearly go as far as calling Lutz’s bluff on the announcement that the hotly anticipated RWD cars from GM are on hold ’till regulators get their shizzle together. Whatevs. The entire GM turnaround is on hold? Not bloody likely. The consensus we come to is: Bad Lutz. So, turn on, tune in and peel out for our latest slice of podcast goodness.

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Filed under: Concept Cars, New York Auto Show, Podcasts, Coupes, Economy, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Wagons/Estates, Crossovers/CUVs, Hatchbacks

After a far-too-long hiatus, we’re back with podcast #62, in which we recap the New York Auto Show. A large contingent of Autobloggers attended the show, and we’re hot to talk about what we saw. The first target we take aim at is Subaru, which trotted out its newly restyled Impreza, WRX and Tribeca. Caspar Milquetoast, your cars have arrived. Ford actually did something bold by translating the Fairlane concept in to the Flex production vehicle. Opinions are split on whether it’s exciting, or just some kind of bastard offspring from a MINI/Scion xB tryst. Let’s just call it a modern interpretation of the Country Squire, without the woodgrain vinyl appliqué. Also over at the Ford stand was special-edition Mustang #6,463: the Shelby GT500KR. Whoopdedooyeeha! Sure, it’s badass, what more needs to be said? GM had three well-turned-out microcars that we were all calling the Triplets. The Groove, Beat and Trax are variations on a theme, and they definitely generated buzz. We’re glad to see the General doing small cars, as well as some of the new developments over at the HUMMER area.

Speaking of buzz, the Hyundai Genesis concept takes aim at high end luxury/performance sedans from German and Japanese manufacturers. As is their wont, Hyundai will be pricing it around 30 grand to start, and offering V8 power sent to the rear wheels, all wrapped in a handsome (if derivative) skin. Speaking of handsome skin, Infiniti dropped the G37 on us, and it’s not only a significant upgrade from the outgoing G35 coupe, it stands apart from the G35 sedan, as well. While ogling the G37’s tight lines, we bumped into the EX concept that was exceptionally well done. We wrap up by briefly touching on the de-cuted Liberty, the Lexus LX570, which no longer looks like a Land Cruiser with a different grille, and finally, our visit to Mercedes on our way back to the windowless confines of the media room.

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General Motors has announced the starting price tag of $22,695 for the 2007 Aura Green Line hybrid thereby making it the lowest-priced hybrid on the market for 2007. Moreover, it has also made the grades for $1,300 tax credit.

Saturn General Manager…

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Although rollovers only make up three percent of crashes in the US, they account for over a quarter of all traffic fatalities. General Motors is in the process of investing over $10 million to study the effects of rollover crashes and while doing so, has made a pledge to outfit all their vehicles with rollover-enabled […]

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The Los Angeles Times today reported that GM has developed an Electric Car Concept, which uses Internal Combustion engine only as an Electric Generator. This new prototype is scheduled for a debut sometime next year.

The prototype will run on…

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General Motors have entrusted Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies with the liability of providing them, Hydrogen Storage System for their Equinox Fuel Cell Fleet. GM plans to equip the Fleet with 10,000 psi tank, which accounts for double storage as…

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, GM

While we were pretty sure GM would grace Detroit with the Opel Antara and Holden Efijy, we didn’t expect the WTCC, the T2X… and Carmen Electra. But GM announced this week all five would be in icy, snow-bound Michigan next month.

As you well know, the Antara will be the new Saturn Vue and the WTCC and T2X hint at future Chevrolet style. So where does the sumptious Efijy fit into GM’s North American plan? GM’s press release announcing the North American debut of these concepts doesn’t give any indication where in Cobo Hall the Efijy will be displayed. If we had to guess, the Efijy’s Corvette V8 would score it a parking spot in the Chevrolet booth. But that’s nothing more than pure speculation.

As for Carmen Electra, she and Mario Lopez will be there to give the whole GM stand an air of celebrity. Or something.

Read GM’s entire press release after the jump.

Continue reading GM bringing Efijy, WTCC, Antara, T2X, Carmen Electra to Detroit

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Etc., Plants/Manufacturing, GM

Recently announced as the next Pontiac G8, Holden says that the Commodore model is in need of a diet.

According to Holden chairman and executive director Denny Mooney, the Commodore doesn’t need to get any smaller and is sized appropriately for both the Australian and American markets. It could, however lose a few pounds, as the large-car segment leader in Australia has gained over 1000 lbs. since the original Commodore in 1978; nearly 220 of them added in the most recent generation alone. It has also gained in nearly every other dimension as well, adding 19cm in length, 18cm in width and 10cm in height. The current 3.6 liter V6 is also a huge increase in grunt over the 2.8 liter unit used in the first Commodore, producing a whopping 181% more power.

We hope that the current version of the Commodore comes to us here in the US as close to the current car as can be, maybe with some Lutz magic under the hood. The American car market could use an injection of some full-size fun again…how about an LS7 with a manual transmission option? Who says we can’t deal with a little extra poundage?

[Source: drive.com.au]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: Chrysler, DaimlerChrysler, GM, HUMMER, Jeep

We were all ready to start this week anew, leaving behind the reports of a supposed sale of Chrysler to General Motors. But alas, that ain’t going to happen.

Both the Detroit News and Automotive News came out with stories this morning making it clear that talks between the two automakers are serious and have been going on for some time.

The initial reports about GM sharing its GMT900 truck platform may or may not have been true, but according to Autonews, what’s being discussed would go well beyond simply exchanging some engineering for cash.

The high-level talks have been taking place over the course of the past two months, beginning in December, with Rick Wagoner, GM’s chairman sitting down with Dr. Z from DCX. The two automaker’s CFOs have met on at least four separate occasions to discuss the buyout/merger/absorption, but naturally, both companies have declined to comment.

The Detroit News had some particularly interesting tidbits, including the idea that if GM were to purchase Chrysler, it would no longer exist as a company unto itself. All of Chrysler’s brands and products would just become part of GM’s overall organization. As an example, Jeep, one of DCX’s most valuable brands, might be partnered with HUMMER as the General’s off-road arm.

The risk versus reward for GM is tipped further towards disaster than success, with massive cannibalization of products, excessive debt, mismanaged product lines (within both automakers) and we haven’t even gotten into the UAW and the catastrophic amount of layoffs that could would take place.

Since we can’t encapsulate every morsel of information here, we’d encourage you to read through the Detroit News piece and, if you have a subscription, check out the Automotive News article on the same topic.

[Sources: Detroit News, Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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