General Motors
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In an effort to help salvage the residual values of its fleet of certified used cars, General Motors is adding new warranty coverage. Good for twelve months or 12,000mi (19,200km) from the time of purchase, the new warranty covers the used cars bumper-to-bumper. The costs of the program should be mitigated by the used car certification process, which ensures used cars sold through the GM Certified and Saturn Certified dealers meet certain standards. The company hopes that the new warranty will help expand sales of the used cars while at the same time improving residual values. If the program...
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Budget cuts spell end for GM Style eventKicking off the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) - one of the most important car shows of the year - with its own 'Style event', populated with celebrities, haute couture and hot cars, has only been part of General Motors' pre-show routine for two years but it is already coming to an...
Nelson Ireson -
Rossi 66 concept re-bodies C6 'Vette with stylized C2 sheet metal
Taking inspiration from an old design and applying it to a new chassis is nothing new in the automotive world - one need only look to the new Camaro, Challenger and even the Mustang for prime examples. But the combination of C2 corvette body and C6 Corvette chassis envisioned by a company called...
Nelson Ireson -
GM to sell Volt plug-in hybrid as an Opel in Europe
General Motors’ Opel division is working on two new plug-in hybrid vehicles based on the same E-Flex architecture that’s set to debut in the Chevrolet Volt, but the Chevy will also make it to Europe, although not until late 2011. The car will initially be sold as an Opel but will...
Siddarth Raja -
Mahindra, Changfeng both turn down chance to buy Hummer
General Motors' Hummer brand has seen sales fall to barely one-third of last year's figures, and the company has reportedly been shopping the nameplate around for some time. Today word of failed talks with China's Changfeng and a statement of disinterest by India's Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) have...
Nelson Ireson -
GM remains open to Proton tie-up
Malaysian carmaker Proton has been linked with a number of international carmakers including the likes of General Motors, Volkswagen, and PSA Peugeot-Citroen for the past several years over the possibility of a tie-up. However, in June of last year, the carmaker with the best chance of securing a...
Alex Kaufmann -
Update: The much-anticipated Opel Insignia will debut a new station wagon variant at this October’s Paris Motor Show, where it will join the previous sedan and hatchback versions of the upcoming car. Dubbed the 'Opel Insignia Sports Tourer,' the new station wagon carries the stylish design of its siblings but features all new sheet metal from the B-pillar back. The car manages to maintain the same look as the other variants by pulling its “wraparound” tailgate far into the flanks and accentuating it with a pair of unique tail lights. While the Sports Tourer retains the same...
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2008 U.S. fuel efficiency sets new industry record
A report released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals that the vehicles produced during the first half of 2008 have set the record for the most fuel efficient to date. Including both cars and light trucks (meaning both pickups and SUVs), the national average...
Nelson Ireson -
GM expands XFE line to include SUVs and pickups
General Motors is building on the segment-leading fuel economy of its full-size pickups and SUVs with new XFE (eXtra Fuel Economy) versions of its 2009 Chevy Silverado, Chevy Tahoe, GMC Sierra and GMC Yukon models. Following on the success of the carmaker’s first XFE model, the Chevrolet...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Video: Early look at production Chevrolet Volt
Update: While some may doubt the likelihood of General Motors' upcoming Chevrolet Volt appearing on time, the carmaker’s engineers and designers don’t seem to have the same qualms. In a video for ABC news, GM's exterior design executive director Michael Simcoe gave a preview of the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
GM settles shareholder lawsuit for $277 million
The end to a lawsuit filed against General Motors by a German bank in 2006 is drawing near, as the carmaker prepares to pay out $277 million as a settlement. The payout will no doubt be felt dearly at GM, but it's equally likely that the decision to settle is financially preferable to litigating...
Nelson Ireson -
Chevrolet begins Aveo production at new plant in Mexico
In an effort to ramp up availability of its small cars for the North American market, General Motors has officially started production at its San Luis Potosi complex in Mexico. The plant will be building the Daewoo-based Aveo (Aveo5 model pictured)for sale throughout the continent. The plant...
Nelson Ireson -
For weeks rumors about the Corvette-like car appearing in behind-the-scenes shots of the new Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen movie have been circulating. No one has known for sure what the car is, but the latest report indicates it's a Corvette Centennial Design Concept due for debut early next year in celebration of GM's 100th anniversary. The inside information reveals that the concept is not, as had been speculated, a C7 Corvette prototype, but rather purely a concept. The resemblance to the Corvette is intentional, but other iconic GM cars also feature in its design. The front end...
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Saab to announce $365 million loss for 2007
Though the report is still unofficial, Saab is believed to have posted a $365 million loss for 2007. The company is framing the result as an improvement on its figures for 2006, especially since the loss from operations in 2007 was smaller than the preceding year in spite of sales being down 7,800...
Nelson Ireson -
2011 launch date for European Chevrolet Volt
Updated: General Motors’ Opel division is working on two new plug-in hybrid vehicles based on the same E-Flex architecture that’s set to debut in the Chevrolet Volt, but the Chevy will also make it to Europe, although not until late 2011. In his latest post on a GM blog, Carl Peter...
Kenneth Hall -
Mahindra & Mahindra keen to purchase Hummer
The rest of the SUV market is screeching to a halt, but Indian manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra wants to bring a whole new line of the vehicles to America. The company is developing a network of around 300 dealerships across the U.S. to sell the vehicles, with a $125,000 fee being asked from...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Ford and GM in talks to co-develop powertrains
Ford and General Motors are reportedly in talks about co-developing new powertrain technologies as the two Detroit giants struggle to reduce costs in the wake of massive losses this year. According to sources at both companies, GM first approached Ford over a month ago and since that time there...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Update: Pontiac G3 likely ruled out for U.S.
Update: The Chevrolet Aveo's clone, the Pontiac G3, won't be part of GM's North American lineup, despite already being sold in Canada and Mexico. A Pontiac representative stated that the G3 has not been "approved for U.S. consumption" by General Motors, even though the EPA has already approved it...
James Martinez -
Less than two months after General Motors first announced that its Hummer brand was up for review, reports have emerged claiming the U.S. carmaker is in talks with firms based in India, China and Russia. India’s Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), which has previously expressed interest in developing more SUV models, was reported within days after the original review announcement to be interested in acquiring Hummer, but people close to the matter claim M&M is more concerned about launching its own range of SUVs in the U.S. market. While this is likely true (M&M has already signed up 300 dealers...
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GM reports $15.5 billion net loss for Q2 2008
General Motors has announced today a $15.5 billion net loss for the second quarter of the year, with declining sales of large pickups and SUVs and $9.1 billion of predominantly non-cash special items largely to blame for the poor result. The other key factors were costs associated with the American...
Alex Kaufmann -
GM planning major company-wide incentives
Following from last week’s rushed announcement for an extension of the existing employee discount program to friends and extended family of employees, General Motors has released a new memo to its dealers stating that it plans to offer a $4,000 bonus cash on the purchase of the 2008 GMC Yukon...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: GM to cut 15% of salary staff in North America
General Motors is expected to announce heavy second-quarter losses tomorrow along with a new round of job cuts planned for North America. This time the cuts will effect salary workers, with latest reports indicating that up to 5,000 jobs, or about 15% of GM’s North American white-collar work...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Update: GM will stay in lease business through August
Updated: General Motors announced today that it would stay in the leasing business through August at the least. The obvious implication is that the company, via its GMAC finance corporation, is considering getting out of the leasing business, much as Chrysler has done. Ford's choice to simply...
Nelson Ireson -
GM has small engines ready, waiting for customer demand
The automobile industry - and especially the players in the U.S. market - have long been engaged in an all-out battle for more power and performance. The 2008 fuel crunch has shaken that strategy up somewhat, but General Motors says it still needs a signal from buyers that they are willing to...
Nelson Ireson
