General Motors

  • Supercharged Vauxhall VXR8 with 540HP on tap

    The new Vauxhall VXR8 was only announced back in February but already GM's UK division is offering a new supercharger kit, lifting output from the standard car’s 420hp to a scorching 540hp. Set to go on sale in the UK next month, the new kit is an official option from Vauxhall and comes with a full three-year warranty. The new model features the same 6.0L LS2 V8 engine shared with the Corvette, and comes with a conventional six-speed manual as standard. Expect the 0-100km/h time to dip well below the five second mark set by the naturally aspirated version. There’s no word if GM...

  • Glimpse at Buick's future lineup
    Glimpse at Buick's future lineup

    Recent strong standings in a North American vehicle satisfaction survey and increasing popularity across China has led management at Buick to consider expanding its lineup. Buick has always remained a notch above its US-based rivals and now execs are pondering whether it could eventually rival the...

  • Opel to show Corsa Hybrid concept at Frankfurt
    Opel to show Corsa Hybrid concept at Frankfurt

    Opel will be going green at September’s Frankfurt IAA show with the unveiling of the Corsa Hybrid concept car. Though it’s not a “full” hybrid like a Prius, the concept car uses simple technology like a starter generator and stop/start automatic transmission to drop fuel...

  • GM expects Chevrolet Volt production to top 60,000
    GM expects Chevrolet Volt production to top 60,000

    General Motors has high hopes for its upcoming Volt plug-in hybrid car and is expecting to build over 60,000 units in its first year of production. This level of production will allow GM to price the Volt under $30,000, a crucial factor for the car’s success and something that execs are well...

  • Holden shows off new VE Ute
    Holden shows off new VE Ute

    GM Holden has unveiled the new ute version of its VE Commodore, the regular sedan with a flat-bed replacing the rear doors. This is the first all-new Holden Ute since 2000’s VU edition and it’s the most spacious and powerful utility from the Aussie GM subsidiary yet. Developers spent an...

  • Preview: 2009 Opel Vectra (aka Saturn Aura)
    Preview: 2009 Opel Vectra (aka Saturn Aura)

    Opel gave us a preview of the styling direction for the new Vectra sedan when it unveiled the GTC Concept car back at March’s Geneva Motor Show. There’s a lot of significance riding on this model because this is the car that will be sold in the US as the next-gen Saturn Aura and it may...

  • GM exec: Chinese cars won't be very cheap

    The prospect of China flooding Western markets with half-price autos is overrated and is unlikely to happen says GM Holden’s new boss Chris Gubbey. The former Shanghai GM vice-president said that increased costs required to improve quality, safety and equipment levels of Chinese built cars would see production costs rise much closer to that of international levels. According to Gubbey, China’s low wages only account for about ten percent of the total cost of a car, which means Chinese manufacturers are “faced with the same cost pressures as every other car manufacturer to...

  • GM considers battery rental scheme for new Volt
    GM considers battery rental scheme for new Volt

    To keep the price of the upcoming Chevrolet Volt electric car low, GM execs are contemplating a rental scheme for the car’s batteries so that it costs no more to buy than an equivalent petrol car. GM is planning to introduce the Volt by 2010 and has more than 150 engineers working on it to...

  • GM China sales to top one million
    GM China sales to top one million

    GM is expecting to sell more than a million cars in China for the first time this year on the back of strong demand for new cars in the country. Combined vehicle sales are up by 21% on last year’s figure, and should top out at 8.4 million by the end of the year. Despite the positive result...

  • Opel planning Omega successor
    Opel planning Omega successor

    Execs at Opel are reportedly planning to launch a new version of the Omega large sedan based on GM’s new RWD Zeta platform. The new Opel flagship will be jointly developed by fellow GM subsidiary Holden at its Australian design center, where it joins several other global projects including...

  • Russian billionaire buys stake in GM
    Russian billionaire buys stake in GM

    The owner of Russian carmaker GAZ, billionaire tycoon Oleg Deripaska, has bought a five percent stake in General Motors according to latest reports from Russian newspaper Vedomosti. Deripaska is the second richest man in Russia, commanding an estimated fortune of approximately $16.8 billion, and...

  • GM minicar on its way?
    GM minicar on its way?

    The CEO of GM's Daewoo Automotive Technology has speculated that a minicar similar to one of the three concepts shown at the New York Motor show earlier this year could be heading to the US and arriving as a 2011 model. This comes despite GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz telling the Wall Street Journal...

  • GM Europe gets new design chief

    GM has appointed a new director of exterior design for its European division, whose job it’ll be to spearhead design work for the Opel, Vauxhall and Saab brands. Filling the role is Phillip A. Zak, the man behind models such as the Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G6 and GXP sport model. Though Zak will now be closely affiliated with the European team, his influence will still affect the design of several future Saturn models as revealed in an official statement from GM. Zak was one of the key developers behind the Saturn Prevue concept car that starred at the New York Auto Show. This...

  • GM posts $891 million profit for 2Q
    GM posts $891 million profit for 2Q

    General Motors has beat market expectations by posting a $891 million profit for the second quarter, stark contrast to the $3.4 billion loss it made in the same period only one year ago. This was the third straight quarter of profits for GM, which cited improve sales in new markets as the main...

  • Solstice coupe and new G5 and G6 planned for Pontiac
    Solstice coupe and new G5 and G6 planned for Pontiac

    Pontiac is to become GM’s ‘affordable performance’ brand, dropping vehicles like the Torrent crossover in favor of sporty sedans and coupes like the G8 and the upcoming Solstice coupe. The new coupe is due next year as a 2009 model and will feature a higher performance version of...

  • Chevrolet's future plans
    Chevrolet's future plans

    Chevrolet is one of GM’s most successful brands at the moment but that’s not stopping execs from significantly refurbishing its lineup over the coming years. The major model changes will be the introduction of a new RWD Impala, a new minicar and crossover, plus the long-awaited arrival...

  • Buick lineup to get Chinese designed models
    Buick lineup to get Chinese designed models

    GM is planning to reposition Buick as an affordable luxury brand with the help of a host of new Chinese designed vehicles. China has quickly become Buick’s number one market globally and execs are hoping to mimic that success back home in the US by introducing a totally revamped lineup. The...

  • GM claims hybrid SUVs will get 40% better mileage
    GM claims hybrid SUVs will get 40% better mileage

    GM has made the bold claim that hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs will achieve 40% better fuel economy than regular petrol versions, equating to a mileage figure of roughly 19-20mpg in urban driving. Earlier forecasts predicted improvements of only 25%, but, according to USA...

  • GM investing $6 billion in Daewoo

    General Motors is planning to inject up to $6 billion in its Daewoo subsidiary over the next four years for both design work and engineering. According to GM Daewoo Chief Michael Grimaldi the South Korean outfit is a major export platform within the GM empire, and was also described as “strategically important” by the exec, according to the Associated Press. Daewoo will be responsible for the engineering of a range of new small vehicles in the minicar segment, which will be exported to numerous developing countries. "We're investing more resources in both design as well as our...

  • GM passes Toyota for Q2
    GM passes Toyota for Q2

    GM has surpassed Toyota in global sales for the second quarter of the year but still remains in the number two spot for the first six months. GM managed to regain the top spot despite falling demand for its products in its largest market, the US, and its global sales were up overall by 10,000 units...

  • GM buying 50% stake in VM Motori diesel plant
    GM Buying 50% Stake In VM Motori Diesel Plant

    To secure its diesel future General Motors will purchase a 50% stake in Italy’s VM Motori diesel engine plant from current owner Penske Corp. in a new 50-50 joint venture. This is the same engine plant that GM co-developed its new 2.9L V6 turbodiesel, which will initially be sold in...

  • GM confirms diesels for US by 2010
    GM confirms diesels for US by 2010

    GM has announced that it will offer fuel-efficient diesel engines in its Cadillac and Saturn lineup for US markets by 2010. The diesels will be used in GM’s cars, crossovers and light-duty trucks according to Vice Chairman Bob Lutz. We may get a preview of one of the first diesel engines that...

  • GM ranks 5th on Fortune 500 ahead of Toyota in 6th
    GM ranks 5th on Fortune 500 ahead of Toyota in 6th

    Toyota has moved up to sixth place on this year’s Fortune 500 list of the world's 500 largest companies by revenue, up from eighth spot the year before. General Motors still managed to hold its title of the world’s largest carmaker in terms of revenue, registering ahead of Toyota in...

  • Opel Calibra set to return, GTC leads the way
    Opel Calibra set to return, GTC leads the way

    The Opel Calibra hasn’t been in showrooms for almost a decade, but with the unveiling of the Opel GTC concept car there’s hope that the Euro coupe may make a return. Though it’s yet to be confirmed for production, a spokesman from Opel revealed that management is keeping its...

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