autos evolutions: GM

Showing posts with label GM. Show all posts

GM to Cut its Platforms by More than 50% in the Next Decade

At the second Annual Global Business Conference for investors and financial analysts, General Motors revealed details on a new plan that “will ensure a long-term sustainable performance” for the Detroit automaker.

Among other measures is the massive reduction of platforms used by GM brands globally in order to cut development costs and benefit from economies of scale.

“More of our components will be common and more of our vehicles will be on global architectures” said the GM CEO, Dan Akerson.

The former American Automobile Association, now known by its acronym AAA, is probably the most recognisable organisation of its type in the world.

And with some 52 million members, it’s also one of the world’s largest if not the largest automobile associations in the world.

Suffice to say, when the AAA speaks, the world listens. In a recent telephone survey of 1,009 adults in the continental United States, the AAA found that 12.5% couldn’t cover a US$1,000 (€701) car repair bill and 25% couldn’t cover US$2,000 (€1,402) car repair bill.

Not content with being China's largest foreign automaker, General Motors hopes to further increase its sales in the country with its newly launched low-cost Baojun brand, which the Detroit automaker developed with local partners SAIC and Wuling.

With the Baojun brand, GM wants to compete in the fast-growing market for new cars in smaller Chinese cities targeting first-time buyers with a budget of around $10,000. Domestic Chinese rivals include Chery Automobile, Geely Automobile Holding and BYD.

Even though deliveries of Opel’s extended-range hybrid aren’t expected to begin until early 2012, the company is already planning the successor to the Chevy Volt’s European alter-ego.

According to British magazine Autocar, the second generation of the Opel / Vauxhall Ampera is scheduled for release in 2015 and, if sources from within the company are reliable, it feature a more radical design and a lower starting price than the current model.

Fancying a GM classic with a little more, ahem, pizazz than your run-of-the-mill F-Body Chevrolet Camaro? Welcome to the wonderful world of eBay and the DreamRyder (that's how the owner spells the name of the car).

The DreamRyder is the creation of one Bill Logan who used a V8-powered 1984 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible as a base. Logan says he spent 13 years to complete all the customizations, which include a fiberglass body said to be inspired by a number of animals such as the bat ray and the eagle.

Well, it was almost certain to happen after the March 11 earthquake and Tsunami hit Japan causing multiple problems to the country's automotive industry. Toyota, the world’s largest carmaker, saw its production drop by 23% to 3.37 million units for the first half of the year - and includes sales of Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino vehicles.

As a result, the Japanese company lost the title of the world’s largest automaker that it held since 2008 to General Motors, which saw its sales rise by 8.9% to 4.536 million units for the first six months of 2011. For the time being, second place goes to the Volkswagen Group which sold 4.13 million units worldwide.

This fall will see Buick adding two more offerings to its Regal range, namely the performance orientated GS that's powered by a turbocharged four, and the fuel efficient eAssist featuring a "light" hybrid powertrain.

Pricing for the 2012 Regal GS starts at $35,310 while the 2012 Regal eAssist at $29,530 , with both prices including $860 in destination charges.

We've been following the news for a very long time but General Motors is finally ready to give us our first taste of Cadillac's new entry in the premium sport sedan segment codenamed ATS with the release of an official –albeit shadowed- photo.

The new entry-level Cadillac which may or may not keep the ATS moniker when it arrives in the market next year, will go up against Germany's finest including the BMW 3-Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class as well as the Lexus IS range.

Security consulting firm iSec Partners warns drivers that thieves could exploit smart phone apps that allow the unlocking and starting of cars remotely.

Researchers Don Bailey and Mathew Solnik have hacked the protocols some of these apps use and demonstrated how they can take advantage of them using a laptop.

According to Mr. Bailey, the whole process of hacking and improvising the signals these apps send – what he dubs “war texting” – can take as little as two hours.

Chevrolet announced today that it is installing solar-powered electric charging stations at two dozen dealerships in North America as part of its Green Zone initiative.

The new units will generate enough electricity to fully-charge 12 Chevrolet Volts a day, while excess electricity created will be used to power the dealership, supplementing their power needs. According to the Detroit automaker, each canopy generates enough electricity for up to 4,500 charges per vehicle annually.

Sibling rivalry: every family faces it, at one point or another. And what are automotive groups such as General Motors if not one, big (and bailout-happy) family? Platform and parts sharing is the name of the game in order to reduce costs and maximize profit margins. But what happens when two brands, like Opel and Chevrolet start to overlap each other?

Having introduced five new cars in the past 18 months and on the verge of launching a major TV, print and digital campaign this summer to celebrate its centennial anniversary, Chevrolet is trying to become more premium.

General Motors, Ford and Chrysler have all announced higher sales in July compared to the same month of 2010. GM reported today that its sales increased by 8% compared to July 2010. Passenger car sales rose by 8% and deliveries of crossovers by 20%.

It’s the same story over at Ford, with car sales increasing by 3 percent and light trucks by 12% for a total increase of 6%, as well as for Chrysler, which saw its July sales rise by 20% thanks to a new range of models and a 46% increase in Jeep deliveries.

We won't be seeing the new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu in U.S. showrooms until after next year's Super Bowl XLVI, but GM is already handing out early prototypes to journalists for a first encounter with the mid-size sedan.

This time, it's Motor Trend magazine editor Todd Lassa who was handed the keys to Chevrolet's newcomer. However, being that the example he drove and which you can see in the video after the hump, isn't a final production model but a showcar, there wasn't much to say about the Malibu's handling or other characteristics.

Chevrolet is celebrating its 100th birthday on November 3, and parent company General Motors is planning several happenings to honor the occasion. To kick off the 100-day countdown to Chevy's centennial, GM launched a dedicated website at "Chevy100".

Visitors are encouraged to share stories and photos about the roles that Chevrolets played in their lives through social media channels like Facebook, as well as to cast their vote on their most favorite model using a list of 16 celebrated vehicles, starting with the 1912 Six and concluding with the 2011 Volt.

The Obama administration has, according to White House sources who wish to remain anonymous, the support of no less than five big automakers in its bid to reduce Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) and CO2 emissions in the US until 2025.

The five major manufactures that will support the new CAFE target are, according to the aforementioned sources, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Honda and Hyundai.

Here’s a fun little activity for our readership: check out the U.S. National Debt Clock website and take a gander at the figure under, “U.S. National Debt”.

That number is a little over US$14 trillion (€9.67 trillion), and is probably one of the reasons President Obama is having trouble sleeping at night. Around 0.1% of that is the loss the U.S. Treasury suffered by bailing out two of America’s big three automakers: General Motors and Chrysler.

At the height of the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, the U.S. government spent $80 billion (€55.2 billion) to save the auto-industry. Of that amount, US$14.6 billion (€10.08 billion) has been lost, never to be reclaimed. It comes as sobering news given the current state of the U.S.’s ever-growing national debt.

Two Democrat Senators, Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, along with 14 House members from Michigan disputed President Obama’s informally proposed 56 mpg target for 2025 in a direct letter that predicts a loss of many American jobs if it comes into effect.

"We are deeply concerned that the administration's `starting' proposal of a five percent annual increase for cars and light trucks -- to reach a goal of 56.2 miles per gallon in 2025 -- is overly aggressive and not reasonable feasible," the 16 Michigan representatives said in their message to the President.

Once upon a time, in the land of the free and the home of the brave, most consumers liked their cars with six- or eight-cylinder engines. Blame the rising costs of fuels or advances in technology, but now, American buyers are turning to smaller 4-cylinder units in increasing numbers.

According to a report from IHS Automotive, in the first half of the year, more than 43% of the light vehicles sold in the US were equipped with four-cylinder engines, compared to just 30% five years ago.

There's more than meets the eye when it comes to the development of a new vehicle and its individual components, and like all automakers, GM pays particular attention to the design of the seats – let's not forget, that's where the driver and passengers will spend their time in the car.

Understandably, the design process becomes more complicated in the event that the car is a global model like the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, which will be offered in nearly 100 countries on six continents, including the U.S. where it will arrive in showrooms next year.

The latest Cadillac SRX has been on the market for just two model years, but for 2012, General Motors is making some important tweaks to improve the crossover model's performance.

While GM had made the announcement on the 2012 SRX back in April, the company came out today with additional information and revised performance figures, just before the SUV goes on sale.

autos evolutions

GM to Cut its Platforms by More than 50% in the Next Decade

AAA Survey Reveals 25% of Americans Couldn’t Afford a US$2,000 Car Repair Bill

GM's Low-Cost China Brand Baojun Begins Sales of New 630 Sedan, Priced Under $10k [61 Photos]

Opel Says Second Generation Ampera Will be Cheaper, More Stylish

It Came from eBay Hell: Camaro Meets Batmobile

GM is World’s Number One Automaker, Toyota Drops to 3rd Place behind VW

GM Releases Pricing on 2012 Buick GS and Buick eAssist

2013 Cadillac ATS: First Official Photo of GM's BMW 3-Series Rival

Hacking your Car through a Smart Phone: An Emerging Security Risk

Chevy Uses Solar Power to Charge Volts and Dealerships

Opel and Chevrolet too close for Comfort? GM Thinks So

Detroit's Big 3 Post Higher Sales in July on Demand for Crossovers and Light Trucks

Video: MT Drives the New 2013 Chevrolet Malibu

GM Wants You to Vote for the Best Chevrolet Model of All Time

U.S. Administration Reduces 2025 CAFE Target to 54.5MPG, Gains Support from 5 Automakers

The Price of Saving Two of America’s Big Three? $14 Billion, but it Could have Been Worse

Michigan Representatives Say 56 mpg Target Will Lead to Unemployment, Urge President Obama to Reconsider

Report: More American Car Buyers Opting for 4-Cylinder Over V6 and V8 Engines

GM Says 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Will Treat Your Buttocks Like Royalty

Cadillac Introduces 2012 SRX with New 308HP 3.6-Liter V6 LFX Engine

Blog Archive

Labels