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When GM reached a tentative agreement regarding the sale of Hummer with China-based Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. in October 2009, the only thing left was for the Chinese government to approve the deal. Three months later, the deal has still not received the green light and some are doubting whether it will be authorized at all.
“I don’t believe it has a great chance. It hasn’t really gotten any approval from the major government agencies,” said China auto industry analyst Wayne Xing.
Kevin Wale, President of GM’s China Operations, said he was optimistic the deal would be successful, yet unsure whether it would receive the required green light from the Chinese government. GM has expressed interest in closing the Hummer deal by the end of 2009 or early 2010, with Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre pointing to January 31 as a deadline.
If the deal with Tengzhong doesn’t go through, we may risk seeing a repeat of the Saab fiasco. This time, however, it may be without the involvement of other governments.
[Source: Freep]
The General has taken a surging leap into the compact car segment with its latest batch of future models that could fit in an 8′x5′ cell (maybe). Currently, we’ve got the miniature Chevy Spark, the Fiesta fighting next-gen Aveo and… the Pontiac GMC Granite Concept. All three of them are currently being observed by curious patrons at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show and maybe one or two of them will debut as early as next year. Yet so far, the GMC Granite is the only model that has yet to be confirmed.
The Granite is GMC’s latest and smallest installment to the “Professional Grade” fleet. The model sits on top of the versatile Delta II platform, shared with Chevy’s Cruze, Orlando and Volt, and is covered in angular, boxy sheet metal with GMC’s signature lined grill staring forward. The interior of the four-seater won’t likely see the road, but still looks neat. Two-tone seats along with a dash and console that look like they’ve been stolen from the USS Enterprise give it a unique and appealing look. One that seems intended for the young, urban driver. (more…)
Earlier in 2009, GM announced plans to shut down 1,130 GM dealerships, a process it was hoping to complete by the fourth quarter of 2010. This “cutting the fat” can be attributed to the rocky economy and poor performance of some of the dealers that received the wind-down notice. Certain dealers complained (which was to be expected), leading GM to devise a plan that ultimately lead to arbitration. Well, it looks like there’s light at the end of the tunnel for a select few dealers.
In an interview, GM’s interim CEO and Chairman Ed Whitacre revealed that The General would in fact give a second chance to roughly one hundred dealerships that were told to pack up and go home. He stated that the methods used by GM to determine which dealerships would be resurrected (and which ones would not) were “pretty arbitrary,” and that they were “not perfect in every way.”
The arbitration rules put forth by law call for interested dealers to provide notice by Janurary 25, 2010. A judgment by way of arbitration would then be made sometime in June of 2010, ultimately sealing the fate of many dealership owners. On a positive note, Big Ed mentioned that – regardless of the number of dealerships that receive the OK to re-open – GM bean counters predict profitability in 2010. Now that gives us reason to breathe a big sigh of relief!
Whitacre also reminded reporters that Saab is still for sale and that anyone who wanted to buy the Swedish brand should just “show up with the money.”
Sounds tempting…anyone want to go half-zies?
For continuing coverage of GM’s Saab Sales Saga, dealer relations, and all things General Motors be sure to check in to GM Authority as often as humanly possible!
Chevrolet’s new line of Heavy Duty pickup trucks will make their debut at the Chicago Auto Show next month. The 2011 Chevy Silverado 2500 and 3500 (2010 model pictured) are expected to be powered by the highly-acclaimed 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8 developed in partnership with the diesel wizards at Isuzu. The large V8 will most likely be accompanied by a urea solution to decrease nitrous oxide emissions.
On top of that, the Chevy HD trucks are rumored to be wrapped in revised sheetmetal and ride on an all-new chassis. The truck fanatics over at PickupTrucks.com are “sure there will likely be other surprises” as well.
We’re not sure if a revised GMC Sierra HD will also make an appearance, but given GM’s recently-revealed plans to invest in its truck program, we’re really excited to see what’s on tap – especially how the new GM HDs will stack up against the 2011 Ford Super Duty and its all-new 6.7-liter V8.
We’ve got high-res galleries of GM’s current-gen Heavy Duty trucks below the fold.
[Source: PickupTrucks.com]
Brian Small
General Motors has named 31-year company veteran Brian Small to the position of Executive Director of Fleet and Commercial Operations. Brian was most recently General Director for GMNA Order Fulfillment and Global Supply Chain Center Operations and will also be in charge of the International Product Center (IPC). In his new position, Brian will report to Susan Docherty, Vice President of Sales, Service, and Marketing, who had the following to say about the appointment:
“I’m confident Brian will bring his extensive experience and strong leadership to the critical fleet and commercial organization and make an immediate positive impact. His service at each of our brands on the ground level, working with various dealerships throughout the country, will bring invaluable perspective and customer focus.”
Brian is filling the opening left by Jim Campbell, who was promoted to head the Chevrolet brand in December. Based in Detroit, Brian is a 1978 Michigan Tech graduate and earned an MBA from the University of Maryland in 2006. GM will announce the replacement for Brian’s previous position at a later date. The change is effective immediately.
We have GM’s full press release after the break. (more…)
On Friday, a General Motors regulatory filing revealed that GM lent its European Opel division $900 million in November 2009. The funds were used to maintain operations and to repay a loan from the German government.
Moreover, the filing showed that on January 4, 2010, GM accelerated its $930 million payment to Opel for engineering work, intended to keep Opel operations afloat until more permanent financing is arranged.
It’s no secret that the current economic landscape makes it very difficult for most automotive conglomerates to turn a profit, especially with today’s lowered sales volumes and immense overhead. That said, sales are on a slow, yet seemingly steady, upward trajectory. So while automakers aren’t able to meet their sales targets no matter how good their vehicles are, what they are able to do is be ready when the market recovers.
Since Opel plays a very instrumental role in engineering, researching, and developing some of the most important vehicle architectures for General Motors (Epsilon, Delta), it’s necessary for The General to invest today for a brighter tomorrow. That’s exactly what it’s doing here. Most recently, GM approved a $1 billion program to redesign its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks.
In the wake of this totally gloomy economic downturn, GM has decided to put its money where its mouth is. Like its major competitors, GM is going to invest a large amount of money into its ever popular GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado models for the 2012-13 line up. How much money, exactly? How about $1 billion to start!
It’s a known fact of life that U.S. pickup truck sales are directly related with the housing market: as the amount of homes being built increases, so does the sale of trucks. And though many view the struggling truck and SUV market as a sign of the times, many optimists like myself feel that not only will there always exists a market for such a vehicle in this country, but that the market will in fact someday improve. Apparently, GM Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre felt the same way when he gave the project his “thumbs-up.”
If you recall, both the Sierra and the Silverado were both completely redesigned for the 2006 model year, but Ford and Dodge were quick to counter with some updates of their own. As such, GM believes that a model redesign is necessary to remain competitive in the ever-weary yet ever-competitive truck and SUV market.
Not only does GM need to keep an eye on their domestic counterparts, but the import market as well. Toyota’s Tundra has posed a real threat to the domestics, but recent sales numbers have taken a beating.
Though we aren’t really sure when the economy is going to turn around, it sure is nice to know The General has a promising future ahead for what I consider to be this country’s “bread and butter” – the pickup truck!
Check out our high-res galleries of the 2010 GMC Sierra, Sierra HD, and Chevy Silverado after the jump! (more…)
Last month, Saab and GM fans were equally outraged upon learning about the possibility that the all-new Saab 9-5 could wear a Buick badge. Since then, GM has still not reached a definite decision regarding Saab while the 9-5 has begun production in Sweden. But all is not lost, since Saab and GM enthusiasts alike would be glad to learn the following two arguments against a Buick-badged Saab 9-5.
If it were to wear to become a Buick, the all-new Saab 9-5 simply would not fit into the Buick line-up. The 9-5 is based on GM’s Epsilon 2 architecture – the same as the Buick LaCrosse and Regal. In fact, the 9-5 is only one inch shorter than the LaCrosse, which is most likely achieved by shorter bumpers rather than diminished interior space.
So what does that mean? Well, with the addition of the 9-5, Buick would have two sedans that are the exact same size inside and out! In that regard, there simply is not enough room for the 9-5 in the Buick line-up. Moreover, the last thing GM wants to do is confuse Buick buyers with two very similar products.
GM seems to be finished with the practice of badge-engineering altogether. This can be seen in The General’s decision against reintroducing the acclaimed Pontiac G8 under the Chevrolet brand, even though the enthusiast community supported the move to rebadge (and still does to this day). However, to say that GM is completely finished with rebadging wouldn’t be totally accurate. Afterall, the Buick Regal is a rebadged Opel Insignia while the Chinese-market Buick Excelle XT is an Opel Astra adorned with Buick light treatment and logos.
In the end, we can’t be completely certain that GM won’t end up selling the all-new Saab 9-5 as a Buick. But having two strong arguments against doing so definitely helps. At the very least, we’re certain that the GM enthusiast community is against such a move by a wide margin. What do you think?
It’s no secret that GM is hard at work on the Chevrolet Orlando. Luckily for us, a few sharp eyes (and camera lenses) have caught a cladded and camouflaged pre-production model in action. Contrary to popular belief, the Orlando will not be a replacement for the outgoing HHR. Rather, the Orlando is a 7-seat MPV that will compete with such models as the Mazda 5 and the forthcoming Ford Focus C-Max.
Unfortunately, much of what we see in the photos of the camouflaged Orlando is very uninspiring. The sharp, edgy, and angular styling of the concept’s front fascia seems to be nonexistent – replaced by very Malibu-esque headlamps and grille. But not all is lost, since the protruding front and rear fenders appear to have made the cut, along with the concept’s blocky rear end. Let’s hope the Orlando retains as much of the concept’s styling as possible when it lands in the U.S. and Europe later in 2010. Look for a few fuel-efficient four-bangers from the Cruze (1.4L/1.8L) to accompany the Delta 2-based MPV at launch.
Here’s a gallery of the original Orlando concept that debuted at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.
[Source: Autoblog]
It’s not secret that the Bowling Green, Kentucky-built ZR1 is the fastest production Corvette to date. But that doesn’t mean that a few enhancements and adjustments can’t be made to make the ‘Vette go even faster. And that’s exactly what Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, of Decatur, Indiana, had in mind.
They took a Jetstream Blue Metallic ZR1 and went to work on getting more air into the 6.2-liter V8, upgrading the ZR1′s supercharger with a cast-aluminum air intake snout and an 11-rib, 2.60-inch pulley, an upgraded air filter, a four-inch diameter intake tube with mass air sensor, a ported throttle body, and a cast aluminum air inlet. Other mods include a larger intercooler reservoir system, larger heat exchanger, a set of sticky R345/35R18 Mickey Thompson ET Street Radials in the rear, M&H Racemaster P185/50R18 in the front, wrapped around CCW aluminum wheels.
When all was set and done, the modded ‘Vette put out an astronomical 739 horsepower and 740 pound-feet or torque at the rear wheels. This allowed it to continuously run the quarter mile in the 9s, with a best pass of 9.813 seconds at 145.74 mph.
You can even buy the aforementioned components individually from Lingenfelter directly. Check out the ZR1 in action after the break. (more…)
Future Product Guide: GMC Vehicles For 2012, 2013, 2014 Model Years 
The 2014 C7 Corvette: What We Know 
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Spied: The All-New 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Rumormill: 2014 Cadillac ATS-V To Come With 470 Horsepower? 
Rumormill: Next-Gen Lexus ES Will Make Buick LaCrosse "Laughable" 
C7 Corvette ZR1 Illustrated, Reportedly Dead Accurate 
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