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For May 29, 2010
The General has been served!
Following the success of the last six months, April 2010 was a very successful month for GM U.S.A. Sales of the four core brands – Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac – increased by 20 percent year-over-year, with total sales coming in at 183,091 units for the month. While these numbers represent a 2,315-unit decrease from March 2010, they mark the seventh consecutive month of double-digit increases in year-over-year sales.
A few interesting factoids:
Click past the break for a model-by-model sales breakdown. (more…)
Click the image to watch the documentary
Here’s a rare one from GM’s Media Archives: a 1960 Documentary about the legendary Corvette at none other than the notorious 24-hours of Le Mans. The video, narrated by famed Corvette racer, Dick “The Dentist” Thompson, tells us all about the ground-pounding American thunder that is the Corvette and its first year ever at the iconic 24 Heures du Mans .
If there was a better way to celebrate the Memorial day weekend than learning all about GM’s darling sports car in the French countryside, we don’t know about it. So invite some friends, grab your favorite snack and drink, set back, and enjoy!
Click past the break to watch the video! (more…)
This article is part of the GM Authority Opinion Desk series, where you can see exactly what’s on the minds of GM Authority writers and editors.
Hey gang. I felt like I had to get something off my chest. I promise to keep it sweet, short, and to the point. Here goes nothing…
The 2010 Corvette Grand Sport- what the hell is the point? I know, I know – the Grand Sport concept originated way back in the 1960′s and has an historic past that has its place in the books. But If you ask me, there is no place for it in today’s Corvette lineup. (more…)
Interior of 2010 Audi A8
The one sticking point of most, if not all, General Motor vehicles is the interior. From the Camaro’s utterly uncomfortable Camaro steering wheel and use of hard plastics to the abomination that is the interior of the Corvette, GM’s interiors leave something to be desired. Truth be told, GM has been improving its interiors, albeit at a pace that’s arguably slower than the rest of the industry.
And that’s why we’re glad to report that in an interview with Inside Line, Karl Stracke, GM Vice President of global engineering said:
“We’re not yet at Audi quality. I want to be at Audi quality. Audi is the benchmark for interiors.” He went on to say, “I’ve driven the Corvette Grand Sport and I like it a lot, but the interior is not convincing.”
Stracke explained that he and his engineering team are putting more emphasis on keeping up with the competition – spending every Friday at the GM proving grounds driving vehicles from rival manufacturers.
With interiors like those in the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CTS, and Chevrolet Equinox, GM is surely moving in the right direction. However, our favorite automaker still faces a few hurdles such as build quality, design, and better-quality materials. Stracke has set a high bar for GM’s interiors and we hope The General surpasses it. The question on our minds, however, is when?
[Source: Inside Line]
Last week, General Motors’ fleet and commercial operations introduced Business Bridge – a new product for fleets. Business Bridge uses the factory-installed Vehicle Communication Platform (VCP) module to monitor, store, transmit, and receive important date for fleet monitoring. According to GM, “the VCP is an electronic module that enables a variety of communication functions within the vehicle, as well as communication to and from external entities.”
Here’s a use-case scenario: a driver calls in and reports an active check engine light. The fleet manager walks over to a computer and opens up Business Bridge, which contacts the VCP in the vehicle and requests information. The VCP sends off the data it recorded, thereby enabling the fleet manager to make a decision.
Joyce Mattman, director of Commercial Product and Specialty Vehicles, GM Fleet, and Commercial Operations, said:
“We created this technology with our fleet customers in mind after numerous one-on-one discussions with end-users and Fleet Management Companies. It became apparent that the smart thing was to provide raw data and allow our customers with existing systems, staffs and relationships to analyze the data in a meaningful way for the best customer value.”
Two packages will be available for fleets: the basic package, due out next month, will offer data including mileage, oil life remaining, tire pressure, and Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC) for the engine and transmission. The enhanced package, which includes the basic package and more data, will be released in the fall.
Hit up the break for the full presser. (more…)
Remember when the now-retired Bob Lutz spilled the beans on GM’s plans to euthanize its current mediocre mid-size truck offerings in North America by 2012? According to new reports, The General is looking to stay in the segment with an all-new small pickup design. What’s more, the pickup trucks are said to be a modern take on the size and style of the original S10 pickup of yore. (more…)
“We are counting on Susan to make a significant contribution, and I am glad to have her running this critical part of our business.” That’s what GM CEO Ed Whitacre said of appointing her to a new position, three weeks after removing her of VP of Marketing of North America position and replacing her with Joel Ewanick. Susan Docherty’s new job is one of global proportions as she takes on the role of GM International Operations Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Aftersales (which may also hold the title of the longest job title in the world).
Docherty will now report to GM International Operations president Tim Lee and will be in charge of marketing in countries such as the booming China and Brazil, as well as our own Alex Luft’s birthplace – Russia. Susan will start in her new position June 1st and will replace Don Johnson, who has yet to be announced a new role. Some insiders claim Docherty got the boot from her old position due to the negative response from Chevy’s new slogan, “Excellence for Everyone” (which has been very recently changed to a very similar “Everyone Deserves Excellence” motto).
Whatever the case may be, we still wish Ms. Docherty the best of luck and that she makes good decisions.
We have GM’s press release after the jump! (more…)
The first time we heard that Cadillac would be getting a 7-passenger vehicle based on GM’s Lambda platform was before General Motors went into bankruptcy about a year ago. But this Wednesday, Karl Stracke, Vice President of global engineering at Cadillac, told Inside Line that a Lambda-based Cadillac crossover is “absolutely a go.”
GM already uses the Lamda to underpin the Chevy Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave crossovers. But using the architecture to underpin a Cadillac crossover is a hotly-debated (read: controversial) topic within the General Motors fan community (read why below).
There’s no word on when we may see Caddy’s biggest car-based crossover or about engine choices, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see GM’s high-feature 3.6L or a boosted version of GM’s 3.0L six currently under development as the LF1. But both of these powerplants, however, may prove to be too weak to motivate the 7-seater in ways Cadillac may prefer.
What’s more, Inside Line is speculating that the big CUV will have a shnoz similar to that of the XTS Concept: “we’re taking a liberty here and speculating that the eventual large crossover will have a face like the Cadillac XTS concept unveiled this year in Detroit.”
What a terrible idea. At least that’s the consensus of the GM Authority team. How so? Well, Cadillac seems to be losing sight of what it wants (or needs) to be. If it’s a truly premium brand, sharing platforms with lesser vehicles needs to stop. Let me clarify: it’s okay if the platform began as a Cadillac and then went on to underpin Chevys, GMC, and Buicks. It’s not okay to go the other way.
You can be sure we’ll be discussing this very topic on this week’s GM Authority podcast, so stay tuned for more insight and commentary from your favorite General Motors fan site! But before we record that, let us know what you think in the comments below.
[Source: Inside Line]
With six races under its belt, the Chevrolet Cruze World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) Race Team has the competition in a vice grip. With a score of 193 points, it’s leading the pack in team points by 16 – quite a leap from currently second-placed SEAT, which currently has 177 points, while third place BMW comes in at 158. More impressively, two Cruze team drivers take up two of the top three individual spots. Yvan Muller is in the lead in driver rankings with 100 points and teammate Robert Huff is in third place with 76 points; Huff is directly tied with SEAT team racing driver Gabriele Tarquini. The team seems to be on track to achieve its goal of the WTCC world title – something that has evaded the Cruze squad since its 2005 debut in the WTCC.
As one would imagine, these Chevy Cruze touring cars are not your domesticated Eco and RS models that will hit U.S. dealerships in the coming months and that have been selling in Europe for the least few years. However, the Cruze WTCC car is powered by a very familiar 2.0-liter Ecotec inline-four that we’re hoping will see its way into an SS version of the Cruze. In the WTCC Cruze, however, the boosted four-banger blasts out 285 hp and gives the compact sedan a top speed of 158 mph. And let’s not forget that the WTCC Cruze weighs less than 2,540 lbs (1,152 kg).
The next race of the WTCC circuit is in Zolder, Belgium during the 19th and 20th of June. It will be the seventh race of a total 24. Let’s hope the Cruze Team will make less errors than the Corvette Racing team this year (which shouldn’t be all that hard). For much more on the Chevy Cruze WTCC team, check out the official WTCC team’s website here.
We have a high-res gallery of the Chevy Cruze WTCC team and cars right after the break! (more…)
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