After putting the 2011 Buick Regal though its battery of front, side, rear, and rollover crash tests, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded the Epsilon II-based sedan a “good” rating – the highest possible score given by the organization. The IIHS also recognized the Regal as a 2010 Top Safety Pick, an certification that’s often considered an honor in the industry. Continue reading.
On more than one occasion, we’ve heard pickup truck fanatics express their dissatisfaction with the state of the compact pickup truck segment in the U.S. and Canada: today’s offerings are either too big, too expensive, or too inefficient. That’s why – being the ultimate GM fans that we are – GM’s next-generation small pickup trucks are of great importance and interest to us.
The going rumor these days has it that GM’s next-gen compact trucks will return to their condensed roots. This means that we should expect something along the lines of a Chevy S10 (GMC S-15). These vehicles will most likely be considerably different that the present-day orado/Sierra counterparts, delivering less capability, conspicuously better gas mileage, and a starting price of roughly $15,000 (or even less).
But the ultimate question, however, is whether these new compact trucks should stick with the proven body-on-frame (BOF) design (like the present-day Colorado) or switch to a unibody architecture (like the Honda Ridgeline). Continue reading.
There’s a new recall in town, boys and girls. This time, it has taken the form of 199,163 Pontiac Vibes that were manufactured between 2005 and 2008. Continue reading.
While many a GM fan loves Cadillac’s newest models – including the entire CTS range as well as the hot-selling SRX crossover – it’s sometimes healthy (and even important) to take a step back and understand how The General came to deliver such great products. Continue reading.
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Recorded on August 28, 2010
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If you like Corvettes and racing games (or maybe even both), then you’re going to love the following ad. While its not a product of The General, this commercial for Gran Turismo on the Sony PSP shows the mightiest vehicle GM has to offer – the Chevy Corvette ZR1 – simultaneously racing around Laguna Seca in the game and on the real track.
What’s interesting is that this ad was made by the same organization that’s in the process of producing the campaign for the Cadillac CTS-V and its absolute dominance of the Nurburgring. Click past the break to watch the ad.
The Chevrolet Spark was just awarded the best possible score of five stars for its performance in the Korean New Car Assessment Program (KNCAP) crash test rating. The bow tie city car scored five stars in the front, side, and rear crash tests and also performed very well in the pedestrian and whiplash test, scoring four stars. Continue reading.
Two small explosions rocked Rochester, NY yesterday afternoon after an accident involving a hydrogen fueling station outside of Rochester International Airport. The explosions, which sent black smoke high into the air, occurred when a driver for Praxair, a supplier of hydrogen to GM vehicles in the area, was exchanging a truck and trailer for another one. That’s when one of the trailers caught fire around 12:50 p.m. Continue reading.

Chevrolet Cruze hatchback - rendering by GoAuto.com.au
It looks like the upcoming Paris Motor Show will be quite a big deal for General Motors. In 2008, The General used the European car show to introduced the all-new Chevrolet Spark and Orlando MPV Concept. Both vehicles garnered a fair share of positive attention and praise. This year, The General is expected to unveil not two, but four all-new models. The model that seems to stand out above the rest is a hatch variant of the already-popular Chevrolet Cruze.
The Cruze hatch could match up very will against other compact hatches, such as the 2011 Ford Focus, Mazda3, Hyundai I30, and Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback here in the States… but that’s only if it makes it here. Unfortunately, the variant has not been confirmed at all, let alone for the U.S. If you’re a fan of hatches (like our own Alex Luft), the news may be somewhat disheartening. The hatch is rumored to have been developed by GM Holden in Australia. Continue reading.
When the Buick Lucerne made its debut in 2006, the sedan made sense. Being a full-size couch on wheels, there’s no way around the fact that the Lucerne is the definition of your grandpa’s Buick (no offense to any grandparents out there, of course).
Initially, the Lucerne sold well after its launch, recording 96,515 deliveries during its first year on the market. But sales slid to 31,292 units in 2009 and are down 12.5 percent so far this year.
Today, Buick is in the midst of a Renaissance and the Lucerne doesn’t seem to belong. Continue reading.
