LA International | GM Authority

Buick Teases Rendering Of Upcoming Compact Sedan (Verano?)
by Alex Luft
Posted December 10th, 2009 at 1:08 pm

Rendering of upcoming Buick sedan at 2009 LA Auto Show

The 2009 LA International Auto Show has produced an interesting tid-bit about GM’s future product portfolio. For example, during a press conference for the recently-unveiled Buick Regal, a rendering of what looks to be Buick’s upcoming compact sedan flashed across the screen.

It’s widely expected that the confirmed Buick compact sedan (possibly named Verano) will share a lot of components with the new Opel Astra, while adding a proper trunk lid in the process. Last month, Buick’s China division unveiled the Buick Excelle XT hatch, which features a choice of two four-cylinder 1.6 liter engines (turbo and naturally aspirated) mated to a six-speed transmission. When the baby Buick makes its way to North American shores, expect it to come with the high-output 1.6 liter turbo, good for 181 horses and 173 lb-ft of torque.

But enough guessing: the sketch at the LA show presented the baby Buick with a proper trunk lid (read: sedan form, as opposed to the Astra’s hatchback design), a larger grille, restyled headlights, and the addition of hood-mounted portholes. These are all features that haven’t (yet) made it to the Chinese-market Excelle XT, so it looks like there may be some differences between the two products after all. Recently, some eagle-eyed spy photographers have caught the disguised Buick compact in Germany.

The GM Authority Take

As I’ve mentioned before, GM’s long-term plan for Buick is to become a full-fledged global pure luxury brand. Although competitive, the current generation of Buick products such as the LaCrosse, Regal, and this upcoming Astra-based compact sedan are really stop-gap vehicles intended to establish the respective brand names. The next-generation of Buick vehicles will be more in line with GM’s goals of turning Buick into a pure luxury brand – as I will outline in an upcoming in-depth research report. Look for that in about a week.

In the meantime, check out the gallery of the Chinese-market Buick Excelle XT after the break. (more…)

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Bob Lutz Won’t Talk About Fritz, But Kinda-Sorta Does Anyway
by Alex Luft
Posted December 3rd, 2009 at 10:15 am

We have to admit – Tuesday’s news of Fritz Henderson stepping down as GM’s CEO took us by surprise. Besides Ed Whitacre’s statement on the matter and some rumors, no one was really sure of the reasons why Fritz decided to resign except for – of course – Fritz and certain GM execs in the know. As such, we were grasping at straws while trying to find out more concrete information and facts about what really transpired.

So you could imagine our excitement when instead of Fritz Henderson, it was Maximum Bob Lutz who took the stage at the LA Auto Show keynote address. That’s right, the same Lutz who – if left in a room filled with journalists – would probably end up slipping hints about the future of every vehicle in the product pipeline.

To our dismay, Lutz stated “I know you’d like the true, inside story of what really happened at General Motors. I’m not giving it to you.” Perhaps we’ll get the story in Bob’s next book.

But then, in typical Lutz fashion, he went on to say: “I think all of us were surprised. The whole General Motors team is genuinely saddened over what transpired. Fritz is without question a great executive.”

The GM Authority Take

Make of that what you will, but if Henderson’s departure has GM employees feeling down, who should we blame – Ed, Fritz, or the entire board of directors?

[Source: Jalopnik]

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National Launch Of Chevy Volt To Begin In California, Select Markets To Follow
by Alex Luft
Posted December 3rd, 2009 at 12:43 am

If you can’t wait to put your money down on a Chevy Volt and you live in the State of California, you’re in luck! Chevrolet announced today at the Los Angeles International Auto Show that its upcoming Volt EV will initially be made available late next year in the Golden State – the country’s largest new-car market.

Chevy will announce other lead markets for the Volt as we get closer to the launch of the much-anticipated EV. At the present time, Volt production is scheduled to commence in late 2010.

The GM Authority Take

Here we go folks! It goes without saying that the Volt is very important for The General. And we’ve just witnessed the first step by GM in bringing the Volt to market. Since the success of the Volt (and other plug-in EVs) is highly dependent on the surrounding electric infrastructure, it’s important that GM go about picking the initial launch markets carefully. A slow and steady roll-out and development of said infrastructure in the primary launch markets will ensure that Volt owners have the tools they need to refuel recharge their vehicles. In fact, Chevrolet is working with three utilities and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to tackle the whole infrastructure issue – more about this in a bit!

Check out the high-resolution gallery of the Volt after the break!

[Source: GM]

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US-Bound Chevy Cruze Revealed!
by Alex Luft
Posted November 29th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
A few days ago we reported that the Chevrolet Cruze will make its U.S. debut at the upcoming LA Auto Show (on December 2nd). Today we’ve obtained official pictures of the U.S.-spec Cruze along with a few important details:
- Chevy is expecting the Cruze to deliver “many segment-leading features and details that challenge preconceived notions about what a compact car can be in North America.” In other words, it should beat the competition and finally deliver an American compact car that doesn’t correlate size to quality and feature set. Having been on sale across Europe and Asia, we expect Chevrolet to have worked out any kinks and glitches in the Cruze’s production line, materials, and reliability. Moreover, since the development of the Cruze has been somewhat in tune with that of the Volt, we expect both vehicle teams to have learned something from one another and applied it to make both products better (now that’s what you call a synergy!)
- The Cruze LT and LTZ will feature the exhaust-driven 1.4 liter turbo Ecotec that delivers 138hp and 148 lb.-ft. of torque (200 Nm) while the Cruze LS will come with the 1.8 L Ecotec four-cylinder. Both powerplants have the same basic architecture, as they are part of GM’s family of global small-displacement engines designed to be fuel-efficient. The engines can be mated to either an automatic or manual six-speed transmission.
- Chevy is really emphasizing efficiency here – the 1.4L turbo will give a cruising range of more than 500 miles (800 km). The Cruze is, of course, backed by the best powetrain coverage in the US – five-year/100,000 miles.
- The Cruze features a strong body structure and chassis system designed to deliver a responsive and fun driving experience. This enabled engineers to more precisely tune the chassis for comfort and driving control: MacPherson strut set-up in the front, Watts-Z-link design in the rear.
- StabiliTrack (electronic stability control) with rollover mitigation, traction control, anti-lock brakes, and electric power steering are standard. No steering pump from the engine’s driven accessories means less mechanical complexity and a decrease in fuel consumption
- As far as wheel sizes go:
  - LS and LT models get 16-inch wheels standard
  - LTZ gets the 17-inch alloys
  - 2LT and LTZ models are available with 18s
- The interior of the Cruze contains high-quality materials, with many soft-touch components and low-gloss trim panels – a quality that is uncommon in the mainstream compact segment
- Of interest to me is the following segment:
The doors have triple seals and feature fiberglass “blankets” that serve as water, airflow and noise barriers. The doors are also beta-braced, meaning they close with a solid, precise sound and no resonance.

BETABRACE is a Dow Automotive Systems product that is said to improve distortion resistance, flexural strength, impact resistance, and fatigue. Most importantly, however, is that these benefits can be provided by BETABRACE without the added weight and cost of steel supporting structures. More info about BETABRACE can be found here.

The Cruze will be built at the Lordstown, OH assembly plant and is planned to go on sale during Q3 of 2010.

Check out GM’s press release after the break.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

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US-Spec Cruze To Debut At 2009 LA Auto Show! Volt As Well
by Alex Luft
Posted November 20th, 2009 at 1:41 am

GM is gearing up for a busy year ahead, having announced plans to show the U.S.-spec Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan alongside the Chevrolet Volt at next month’s LA Auto Show. Both vehicles are due to go on sale sometime during the third quarter of 2010.

Having debuted at the Paris Motor Show in October of 2008, the Cruze has been sold in Europe and across the Pacific for most of 2009 and is (finally) destined to replace the aging Cobalt compact in the ‘States. GM expects the Cruze to achieve 40 mpg on the highway, in large part due to its 1.4-liter turbocharged and direct-injected four-banger. It looks like Chevrolet doesn’t plan on offering the 1.6 or 1.8-liter gas/petrol engines (or the European 2.0-liter turbo diesel) at launch. We expect other power plants to show up later on in the production cycle.

Chevrolet claims that since the Cruze has been doing well in Europe and Asia, it has “undergone refinement for America” – an interesting position, given that none of the big 3 (GM included) has taken the compact market very seriously in the last two decades. In any event, the Cruze will offer more interior space and cargo capacity than the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla and will include “upscale infotainment amenities such as a navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity and XM Satellite Radio.”

On the safety front, the compact Chevy will be equipped with ten standard air bags that “provide a safety cocoon for occupants” as well as the critically-acclaimed OnStar technology.

Production will begin at The General’s Lordstown, Ohio plant in April – bringing back nearly 1,000 laid-off workers to meet forecast demand.

In this humble blogger’s opinion, the Cruze can’t come soon enough and is one of the most important launches for Chevrolet and GM over the next five years. That said, let’s not forget about the Volt!

Full press release after the break.

Chevrolet Cruze

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The GM Authority Take

The GM Authority Take

The GM Authority Take

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

Chevrolet Cruze