With the CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario already running three shifts with maximum overtime and not quite enough time and money to add shifts to other plants, nor to consider reactivating a dormant one, there was little else to do. So, GM had to figure out a solution that held the combination of being effective, affordable and could be done in a pinch. What they came up with is pretty good.

Turns out there was enough space in the Ingersoll plant for trucks to dock in, load up a full trailer of five Terrain and Equinox bodies, and shuttle them two and a half hours away to Oshawa, where paint and final assembly will take place. This method allows for an additional capacity of 60,000-80,000 Terrain and Equinox models to be assembled and shipped off to product-thirsty Chevrolet and GMC dealers.

The General has been doing this since March, but we have to wonder whether there’s a more stable long-term solution in the works. Any takers?

View Press Release

Coincidentally, the most recent GM Authority Weekly podcast delivered a very interesting discussion about GM’s various platforms, including the Lambda, Theta, and Epsilon (be sure to listen to the show here). But one of the more intriguing parts of the conversation centered around the Lambda architecture, with Autoblog’s Sam Abuelsamid explaining that a V8 engine is a definite “no-no” for Lambda-based vehicles.

As it turns out, the engine compartment of the Lambda platform is exceptionally narrow and a GM pushrod V8 simply wouldn’t fit.

What’s more, Sam was also told that GM’s two-mode hybrid system won’t become available in Lambda-based crossovers any time soon: the engineers cited transmission-related space constraints of the Lambda platform. Interestingly, the gearbox in question would fit into a Theta-based Saturn Vue… but not a larger Lambda vehicle.

The GM Authority Take

Needless to say, we find this news to be somewhat disheartening. Not only is the Lambda architecture not very flexible, but the next-gen Cadillac Escalade will most likely ride on the Lambda platform as well. And given the addiction of Escalade owners to their burly V8s, we’re not sure that the move to a six cylinder mill will satisfy the customers in the long haul.

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).

While BOF vehicles are tougher and very inexpensive to produce, the architecture may have passed its prime, especially considering tougher CAFE standards and changing consumer demands. But sharing a platform with an existing GM car or crossover (think: Chevrolet Equinox, Cruze, or Aveo – for example), would definitely result in decreased costs and greater economies of scale, but may compromise utility (ruggedness, power, and payload/towing ratings).

In fact, GM may even end up splitting the development of its compact trucks into two different vehicles: a unibody model for North America and a body-on-frame version for the rest of the world. The former would herald a completely new product while the latter would see the continuous development of the current Colorado/Canyon platform.

So, what do you think GM should do with its next-gen compact trucks? Should they remain BOF or switch to a car-based architecture? Vote in the poll below and sound off in the comments.

Lambdas

New Lambda crossovers will make their way to dealer showrooms in 2013 as 2014 model year vehicles. The Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia are rumored to be the first Lamdas to receive a redesign, with the Chevrolet Traverse to follow shortly after. They will also be the first duo of GM’s full size crossovers to be powered by the new LF3 engine.

Given that current Lambda CUVs use GM’s (excellent) high-feature (HF) 3.6 liter direct injected V6 that makes nearly 290 horsepower and 270 pounds-feet of torque, we should expect the LF3 to at least match that power output, if not beat it outright.

At this point, we simply don’t know whether GM plans to offer another engine in the Lambda-based vehicles. Many current owners of Lambda CUVs have been begging for more power and revised gearing ratios, so we could image a scenario where the base engine is the HF 3.6 and the optional up-level mill is the boosted 3.0 LF3.

SRX

The new Cadillac SRX is expected to get a midcycle refresh sometime in 2013 and – in the process – also get the LF3. Currently, Caddy’s only crossover is offered with a choice of two engines – a naturally-aspirated 3.0 liter V6 (LF1) and an optional 2.8 liter turbo V6 (LP9). The LF3 will most likely replace the 2.8 turbo to become the up-level engine.

That said, the GM Authority crew believes that despite being direct injected, the 3.0 liter LF1 is too weak (read: lethargic and unrefined) to be present in the rather heavy SRX. As such, perhaps it would be best to keep the 2.8 turbo (LP9) as the base powerplant and offer the LF3 twin turbo as the optional engine. That’s what yours truly would do… in a perfect scenario.

Impala And XTS

It’s also entirely possible for the new LF3 motor to make its way to other GM vehicles, including the next-generation Chevy Impala and forthcoming Cadillac XTS (even though the latter may end up not coming to market). Both vehicles will ride on the Super Epsilon platform, a beefed up version of GM’s global Epsilon II architecture.

Against the likes of the highly comparative Ford and Ram three-quarter and full-ton trucks, The General’s 2500 and 3500 HD models, equipped with the Herculean 6.6 liter Duramax diesel engine, emerged as clear winners.

The shootout was incredibly thorough and rigorous, tallying scores on subjects such as fuel economy, performance, quality, value, and even hill climbs. While the Vortec-powered GM trucks didn’t do as well, and Fords trucks – as tested – only featured the “Job 1″ 6.7 liter PowerStroke diesel engine rather the upgraded “Job 2″ variant that will deliver 800 lbs.-ft. of torque – credit still has to be given to all the engineers involved in taking 2 out of 3 titles in the biggest PickupTrucks.com shootout ever.

Click here to read Pickuptrucks.com’s full comparison test.

According to GM, the reason for the voluntary recall of 243,403 vehicles is an awkward second row trim shield that can damage the seat belt buckles in the second row. When the seats are returned to their upright position after being folded flat, the buckle can make contact with the seat’s frame, damaging the buckle itself. The process by which this happens could also result in requiring extra force to buckle the seat belt properly, which in turn could potentially result in the depressing of the all-important red release button while eliciting the feeling that the buckle was safely latched. The buckle may also appear to latch when the latch mechanism is not fully engaged, may even unlatch, and – in rare instances – jam.

Owners of the Traverse, Enclave, Acadia, and Outlook will be able to schedule a free appointment with their dealer to inspect and repair this defect upon being contacted by The General. GM made it a point in letting us know that there aren’t any known cases where second-row safety belts have failed to perform properly in a crash.

View Press Release

Why, exactly, is the Movano so appealing to us? For starters, we like the spec sheet. With 29 different body variations and more cargo space than rival Mercedes/Freightliner (and at one point, Dodge) Sprinter and a more affordable price, the Movano could do wonders for the stale van market here in the United States and Canada if it donned a GMC or Chevrolet badge.

Apparently, somebody within General Motors has been reading our articles, as we just got word from a trusted source that plans of bringing some of the van models from the Old World have been laid on the table and are currently waiting the ever-important approval.

So, what does this mean? Well, we could very well see the Movano here in the States to fortify GM’s lineup of commercial and service-oriented vehicles that currently lay on the shoulders of the dulling (yet still capable) Chevy Express/GMC Sierra vans.

2010 Opel Movano

What’s more, models such as the Opel/Vauxhall Combo midsize/compact van could also arrive in due time. The Combo would be a perfect contender against the popular and super-useful Ford Transit Connect.

Opel Combo

If true, this could be another good decision in a series of rumored decisions that we welcome by the New General Motors.

Hang tight the next few days as this story unfolds!

Opel Movano

Opel Combo

• Chevrolet sales up 32.5 percent
• Buick sales up 52.7 percent
• Cadillac sales up 39.1 percent
• GMC sales up 45 percent

Without further ado, here are the sales charts you’ve been waiting for!

2010 - July - USA - Chevrolet

2010 - July - USA - Buick

2010 - July - USA - Cadillac

2010 - July - USA - GMC

2010 - July - USA - Other Brands

2010 - July - USA - GM Total

The History

First Ford introduced its all-new Super Duty trucks, along with an all-new 6.7L V8 diesel engine, that originally cranked out 390 horsepower and 735 pounds-feet of torque. Back then, the new Super Duty lead the pack in towing and payload ratings, at 21,600 pounds and 6,520 pounds, respectively. Then came GM with its new HD and an updated 6.6 liter Duramax diesel that smote the Ford Super Duty with 397 horsepower and 765 pounds-feet of torque. Ford still had the better towing and payload ratings… until GM strengthened the framework after 100 hours worth of mountain driving with the trucks loaded to capacity. That bumped the original ratins to 21,700 lbs. fifth wheel towing and 6,635 lbs. payload in The General’s favor for the undisputed crown. Apparently, this didn’t sit too well with the engineers at Ford, who have come to dominate the heavy-duty truck market over the last few years.

What Did Ford Do?

With the new Power Stroke engine at their disposal, the guys and gals in Dearborn went back to the drawing board and increased the engine’s output by 10 horsepower and 65 pounds-feet through an engine software update. Evidently, the update tells the powertrain to inject more fuel into the engine during combustion (or as some would say, by using magical fairy dust). The newly-tuned transmission is also configured to shift and hold gears longer for increased fuel economy.

Current Owners Can Join The Fun Too

Ford also though of current Super Duty owners who wish to increase their trucks’ output numbers. They can get it done for free at their local Ford dealer over the next 12 months. But the bad news doesn’t end there for GM’s HD fans, either.

More Bad News?

By using a similar method GM used to strengthen its payload/hauling specs, Ford also upgraded the hardware in its Super Duty trucks, raising the payload and fifth wheel towing to 7,070 pounds and 22,600 pounds, respectively. For those keeping score at home, that beats the GMC and Chevy offerings by 900 pounds from the fifth and 435 pounds in the payload department. However, this update will only apply to all Super Duty pickups after August 31st, as the numbers on the original job are permanent.

Now What?

Is this it for Truck Wars 2010? Who the hell knows.

Of course, this is great for competition and all, but being the GM fans that we are, we would still really like to see crafty GM engineers do their own rebuttle in this constant back-and-forth with Ford before year’s-end. Until then, The General is in second place… on the spec sheet, of course.

Increases In Average Transaction Prices

The average transaction price of the new-for-2010 Equinox is about $26,500, which is $4,800 higher than the outgoing model. According to Chevrolet General Manager Jim Campbell, it’s also $3,900 more than competing models. Apparently, the Equinox’s content, perceived value, and styling is “really resonating” with consumers, said Campbell.

Four Cylinder Most Popular Powerplant

More than 80 percent of Equinox buyers opt for the 2.4 liter four-cylinder ECOTEC engine (good for 182 hp, 172 lb.-ft. torque) as opposed to the optional V6 mill (that produces 264 hp, 222 lb.-ft. torque). Both engines are direct injected, available in front wheel- or all-wheel drive configurations, and are mated to GM’s six-speed automatic transmission.

For comparison’s sake, buyers of the Equinox’s brother, the GMC Terrain, favor the six-cylinder to the four-banger at a 60:40 ratio.

Increasing Production Capacity

GM is spending more than $90 million on an initiative to boost production of the Equinox and its platform mate, the GMC Terrain. The multi-phase project consists of a retool and a body shop upgrade to GM’s Ingersoll, Ontario assembly plant – a move that’s expected to boost output from 795 vehicles to 996 units a day by August 2.

The second phase entails shipping 300 Equinox body assemblies per day from Ingersoll to GM’s Oshawa, Ontario plant about an hour away, where the vehicles will undergo final assembly.

June sales of the Equinox increased by 179.7 percent compared to 2009 levels and GM can’t seem to get the Theta-based crossovers to consumers fast enough.

“If we could, we would – believe me,” Steve Carlisle, Vice President of product planning said during a sales briefing for analysts and journalists earlier in the month.

[Source: Wards Auto]