General Motors

U.S. casts shadow on GM global surge Sharon Terlep | Link to Original Article @ The Detroit News General Motors Corp. is shattering sales records, besting competitors and making money almost everywhere in the world. Those successes will amount to little, however, if the automaker can't resuscitate sales in its money-losing North American operation -- something GM says isn't likely until at least 2008. GM sold 2.4 million vehicles around the world in the second quarter, with 1.4 million of those cars and trucks going to consumers outside the United States, according to sales data released Thursday. GM reclaimed the No. 1 global rank for the second quarter after outse…

1000 loyalty bonus in effect GM card topoff in effect auto show bonuses end of season discounts BUY BUY BUY i can buy a 1SV G6 for 11k right now. (15k after 2500 rebate) minus 1k loyalty - 3k GM card topoff. GO GM!

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/23/did-a-g...ge-for-kind-wo/

America's Best- Selling Full-Sized SUV To Start At $33,990 DETROIT – Chevrolet today announced the all-new Tahoe will be priced at $33,990 for the LS model equipped with a standard 5.3L engine. This new vehicle is priced approximately $2,000 below its predecessor. The 2007 Tahoe goes on sale at Chevrolet dealers across the country today. “Tahoe has been the best-selling full-sized SUV since 2001. The 2007 model is the best Tahoe yet, and we are bringing it to the marketplace at a great value,” said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. “This is very consistent with our recent pricing of other launch vehicles, making America's number one brand, Chevrolet, also America…

This is the daily cartoon in the Toronto Star today. I seriously have no idea how they find this $h! funny. This is Canada's biggest daily newspaper. Their hatred for Detroit knows no bounds.

"Here's one of the most shocking numbers from GM's genuinely awful fourth-quarter financial report: 39% of the passenger cars GM sold in the U.S. during the quarter were sold to fleets, including rental-car agencies. When people say that GM makes too many cars that people don't want, this is what they are talking about."

free press http://www.knollenberg.house.gov/blog/?p=55

Article here: http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/06/news/compa...rtune/index.htm

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199205,00.html - Scroll to bottom

Is GM stock worth a little more than $3 now? Somebody just posted it on another forum, I thought it was 4 bucks...? Amazing how bad the automakers are doing for that to be thinkable IMO. What the heck is going on?

Check this out,(credit to Popular Mechanics) a mini on the lambda platform with real form! a great improvement over the (really) outdated uplander that has been dissapointing to say the least. Great clean euro looking sheet metal, vibe style arched roofline and what seems to be great visability.This shot gives us a glimps of what should prove to be a jump into hyperspace for the twin upcoming people movers.It goes without saying that GM will undoubtably have a world class interior as well. Keep your eyes peeled!!

GM NEWS PRODUCTION BEGINS OF NEW SIX-SPEED TRANSMISSIONS AT HISTORIC WILLOW RUN FACILITY .... GM is announcing the start of production of a new family of Hydra-Matic six-speed automatic transmissions for rear-drive applications at the upgraded Willow Run facility in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The 6L80 six-speed transmission debuts in the 2006 Chevy Corvette, Cadillac STS-V and XLR-V, and several models of GM's all-new 2007 full-size SUVs. Production of the transmissions is the culmination of a 450-million-dollar, nearly 3-year investment at the Ypsilanti Transmissions Operations (YTO) facility. A new team working concept has been arranged at the plant, which will serve…

"Yesterday, General Motors met with representatives with Canadian union Unifor - the second in less in two weeks. Talks centered around Oshawa with Unifor pleading to reconsider plans of phasing out products at the plant to keep 3,000 jobs. But those talks went nowhere as GM is moving forward with their restructuring plans. "Unfortunately, all Unifor’s proposals would involve substantial incremental costs and a further deterioration of GM’s competitive position. Having completed an analysis of Unifor’s proposals, GM has determined that it cannot pursue them because they would not combat the declining economic and market factors that must be addressed," wrote GM's vic…

Crazy for color Right hues mean lots of green to GM, carmakers Brett Clanton / The Detroit News Top colors The most popular vehicle paint color choices in North America   Color 2005 2004 Silver 18% 18% White/White pearl 17% 16% Gray 15% 10% Blue 12% 11% Black 11% 11% Red 11% 14% Light brown 9% 11% Green 4% 5% Yellow/gold 2% 2% Others 1% 2% Charles V. Tines / The Detroit News "Blue is going to be the biggest story for '07, '08 and '09," says Christopher Webb, a color designer for GM. A group of GM designers is assigned the task of predicting the trends. The current hot color is silver. See full image Charles …

Some older models are suddenly hot sellers Chevy Impala, Pontiac G6, PT Cruiser, Saturn Ion are mong those seeing big gains An analysis of new car and truck sales at the halfway point in the model year confirms some now long-familiar trends -- but also reveals some surprising developments. The rush to smaller cars -- fueled in part by high gasoline prices -- is not only moving new compacts off the sales floor, but also more familiar cars that have been around a while. The Chrysler PT Cruiser had a 7 percent sales increase during the first six months of 2006 compared with 2005, according to J.D. Powers and Associates sales reports. Sales of the retro-styled car jum…

Anyone? I heard one person besides me mention it.

http://www.autonews.com/news.cms?newsId=13992

GM sales rise; Ford, Chrysler slip Despite an expected decline in U.S. industry sales, GM reported a 3.4 percent total sales increase, compared with February 2006. The sales gain was due to an 11 percent retail sales increase. Retail and fleet sales by GM dealers in the United States totaled 311,763 vehicles, compared with sales of 301,545 in February 2006. Fleet sales were down 18 percent due to a planned 25 percent reduction in daily rental sales. "Our pickup, SUV and crossover business was terrific across the board. Our customers are telling us that we have the winning formula - the best products, industry-leading fuel economy and the best value," said Mark LaNeve, v…

Dear Friends, It's high time to call a spade a spade. Mr G Richard "Red Ink Rick" Wagoner is nothing more than the evil incarnate, purposely placed atop General Motors for no more ryhme and reason than the planned decimation of the world's once largest industrial enterprise. This man, born in Wilmington Delaware, has been intentionally fast tracked. His placement as chief financial officer made no sense to outsiders as he leapfrogged many senior executives. His mission, which he readily accepted has been mostly fulfilled, spinning not winning, leading to our eventual bankruptcy. He is without doubt the worst sort of corporate criminal, personally responsible for the suf…

http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Stor...hoo&siteid=yhoo Well it is deja vu all over again. The domestics losing ground to Asian imports. At least the GMT 900s are doing good. But GM really needs to pay attention to its car side. They can't depend on truck sales to carry them through forever.

Source: Newsday

Link To Article

If you thought the pain and suffering against diesel would end anytime soon, think again. Today in Federal Court in Detroit, a class-action lawsuit was filed against General Motors by 705,000 owners of the 2011 to 2016 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra HDs equipped with the Duramax V8 diesel claiming the engine has illegal software to skirt emission tests. The 190-page suit says GM equipped the Duramax V8 with various software programs to pass regulatory emission tests, while spewing two to five times the legal limit when driven under regular conditions. Bloomberg notes the suit has 83 references to Volkswagen and alleges environmental damage caused by these trucks…

unf'in believable http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,524520,00.html

http://www.autoextremist.com/ December 12, 2008 It’s up to you Mr. President. By Peter M. De Lorenzo Detroit. The U.S. Senate late last night voted against passage of a bill to give an emergency bridge loan to the Detroit automakers – specifically GM and Chrysler - paving the way for the eventual collapse of the domestic automobile industry and sending this country’s already teetering financial situation to the brink of disaster. The inaction - a blatantly malicious display of placing political self-interests before the best interests of the nation – was orchestrated by Senators Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY), two men who are pushing “the Sout…

Link to article GM trucks, SUVs prone to losing power steering GM trucks, SUVs prone to losing power steering while parking but company says it's no problem MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Several popular models of General Motors trucks and SUVs are liable to lose their power steering as drivers make slow turns in parking lots, according to testimony and company documents. The problem has forced the nation's biggest automaker to settle lawsuits and led one state police force to briefly label the condition a hazard, but GM considers it a "normal characteristic" of the vehicles. Some drivers complain they must struggle to parallel park and navigate into tight spots. Othe…

An April 13, 2006 article from Business Week gives Bob Lutz the chance to speak on GM's behalf. To view the piece, click here.

If you think things have been tough for General Motors in America, you should see how bad it's going for them in Japan. Forget pulling out of the Tokyo Motor Show, we're talking a steady sales decline over the past decade that has brought volume to just 2,000 units a year from a high of 50,000 in 1996. That really sucks, so GM wants to try and change things ASAP. They have announced a modest goal of doubling sales in Japan over the next three years. Part of the problem with Japanese sales is image, but product selection and a shrinking dealer network are also to blame. Rick Brown, president of GM Japan, says they plan to address those issues by adding a couple of dealer…

Interesting article in the January 7th edition if the San Francisco Chronicle. History is indeed a revelation. Nazis rode to war on GM wheels. And everyone makes mistakes!

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/bailout-w...money-or-worse/

Saint Jean Cap Ferrat , France -- It was a good two days for Robert Lutz, General Motors Corp. vice president for product development. The automotive media applauded the Geneva International Motor Show introduction of one of GM's divisional concept cars, the sleek, all-methanol-powered Saab Aero X. And at this Mediterranean resort, sumptuously sandwiched between Nice and Monaco, Lutz presided over the launching of the Cadillac BLS, a small, European-market, entry-level luxury car designed to take on the likes of the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedans. The GM that Lutz and company presented here did not look at all like the troubled GM of North America, whic…

General Motors will be bringing back the Hummer name to sell a new electric truck as part of the GMC lineup. The Wall Street Journal first broke the news yesterday with GM moving forward on plans to bring Hummer back that was first reported back in June. The report also said that the company would tout the return with a Super Bowl ad featuring NBA star LeBron James. GM declined to comment. The decision is likely due to the planned $3 billion investment for the Detroit-Hamtramck plant that we reported back in October. The investment is to gear up the plant to build an electric pickup for GMC and an electric Cadillac SUV by 2023. But in 2021, the plant will produc…

FORTUNE Tuesday, September 6, 2005 By Alex Taylor III "Are we serious about a coupe and convertible?" demands the chairman of General Motors as he reviews proposed Cadillac body styles. "Or are we just going to talk about it for five years?" The mood at the 7 a.m. Friday product meeting at GM’s Design Center, north of Detroit, tenses up a few notches, which is just what Rick Wagoner intends. Everyone here knows that the company is in trouble. But as Wagoner studies the projected images of cars and trucks in development, he wants to be sure his team understands that each arm of GM has to get faster, smarter, sharper—now. Wagoner zeroes in on a …

hey here is the link for the spy shots of the 08 hummer h3 and a possible specs for the h3 (the 3.5 engine will be now a 3.7 i-5 engine with 245hp and a atlas i-6 with 291 hp) Click Here For More Info if you have troubles with the link send me a message to send you the pictures :CG_all:

If you happen to be an owner of a General Motors vehicle and are looking to earn some cash, then a new pilot program might be of interest. Bloomberg has learned from sources that GM is planning to launch a program where owners can rent out their vehicles when they aren't driving them - think AirBnb for cars. This will be launch through GM's Maven car-sharing service sometime this summer. A GM spokesman declined to comment. This appears to be another part of GM's plan to transition from manufacturer to mobility provider. GM already has their car-sharing service Maven and invested $500 million into ride-hailing service Lyft. This idea of allowing owners to rent ou…

Full news release here

Linkity Cadillac World Thorium Fuel Car Concept Here's another one from the world of unlimited conceptual design: the Cadillac World Thorium Fuel concept. Otherwise known as the Cadillac WTF. Created by Loren Kulesus, everything about the WTF has been created to last 100 years without maintenance. That's the reason for the element number ninety, thorium: to act as a nuclear fuel powering batteries that would power the car. Elsewhere, every major system is redundant in case of a failure. And the wheels don't have individual tires - in fact, what's located at each corner is one combined unit made up of six individual wheels. That gives you 24 wheels in to…

By Greg Migliore Automotive News / August 30, 2005 http://www.autonews.com/news.cms?newsId=13195 DETROIT -- Automakers are opening their vehicle fleets and wallets to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. General Motors said it is donating $400,000 to the American Red Cross hurricane relief fund, and the GM foundation will match employees' collective donations up to $250,000. GM also is making 25 vehicles available to the Red Cross to deploy as needed, according to Hilary Spittle, GM's spokeswoman for corporate responsibility and philanthropy. Ford Motor Credit Co. will allow customers affected by the hurricane to defer two vehicle payments. …

Link To Article

http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet...n=2&docid=19615 Understatement of the year: Really? $15b in savings? Time well spent? What insight! Other news This is interesting because GMAC is GM's cash-flow darling. There's a reason why GM hasn't divested itself from GMAC earlier than this: it's because GMAC brings in big money to GM's bottom line. You remove this, then you'd better be pretty confident you can make money selling cars. If GM makes this move, then they better have the rest of the ship in tight shape.. While it's nice to see that Delphi's bankrupcty isn't going to cost them a full &#0…

Lutz Talks Back Part II "Hey Bob...what about Buick?" Some clarification - as evidenced by this clip, this is actually the first of a four-part series featuring one-on-one interviews with Mr. Lutz that will be released over the rest of the month. FastLane editors had some technical issues, so they threw the second one up first. However, the order doesn't really matter. In this segment, Mr. Lutz assures us that both he and Buick are indeed alive. Future Buicks both in the American and Chinese markets will follow a "softer, quieter, more traditional American" design. This contrasts with Cadillac, which was described again as being edgier and more geared towards the ha…

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/autos/...duct/index.html

AP GM to put French factory, Hummer brand up for sale Wednesday September 24, 4:38 pm ET By Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer GM treasurer says company will put Strasbourg, France, factory and Hummer brand up for sale DETROIT (AP) -- General Motors Corp.'s treasurer said Wednesday that the automaker is planning to put its Strasbourg, France, manufacturing operation and its Hummer truck brand up for sale, and it may announce more asset sales later this year. ADVERTISEMENT Company Treasurer Walter Borst said in a slide presentation at the Deutsche Bank Leveraged Finance Conference that the company expects to distribute marketing materials for both operations in …

Linkity At Witz' End: CAFE, the 0.2% Solution Why attack just five percent of it? by Gary Witzenburg http://www.thecarconnection.com/contact/in...p?AuthorID=3016 (2007-11-05) And consider that the U.S. vehicle fleet, currently about 250 million cars and trucks, is growing at the rate of six million a year. Even if those new ones get incrementally more fuel-efficient, their per-vehicle improvements will be overwhelmed by that explosive growth.Given that scenario, the demand for good used vehicles would skyrocket, and what may remain of the auto industry will have to survive on parts and service to keep them running. Is that far-fetched? Reso…

Among the comment on developments at GM this week is an article by Jonathan Fahey, "Rick Wagoner Is Running Out of Excuses," on the website Forbes.com

link to article

What My Dad Taught Me About GM And The Auto Workers Fat wages and benefits can't last when competition is cutthroat URL: http://yahoo.businessweek.com/magazine/con...45/b3958038.htm

Truck line may be for sale International may buy GM's medium-duties FLINT THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION Sunday, May 13, 2007 By Todd Seibt [email protected] • 810.766.6315 FLINT - General Motors is considering selling its medium-duty truck line, which employs about 500 people at the Flint Truck Assembly Plant, but there is no firm deal yet, sources said. And right now, the UAW, wrapped in thorny national contract negotiations with GM and Delphi Corp., doesn't see a good reason to approve any such move. "We are aware of these ongoing talks between the parties," said Cal Rapson of Clayton Township, vice president of the UAW's GM and Delphi departments. Whi…

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/n...al/13418638.htm

Isuzu pulls out of 2006 North American Auto Show. http://www.autoblog.com/entry/1234000273060268/

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/biz/200509...19503011880.htm

I don't think it would stop me. If GM or Ford etc. goes bankrupt, its said that it would kill sales. But assuming financing was there, would you feel comfortable buying their car even knowing that they were going under? Discuss the reasons.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5058950 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5058950 Listen do not read the transcript because of lost detail. Links at the bottom were good as well. Avg age of worker 49yo 30years senority. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5021604

By: Jamie LaReau Automotive News DETROIT -- General Motors is starting a national incentive program to run through Jan. 3 despite claims that it would hold to its value pricing strategy. The program, called GM Red Tag Event, starts Monday, Nov. 14, auto dealers say. A GM spokeswoman declined to comment on Friday, Nov. 11. Under the program customers can get any 2005 or 2006 Buick, Pontiac, GMC or Chevrolet car or light truck at the supplier price plus $100, several dealers say. The exceptions to the sale are the Pontiac Solstice, Chevrolet Corvette and new Buick Lucerne, they say. The supplier price is the price offered to employees of GM suppliers. For example…

By EMILY FREDRIX, AP Business Writer Emily Fredrix, Ap Business Writer – 2 hrs 21 mins ago ValuJet was reborn as AirTran. Philip Morris rechristened itself Altria. Blackwater became Xe. Would a name change work for beleaguered General Motors? It would mean casting aside a brand that stood for almost a century as a symbol of American industrial might, but some marketing experts say it might be just the thing to help the once-mighty automaker make a fresh start. "If the goal is to try and put this company on a massive diet and just turn it into a smaller car manufacturing operation, I'm not sure there'd be that much harm in rebranding," said Jean-Pierre Dube, a Un…

GM has launched a Facts and Fiction Website. Please see the link below. Link: http://gmfactsandfiction.com/

Link: http://www.autoextremist.com/page2.shtml#Rant Detroit. On Monday, the Motor Press Guild announced the results of its first independent national survey of automotive journalists ranking the public relations operations of major automobile manufacturers. MPG, a non-profit organization headquartered in Los Angeles, is the nation’s largest professional association of automotive journalists and public relations practitioners. The survey was conducted among MPG’s more than 400 journalist members plus another 100 nationally recognized automotive writers who are not MPG members – and it represents the largest and most comprehensive study of automotive public relations per…

The central mystery of the new movie "Who Killed the Electric Car?" is why General Motors created a dynamic battery-powered auto that drivers loved, only to crush it to smithereens. The mystery, meantime, at the National Museum of American History is why a rare surviving example of that car -- a silvery-blue 1997 EV1 sedan -- would be removed from display yesterday just as interest in the innovative vehicle seems bound to grow. GM, which donated the EV1, happens to be one of the Smithsonian Institution's biggest contributors. A $10 million gift in 2001 paid half the cost of the history museum's new transportation exhibition hall, which was renamed to honor the benefacto…

I would think that every poster on Cheers and Gears would want to read what President's Obama's auto task force found to be wrong with GM's viability plan. Here are the details from Jamie LaReau of Automotive News: President Barack Obama's auto task force says General Motors will be hard-pressed to meet its projections in five key areas without dramatically restructuring the company. In response to the viability plan GM submitted Feb. 17, the task force demanded that GM intensify its restructuring over the next 60 days or face possible bankruptcy. In a statement released today, the task force criticized GM's assumptions in these areas: 1. Market share 2. Price…

Start Of Production Dates From GM Canada To Dealers. 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe - December 5, 2005 2007 GMC Yukon - January 9, 2006 2007 Cadillac Escalade - January 16, 2006 2007 GMC Yukon Denali - March 6, 2006 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche - April 3, 2006 2007 GMC Yukon XL Denali - April 17, 2006 2007 Chevrolet Suburban - April 17, 2006 2007 GMC Yukon XL - April 17, 2006 2007 Cadillac Escalade EXT - May 1, 2006 2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV - May 8, 2006

We have seen the beat on set now it is the Corvette XR1? and a updated Bumble Bee Z/28?. I know the Camaro is one of the two GTO based cars but it has been updated in several areas. The hood and front splitter look to be possible Z/28 parts as the hood would give added clearance for a supercharger and the spitter would give more front down force for the car like on the ZR-1. Also the wheels were used on the Convertable prototype at one point. Also note the black sections on the bumpers that could have the brake cooling and fog lights. Note the headlights look more like the production car as we expect them. Also the Vette XR1 is one I have not see or hea…

I only ask this question, if GM declares, only for the sole purposes of erasing their pensions debts and labor liabilities, will you ever buy a GM again? what do you think the general public will think? Will it hurt GM's long term sales to declare bankruptcy?

As forcast last week by GeneralWatch and reported in today's Automotive News, GM once again proves why management has no credibility. Wait until the folks who recently took delivery find out that they missed the boat as GM gives another example of why LaNeve and Company are not to be believed and should be immediately shown the door. How about the hard working retail personnel who had planned family vacations with the kids before school? In other words, thanks folks for working so hard, now choose between making dough and spending quality time with loved ones. Remember how GM lowered prices a few months back? The charade of "value pricing" was truly…

I picked up a bunch of '06 GM brochures the other day.....two of them being the 2006 G6 brochure and the 2006 Cobalt brochure. In the G6 brochure, on the page that is titled "Larger. Smarter. Faster. Pick Three" and about 15 pages into the brochure, Pontiac claims that the GT models feature "...mores standard power than Audi A4 or BMW 323i." BMW hasn't sold a 323 model since the early 2000's. The standard 2006 BMW 325i has 215 horsepower....clearly MORE than the GT's 3.5L V6. In the Cobalt brochure, on page 5, talking about the SS coupe and sedan, GM advertises a "Tuned Sport suspension and a fully synchronized five-speed AU…

Let's put aside emotional attachments to historically illustrious brands for a second. Let's also put aside the complications of labor contracts, dealership commitments and various fiefdoms within the General's camp. Let's simply ask where we want to be in four years... I hope for a GM with no badge engineered products, half as many models and one third as many (US) brands tapping its engineering, design, financial, logistics and advertising resources makes pretty good sense. I also hope that this trimmer and focused GM will also be one which has regained technological and qualitative leadership over the rest of the world. But hope is not a strategy. So, this is what …