General Motors

Linkypoo Let the media bashing begin.

Some optimistic news amidst months of disconcerting reports. Seems the GMT-900s are aiding GM's turnaround despite doubt expressed by the media. Significant improvement in the financial results of GM's automotive units and actions to improve efficiency are beginning to show signs of success: ---------- GM Losses Narrow in Q1 GMAC and others help out North American losses. General Motors Corp. reported a narrower first-quarter loss and beat analyst estimates with the help of profits from GMAC and its automotive units in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. GM reported it lost $323 million, or 57 cents a share, compared to the loss of $1.25 billion, or $2.22 a share, a…

Interesting figures on automakers' profitability in NA, from CNNMoney.com. To view the article, click here. I hope Nissan's $2,135 profit per vehicle, vs. GM's loss, won't give the Kerkorian-York-Ghosn team more fuel for the fire.

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

http://www.autoextremist.com/page2.shtml#Rant

It's from an WSJ article, but it's a pay site, so unable to read it. But that was the headline. THANK GOD! The best decision Wagoner, Lutz, and Co., have made in a while! I think they need to go through the motions and consider the deal, but in the end, they will reject it. And I think the board will go ahead and reject it as well. It's the wrong time to consider an alliance like this. Besides, if GM starts making money sometime soon, they may be able to buy Nissan-Renault in a few years.

Losing market share at this pace is scary. Hopefully, the Red Tag Event will prop up sales for the 2nd half of November. http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/18/news/fortu....reut/index.htm

NEW YORK - A person with knowledge of General Motors’ plans said Friday that the company is likely to announce more production cuts and possible plant closures as early as next week. The person did not want to be identified because plans are not finalized. GM has said previously it would make cuts in engine, transmission and metal stamping operations to correspond with four pickup truck and sport utility vehicle plant closures announced in June. Shares of GM hit their lowest price since 1949 in the opening minutes of trading on wall Street Friday as financial turmoil and a weakening global auto market heightened worries that the automaker may be unable to pull out of …

DETROIT NEWS

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_10658432

OK, more rumor, more newspaper chatter. BUT, if true this indicates that the President's Task Force is marketing savvy. Ask yourself, if you were starting a brand new auto company today, would you have a duplicate truck brand? Would you invest in a duplicate "performance" brand? Probably not. And we see that no one else around the world is rushing to duplicate the GM brand model either. The other one that needs to drop is Buick, as much as I love her. Toyota changed the branding model for the industry and now buyers expect entry-level luxury at the premium brand. LaCrosse and Enclave should be restyled and sold for slightly more as Cadillacs. The margins and to…

GM May Gain Proton Power General Motors Corp. may bid for a stake in Proton, Malaysia's biggest automaker, which is seeking a strategic partner to help reverse its dwindling fortune, a report said Wednesday. Since late November, GM officials had met several times with the management and shareholders of the Malaysian carmaker and may make an offer as early as this month, the Business Times quoted an unnamed industry executive as saying. U.S.-based GM, the world's largest automaker, has proposed to take up a small stake at Proton's holding company as well as acquire a stake in Proton's manufacturing arm, the executive told the daily. GM's proposal includes helping Prot…

General Motors Corp is delaying the redesign of SUV's and full size trucks as part of a wholesale review of its product and brand portfolio geared toward building lighter , fuel-efficient vehicles. General Motors is looking at the whole product profolio,'' spokesman Tom Wilkinson said late Wensday. In the meantime, he said the automaker will extend the life cycle of its current linup of pickups and SUV's. Those vehicles know as the GMT900 lineup. The next generation of trucks and SUV's weren't slated to hit the market until at least 2012,. People briefed on the matter say the automaker also has discussed killing off at least one future Hummer SUV product , and poten…

If conditions in the auto industry don't start improving soon, General Motors will have to start looking for coins between the seats of its vehicles. The automaker currently has $24 billion in cash and another $7 billion in undrawn credit lines--plenty of liquidity, it says, to sustain its global operations through 2008. But will it be enough to limp through the economic downturn swamping the company's recovery efforts? Maybe not, say analysts, who expect General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ) may need to tap the credit markets for as much as $9 billion over the next two years. Not as easy as it sounds. While credit markets are loosening up a bit, GM might have so…

GM may reopen some factories to meet higher demand By TOM KRISHER, AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher, Ap Auto Writer – 1 hr 5 mins ago DETROIT – General Motors Co. may reopen some shuttered factories because it can't produce certain vehicles fast enough, its North American president said Monday. Mark Reuss told reporters at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit that plants building the Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain and Cadillac SRX crossover vehicles and the Buick LaCrosse sedan are at capacity and can't satisfy demand. Reuss mentioned an idled factory in Spring Hill, Tenn., but stopped short of saying any plants would be reopened. He said if he …

http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2009/04/23/gm-fiat-stake.html

http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/090212/business_us_gm_saic.html?.v=6

GM Memo Outlines Comeback Challenges Where General Motors Corp. once boasted of its size and strength in the U.S. market, GM has now turned an increasingly critical eye on the weaknesses that threaten its fledgling turnaround. In an internal planning document obtained by The Detroit News, GM's global research unit takes an unusually candid and harsh look at the automaker's declining position and vulnerabilities in its home market. The confidential study prepared for GM's top management describes the company as "big but outdated," and warns that "our advantages of size and economies of scale are eroding." It also declares that "lack of flexibility is GM's chief disadv…

News GM moves to replace paint with plastic film; facias, rocker panels are first applications RHODA MIEL | Plastics News Posted Date: 11/4/05 DETROIT -- General Motors is using film rather than paint on parts for five vehicles. Bumper fascia and rocker panels are among the parts involved. Unlike past users of paint replacement film on parts, GM has chosen a thick thermoformed sheet. The company intends to develop a supply base of thermoformers. "This is one of our major efforts," said Charles Buehler, a technical integration engineer in GM's materials group, during an Oct. 11 interview at the Society of Plastics Engineers' Thermoplastic Olefin confer…

http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet...=74&docid=18699

Link: http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet...n=2&docid=17911

GM names Troy Clarke as new North America president Reuters / May 30, 2006 DETROIT -- General Motors on Tuesday named Troy Clarke to head its struggling North American division, taking over day-to-day operations from CEO Rick Wagoner who has been leading the unit for the past year. Clarke, president of GM Asia Pacific since 2004, returns to Detroit after a two-year stint in GM's fastest-growing market and in time for crucial 2007 labor contract negotiations with the United Auto Workers union. Clark, whose new appointment will be effective July 1, served as GM's chief negotiator during previous round of contract talks with the UAW. GM is struggling in North America, w…

http://www.thegmsource.com/plugins/p2_news..._articleid=1079

GM Needs a Leader Who Isn't Afraid to Redefine an Icon By Carol Hymowitz From The Wall Street Journal Online Everyone these days is placing bets on whether General Motors can solve its morass of problems and earn money again. Chief Executive Rick Wagoner insists the company can, and that he's still the right man for the job. In a news conference last week, Mr. Wagoner listed the "dramatic moves" he has made to begin turning around the company. Among them: eliminating thousands of employees through buyouts, raising capital by selling a majority stake in GM's prized GMAC financing unit for $14 billion, and trying to halt the steep erosion of GM's U.S. market share…

GM needs only 2 big SUV plants Automaker plans to shift production to full-sized pickups By Jason Stein Automotive News / September 26, 2005 DETROIT - In the face of high gasoline prices, General Motors is counting on improved truck sales to offset modest expectations for its large SUVs. GM plans to build the next generation of its full-sized SUVs in two assembly plants, rather than the current three. But the automaker expects total full-sized truck capacity to stay about the same. GM will allocate more capacity to its full-sized pickups, chiefly the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. GM built about 1.7 million full-sized trucks and SUVs in North Amer…

EV charging to some is a stressful thing, the ability to drive your EV, knowing you can quickly get a recharge and where should be a simple thing and yet range and charging hit the stress level for current and potential owners of BEV products. GM is tirelessly working to provide GM EV owners more confidence and convenience when it comes to EV charging. As stated by GM, the customers need a robust charging experience that makes the transition from ICE to EV seamless and helps to drive mass adoption per Travis Hester, GM's chief EV officer. Quote: “As we launch 30 EVs globally by the end of 2025, Ultium Charge 360 simplifies and improves the at-home charging exp…

General Motors' problems with the 1.6 million vehicle recall over a faulty ignition switch are growing. This week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has sent a 27 page document with 107 questions asking about the recall and the timeline. Questions range from how the investigation process on the ignition "was not as robust as it should have been" to when GM decided to start investigating crashes with the 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt and 2007 Pontiac G5 where the air bag did not deploy. NHTSA has also requested documents ranging from complaints from owners to lawsuits involving GM vehicles in the recall. "We are a data-driven organization, and we w…

G. David Felt Staff Writer Alternative Energy - CheersandGears.com 2014 GM Fleet Roll Out When I first got my invitation to attend the 2014 GM Fleet roll out I asked myself, besides traditional fleet purchasing and fleet options including the new Crew Cab CNG truck and police Caprice, what could really be worth my time of spending a day at this function? Boy was I glad I went as this is what I call a NEW GM FLEET! Let’s start with the fact that GM has reorganized the way they do fleet sales and their approach to fleets. GM is focusing on a being a partner to solve fleet problems and not just an auto supplier. They are taking the approach of “Our Company Success …

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com January 24, 2012 The UAW has scheduled a strike authorization vote for Thursday after workers at GM’s Fairfax, Kansas assembly plant voted last Friday to reject a proposed contract at the plant. On Friday, 66% of production workers and 58% of skilled-trades workers voted against a contract. "The UAW is working through issues with the company and is optimistic that we will be able to reach an agreement,” said UAW spokeswoman Michele Martin. George Ruiz, president of UAW Local 31 said the strike authorization vote is part of the negotation proces. The vote helps gives the UAW more leverage during negoations. Ruiz sai…

It has been almost two months since General Motors announced a compensation fund for families who either lost a loved one or who were injured because of a problem due to the ignition switch. According to the Detroit Free Press, almost 300 people have filed a claim. 100 people who have filed a claim said their loved ones were killed because of defect, while 184 people said their injuries come as a result of the problem. These numbers come from Amy Weiss, a spokeswoman for fund administrator Kenneth Feinberg. The Detroit Free Press says each person who has filed a claim has to provide evidence that it was the defective switch that was the cause of the injury/fatality. If …

General Motors Corp., which was 103 years old and was once America's largest company quietly died on Dec. 15, 2011. There were no ceremonies or anyone present to mark the company's passing. General Motors Corp. was founded in 1908, acquired more than 20 other companies in its life, including Oldsmobile, Chevrolet, Opel, and Oakland. It would become the world's largest Automaker from 1931 until 2008 when it was eclipsed by Toyota. For much of the century it was the world's largest company, and at one point employed more than 600,000 people. In its final years it was known as "Old GM", although it had been been officially renamed "Motors Liquidation Co. when it went into …

Starting today, General Motors is beginning to ship their new midsize trucks to dealers across the U.S. GM says demand for the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon is very high, with 30,000 orders alone for the Colorado. GM has claimed that over 100,000 configurations of the two models have been created since the the "build your own" features went live on September 3rd. To help cope with this initial demand, GM has added 750 employees at their Wentzville, Mo. assembly plant to accommodate a third shift of production. Source: General Motors William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] you can follow him on …

GM announced today that April 2022 will be the last month of Chevrolet Equinox production at CAMI Assembly plant. Production at other plants will be increased to cover Chevrolet Equinox production as BrightDrop equipment will be installed over a 4 month period allowing for large scale production to begin of the BrightDrop EV600 van beginning in November 2022. This comes as gm works with Merchant Fleet that is ordering 12,600 BrightDrop EV600s for last mile delivery service. Merchant Fleet expects the EV600 to enter fleet use starting in Early 2023 making them the second large scale last mile Major Customer. Merchant Fleet plans for the EV600 to by 50% of t…

GM as a conservative company choose to start up their latest commercial venture by making it a stand alone entity. BrightDrop is that entity where they have electric delivery carts, pallet movers and more that can be explored at their web site. BrightDrop | Electric first to last mile delivery products (gobrightdrop.com) BrightDrop initially started with a contract with FedEx for their future North American full size delivery vans the EV600. BrightDrop and GM has taken the concept to production in the fastest time ever with production starting on the EV600 commercial vans. This was made possible using the Ultium battery plat…

The strike at General Motors' CAMI Assembly plant, home of the Chevrolet Equinox has come to an end. Today, 86 percent of Unifor Local 88 members voted yes on a new 4-year contract. With the approval, workers will resume work at the plant beginning at 7 PM tonight for early start-up, with production beginning at 11 PM. Here is what new 4-year contract include Stronger language around job security. Union said the new contract would make it more costly for GM to close down CAMI - $290 million vs. $190 million. If CAMI is shuttered, employees near retirement will still be able to get into a retirement program. Workers will get …

The U.S. military asked for a new tactical vehicle that could run silent for what the military calls silent drive and watch, technologies to make it very hard to detect. Enter GM Defense LLC that took the Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD ZR2 truck with GM's 2.8L Duramax turbo-diesel engine, add a 12 module battery pack, electric motors front and rear for awd and a total armored exterior allowing GM Defense to meet the requirements of a Silent drive and watch tactical vehicle prototype for the 21st century. GM Defense ensured the vehicle would have a stealthy ingress and egress for success in high threat zones, delivering onboard power to support …

Looks like GM is in the news again. Certain 2024 model-year Chevy Silverado GMC Sierra trucks could split in the metal on the passenger side. Due to this, GM announced a stop-sale. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) has published a document that 3,067 vehicles are being inspected. They will test the 1,500, 2,500, and 3,500. Although it is stated that the damage is on the passenger side at the roof panel joint under the molding, the exact cause was not stated. Dealers were advised to wield up the crack. There are a few steps before wielding up the crack such as removing roof rail airbags on the passenger side. This document advised technic…

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…

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com November 16, 2012 General Motors CEO Dan Akerson told Opel employees this week that the company will not sell or "simply close up shop and leave". "As a global auto company, GM needs a strong design, engineering, manufacturing and sales presence in Europe. There's room for Chevrolet in Europe but Opel fulfills that role," Akerson said in a speech. "Recommendations that we 'cut and run' show you that some people simply do not see how important Opel is to our success." Opel and Vauxhall have been a big loser for General Motors with the brands posting losses for the past few quarters. The two are expected to post a loss b…

The Department of Justice is currently evaluating whether or not to charge General Motors with criminal wire fraud due to the company's failure to recall vehicles with faulty ignition switches. The Wall Street Journal has learned from sources federal prosecutors in New York are zoning in the wire-fraud charge due after it was determined that GM made misleading statements and concealed information about the faulty switch. Sources go on to say the DOJ hopes to reach a settlement by late summer or early, though that could change. Prosecutors are also looking into other kinds of possible criminal charges. When asked about the report, CEO Mary Barra said, “It is th…

Voting on the new contract for UAW workers at General Motors started this weekend and the early results are mixed. The Detroit News reports that two plants, Lansing Grand River Assembly and Fairfax Assembly in Kansas City, voted over the weekend. Workers at Lansing approved the contract with 57 percent saying the contract should be ratified. Meanwhile at Fairfax, production and skilled worked voted no by 63 and 66 percent respectively. While these results don't indicate the fate of the tentative contract, it does put some worry as to how the other plants will vote. We'll be keeping an eye on the voting as it progresses. Source: The Detroit News View f…

Ed Welburn, General Motors' Chief Designer and one of the key people around the recent revitalization of GM's design has announced he will retire from the company on July 1st. Taking his place as chief designer will be Michael Simcoe who currently heads GM International Design. Welburn is GM's sixth design chief in GM's 108-year-history, following in the footsteps of people Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell. Welburn also holds the distinction of being the first African American to lead design for an automaker. Welburn's story of becoming the head of GM design starts in the early sixties when he saw the Cadillac Cyclone Motorama concept at an auto show and writing to G…

I am a huge Disney Parks fan - My favorite attraction to visit at Epcot in WDW happens to coincide with my passion for all things General Motors - the GM Test Track (formerly GM's World of Motion pavilion). Mouseplanet's weekly WDW news update reports that the GM Test Track attraction is scheduled to be closed from April 15 through September 21, 2012 for an upgrade to include a name change -Test Track presented by Chevrolet: …Our friends over at TouringPlans.com are reporting that Test Track may close from April 15 through September 21, 2012 to get an upgrade and to also change the official sponsor from General Motors in general to GM's Chevrolet brand in particular. It…

General Motors Ultium Eco system of products and services will be run under the new GM Energy business unit. This covers the following: Ultium Home Ultium Commercial Ultium Charge 360 This is a holistic ecosystem of energy management products and services that will help drive growth beyond the core auto business portfolio. The GM solutions are designed to provide customers with a more seamless and integrated energy management while helping to improve grid resiliency. GM has a growing number of large-scale companies across the U.S. that have signed on to receive energy solutions through the GM Energy portfolio of products and servi…

The first bellwether trial against General Motors over the faulty ignition switch has come to abrupt end. The plaintiff, Robert Scheuer has voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit against the automaker according to a filing in Manhattan federal court today. Scheuer accused GM of concealing a defect in the ignition switch that caused the airbags in his 2003 Saturn Ion to not deploy when he crashed into two trees in Oklahoma in May 2014. The accident caused injuries to Scheuer's back and neck. As we reported in December, GM tried to dismiss the case. However, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman said the plaintiff had provided sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial. …

The seemingly never-ending diesel heavy-duty truck war is back in force with Ford announcing the power figures for the F-Series Super Duty back in the summer. We were wondering when either FCA or GM would strike back. Well GM did this over the weekend by accidently and then subsequently deleting the figures for the next-generation Duramax V8 diesel. Truck Trend got screenshots of GM Powertrain's website where the details of the L5P 6.6L Duramax turbodiesel are there to see: 445 horsepower and 910 pound-feet of torque. Compared the 6.7L PowerStoke V8 found in the 2017 F-Series Super Duty, the updated Duramax produces 5 more horsepower but is slight behind in torque (1…

General Motors has agreed to a $900 million settlement with the U.S. Government over a criminal case dealing with faulty ignition switches. According to Reuters, prosecutors charged the company with wire fraud and scheming to conceal material facts from a U.S. regulator. The company acknowledged that it didn't reveal the issue to safety watchdogs or customers in due course. Along with the fine, GM will have an independent monitor to oversee its recall and safety-related practices for the next three years. If GM follows this along with other obligations, the criminal charges will be dropped. “They let the public down... They didn’t tell the truth,” said U.S. Attorn…

By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com April 4, 2013 General Motors announced today a new investment of $331.8 million in four manufacturing sites to produce more fuel-efficient engines and transmissions. GM said in a press release today that some parts of the investment will help prepare its factories to produce a new eight-speed automatic transmission and increase capacity for an existing six-speed gearbox. Other parts will go towards support the production of a new V6 engine (no details given in the release) and a new EcoTec engine that will be part of a new family of 3- and 4-cylinder variants with displacements ranging from 1.0 to 1.5 liters.. Here i…

General Motors has announced new investments for two of their plants today. The Spring Hill manufacturing complex in Tennesse will see the largest of these two investments. A total of $788.7 million will go towards a new high-efficiency engine program and modernizing vehicle production. The investment will bring forth 792 new jobs and retaining 16. The Detroit News reports that GM is keeping quiet on what on the new engine program. “This investment will help GM and our workforce continue to put the customer at the center of everything we do, providing them with powertrain solutions to meet their changing needs. Today’s announcement reinforces our absolute faith in…

This morning, General Motors and Kenneth Feinberg have announced the details for the long awaited ignition switch recall compensation fund. The fund will be open to family members of anyone that was killed or injured due to ignition switch failure. That will include passengers, pedestrians, and other motorists that were killed or seriously injured because of the ignition switch. Victims will be able to begin the process starting on August 1st. Applications are due by December 31st. Feinberg says that claims will take around 90 to 180 days. As for how much GM will be paying out, that is completely up in the air. Feinberg has said that he isn't going to try and estimate h…

Despite the dark cloud that diesel has gotten due to the Volkswagen diesel emission scandal, General Motors sees a bright future for it. “The outlook for diesel in the U.S.A. is actually promising. We definitely see certain segments reaching 10 percent penetration and yes, an upside potential of 10 percent overall,” said Dan Nicholson, GM’s vice president of global propulsion systems to The Detroit News. Case in point, nine percent of Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon trucks sold are equipped with a diesel. General Motors already has six vehicles available with a diesel (Silverado and Sierra HD: Colorado, Canyon, Express, and Savana). But they are planning …

Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sent General Motors a 27 page document with 107 questions that dealt with the massive ignition switch recall that affects 2.8 million vehicles worldwide and is linked to 13 deaths. NHTSA gave the company a deadline of April 3rd to finish answering all of the questions. Well its a week after the deadline, NHTSA has announced it will fine GM $7,000 per day starting on April 3rd because the company hasn't answered all of the questions and being slow to respond. At this current time, the total fine stands at $28,000. In a letter released last night, NHTSA said General Motors hasn't answered a third of its…

General Motors is now facing two new lawsuits with a total of $10 billion in compensation on the line. The two suits allege that GM's ignition switch recall has cause the values of their vehicles to drop. The first and largest suit is seeking to represent owners who bought or leased a recalled car from July 2009 to July 2014 and either still owns it, traded it in after the recall was announced back in February, or got into an accident. Steve Berman, one of the attorneys involved, tells Bloomberg that more than 20 million customers could join in the suit. “New GM repeatedly proclaimed that it was a company committed to innovation, safety and maintaining a strong brand. T…

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com September 17, 2013 It's no secret that General Motors has been keeping a very close eye on Tesla. Back in July, we reported that CEO Dan Akerson created a group to study Tesla and how it could effect GM. Now it seems GM wants to take Tesla on. According to the Reuters and the Wall Street Journal, General Motors is working on a electric vehicle with a 200 Mile range and a pricetag of $30,000. This information came from GM's vice president of global product programs, Doug Parks. This comes on the heels on Tesla's founder and chief executive Elon Musk announcing a compact electric sedan known internally as Gen 3 due in 2016…

V.V. Haldavnekar Administrator - Cheers and Gears January 19, 2012 After turning in profits for consecutive quarters of 2011, General Motors regained the global sales crown for 2011. Buoyed by an upswinging Chevrolet brand that saw growth in many of global markets, GM reported sales of more than 9 million units, a gain of over 7% compared to last year's sales. Chevrolet brand accounted approx. 4.8 million units. General Motors reports that it gained the global market share by 4th of a percent during 2011 to 11.9 percent. Hit the jump to read the full article. View full article