douglask

General Motors's Wuling minivans and Chevrolet Spark minicars are so popular in China that even the vehicles reserved for test drives at its Liuzhou factory have been sold. GM is hiring 500 more workers to keep up with demand. In Lordstown, Ohio, meanwhile, GM is pressing the United Auto Workers union to give up janitorial jobs. The contrasting pictures in Asia and North America show why - just 18 months after the chief executive, Rick Wagoner, had to fend off speculation the company might go bankrupt - GM stands to emerge as the strongest of the three U.S. automakers. By pushing sales in developing countries while slashing labor costs in costly markets like the United States, GM may distance itself from the troubles of Ford Motor and Chrysler. "GM is very well positioned," said John Novak, an analyst at Morningstar in Chicago. "They are kind of in their sweet spot compared to Chrysler and Ford." Sales outside the United States could lift GM's first-quarter profit, excluding restructuring costs and other one-time items, to 83 cents a share from 66 cents a share for the year-earlier quarter, according to a Bloomberg survey of 12 analysts. GM, which is to report its results Thursday, does not give forecasts. An increase in profit would mark the third straight quarterly improvement for the automaker, which lost $10.4 billion two years ago. "The dire pictures of 18 months ago, we never believed that," Wagoner said in an interview last month at the Shanghai Auto Show, where he introduced models for the regional market. GM reduced its losses last year to $2 billion with union buyouts, plant closings and cuts in health-care costs. The company may earn $3.85 a share this year, according to the average estimate of 12 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Ford lost a record $12.7 billion last year and $282 million in the first quarter of this year. Ford, based in Dearborn, Michigan, does not project a full-year profit until 2009. DaimlerChrysler put Chrysler, which is based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, up for sale in February after the U.S. unit posted 2006 loss of $1.5 billion. Ford restated the loss to $680 million last month because of an accounting change. Full article: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/02/business/bxgm.php

GM HOLDEN is well advanced on a hybrid system in Australia, as well as a diesel engine program, both of which could slot into the current VE Commodore and other rear-wheel drive vehicles it is developing for General Motors around the world. GM Holden chairman and managing director Denny Mooney revealed these facts last week in the wake of comments by GM’s vice-chairman of global product development Bob Lutz that the American auto giant had placed its future RWD programs on hold. Mr Mooney said Holden engineers were working on the two-mode petrol-electric hybrid system derived from the billion-dollar alliance forged between GM, DaimlerChrysler and BMW. The first hybrids to emerge using this "two-mode" system will be GM’s Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs later this year. "We’re doing engineering work on a two-mode hybrid," Mr Mooney revealed. "It's our joint-venture with BMW and DaimlerChrysler." The Holden chief also elaborated on the state of development of the much-anticipated diesel-powered VE Commodore. "We're working on diesel – there is an engine that works - but we don’t have a planned production date," he said. Mr Mooney would not be drawn on confirming that GM’s new V6 diesel announced at last month’s Geneva motor show was the one, although he did confirm that it does fit. Due for production in 2009, GM's latest turbo-diesel is a 2.9-litre DOHC 24-valve common-rail unit devised in collaboration with VM Motori of Italy. It produces 184kW of power and 550Nm of torque (from a lowly 2000rpm), and has both transverse and longitudinal installation applications. However, Mr Mooney said that Holden was still to confirm a business case for both diesel and hybrid powertrains before being available in a Commodore in local Holden dealerships. "Here’s the deal with diesel – and you can put hybrids in the same mould, by the way – you've got to have a business case," he said. "The reality for diesel and two-mode hybrid is that there is a lot of money that you have to spend to productionise that – you’ve got to do all the crash testing (for example). "So we’re doing the engineering work to package it, and we’re building some vehicles to do the development work. "But to spend all that money and put it in production, you've got to be confident that you’ve got a reasonable business case. And I can tell you that a lot of hybrids don’t generate reasonable income." Even without an export deal, Mr Mooney suggested that Holden might well go ahead with hybrid and/or diesel Commodore production. "From an image standpoint and all the other things it can do for you, you can also look at it as a marketing and advertising move as well – for your brand and your company," he said. "So you take all that in the clay when you decide if and when you are going to do one. "We’re at the stage where we’re doing the engineering right now." To the suggestion that a diesel Commodore would surely precede any hybrid model, Mr Mooney's response was surprising: "Not necessarily. We're working on both in parallel right now. "Diesels are very popular in Europe and not so popular in the US and some other parts of the world," Mr Mooney said. "So it might depend on an export market." Original Article: http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf...A2572C100100DD5

GM HOLDEN may have to increase and extend dramatically its US export program after parent company General Motors put all its US rear-wheel drive programs on hold in the face of proposed stiffer fuel economy standards. At first glance, the new standards will make it harder for GM to produce rear-wheel drive cars in the US, especially the high-performance V8 models. But GM will have the option of building the cars outside the US because the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards apply to imported cars and domestically built cars separately. GM imports most of its small cars and makes the majority of its larger cars in the US and Canada. Should GM decide not to make RWD cars in the US, it will have to make them elsewhere, but a GMH spokesman was uncertain about the consequences of the stiffer fuel economy rules. "As it's not our policy to speculate on future production or portfolio issues, we're not in a position to offer any elaboration on what implications - positive or negative - such a suggestion might have," GMH spokesman John Lindsay said yesterday. GMH is set to start exporting a V8 version of the Commodore to the US as a Pontiac G8 later this year. The parent company was planning to start making the G8 in the US but the stiffer fuel economy regulations may prompt GM to keep sourcing its G8s from GMH after the two-year contract expires. Mr Lutz said the three one-litre compact cars GM displayed at the New York Motor Show would not help the company meet the stricter economy rules. "Small-car mileage only counts towards CAFE if you build them here, and you can't build small cars here at a profit," he said. Full article: http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/sti...5971179970.html

If anything, 'Liberty' would probably be too ideologically French, with "Liberty, equality, fraternity" being the motto of France and the Statue of Liberty being a gift from the French people to the US.

The Hyundai probably won't look as ugly as the pickup from fellow S. Korean manufacturer Ssangyong, which makes the Actyon.

One of Europe's top executives called yesterday for political action to tackle the damage being done to the car industry by the overvalued euro. Carl-Peter Forster, president of General Motors Europe, said the disadvantage European car manufacturers were suffering because of the high value of the euro against Far East currencies such as the yen and the Korean won had been underestimated by governments within the eurozone. He estimated that the currency difference gave Japanese car makers such as Toyota, Nissan and Honda a 3,000 to 4,000 advantage over their European rivals on each model sold. "It is not understood how big a contribution this makes to our lack of competitiveness," said Mr Forster. "We have to fight that and it is something our politicians should really deal with. It is not something you can leave to the free market." GM's European operations returned to the black last year for the first time since 1999, making an operating profit of $227m (£116m). In the previous six years, GM lost $3bn, resulting in a restructuring programme which cost 13,000 jobs. But Mr Forster warned that more cuts, possibly including plant closures, may be necessary to maintain GM's recovery. GM's Vauxhall car plant at Ellesmere Port on Merseyside is pinning its survival hopes on being selected as one of the locations for production of the new Astra model. Jonathan Browning, the chairman of Vauxhall and GM Europe's vice president of sales and marketing, said it was possible that a decision would be taken in the second quarter about where the new Astra will be built, although it could slip to later in the year. He added that GM had no plans to scrap the Vauxhall brand in the UK. Mr Forster declined to give a guarantee for any of the European plants which currently produce the Astra but said a closure of one of them was an " extreme solution". The Merseyside plant accounts for about one-fifth of Astra production in Europe but its output went down last year after the third shift at the plant was axed. Mr Forster said part of the group's future strategy would be to build several different models from its various brands on a single production line. Opel's Russelsheim plant in Germany will start building the Saab 9-5 next year and there is also a possibility of Chevrolets being built in Western Europe. Mr Forster criticised the "arbitrary" target set by the European Commission of cutting carbon emissions from cars to 120 grams per kilometre by 2012 - 26 per cent below the level achieved in 2005. But he stressed GM's commitment to producing more environmentally friendly vehicles using hybrid, fuel-cell and bio-fuel technology and called for more European governments to follow the example of Sweden, where big tax breaks are available on the purchase of ethanol-powered cars. Original article: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business...icle2406419.ece

The HSV GTS sports the huge 20" deep dish alloy wheels in Chrome Shadow as standard, while the HSV ClubSport R8 comes with 19". So it looks like the VXR8 is dipping in the parts bin for at least a couple of the HSV models.

Furthermore, a medium-sized vehicle, which would become the next-generation Pontiac G6 – not to mention a reborn Holden Torana in Australia – has re-emerged as a likely scenario following the release of the VE Commodore-based Pontiac G8 at the Chicago Auto Show last week. The current Pontiac G6 is a front-drive vehicle based on the same platform (known as Epsilon) as the current-generation Chevy Malibu, Opel/Holden Vectra, Saab 9-3, Saturn Aura and Cadillac BLS. Perhaps not coincidentally, the GM vehicle line executive responsible for the Epsilon platform – Gene Stefanyshyn – later became the leader of the Zeta program. Extracted from: http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf...A257282000352B6

What's the performance car badge to watch out for in 2007? That'll be VXR8. While Vauxhall is yet to officially announce the name of its new V8-powered sports model, Auto Express has learned that the firm's replacement for the Monaro coupé will be called the VXR8. The new model will be a modified version of the Australian Holden Commodore SS V saloon. The VXR8 will produce around 400bhp in entry-level form, with tuned variants offering even more power. On sale in the summer, the four-door is expected to cost from around £35,000. Original article: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpr...a_vauxhall.html

Drive has also learnt that Pontiac could be taking more than just the flagship Commodore SS V8 (which will be called the G8). Pontiac has also expressed interest in the more-affordable Commodore SV6 and a premium high-performance sedan from Holden Special Vehicles, powered by the 6.0-litre V8 engine from the Corvette. Extract from: http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleD...ArticleID=22576

The January (Australian) Wheels Magazine has photos of a camouflaged LHD car believed to be Pontiac Grand Prix replacement.

Auto Express first revealed the Luton firm's plans for a hi-tech Vectra replacement back in Issue 880, but now company sources have confirmed to us that when it unveils the new model in 2008, it will be called the Insignia. Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, Carl-Peter Forster, the European president of Vauxhall's parent firm General Motors, stressed: "We will change its name for the new car. "Vectra is too connected to the conservative current design. The new model will be sleek and more like a coupé to look at, but of course it will still be a family car." Vauxhall first used the Insignia name on a concept car seen three years ago. The sporty looking four-door family saloon was designed by Martin Smith. He has since moved to Ford and penned the highly acclaimed new Mon­deo. GM is now keen to follow suit by making its cars more adventurous to look at. Forster added: "Design is vital. It's going to be the number one reason to buy our cars." A pre-production version of the Insignia is expected to make its public debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. The production-ready model will be on display at the Paris expo later that year, and is due to go on sale in the UK early in 2009. Full article: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpr...l_insignia.html

It's interesting how the full article mentions how Wagoner thinks the success of Buick in China will help turn the brand around in the U.S. market with opportunities over time for product sharing.

General Motors Corp is prepared to nearly halve the number of Buick models it offers in the United States as it tries to reestablish the luxury brand in its home market, GM's chief executive said on Tuesday. Rick Wagoner, speaking to reporters at the unveiling of the 2008 Buick Enclave, said the automaker would also reduce Buick sales to rental car companies as it shifts toward targeting more profitable retail sales with upcoming new designs. Although Buick has offered as many as seven models in recent years, Wagoner said GM was prepared to accept lower unit sales with about four models in order to try to capture more showroom traffic and shun lower-margin sales to car rental companies. "In the end we're going to let it flow. But what we're going to do is to make sure we make three and then four really good (Buick models)," Wagoner told reporters. Full article: http://today.reuters.com/stocks/QuoteCompa...UICK.XML&rpc=66

It's exported from Brasil in completely knocked down (CKD) form to South Africa for local assembly. The Brazilian version of the Corsa has a distinctive front end compared to other Opel Corsa C models sold in other markets. More info found on wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Corsa

Okay I didn't realize that the Opel Corsa Utility is just the Chevolet Montana as sold in other markets.

CAPRICE LTZ: Caprice Royale: Caprice SS : Caprice LS :

Cadillac STS, Holden VE Commodore and Opel Corsa have been nominated for the Overall Car of the Year in the World Car of the Year (WCOTY) Awards 2007. It is only the fourth time the awards have been run since it was launched in January 2004, the 2007 WCOTY will be announced at the New York International Auto Show in April 2007. To be eligible, cars must be sold in a minimum of five countries spread over at least two continents. List of 2007 Design Candidates: Audi A6 Allroad Audi Q7 Audi TT BMW Z4 Coupe / Roadster Cadillac STS Citroen C4 Picasso Citroen C6 Dodge Caliber Fiat Grande Punto Holden VE Commodore Honda CR-V Honda FIT Jaguar XK Jeep Commander Jeep Compass Lexus LS460 Mercedes CL Mercedes GL Mercedes R Class MINI Nissan Note Opel Corsa Renault Clio Suzuki SX4 / Fiat Sedici Toyota RAV4 Volkswagen EOS Volvo C70 Volvo S80 More info on the 2007 WCOTY:http://www.wcoty.com/vehicles/?year=2007

Hot Rod magazine's website has a very interesting article on the Holden Efijy, including why they consider it to probably be the most beautiful concept car ever to come out of an OE manufacturer: http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/hdr...jy_concept_car/

\ Holden's award-winning Efijy hot rod concept car could be the star of one of the world's biggest motor shows, reports GLENN BUTLER. Holden's award-winning Efijy concept car looks set to star at January's North American International Auto Show in Detroit, one of the world's biggest motor shows. Holden insiders told drive.com.au at the Sydney motor show in October that plans were "on track" for Efijy to appear on the General Motors stand. Our Holden source said Efijy's trans-Pacific trip was "looking good" to become a reality, though officially Holden hasn't confirmed it as yet. "There has been a lot of interest in this car from the United States," Holden spokesperson Jason Laird told drive.com.au, "and also from Europe. We've basically had to weigh them up against the car's local schedule to see if they can be accommodated." Laird said the possibility of Efijy going to America can't be ruled out, "especially after it was just named the Hot Rod of the Year by Hot Rod magazine". What's unclear is whether the Efijy would grace the stand of one of General Motors' factory brands, or be displayed by show organisers, or even an aftermarket parts supplier. "We've had requests to show the car from a variety of people and organisations," said Laird. "And while it would be great for Holden to show the concept overseas, nothing's locked in." Full article: http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/holden-efi...2056967408.html

Holden is making no secret about examining a diesel option for Commodore. The one sticking point, Holden insiders say, is the availability of suitable modern turbodiesel from within GM's 'network'. "We don't have anything firm on the plate," a Holden spokesperson told CarPoint Confidential. "GM has both small and large capacity diesels available but the missing part of the equation has been in the middle… We’re looking all around the world," he said. Development is reported progressing apace on new GM V6 and V8 turbodiesels in the USA. Aimed at the next generation of US-market pickups and SUVs, the engines are all-alloy OHC designs with a projected displacement (per cylinder) of around 560cc. Simple maths will tell you that yields a V8 of approx 4.5-litre and V6 of 3.4. Sounds about right, eh? Maybe, but not so fast… The issue is not only when the engines might become available, but whether they will have the refinement to suit a passenger car. We'd still like to bet that the GM powertrain engineers are aiming for Euro V compliance and best-practice refinement, but can Holden afford to take the punt? So where else can the company look? Initial rumours had the VE running around with a five-cylinder 2.4-litre Fiat-sourced powerplant. That seems no longer to be a likely production solution -- not enough oomph in real or marketing terms. There is another state-of-the-art turbodiesel Italian engine that could fit the bill nicely, however… Enter turbodiesel specialist VM Motori. Founded in 1947, the company specialises in design and production of diesel engines for both automotive and industrial use (it also has a respected marine division). Over the years, VM Motori -- which is based just north of Modena (the home of Ferrari) -- has supplied powerplants to Chrysler, Ford, Alfa Romeo, Rover, Land Rover and, wait for it, General Motors. VM Motori’s latest automotive engine is a 3.0-litre 24-valve DOHC 60-degree V6 -- an ideal size and configuration for the VE platform. Dubbed the RA 630 DOHC, the common-rail engine is Euro V compliant and is available in a range of outputs. Top of the tree is a variable geometry turbo-equipped beauty that pumps out 184kW at 4000rpm and a stonking 500Nm at 1800rpm. Now, we're talking! To quote the company's website: "Matching refinement with power with ultra low emissions, the 3.0L 24 v has to be the ultimate in diesel engines. This engine is particularly flexible in its design and can be tailored to meet each individual customer's requirements, be it for a low rev, high torque workhorse for a commercial vehicle or a refined, high-speed engine for a luxury car." Dimensionally there seems little issue with getting the RA 630 to fit. The only sticking point may be weight. At 240kg it's no lightweight -- by way of comparison Mercedes-Benz's 72-degree 3.0 V6 weighs in at 215kg. Holden's 195kW Alloytec V6 is around 175kg and the current L98 6.0-litre V8 fitted to the Commodore is just 4kg more (179kg). Hmmm... On second thoughts, nothing a decent suspension retune can't fix... Original article: http://ninemsn.carpoint.com.au/car-review/2152580.aspx

HOLDEN Special vehicles almost out-shone GM Holden in Sydney yesterday by revealing a stunning new long-wheelbase Grange sedan. Based on Holden's slick new WM Statesman/Caprice, the redesigned HSV luxury flagship will go on sale early next year at a price that is expected to remain under $AU100,000. HSV’s current Grange is priced at $AU89,750, but its 297kW/530Nm 6.0-litre V8 will make way for the same upgraded 307kW/550Nm LS2 V8 that powers the short-wheelbase HSV E Series range, which went on sale in October and also made its Australian debut in Sydney this morning. Of course, the WM Grange's other big drivetrain news – and helping make it what HSV claims will be "one of the fastest luxury/sports limousines in the world" – is the adoption of GM's 6L80E six-speed automatic transmission. Full article and photos: http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf...A257214000BCCF1

AN ALL-NEW UTE Sources say Holden believes the large car market and growth of SUV acceptance is now such that ute sales have eclipsed conventional wagons. As such, the VE ute variant has now assumed a higher priority. Therefore the first VE variation to follow the sedan will be the new VE ute. Like the VE sedan, this will be different from any ute ever launched in Australia. Previously, the Commodore ute and wagon were derived from the same long wheelbase platform that underpinned the Statesman/Caprice. This was a tradition that started with the HQ in 1971 and was closely followed by Ford with the XA Falcon and variants in1972. The VE ute due later next year, will go it alone as a long wheelbase commercial model not linked to an equivalent wagon. Those who have seen the new ute claim it looks stunning. There is also another factor -- Holden’s sophisticated new multi-link rear suspension has been designed to fit under the ute platform. This will generate the first Australian ute with proper multi-link independent rear suspension compared to Ford’s live rear axle and the crude semi-trailing arm tyre-munching design that sits under the current VZ ute. For the sports models, this will be a huge boost. SPORTS WAGON -- WITH THE EMPHASIS ON SPORTS Forget about the current Holden wagon... One thing’s for certain, Holden is no longer going to build a traditional square-backed wagon aimed at sales reps and couriers One big clue is the fact Holden so conspicuously omitted a split-fold rear seat from the VE Commodore. Indeed, in doing so it has purposefully engineered a niche to be filled with a vehicle that is neither sedan, wagon nor liftback, but all three. The five-door VE will go under the name Sports Wagon, or at least that is what the concept is called. It will be built on the same wheelbase as the sedan, a trend that lasted in the Holden world from the first FE wagon to the HG series. Like the 1957 Holden FE wagon which lifted several dramatic rear styling cues from Chevrolet’s 1955 Bel Air Nomad wagon, the new VE Sports Wagon will be something extraordinary. Think of it as a cross between the Chrysler 300C Touring and the latest Audi A6 Avant, then factor in the VE’s long wheelbase with unique short and rear overhangs and you start to get a sense of how radical this new vehicle will be. Holden has not been building five-door liftback concept cars (think: SSX, pictured) for nothing. It has been priming the market for something different while finalising a new breed of wagon designed to seduce drivers ready to leave their big and clumsy SUVs for something slinkier and sexier but almost as practical. Full Article: http://ninemsn.carpoint.com.au/car-review/2120263.aspx

General Motors Corp. (GM) Wednesday said its Cadillac luxury brand will be available in South Africa in early 2007. GM said three Cadillac models will be sold initially in South Africa - the BLS mid-size sedan, the SRX crossover SUV, and the STS full-size sedan. GM said it will begin a direct distribution network of retailers that will open in major South African cities such as Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Original Article: http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Stor...ABCD9B35BFD8%7D