GM wants to Make Opel Profitable Despite European Crisis and Sales Drop

Last September, during the Frankfurt Motor Show, General Motors executives were confident that their European operations were following the company’s restructuring plan to the letter and would break even.

Less than two months later, real-world results proved them wrong. In the first nine months of 2011, GM's European operations lost US$580 million before interest and taxes. Breaking even went down the drain.

In addition, restructuring, closing the Antwerp plant and cutting 5,800 jobs through September 2011, cost the company US$900 million. And that’s not all: its European division has cost GM more than US$2.34 billion since 2009, when it called off its plans for selling the company, and a staggering US$13 billion since 1999.

Read more »

California wants 1.4 Million Zero-Emission Vehicles by 2025; Manufacturers Agree, Dealers Object

The state of California has been at the forefront of the nation’s regulations when it comes to reducing emissions since the 1970s. And now it has taken another step in this direction by approving the Advanced Clean Car program.

It is a set of regulations that aims to reduce emissions and, among other things, requires 15.4 percent of all new vehicles that will be sold by 2025 to be all-electric, plug-in hybrids or powered by fuel cells.

By implementing this program, California regulators wish to reduce passenger vehicles emissions by 34 percent between 2014 and 2015, and overall smog-forming emissions by 75 percent. It’s a goal similar to the federal standards proposed by President Obama.

Read more »

Police Seize Chevrolet Impala Taxis in Canada for…Street Racing

Now here’s something you don't often hear about. Canadian police seized the vehicles of two motorists for racing on Yonge Street in Toronto. Nothing new except that these two drivers were racing their Chevrolet Impala…taxi cabs!

We don't know who the winner was from the Beck Taxi versus Royal Cab derby nor if they managed to actually complete the quarter mile on the public road, but Canadian news sites reported that the two cabbies were formally charged and had their licenses suspended for seven days.

Read more »

Badass 1971 Corvette C3 Convertible Sports New ZR1 6.2-liter Supercharged V8

Patterned after the "Mako Shark II" concept and produced from 1968 to 1982, the third generation of Chevy's iconic sports car series has by far the most aggressive and over-the-top design of all Corvettes. And at least up unit the 1973 oil crisis, it had the power to match its brawny looks.

But for an owner of a 1971 Corvette Convertible, the stock V8 wasn't enough so he fitted the open-top model with GM's LS9 crate motor, which is the same 6.2-liter supercharged V8 found in the most powerful series production Corvette of all time, the ZR1.

GM states that the crate engine delivers 638-horses at 6,500 rpm and a peak torque of 604 lb.-ft. at 3,800 rpm. The owner of the car said it made 536 rear-wheel-horsepower through an automatic transmission.

Read more »

Volt Probe Fuels Republican Fire, GM CEO Says Company has Become a "Political Punching Bag"

The issue of the Chevy Volt's fire risk and the following NHTSA investigation that ended last week after GM modified its hybrid and the federal agency cleared the car, seems to be spreading beyond the automotive realm.

According to Bloomberg News, a report released by the House Oversight and Government Committee Report led by California Republican Representative Darrell Issa poses the question whether the six-month delay in making the fire-risk issue public has anything to do with the government’s 32 percent stake in General Motors.

“This unnatural relationship has blurred the lines between the public and private sector as President Obama touts the survival of General Motors as one of the top accomplishments of his administration”, read the report. “On a political level, this relationship raises serious questions about whether or not the administration is too heavily invested in the success of GM to be an effective regulator.”

Read more »

No1 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible Collector Edition Fetches $600,000 at Barrett-Jackson

The very first 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible Collector Edition with VIN number 001 hit the auction block this past weekend at the Barrett-Jackson event in Scottsdale, Arizona, bringing home $600,000. GM said that proceeds from the sale would benefit the Drive to End Hunger food relief program.

One of the final editions of the C6 series that has entered its final year before an all-new Corvette takes its place in 2013, the 427 Convertible Collector Edition will go on sale for the public later this summer.

Read more »

Poll: Which Chevrolet Concept Coupe Would You Like to be Built?

The 2012 Detroit Motor Show is more or less consigned to the dustbin of history, but that doesn't mean we'll stop talking about the vehicles that made their world premiere at the Cobo Center and especially the concept models.

Truth to be said, high-end sports cars such as the Acura NSX and Lexus LF-LC studies are the ones we'd really like to drive in the not so distant future, but for most of us, it's models like the two Chevrolet coupe concepts that correspond to mainstream reality.

While very different in philosophy, Chevrolet's Code 130R and Tru 140S Concepts share several attributes: both models were designed as four-seater coupes for the young at age (or young at heart); both are based on existing platform architectures and use production hardware, and finally, if they were to be built, their price would be in the low $20,000s.

Read more »

Case Closed: NHTSA Clears Chevrolet Volt on Fire Risk, Says Everything's Okay Now

All ends well for General Motors as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced today that it is officially closing the safety defect probe into the post-crash fire risk of the Chevrolet Volt.

The federal safety agency stated that after an eight-week long investigation and following a fix announced by GM to reduce the potential for battery intrusion from side impacts, it concludes that "no discernible defect trend exists".

"Based on the available data, NHTSA does not believe that Chevy Volts or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles," the agency said in a statement.

NHTSA had opened the investigation on November 28, 2011, after some Volts either caught fire or started to emit smoke and/or sparks in the days or weeks following a crash test.

Read more »

Chevy Begins U.S. Deliveries of 2013 Malibu Sedans, Officially Confirms 2.0-liter Turbo

The very first examples of the new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu sedan for the North American market were shipped today to the GM brand's dealers across the United States.

The North American region 2013 Malibu is manufactured at GM’s Fairfax assembly plant in Kansas, though the company also plans to begin production of the car at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant later this summer.

Read more »

Check Out the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Coupe's Official Brochure

Did you know that Chevrolet produced only 69 examples of the original 1969 Camaro ZL1? Well, even if you didn't, Chevrolet makes sure this is the first thing you read about its new 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 on the official brochure that made its way into the internet, courtesy of the folks over at the Camaro5 forums.

Chevy premiered the 2012 Camaro ZL1 nearly a year ago, revealing all specs of its muscle car that will go on sale this spring with a base price of US$54,995. A real bargain considering that it packs 580-horses from its 6.2-liter supercharged V8 allowing the Camaro to complete the nought to 60mph sprint in just 4.0 seconds en route to a top speed of 180+ mph.

Read more »

Chevy Sets New Record in 2011 with 4.76 Million Sales, China is GM's Largest Market Overall

In 2011, General Motors reclaimed its crown as the world's largest vehicle manufacturer from Toyota, which was hit hard by the Japanese Tsunami and the Thailand floods, and as a result, dropped into third place behind the Volkswagen Group.

Overall, GM's largest market in 2011 was China with 2,547,203 vehicles and an 8.3 percent increase over the previous year, followed by the U.S. with 2,503,820 sales, up 13.0 percent.

And the good news doesn't stop there for the Detroit carmaker, which announced today that the driving force behind its success, the Chevrolet brand, recorded its best sales year ever in 2011 delivering 4.76 million vehicles around the world.

Read more »

Chevy Drops New Photo Gallery of Camaro ZL1 Coupe and Convertible Models

General Motors has decided to share with us a fresh batch of photos of the next chapter in the Chevrolet Camaro's ongoing 21st century rebirth, the ZL1 series, which will soon launch in both Coupe and Convertible flavors.

The Camaro ZL1 Coupe was first introduced to the public nearly a year ago at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show, and it will arrive in U.S. dealerships this spring as a 2012 model with a starting price of $54,995 (€43,000).

It’s Convertible brethren will join in later in the summer as a 2013 model with pricing to be announced closer to the launch date, though if Chevrolet keeps the same pricing policy as the regular open-top versions, buyers should expect a $5,000 to $6,000 premium over the coupe model.

Read more »

Power Play: Watch Four Chevrolet Silverados Tear Down a Building

While some GM dealers go around destroying old cars to inaugurate their new premises others use the company's new vehicles to demolish their old buildings like this dealer, who judging by the name used to upload the video on YouTube, is John Thornton Chevy, located in Georgia.

The Chevrolet dealer hooked up four Silverado pickup trucks to the building's columns and the GM models didn't disappoint.

Head over the jump to watch the impressive take down in the video that follows.

Read more »

GM Considers Producing the Cruze and Other Chevy Models in Europe

Reclaiming the number one spot as the world’s best-selling car manufacturer in 2011 must have been quite satisfying for GM management. Still, there is a blemish in GM’s ornament as the company's CEO Dan Akerson admits: its loss-making European operations.

Even though Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne expressed an interest in a possible tie-up with Opel, GM vice chairman Steve Girsky quickly responded that the German carmaker and its British division, Vauxhall, “are not for sale”.

Read more »

SCOOP: This is the All-New 2014 Chevrolet Impala Sedan

If you take a look at Chevrolet's North American passenger car range, there's one model that stands out like a sore thumb and that's none other than the Impala.

The full-size sedan, which was presented in its current form in 2005 but has its roots in the 1999 model, may be a retiree's rental delight, but General Motors seems to be past that phase and is finally readying a major overhaul for the series.

The new Impala, spied here in camouflage during testing, has nothing in common with the current Impala. Instead, it shares its lengthened Epsilon II platform and mechanical hardware with the soon to be released 2013 Cadillac XTS.

And like the XTS, the new Impala will be offered with both front- and all-wheel-drive, which will be a first for the Chevrolet sedan.

Engine options will surely include GM's 3.6-liter V6 with direct-injection and close to 320-horsepower, while the newly revealed 2.0-liter turbocharged four with 270-horses on the Cadillac ATS is a likely candidate for a mid-trim model. We also expect to see a version of the Impala fitted with GM's e-assist mild-hybrid technology.

Read more »

New Corvette 427 Convertible Collector Edition and 60th Anniversary Package Mark the End of the C6

The 2013 model year of the Corvette not only marks the 60th anniversary of Chevy's iconic sports car but also the final production year for the current C6 before it is replaced by an all-new model.

To celebrate the event, Chevrolet has created the new 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible Collector Edition and the 60th Anniversary Package that will be available on all 2013 Corvette models. Both will make their public debut at the Barrett Jackson collector car auction in Arizona on January 21, and go on sale early this summer.

Read more »

Chevrolet Debuts Code 130R RWD and Tru 140S FWD Affordable Coupe Concepts

General Motors has lifted the veil on a pair of Chevrolet concept models for an affordable sports coupe with seating for four that were created based on feedback received from young consumers across the United States in the past year.

“Chevrolet has always stood for making the aspirational attainable for all generations” said General Motors North America President Mark Reuss. “These two concepts interpret that vision for a new generation. We’re seeking out our newest customers’ opinions, listening to their advice, and engaging them in new ways.”

The first concept model is called the Code 130R and despite the Chevy face and the Camaro-esque tail lamp design, its proportions, size and profile bear more than a passing resemblance to the BMW 1-Series Coupe.

Read more »

Chevrolet Debuts Sail Hatchback and MPV Concept at New Delhi Auto Expo

The 11th Auto Expo that takes place these days at New Delhi was the ground for the display of the Chevrolet Sail and MPV Concept, GM’s first products from its joint venture with China's SAIC.

The Sail is a five door sub-compact hatchback that has been developed at GM’s Technical Center in Bangalore to ensure that it will meet the needs of the Indian buyers.

Read more »

Scoop: Is Chevrolet Readying a Mild Facelift for the Cruze?

Launched at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, the Chevrolet Cruze hasn’t been on the market for that long as it actually went on sale in Europe and Australia during 2009 and the U.S. and Canada in mid-2010.

That said, we were somewhat surprised to see this single scoop picture of what is claimed to be a facelifted version of the Cruze, and which was sent to the Czech website, Autoforum, by one of its readers.

Read more »

2012 Chevrolet Sonic Recalled as Some Cars May be Missing…a Brake Pad!

General Motors has found itself in a somewhat embarrassing situation as the Detroit-based automaker revealed that some examples of its newly launched 2012 Chevrolet Sonic subcompact model might be missing an inner or outer front brake pad.

The automaker said it became aware of the problem on November 29 when a customer brought a 2012 Sonic into a dealership complaining about noises coming from the brakes. The company noted that here are no known crashes or injuries related to the issue.

Read more »