American Axle strike cost GM $2.82 billion
With recent news of workers crossing the picket line and the American Axle strike being called off, General Motors has taken stock of the strike action’s effect on its business. In total, the strike cost the carmaker almost $2.82 billion but other costs have yet to rear their heads - such as lost customer loyalty due to long waiting periods for vehicles. The breakdown of the total financial cost reveals that the General lost $1.8 billion in the second quarter alone, as well as $800 million from...

Dubai takes delivery of first Middle East GM hybrids
Fuel efficiency and hybrid technology haven’t historically been major concerns of the oil-rich states in the Middle East, but Dubai and its Roads and Transport Authority RTA have taken delivery of General Motors test vehicles for what could become the world’s largest fleet of hybrids. The cars are being used for government transport and as public taxis in a 12-month trial to determine their viability. No other Middle East states have performed such a trial to date, and General Motors is...

Dubai takes delivery of first Middle East GM hybrids
Fuel efficiency and hybrid technology haven’t historically been major concerns of the oil-rich states in the Middle East, but Dubai and its Roads and Transport Authority RTA have taken delivery of General Motors test vehicles for what could become the world’s largest fleet of hybrids. The cars are being used for government transport and as public taxis in a 12-month trial to determine their viability. No other Middle East states have performed such a trial to date, and General Motors is...

GM boosting V6 engine production
GM will boost production numbers of its HF global V6 engine at its Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico to meet increased demand for smaller and more efficient engines from consumers downsizing from fuel-thirsty V8s. An additional 350,000 V6 engines will be built at the plant, raising its capacity to 940,000 units per year. Ramos Arizpe will also start production of the latest generation HF engine, which is 6% more powerful than the previous version of that powerplant. The engines will be used in crossovers...

GM boss describes UN research on biofuel as ’shockingly misinformed’
As carmakers around the world look for alternatives to burning fossil fuels to power their future cars one proposition that’s quickly gaining traction is the roll-out of cars that run on biofuels sourced from crops. One of the most vocal carmakers backing the mass production of biofuel is GM, which plans to have most of its vehicles biofuel capable within the next decade. However, a number of charities as well as leading science groups and even the United Nations claim the production of biofuel will...

GM downsizing engines, reveals 2 new compact turbos
General Motors has taken heed of public desire for smaller, more economical engines and developed two brand-new engines for its global markets. The new engines consist of a new 1.4-liter petrol unit and a 1.6-liter Compressed Natural Gas CNG unit, and will be rolled out in GM’s production cars over the next 12 months. Both engines are compact four-cylinder units that use turbochargers to make up for their lack of displacement. The petrol unit delivers an 8% fuel consumption saving compared to a...

GM earmarks key ‘trend-setting’ markets for Volt
GM is determined to keep its promise of delivering the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid car by the end of the decade but if you were hoping to be one of the first in the world to own a Volt you had better hope you live in one of the trend-setting markets officials plan to launch the car in. Nothing is set in concrete but officials are considering initially launching the Volt in politically important and trend-setting markets on the U.S. coasts - namely California and New York. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz...

GM earmarks key ‘trend-setting’ markets for Volt
GM is determined to keep its promise of delivering the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid car by the end of the decade but if you were hoping to be one of the first in the world to own a Volt you had better hope you live in one of the trend-setting markets officials plan to launch the car in. Nothing is set in concrete but officials are considering initially launching the Volt in politically important and trend-setting markets on the U.S. coasts - namely California and New York. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz...

GM finally merges brand operations
Redundant operations and wasted time and resources spent duplicating work already done by another of its eight different brands have plagued GM for years. The carmaker has been long criticized for its organizational structure but it has finally confirmed the merger of its eight brands into four distinct channels – each headed by newly appointed vice presidents. The U.S. marketing and field operations will be more strongly aligned into four retail channels: Chevrolet; Premium Cadillac, Hummer, Saab...

GM reveals 2009 model year updates
Chrysler laid out most of its future plans earlier today, revealing information about a score of upcoming models and technologies including new dual-clutch transmissions, a hybrid Dodge Ram, a fuel-efficient AWD system and a Nissan-sourced small hatch just to name a few, but it isn’t the only U.S. automaker with major updates planned for the 2009 model year. GM has also come out with a number of major announcements today covering most of its brands. GM will finally make Bluetooth hands-free phone...