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 Chevy Volt Will Be Sportier Than Japanese Hybrids Says Chief Engineer |
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Jun 30, 2009 - 7:51 PM - by Administrator
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The upcoming Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid will be a sporty alternative to Japanese hybrids says the car's chief engineer. Andrew Farah let this juicy bit of info slip on a recent chat session on GM's official FastLane blog.
"Our chassis is much more sporty than either of the other vehicles," said Farah, referring to the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius. One-upping a Toyota in a performance contest isn't exactly something to brag about and while Honda usually makes an excellent handling car, the new Insight is not a usual Honda and even rides on a rear suspension setup that is only "semi-independent."
Perhaps the extra sportiness of the Volt will help to justify its expectedly high price-point.
Farah also let slip some other info about the car. He confirmed that the battery port for recharging the lithium-ion battery pack (which has a life expectancy of 10 years) has been relocated from the fender trim to where the gas cap would typically be.
Farah also said that the Volt will be undergoing hot weather testing this summer "out west," so to everyone in Phoenix, we suggest you keep your cell phone cameras ready.
More: Chevy Volt Will Be Sportier Than Japanese Hybrids Says Chief Engineer on AutoGuide.com
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0 Replies | 17 Views
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First Chevy Volt Pre-Production Model Hits the Road |
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Jun 25, 2009 - 5:49 PM - by Administrator
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General Motors may still be in bankruptcy protection but that doesn't mean work at America's largest automaker has stopped. In fact, engineers have been hard at it, especially those working on the upcoming Chevrolet Volt.
Today Chevy has released a few photos of a pre-production model of the Volt. Until now, every other version was either a show car or a test mule and not an actual representation of what the Volt will look like - or be like for that matter.
The pictures show top Volt engineer Andrew Farah testing the car in a real world scenario and then plugging it back in to charge the battery pack. The Volt uses state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries and if the car makes it to market soon enough, it will be the first mass-market vehicle to do so with lithium-ion power.
The Volt is a PHEV (a plug in hybrid electric vehicle). It is a full hybrid that can operate on gasoline, electric power or a combination of both and will be able to travel as many as 40 miles on pure electric power before the gasoline engine needs to kick in.
More: First Chevy Volt Pre-Production Model Hits the Road on AutoGuide.com
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1 Reply | 45 Views
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General Motors Bankruptcy Official |
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Jun 01, 2009 - 2:29 PM - by Administrator
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While President Obama and General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson are both expected to hold press conferences today, officially GM has already filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection.
Once the world's largest automaker and a symbol of the success of free market economics, GM is now a symbol of failure. In the 1950s it employed over 500,000 people and produced more than half of all the vehicles sold in the United States. Now it also holds the dubious title of the world's third-largest bankruptcy - and the largest bankruptcy for a manufacturing company.
General Motors, backed by yet another government loan from the U.S. Treasury is expected to get the same fast-tracked bankruptcy proceedings as the smaller U.S. automaker Chrysler - which filed for Chapter 11 just one month ago and which already appears to be emerging. Just yesterday a judge approved the sale of Chrysler's assets to a group comprised of Fiat, the U.S. government and the UAW. The Chrysler Chapter 11 proceedings were seen by many as a practice for the much larger General Motors corporation.
As a part of the Chapter 11 filing GM will receive $30 billion from the Obama administration, giving it a 60 percent stake in the once-great automaker. The Canadian government will take a 12 percent stake by providing an additonal $9.5 billion, while the UAW gets a 17.5 percent share and bondholders get 10 percent.
The Chapter 11 proceedings are expected to take anywhere from 60 to 90 days but the future of General Motors is anything but certain. In the short term the automaker will most likely push ahead, but the big question mark is if it can become financially viable and build cars that people want to buy - something which is further complicated by the government's involvement.
While the Obama Administration was reluctant to get involved it almost had no choice as without government help both General Motors and Chrysler were doomed to failure - at a time when the U.S. economy already has enough troubles. But now that the government is involved it doesn't appear to be willing to part with its economic engine. Even when GM and Chrysler emerge from bankruptcy, the government's Autos Task Force will continue to be involved in the future of both companies.
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0 Replies | 153 Views
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General Motors to Reduce Dealership Network by 1,124 |
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May 20, 2009 - 6:09 PM - by Administrator
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General Motors will cut 1,124 dealerships loose by October of 2010. The struggling automaker on the verge of bankruptcy sent letters out to the dealerships last week as it searches for ways to reduce it's current dealer network of 5,969 to just 3,600.
GM says it will not renew dealership agreements with the 1,124 companies when their contract renewal comes up in October of next year.
The dealerships being cut are considered to be poor performers and accounted for just 7 percent of GM's U.S. sales last year.
Another 470 dealerships are also scheduled to be let go as GM parts with the Hummer, Saab and Saturn brands. An additional 35 stand-alone Pontiac dealerships will also be cut.
Those dealerships not already notified aren't necessarily safe, however, as the remaining 4,300 stores is still 700 over the 3,600 cap.
The news of GM's numerous dealership closings came just one day after Chrysler announced it would drop 789 U.S. dealerships.
More: General Motors to Reduce Dealership Network by 1,124 on AutoGuide.com
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0 Replies | 164 Views
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General Motors Canada to Close 42% of Dealerships |
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May 20, 2009 - 6:09 PM - by Administrator
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Days after General Motors announced it would cut it's number of dealerships in the U.S. by 1,124, GM Canada is following suit. The number of Canadian GM dealerships being closed may sound much smaller at 292, however, with roughly 700 dealerships nationwide, the cuts represent a 42 percent dealership reduction.
GM Canada says the Sales & Service agreements it holds with the dealerships will not be renewed once they expire in October of 2010.
GM Canada says it focused on cutting dealerships in urban areas with higher populations, in an effort to continue to offer GM vehicles in rural communities as well. Considering the country's large land mass and relatively small population, however, visiting a GM dealership after October 2010 may mean a much longer drive for some rural residents.
"The end result in Canada will be a more competitive dealer network with higher volumes, while continuing to maintain the strongest and broadest dealer network in the country better equipped to serve GM customers," reads a GM Canada statement.
More: General Motors Canada to Close 42% of Dealerships on AutoGuide.com
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0 Replies | 134 Views
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