Rides : Is This The New Corvette C7?

We're just days away from finally (finally!) being able to drop the full, steaming load of C7 Corvette information, images and video into your collective lap. And yet, the official reveal day is not quite here yet...

Thank the good lord, then, for poorly hidden magazine covers, and more sneaky shots of the new car. A car that is, we read, "The best Corvette design in 50 years" if the front page of Automobile is to be believed. At least from the smoke-engulfed posterior shot that we see here, the C7 does appear to have some very striking design work going on. Bold LED taillamps live in blacked-out surrounds, a crisply angled spoiler accents the high-belted rear end, and the expected quad-tailpipes look to mean serious business. The quarterlight behind the side windows is a bit surprising though, as it seems to be louvered or otherwise obscured in some way.

Credit : Autoblog

Rides : Deal brokered to get Saab warranty service honored at GM dealers

When Pontiac, Hummer and Saturn were killed off, at least current owners never had to question where they would have to take their vehicle in case it needed to be serviced. The same couldn't be said for Saab owners... until now. General Motors and Saab Automobile Parts North America (the remaining entity of the bankrupted automaker) have signed an agreement that provides 179 service centers to current Saab owners to receive factory-trained technicians and official Saab replacement parts.

These warranty service providers will have all the tools, training and parts to maintain and repair Saab vehicles, and they will also have access to a technical assistance center for the technicians. Next year, SPNA will also set up a customer assistance center, which will likely be most useful in helping current owners find repair shows, as well as a program called Saab Secure to give added service support to owners of late model (2010 and 2011 model year) Saab vehicles. Finally, to make sure customers have a sufficient parts supply to keep their cars on the road, SPNA operates out of a 153,000 square foot warehouse in Michigan that has the ability to ship more than 3,000 parts orders per day.

 

Press Release

Saab Automobile Parts North America and General Motors Company Enter Warranty Services Agreement

• Covered owners can now take their Saab vehicles to any of the 179 SPNA Warranty Service Providers to have warranty work performed
• Agreement commenced December 17, 2012
• Technical and Customer Assistance support will be offered to ensure Saab expertise is available in North America

DETROIT, Dec. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Saab Automobile Parts North America (SPNA), the exclusive provider of Saab Genuine Parts and Accessories to the U.S. and Canadian markets, and General Motors Company (GM) have entered into a Warranty Services Agreement that authorizes SPNA to provide warranty administration and related services through Saab's network of Warranty Service Providers for model year 2009 and prior Saab vehicles still covered under the GM limited warranty. The agreement permits Saab owners the opportunity to have their vehicles repaired by Saab factory trained technicians using Saab Genuine Parts by a nationwide network of Warranty Service Providers.

Tim Colbeck, President and CEO of Saab Automobile Parts North America, said: "Our agreement with General Motors is an important step in supporting Saab owners in North America and ensuring they have access to Saab Genuine Parts, service programs and technical support for years to come."

The transition of warranty administration services from GM to SPNA commenced on December 17, 2012. Geographically, the agreement covers all of the United States and Canada. It will not affect GM's original manufacturer limited warranty coverage. All scheduled maintenance, roadside assistance, loaner vehicle allowances and Certified Pre-Owned coverage remain in effect.

Saab Warranty Service Providers will have a Saab dedicated claims processing team and access to technical experts to assist with the timely completion of necessary maintenance and repairs. To ensure Saab expertise is available in North America, the agreement calls for a Technical Assistance Center (TAC) to be established. The TAC line will be available to all Warranty Service Providers requiring technical support from the SPNA team of experts. The Saab Warranty Services Agreement provides for the best overall customer ownership experience.

The agreement also calls for the establishment of a North America Customer Assistance Center (CAC). All Saab owners will benefit from the CAC which will be available for customer facing interactions early next year.

In addition, SPNA will be launching their Saab Secure program in early 2013, providing limited service support to model year '10 and '11 owners.

Saab Automobile Parts North America commenced operations in June 2012. The company is headquartered in Michigan and is responsible for the warehousing, distribution and sale of Saab Genuine Parts and Accessories for all Saab vehicles in the United States and Canada. The company distributes parts and accessories from its 153,000 sq. / ft. warehouse through its nationwide network of Official Service Centers and Warranty Service Providers. With over 50,000 part numbers and over 70,000 parts, the company can ship over 3,000 order lines each day.

 

Credit : Autoblog

Rides : Several GM vehicles for possible fuel leak

The North American based automotive giant General Motors has announced a recall for some of its vehicles because of a possible fuel leak.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 40,859 units of the 2007-2009 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2007 Chevrolet Equinox, 2007-2009 Pontiac G5, 2007 Pontiac Torrent and 2007 Saturn Ion will be affected by this recall and owners of these models will have to take them back to the dealers because of the fuel pump module which may crack and cause fuel leakage.

“Some of these vehicles have a condition in which the plastic supply or return port on the fuel pump module may crack, which could cause a fuel leak. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire”, as the NHTSA is saying in its recalls summary of the problem.

The General Motors dealers will replace the fuel pump in the affected vehicles which were only sold in certain states in the U.S. The company or the NHTSA didn’t say anything for the moment about reports received from customers of crashes or injuries related to this problem. A date for the recall hasn’t been set yet but owners of the above mentioned models are advised to contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.

Rides : GM recalling 426,000 sedans over faulty transmission shift cable

General Motors is recalling some 426,240 sedans that may have a faulty transmission shift cable, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report this morning. The recall concerns a fault within four-speed automatic transmissions equipped on 2007-2010 Saturn Aura models, and 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 models.

The report specifies that tabs on the transmission shift cable may fracture and separate. Such a fault could cause a discrepancy between the actual position of the transmission and the apparent position of the shift lever.

GM is currently working to notify owners of the vehicles in question, and dealers will check and replace shift cables free of charge.

Press Release

Vehicle Make / Model / Model Year(s):

CHEVROLET / MALIBU / 2008-2010
PONTIAC / G6 / 2008-2010
SATURN / AURA / 2007-2010

Manufacturer: General Motors LLC
Mfr's Report Date: SEP 18, 2012
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 12V460000
NHTSA Action Number: N/A
Component: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)

Potential Number of Units Affected: 426,240

Summary:

General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Saturn Aura and model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 vehicles, equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission. On these vehicles, the tabs on the transmission shift cable end may fracture and separate.

Consequence:

If the tabs were to fracture and separate, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. The driver would be able to move the shifter to 'PARK' and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in 'PARK.' The vehicle may not be able to be restarted and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.

Remedy:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer over the cable end or replace the shift cable as necessary. This service will be performed free of charge. GM has not provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.

Notes:

General Motors safety recall number 12106. Customers may contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); or go to www.safercar.gov.

Credit : Autoblog

Auto Tech : GM latest to explore turning rear windows into screens

Last Summer Toyota showed off its Window to the World technology created in partnership with the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design. It turned a rear window into an augmented-reality screen that would keep kids interested in something other than asking "Are we there yet?" Now General Motors has showed off a similar bit of kit called Windows of Opportunity, developed with the Bezalel School of Art and Design in Israel.

GM's Windows concept is aimed just as much at kids as adults. The team came up with four different apps that provided interactivity ranging from a virtual take on drawing on foggy windows to checking what was on other augmented windows on cars around the world. We're probably a long way from seeing something like this in production, but you know you can look forward to the day when your kid monitors your driving style from his child seat.

 

Press Release

GM Explores Windows of Opportunity
University project envisions smart interactive windows for rear passengers

DETROIT – Got backseat boredom? DVD players and Game Boys are so five years ago, but a new concept in rear seat entertainment technology that uses the windows themselves could replace squirminess and snoozing with interactive scribbling, sweeping and pinching.

General Motors Research and Development put that challenge before researchers and students from the FUTURE LAB at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel. The task: Conceptualize new ways to help rear seat passengers, particularly children, have a richer experience on the road.

The Windows of Opportunity (WOO) Project was inspired by psychological studies indicating car passengers often feel disconnected from their environment, GM asked the Bezalel students to turn car windows into interactive displays capable of stimulating awareness, nurturing curiosity and encouraging a stronger connection with the world outside the vehicle.

"Traditionally, the use of interactive displays in cars has been limited to the driver and front passenger, but we see an opportunity to provide a technology interface designed specifically for rear seat passengers," said Tom Seder, GM R&D lab group manager for human-machine interface. "Advanced windows that are capable of responding to vehicle speed and location could augment real world views with interactive enhancements to provide entertainment and educational value."

Since GM has no immediate plans to put interactive display windows into production vehicles, the R&D team gave free reign to the Bezalel students to create applications without concern whether they could be mass produced. Bezalel is Israel's oldest institute of higher education and one of the more prestigious schools of its kind in the world.

The apps include:

- Otto, an animated character projected over passing scenery that responds to real-time car performance, weather and landscape. With Otto, passengers can learn about their environment in fun, playful ways.
- Foofu, an app that allows passengers to create, explore and discover through finger drawing on window steam.
- Spindow, an app that provides its users a peek into other users' windows around the globe in real time.
- Pond, an app that allows passengers to stream and share music with other cars on the road, downloads favorite tracks, and share messages with other passengers on the road.

To demonstrate these apps, the students produced a full scale functional prototype of a rear passenger seat and side window. The students used motion and optical sensor technology developed by EyeClick to turn standard window glass into a multi-touch and gesture sensitive surface.

If such interactive windows were put into automotive production they likely would use electronically charged "smart glass" technology, which is capable of variable states of translucence and transparency, and can reflect projected images. Smart glass is increasingly used in architectural and display applications, but outside of movies like Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is rarely seen in cars.

"Projects like WOO are invaluable, because working with designers and scholars from outside of the automotive industry brings fresh perspective to vehicle technology development," said Omer Tsimhoni, lab group manager for human-machine interface, GM Advanced Technical Center in Israel. "WOO is just one of many projects underway at GM that could reinvent the passenger experience in years to come."

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM's brands include Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well as Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

Rides : GM Recalls The 2010-2011 Cadillac SRX

The North American based automotive giant General Motors has recently announced a recall for the 2010-2011 Cadillac SRX models.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 8.789 units of the 2010-2011 Cadillac SRX units will be affected by the recall and their owners will have to take a trip back to the dealers because of an automatic transmission problem that could cause the crossover to roll away. General Motors said that there was a rollaway incident associated with this recall but the carmaker didn’t say anything about reports received from customers because of this problem.

“These vehicles may have a transmission shift cable that was improperly installed and may come out of the transmission bracket. The driver may be unable to shift the transmission out of gear, resulting in no motion or the shifter may inaccurately indicate that the transmission is in park when it is not, allowing the vehicle to roll away and cause a possible crash”, said the NHTSA in its recalls summary of the problem.

The vehicles which will be affected by this recall have been manufactured in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, between October 2008 and June 2011 and the General Motors dealers will have to inspect the models to check that the transmission shift cable is properly routed and seated in the transmission cable bracket. Owners of the above mentioned models can contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339.

Rides : GM considers new battery for Volt, offers to buy back hybrids from pyrophobic customers

Still freaked out about that whole Volt catching fire thing? Well, GM wants you to know it's taking your concerns very seriously. The company is considering a redesign of the battery in the hybrid, possibly delaying the release of the Opel-branded version in Europe. What's more, for those not satisfied with being able to pick up a loaner, the company will buy the vehicle back from you.

Rides : GM debuts new front center airbag

Just when you thought automakers couldn't shove any more inflatables into a vehicle's cabin, General Motors has introduced yet another new airbag. The company's new front center airbag is basically designed to keep the driver in place during a solo far-side impact, as well as prevent occupants from bouncing off of one another if there is more than one person in the car. The new device is set to be introduced as standard equipment on models like the Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia with power seats beginning in the 2013 model year. The tethered, tube-shaped airbag deploys from the right side of the driver's seat and positions itself in the center of the vehicle.

GM says that the company's analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data revealed that far-side impact crashes accounted for 11 percent of the belted front occupant fatalities in non-rollover incidents between 2004 and 2009, and that those deaths represented 29 percent of all fatalities in all side-impact crashes.

 

Rides : General Motors and LG to develop electric vehicles

The American auto giant General Motors has signed a partnership with the LG Group that is the first step into designing and developing future electric vehicles. The LG Group has already entered the automotive industry by supplying the battery cells to the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera, and by adding GM’s experience in the field than that can only mean two things: success and money.

“Many solutions for tomorrow’s transportation needs may be available more quickly by building on our partnership strategy. Consumers benefit by getting the latest fuel-saving technology faster if we work with the best suppliers and we save time and money in the development process”, said the General Motors vice chairman, Steve Girsky.

According to the two companies, General Motors and LG will work on the vehicle structures and architectures and the cars will be sold in many countries. The new EVs that will come off the production line from the GM & LG partnership will play a major role into the US Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) of 54.5 mpg (4.3L/100km) by the end of 2025 model year.

Rides : GM is recalling Buick LaCrosse and Chevy Impala

Unwanted problems in the Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Impala made General Motors announce a recall which will affect about 15.000 vehicles in North America.

The Detroit auto maker has reported problems in the software in some Buick LaCrosse models and will inspect power steering hoses in the Chevy Impalas but no crashes, injuries or deaths were related to this condition.
The General Motors recall will affect 11.905 2012 Chevrolet Impalas in the United States and Canada, which will be inspected for proper installation of the power steering hose, and 4.293 Buick LaCrosses on which the electronic brake control will be reprogrammed because of an incorrect calibration.
According to the auto maker, the recall is covering vehicles built between June 9 and July 2 and the malfunctions will be solved for free.
Dealers have sent the letters to customers, informing them of the problems, by FedEx on Aug 5. No customer complaints regarding these problems have been received until now.

Rides : Ford to surpass GM in car sales for the first time in 80 years; coincidentally, Obama announces government will buy huge fleets of 'green' cars

...GM market manipulation really lies in their incentive juicing and I think on Friday when they announce the March sales numbers, we'll see some real evidence.

Rob Port at SayAnything had a good post on the incentives a few weeks ago - General Motors Taking Advantage Of Government Restructuring To Offer Lower Prices? But GM said they got rid of these high incentives for March

So, March is coming to a close & it was time for GM's cars to stand on their own.  Edmunds predicted Ford sales will be higher than GM's. According to the Detroit Free Press: "Ford hasn't outsold GM regularly since the heyday of the Model T."

If the Edmund's prediction are on target, GM lost to Ford as soon as they stopped artificially juking their numbers with massive incentives.

In other, other words: the GM vehicle lineup does not look like it can stand on its own and it is likely we will see them ramp up incentives again.

Or just have the biggest and most powerful corporation on Earth -- the Democrat-controlled federal bureaucracy and unofficial fourth branch of government -- start juicing sales... starting with the troubled Volt.

Please consider "Obama says government will lead by example, purchase only 'green' vehicles by 2015":

President Barack Obama this afternoon outlined his new energy plan, vowing the government will lead by example in an attempt to reduce foreign oil imports by one-third over the next decade... he said that by 2015 the federal government will purchase only "alternative-fuel" vehicles, including hybrids and electrics...



"We’re going to have to find ways to boost our efficiency so that we use less oil. We’ve got to discover and produce cleaner, renewable sources of energy that also produce less carbon pollution that is threatening our climate. And we have to do it quickly."

Actually, it will be the taxpayers, not Obama, forced to lead by example as the out-of-control bureaucracy sinks more of our childrens' borrowed money down the global warming rat-hole.

Rides : GM Recalls Nearly 100,000 Vehicles

General Motors Co. said Thursday it is recalling almost 100,000 vehicles to fix two problems that could cause the rear axle to malfunction and the passenger-side air bag not to work.

The auto maker, in postings with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said the air bag recall affects almost 96,000 Cadillac CTS sedans from model years 2005 to 2007.

Repeated flexing of the sensing mat in the passenger seat can cause the mat to kink, bend or fold so much that the sensor might not detect a passenger in the seat. As a result, the sensor wouldn't activate the air bag in the event of a crash, the car maker said.

The axle recall affects almost 1,300 Cadillac Escalade sport-utility vehicles, Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 crossovers, and Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups, all from the 2011 model year.

GM said the rear axle's cross pin could fracture, becoming displaced within the axle and possibly causing the vehicle to crash. The company added that drivers may hear a banging noise from the axle if the pin has shifted out of position.

Dealers will replace air-bag sensing systems and rear axle cross pins free of charge.

The axle recall is expected to begin in January. GM didn't say when the air-bag recall would begin.

GM's CEO Wouldn't Be "Caught Dead" In A Toyota Prius

General Motors CEO Dan Akerson has only been on his first auto industry job for a few months, but based on a speech in Washington today, he's a quick learner. Fight! Fight! Fight! Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty [Ken Thomas via Twitter]