General Motors officially unveiled its much-anticipated production version of the Chevrolet Volt, its extended-range electric vehicle, just in time to kick off its next 100 years. The automaker is celebrating its one hundredth year this year. “Revealing the production version of the Chevy Volt is a great way to open our second century,” said Rick Wagoner, GM Chairman and CEO. “The Volt is symbolic of GM’s strong commitment to the future … just the kind of technology innovation that our industry needs to respond to today’s and tomorrow’s energy and environmental challenges.”

The Chevrolet Volt production version is redesigned from the original concept revealed at the 2007 North American International Auto Show. The new Volt now features a sleeker and more aerodynamically efficient design with rounded and flush front fascia, tapered corners and grille, sharp edges and streamlined spoiler as well as an aggressive rake on the windshield and back glass. Design elements from the original concept still endure such as the closed front grille, athletic stance, rear design graphics, outside rearview mirrors and more.

Read the rest of this entry »

General Motors announced that it will invest half a billion dollars to build and develop a new compact sized car, the Chevrolet Cruze. The Cruze is set to be officially unveiled at the Paris Motor show this October. It will be built at GM’s Lordstown, Ohio plant which also assembles the Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5.

GM chief executive Rick Wagoner said the Cruze would be a significant step toward ending the automaker’s reliance on big trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUV). The Cruze will replace the Cobalt, the most fuel-efficient compact car in the US and one of GM’s top selling vehicles.

GM says the Cruze will get 46 miles per gallon, a good 9 miles more than the Cobalt. It will go on sale in Europe and Asia by 2009, with a North American debut slated for 2010.

Via Forbes

General Motors continues to feel the pinch of a bleak automotive industry outlook as it announced plans to reduce its workforce by cutting 5,000 salaried jobs. The workforce reduction is part of a plan announced earlier this month that aims to cut costs by as $10 billion by the end of 2009. The cuts will take effect by year’s end.

Other cost-cutting plans include the ending its salaried retirement health coverage for employees over 65 starting Jan. 1. Salaried workers will also not receive pay raises through the end of 2009. GM is also offering an early retirement package to older salaried workers, taking advantage of an overfunded pension plan to reduce the workforce.

GM has reduced its salaried workforce from 44,000 in 2000 to about 32,000 today.

As the population of Americans 65 years and older is projected to double in the next twenty years, General Motors responds to the need for more elderly-friendly vehicles by developing a new windshield technology that will help drivers with vision problems see more clearly. The technology is still in the research stage but is expected to be very useful in the near future.

Although it will not improve the driver’s vision, it will make objects that could otherwise go unnoticed by aging eyes stand out more. The high-tech windshield will feature a combination of lasers, infrared sensors and a camera to enhance the road view. For instance, during foggy days, a laser projects a blue line into the windshield that follows the edge of the road.

Infrared sensors will also detect objects, such as a person or an animal, in the driver’s path during night time driving; it will project an outline of the object on the windshield to highlight its location.

Other devices track the driver’s head and eye movement so that the image on the windshield isn’t skewed. Aside from GM, only Chrysler is currently working on similar windshield technology.

General Motors is apparently planning on unveiling a production version of its new Chevrolet Volt by September this year, just in time for the automaker’s 100th founding anniversary. With sales declining rapidly, GM is seeking to focus the investors’ and consumers’ attention away from the gloomy prospect brought about by rapidly declining sales (GM’s US sales are 15% off this year) to the rosier perspective of its fuel-efficient vehicles under development.

GM first showed off a concept version of the Volt back in January 2007 but has since significantly revamped the vehicle’s look to improve its aerodynamics. Now the shape of the production car has reportedly been finalized. The Chevy Volt is a plug-in electric vehicle designed to run purely on electricity from on-board batteries for up to 40 miles (64 km).

With the help of a small internal combustion engine driving a generator to resupply the batteries, the vehicle’s range can potentially reach 640 miles (1,030 km) on the highway. Two suppliers are in the running to provide the lithium-ion batteries for the Volt: Korea’s LG Chem and German auto parts supplier Continental AG. The Volt is one of the first landmark attempts to use lithium-ion batteries, very common in consumer electronics, in automobiles.

Via Reuters

During the 78th Geneva International Auto Show, Japan’s Hitachi, Ltd. announced that it has had an agreement with the General Motors Corporation that the former would supply lithium-ion batteries which would be used by the automaker in its hybrid-electric vehicles. GM also disclosed that it would be manufacturing over 100,000 HEVs each year and these vehicles would be available in the North American auto market by 2010.

GM’s order for a supply of lithium-ion batteries reflect the car maker’s trust in the products that Hitachi manufactures. In the history of Hitachi, the company has created lithium-ion batteries and other technology using the mentioned batteries. These products have been known for their performance, safety, and durability. Despite having such a high reputation, these Hitachi products also come with an affordable tag price.

Since 2000, the automotive market has received over 200,000 units of lithium-ion batteries and technologies and has benefited greatly from these Hitachi products.

At the recent Convergence Conference held at the Cobo Center in Detroit, General Motors Corp., through luxury brand Cadillac, demonstrated a technology that can revolutionize vehicle safety in the future – vehicle to vehicle communication technology or V2V. This V2V system will enable a vehicle to detect the position and movement of other vehicles on the road, even up to a quarter of a mile away. In effect, V2V equipped cars communicate their relative positions to each other.

A V2V-equipped vehicle can anticipate and react to whatever driving situations there are on the road. It will warn the driver through chimes, visual icons and seat vibrations once it detects any potential collision. If the driver fails to respond to these signals, the vehicle can bring itself to a safe stop, thus avoiding a collision. “V2V technology gives drivers a sixth sense to know what’s going on around them to help avoid accidents and improve traffic flow,” says Larry Burns, GM vice president of research & development and planning.

Amidst high gas prices and the growing importance of fuel economy as a major consideration in a car buyer’s decision, General Motors Corp. is developing not only one, but two hybrid electric motors in a single package. Called “Dual Hybrid”, the technology will first be used in the automaker’s Full-size SUVs due in 2008. Dual Hybrid technology uses two electric motors, V8 engine, and 4-speed transmission. The engine is also powered either by 4 cylinders or 8 cylinders, depending on the load. It is estimated that dual hybrid will improve fuel economy by as much as 25% on current models. An on-board computer will determine whether the two electric motors, the gas engine or a combination of both will power the vehicle.

The duel hybrid system is being jointly developed by GM, DCX and BMW. GM says the system will be priced competitively. Meanwhile, in related news, GM is currently building a new diesel engine for its light-duty pickups. The current 6.6-liter Duramax diesel engine will also meet 2007 emission standards.

It seems the return of the muscle cars is now certain. General Motors Corp is planning to revive the Chevrolet Camaro as a production vehicle as soon as 2008. This is according to a report by the Detroit Free Press. GM Chairman and CEO, Rick Wagoner is expected to announce the final plans for the production of the new Chevrolet Camaro at an automotive conference in Traverse City by Thursday. However, GM spokesman Christopher Preuss said last Sunday that he could not comment on the report.

The Chevrolet Camaro won the critics’ praise when it was unveiled last January at the NAIAS in Detroit. The Camaro was one of the most popular muscle cars. It started its run in 1967 and the last production model left assembly lines in 2002. Currently, only the successful Ford Mustang remains from the legendary muscle car era.