GM is set to debut the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe at the Detroit Auto Show this month.

Bob Lutz confirmed back in July that the CTS-V coupe was still on and he also recently revealed that GM is also going to release a CTS-V Sport Wagon. Both CTS-V versions of the Sport Wagon and Coupe will be powered by the same 556-hp 6.2L Supercharged V8 that powers the sedan.

A Buick with a manual transmission? It's true. At a press event today in Michigan, GM's Jim Federico confirmed that the 2011 Buick Regal will have an available six-speed manual transmission.

The 2.0L turbocharged Regal, which will arrive shortly after the car's launch early next year, will indeed be offered with a six-speed manual.

Many of us have always thought of Buick as the old man's car. It looks like GM is trying to change that...

What is surprising to at least GM is that 2 out of 3 Chevy Camaros that drive off dealer lots do so with a V8 under the hood. GM had originally hoped that most of the Camaros sold would be the V6 model so that it would boost the automaker's Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE). But according to Edmunds, approximately two-thirds of the 47,233 Camaros sold from April 2009 to October 2009 have been SS models.

The Camaro SS is powered by a 420-hp 6.2L V8 and is the most expensive Camaro in the lineup with a starting price of $31,595. In contrast the lowest priced V6 Camaro starts at $23,530. According to Bob Lutz, GM vice chairman, the V6 Camaros cost almost as much to build as the V8 models.

In addition to news about future of the Regal and Impala, GM's Bob Lutz has also confirmed that the Cadillac Sport Wagon is also going to be offered as a CTS-V Sport Wagon. This means that buyers will be able to get the CTS-V any way they want it, since the CTS-V will also be offered as a coupe.

Car and Driver recently got some alone time with Lutz, in which he stated, "You know what's really going to get you guys [on board with wagons] is the CTS-V wagon."

Last week GM officially unveiled the 2011 Buick Regal, which many of you may easily recognize as the Opel Insignia with a Buick grille. Well it looks like GM has more in the works than just the front-wheel-drive four-cyl powered Regals that were unveiled.

Bob Lutz confirmed that GM is discussing the possibility of 335-hp all-wheel-drive model, which makes sense, since Opel offers the Insignia OPC with a 325-hp turbocharged engine and all-wheel-drive. In addition to a more powerful Regal, Lutz also stated that GM is considering a Regal Sport Wagon.

Now that the Pontiac G8 is officially dead there had been rumors of it living on as a Chevy. Many of us were hoping that GM would release a consumer version of its upcoming 2011 Chevy Caprice police patrol vehicle. Well those rumors were put to rest and now Bob Lutz has confirmed that the next generation Chevy Impala will keep its front-wheel-drive layout.

Lutz didn't provide much detail about the next Impala, only saying that it will be slightly larger. The next Impala will also be compatible with GM's hybrid technology, so an Impala hybrid is expected at some point.

GM has unveiled the model that signifies the return of the Buick Regal. The 2011 Buick Regal will officially return to the US in 2010. Most of you will recognize the Regal as the Opel Insignia that is sold in Europe, with a Buick grille. The Regal has also been on sale in China.

The 2011 Regal shares its platform with the new LaCrosse, but is over six inches shorter with a wheelbase that is also four inches shorter. The Regal is only going to be offered with four-cylinder engines. The standard engine is the same 182-hp 2.4L from the LaCrosse. The optional engine is a turbocharged 2.0L with 220 horsepower. Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The 2.4L Regal will be available in the first half of 2010 and the turbo will launch by late summer.

The Detroit News is reporting that GM has finally decided to build the Cadillac Converj, which shares the same extended-range technology as the Chevy Volt.

GM originally unveiled the Cadillac Converj concept at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. A production date has not been set, but it will likely be a few years before it hits the showroom. When it was unveiled Bob Lutz claimed that a production version would remain very close to the concept, just how GM did with the Camaro.

The Converj seems to make sense, since it would increase the number of electric vehicles offered by GM and it would help spread the cost of the technology that is shared with the Volt. GM would also be able to apply a higher sticker price to the Cadillac version, which would also help with costs.

The Volt is still on target for production at the end of 2010, we'll have to keep our fingers crossed that the Converj is going to actually be produced.

GM is hard at work on fixing Buick's portfolio. It was just announced that the Regal name is going to return on Buick's next mid-size sport sedan. The announcement was made at the Buick GMC dealer business meeting.

"The transformation of Buick began with our luxury crossover, the Buick Enclave and continued this year with the launch of the 2010 LaCrosse premium sedan," said Susan Docherty, Buick GMC General Manager. "We're thrilled to announce that the Regal will be the next member of the Buick family."

The Regal name hasn't been used on a Buick model in six years, but it continues to be one of the top nameplates that consumers remember.

GM did not release any details on when it will return.

Motor Trend has announced the list of SUV contenders for its "SUV of the Year" award.

Of course this award is great to whomever wins, due to all of the bragging rights that come along with it. It's usually heavily used in every ad campaign. Last year the Subaru Forester took home the award.

Which SUV do you think should win this year's award?

Now that Saturn, Pontiac, Saab and HUMMER are no longer under the GM umbrella, GM's remaining plans have to pick up those lost sales. Chevy in particular is being given the task of recovering GM's lost market share.

Vice president of Chevrolet, Brent Dewar, wants Chevy to represent 70 percent of GM's North American sales. "As Pontiac goes away, Saturn goes away," Dewar said, "Chevrolet has to step up. The 70 percent target is the right kind of number we need to work on."

So far Chevy has been responsible for more than 60 percent of GM's sales in 2009, which is up from 54 percent in 2002. GM plans to boost Chevy sales with new models like the Cruze and Volt.

General Motors has officially reached an agreement with Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co., to sell HUMMER, with Tengzhong acquiring 80 percent of brand. The remaining 20 percent has been acquired by Suolang Duoji, a private entrepreneur.

"HUMMER is a strong global niche brand and this agreement signifies another important milestone in writing the next chapter for both GM and HUMMER," said Fritz Henderson, GM President and CEO. "For HUMMER, the combination of its knowledgeable leadership team, vehicle design expertise and the capital financing of Tengzhong portend a successful future."

Under the agreement, GM is going to continue to build the HUMMER H2 and H3 models for Tengzhong until June 2011. There is an optional one year extension that would extend the contract to June 2012. Recent reports have claimed that the sale of HUMMER will bring in $150 million to GM.

There are some strange rumors brewing between DeLorean Motor Company and Pontiac. You will recall that DeLorean was responsible for the production of the "Back to the Future" car in the 80's. Well since then the company has basically been just servicing the old DMC's. Now there are rumors that DeLorean may be considering buying the recently killed Pontiac Solstice platform and the Wilmington Assembly Plant that produced it from GM.

Apparenly DeLorean's founder had a long history with Pontiac, so it's current management is speculating if their founder would have tried to save it.

"JZD always said that the best memories of his automotive career were at Pontiac, and that connection between JZD and Pontiac is probably one of the better known associations among car enthusiasts," said James Espey, Vice President of the DeLorean Motor Company.

Currently the company has a Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe in its possession for evaluation. DeLorean has also released the drawings you see here.

Last week an unexpected announcement from GM and Penske that the pending deal was off, led to the unfortunate death of the Saturn brand. Shortly after the official announcement that GM would be killing Saturn, all production ended.

According to Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president of U.S. sales, GM has about 12,000 Saturns currently in its inventory.

"We sold about 3,000 Saturns last month, so that's about a four-month supply if you maintain that selling pace," LaNeve said. "I don't think [the canceled sale of the brand] will affect our total 2010 production rate at all."

GM has announced the 2011 Chevy Caprice Patrol Vehicle for North America. The Chevy Caprice Patrol Vehicle is based on the Zeta-platform that is the basis for the Chevy Caprice in the Middle East. Sorry to disappoint you if you were hoping that it's a version of the Holden Commodore, a.k.a. Pontiac G8.

Initially it will be powered by an E85-compatible 6.0-liter V8 that puts out 355 horsepower and 385 lb-ft. of torque and is mated to a six-speed automatic. GM claims the cop car reaches 0-60 mph in less than six seconds. GM is also going to offer a V6 version in 2012.

Sorry you can't buy one...

The general manager for Buick GMC, Susan Docherty recently did a web chat on the GM FastLane blog where she stated that the new GMC Terrain is not going to be offered with a diesel engine or a Denali version.

Docherty also stated that GM has no plans to produce a Buick version of the Chevy Equinox/ GMC Terrain. GM originally planned to produce a Buick version, but pulled the plug in late August due to negative feedback. Docherty called out the early success of the Terrain by announcing that there has been limited availability, which should improve in October.

Well for sometime now we've all been under the assumption that Penske Automotive Group was going to acquire the Saturn brand from GM. The deal involved Penske buying the brand and GM would continue to provide Saturn vehicles on a contract basis...well it looks like that deal is off.

GM issued a statement tonight that states "Penske Automotive Group (PAG) has decided to terminate discussions with General Motors to acquire Saturn."

It looks like Penske was having problems finding other products to sell after the contract with GM ended. GM originally planned on only supplying the Outlook, Aura and Vue until the end of next year. As a result of this announcement, Saturn will officially join Pontiac and Oldsmobile six feet under.

GM newest release on the recently launched site "The Lab" features a new Buick concept, the Buick Avant, which is meant to study the possibility of small premium models.

"We agreed that a small premium vehicle shouldn't be viewed as a compromise in any way," says Andrew Smith, Director of Advanced Design at GM's tech center in Warren. "It isn't a vehicle you buy when you can't afford the larger size version. It should be unapologetic of size and just make you feel great."

In total GM came up with six exterior and four exterior designs.

The on-again, off-again Chevy Camaro Z28 is reportedly back on. According to Ed Welburn, GM's Vice President for global design, the work on the modified body is done, although work still needs to be completed under the hood.

For a while it had been reported that the Z28 was dead, but now the latest reports are claiming that the Z28 is back on and probably about a year or so away. The Z28 will be powered by the same 6.2-liter supercharged V8 as the Cadillac CTS-V. In the CTS-V the engine puts out 556-hp and is mated to a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic. The modified body will include a raised hood to make room for the supercharger, tall rear spoiler, new wheel designs and wider tires.

GM may consider putting a hybrid powertrain in the Chevy Corvette if the car's existence is in jeopardy. The new CAFE standards, which dictate that an automaker's entire fleet has to average 35.5 mpg by 2016, could force GM to be more creative with the Corvette in order to squeeze out extra gas mileage.

GM has reportedly killed plans to produce a unibody pickup after figuring out that it wouldn't get really get better fuel economy than its current trucks. GM's vice chairman of global product development, Tom Stephens, told the Automotive News that the unibody pickup would have had less capability, but not better fuel economy.

Cadillac's CTS-V sedan packs a whopping 556-hp thanks to its supercharged 6.2L V8, which aims it squarely at the BMW M5, Audi RS6 and Mercedes E63 AMG. Well according to a GM insider, GM is currently working on a CTS-V Sport Wagon in addition to a V version of the upcoming coupe.

Bob Lutz and CEO Fritz Henderson have both alluded to the fact that GM is working on V versions of the new CTS-V Sport Wagon. It remains to be seen if the wagon version of the CTS-V will sell in the U.S. BMW and Audi do not sell high performance wagons in the U.S. due to low sales and even the Mercedes E63 AMG barely manages to even register on the sales charts here. The main difference is that the CTS-V Sport Wagon starts at a much lower price point than its German competitors.

GM has finally announced the sale of Opel to Magna after months of debating. According to GM's press release, Magna/Sberbank will own 55 percent of Opel, while GM will retain 35 percent and employeeshttp://www.thetorquereport.com/us/sysdoc/blog/mt.cgi?__mode=view&_type=entry&blog_id=2 will hold the remaining 10 percent.

In the coming weeks binding agreements including the written support of the labor unions and a definitive financing package from the German government will be finalized.

Under the new agreement, Opel/ Vauxhall will continue to be a fully integrated part of GM's global product development organization.

GM'S board is meeting again to discuss the fate of the Opel and Vauxhall brands and a decision could come out as early as today. The board is expected to hold its second round of meetings today after it failed to make a decision last month.

Currently there are two bidders for Opel, RHJ and Magna. Germany's organized labor is supporting a sale to Magna because it is expected to save more jobs in Germany. On the other hand GM is worried that a sale to Magna would hurt GM's Russian business. Although GM could delay the announcement again, political pressure may bring a decision sooner than later.

A new study by Consumer Reports claims that 81 percent of respondents who stated that they are looking to buy a new car, would consider a domestic brand. This compares to only 47% for an Asian vehicle and 46% for a European brand.

Of course not every domestic automaker is equal. Ford has benefited the most with a 17 percent increase compared to a year ago. GM interest is only up 6 percent, while Chrysler is down 25 percent among new car buyers.

"The Detroit 3 have been in the spotlight all year," said Rik Paul, automotive editor, Consumer Reports. "Ford was the only one of the Detroit 3 that did not seek federal assistance, and this has likely helped bolster its reputation among car buyers."

Out of those surveyed only 9 percent are likely to buy a car in the next year compared to 19 percent a year ago.

The sales numbers for August 2009 are in and thanks to the Cash for Clunkers program sales were up for a few of the automakers. Toyota, Honda and Ford saw sales increase by 10.5%, 14.2% and 17%, respectively. Although GM was down 20.2% and Chrysler by 15%.

The Toyota Camry surpassed the Ford F-Series to become the best selling vehicle in the US last month, although the F-Series also had a good month. New to the list for August was the Hyundai Elantra, likely due to increased sales from the Cash for Clunkers program. The Honda CR-V also made a return this month, surpassing the Ford Escape, which is missing this time.

* Toyota Camry: 54,396
* Ford F-Series: 45,590
* Honda Civic: 43,294
* Toyota Corolla: 43,061
* Honda Accord: 39,726
* Chevy Silverado: 32,421
* Honda CR-V: 30,284
* Nissan Altima: 26,833
* Ford Focus: 25,547
* Hyundai Elantra: 21,673

Cadillac has started airing a new commercial that shows off the new CTS wagon, SRX and the upcoming CTS Coupe. The CTS Coupe is currently slated for a summer 2010 release.

Enjoy...

Eight pre-production Chevy Camaro Convertibles were spotted outside of GM's Holden plant in Fisherman's Bend, Australia. Seven out of the eight convertibles are silver with tan roofs...an interesting color combination that hopefully isn't destined for the production line.

The Camaro Convertible is currently scheduled to enter production in early 2011.

GM showed off the Cadillac Converj concept at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, which showcased GM's plug-in technology in a luxury vehicle. Although it was designed in such a way to give way to a production version, there was opposition from the US government and within GM. The U.S. Treasury Department was opposed to the Converj due to its high costs when GM was in bankruptcy. Additionally then GM North America President Troy Clarke and Mark McNabb, who headed Cadillac, Hummer, and Saab were also against it, but both of those guys are no longer with GM.

Now that GM has emerged from bankruptcy there has been a renewed interest in the Converj, mainly thanks to Bob Lutz. The new marketing chief is reportedly trying to find a way to get the car into production. It could potentially act as a technology halo vehicle for Cadillac. If it does receive the green light it wouldn't see the light of day until around 2014.

In a surprise move, GM has decided to stop putting the silver corporate logo on its vehicles in an attempt to emphasize the four brands that survived GM's bankruptcy.

The decision was made earlier this month and will start with the 2010 model year.

"We are just really focused on the four core brands and this provided us with another opportunity to make sure they were at the forefront," GM spokesman Terry Rhadigan said.

According to Rhadigan people outside the midwest do not always link Cadillac or Chevy with GM.

GM's board declined to name a winning bidder for the Open brand last Friday as was expected. Instead the automaker decided to ask the German government more information about state financing for the buyers.

The German government has been pressuring GM to announce the sale of Opel to Magna and its Russian partners, since it would mean that more jobs would stay in Germany. Although it seems that GM is preferring a sale to Brussels-based financial investor RHJ International. So rather than announce the sale on Friday, GM's board wanted to find out how much money RHJ would get from the government if they were chosen. It's also being reported that the reason that GM is keen on selling Opel to RHJ is because it would include a buy-back option.

Either way the German government is not happy about the delay and Opel's labor leader Klaus Franz has threatened "spectacular measures" if a decision is not made this week.

In a surprising move, GM has canceled the upcoming Buick crossover that was announced last week.

The Buick crossover would have simply been a rebadged Saturn Vue, but negative feedback from the media, GM employees and dealerships has caused GM to rethink the idea. According to Michelle Bunker, Manager of Buick Communications, the vehicle did not fit with the direction the automaker said it was taking the Buick brand.

Although the rebadged Vue is no longer headed to the Buick brand, the Vue's plug-in hybrid powertrain will continue on in another vehicle and is still on track for 2011.

At least GM is finally responding to feedback and killing vehicles that we simply don't want or need...

GM and Koenigsegg have announced that a deal has been finalized between the two over the sale of Saab. The deal involves a 100 percent sale of Saab to Koenigsegg by the end of the year. The final piece of the deal involves funding from the European Investment Bank in the amount of 4.3 billion kronor, which is dependent on the Swedish government.

The exact price that Koenigsegg is paying for Saab has not been disclosed, but according to sources it is very low.

The Camaro isn't even on sale in Japan yet, but apparently it's already sold out. General Motors Asia Pacific has already received 120 orders for the new Camaro, which is the quota for the year.

Pricing has yet to be released, but its expected to range from $45,325 to $56,390. Both the V6 and V8 versions will be offered.

The Camaro is selling well in the US as well, with it outselling the Mustang the past two months.

The GM news just keeps rolling in.

Quite possibly one of GM's best sedans, the Chevy Malibu is set for an update in 2012. The midsize sedan is set for an update inside and out. The new Malibu will feature new powertrains and better fuel economy.

GM previewed the design of the next Malibu at its event today in Detroit. According to one on looker it has a look that is reminiscent of the Kia Forte.

The next Malibu is set to be released in 2012, likely as a 2013 model.

In addition to the announcement about the Volt and the 25 new models that GM is planning on releasing, the automaker also announced the launch of "The Lab," a microsite featuring future projects by GM's Advanced Design team. The microsite currently features two new concepts that are being developed, the Bare Necessities Truck and the Bare Necessities Car.

The theme of the two concepts is to offer buyers what they want and nothing more, hence "bare necessities."

In addition to the announcement about the Chevy Volt, GM has also announced plans to introduce 25 new models between now and 2011.

Chevy is going to introduce 10 new models; Buick and GMC will also introduce 10 new models, including a a Buick plug-in hybrid compact crossover in 2011; Cadillac is introducing five new models through 2011.

One of Cadillac's new models will be a new entry-level sedan that will slot below the CTS in the lineup. The new sport sedan will be offered in rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions.

"We are determined to repeat what CTS has already achieved in design, quality, driving dynamics, performance and fuel economy to grow our presence in this high-volume and highly competitive segment," Henderson said.

GM's CEO Fritz Henderson officially revealed the details surrounding the "230" mystery and to our surprise the marketing campaign was related to the Chevy Volt.

The EPA has developed a new methodology for determining fuel economy numbers for extended-range electric vehicles and under this new method the Volt is expected to have a urban fuel economy rating of 230 mpg. According to GM the Volt consumes 25 kilowatt hours per 100 miles in a city cycle.

Production of the Volt is expected to start at the end of 2010.

GM's new chairman, Ed Whitacre has announced that the automaker will release some new models sooner than originally planned to regain some of the market share that its lost.

GM is fresh out of bankruptcy, but received $50 billion in federal aid, which will help it regain some of its losses. GM's market share dropped to 18.9 percent last month down from 20.5, which was more that 50 percent decades ago.

"Our cash position is good," Whitacre said. "We have some flexibility."

Whitacre did not announce which models we can expect to see sooner, but GM's market share is expected to further erode since it is selling or phasing out the Saturn, Saab, Hummer and Pontiac brands.

The sales numbers for last month are just coming in and now we have the list of the top ten best-selling cars.

As expected the Ford F-150 and Toyota Camry are at the top of the list, but the surprises this time can partly be attributed to "Cash for Clunkers." The Ford Focus was the top vehicle chosen by buyers that traded in their old cars, which added it to July's top ten list. The Toyota Prius also makes an appearance at the number 10 spot.

* Ford F-Series: 36,327
* Toyota Camry: 33,974
* Honda Civic: 30,037
* Honda Accord: 29,774
* Toyota Corolla: 29,593
* Chevy Silverado: 27,617
* Ford Focus: 21,830
* Ford Escape: 20,241
* Nissan Altima: 19,252
* Toyota Prius: 19,173

The government's Cash for Clunkers program has definitely given a slight jolt to the automotive industry. In less than a week the program reportedly ran out of funding that was supposed to last until November, but fortunately the government has added more money although who knows how long that will last. In the last week, 47 percent of the sales attributed to the program have gone to the Big 3. Through Saturday afternoon 80,500 transactions had taken place.

In addition to nabbing almost half of the sales, Ford can also be happy knowing that the Ford Focus was the most popular vehicle in the program.

German tuning house Irmscher has teamed up with GM to create a tribute to Transformers Bumblebee by creating a Bumblebee version of the Chevy Cruze.

The changes are only cosmetic with the body being lowered 30 mm with orange 18-inch Imscher-designed Turbo Stars wheels. There's also the orange stripes and mirrors and fog lamps. Under the hood the car is powered by the stock 1.8L mated to an automatic transmission.

The car wil make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

The last Pontiac Solstice has rolled off the line at GM's Boxwood Road assembly plant. When GM entered bankruptcy on June 1st, the automaker announced that it would be closing the plant by the end of July that builds the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky roadsters. The announcement at the time wasn't a total surprise since GM had been looking for a buyer for Saturn and since Pontiac had been given a death sentence.

The last roadster produced was a silver Solstice.

GM has released the first sketches of the upcoming Chevy Agile, which is sold in South America.

The Agile, which was developed in Brazil features Chevy's trademark two-tier grille and headlights similar to the Chevy Cruze.

"The Agile goes beyond a traditional hatchback. Our task was to conduct a vehicle for a demanding client. Great design, interior space and a crossover, ie a car transpired versatility to attract customers from a different urban public or to a surfer who loves the countryside, "said Carlos Barba, General Director of GM Design Mercosur.

Production of the Agile will begin in Argentina in the next few months. The Gamma II-based B-segment hatch is also expected to be produced at GM's Lake Orion, Michigan facility since this is expected to be the next Aveo in 2011.

The 2010 Chevy Camaro Transformers Special Edition has been unveiled today for those diehard fans.

For an extra $995 you get:
-Autobot insignia on the driver and passenger side panels, wheels and center console
-Transformers logo on driver and passenger doors' sill plates and hood rally stripes
-High-gloss black center rally stripe package

The Transformers Special Edition can be ordered as a Rally Yellow LT or SS model.

The U.S. House approved a plan that will force GM and Chrysler to renew agreements with the dealers that were unexpectedly closed during their bankruptcy proceedings. The bill that is opposed by Barack Obama passed 219 to 208 yesterday and would require the automakers to restore franchise agreements with the dealers in order to get future government aid. U.S. lawmakers feel that the automakers terminated dealerships with little notice or explanation.

"There is so much confusion about how they went about it," House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat, said before the vote. He pointed to a dealer in his district who he said "runs a good business."

"I do not, for the life of me, understand why he would be knocked off," Obey said. Lawmakers "are trying to send a message they want clearer decision-making in terms of who got weeded out and who didn't."

It's unclear how the Senate will vote on the bill although the Obama administration "strongly opposes" the bill. "The decision by Chrysler and GM to rationalize their dealer networks was a critical part of their overall restructuring to achieve long-term viability," the administration said in a statement.

Earlier this week, the newly unretired Bob Lutz stated that the soon to be dead Pontiac G8 was going to live on under the Chevy brand as the Caprice in the US. This statement contradicted statements from GM CEO Fritz Henderson who stated that the G8 would not be rebranded for one of GM's remaining brands.

Well now it looks like Lutz is retracting his earlier statements:

"The G8 will not be a Caprice after all. I'd mentioned it, and said we were studying it, giving it a serious look, because a car like the G8 was just too good to waste."

"That's all still true. But I have to say that, with my new "marketing" hat on, upon further review and careful study, we simply cannot make a business case for such a program. Not in today's market, in this economy, and with fuel regulations what they are and will be."

According to a recent Merrill Lynch report Ford is expected to gain market share in the next few years, while its domestic competitors, GM and Chrysler are expected to see declines.

The annual "Car Wars" study from Merrill Lynch claims that Ford's market share could surpass GM's. Over the next three years Ford's share could go up three points to 18 percent, while GM would likely be around 15-16 percent.

"We continue to believe Ford is effectively executing on its restructuring plan, while bolstering liquidity, and view the results of our Car Wars study as further evidence that management is making all of the right moves," Merrill Lynch analyst John Murphy said in a separate note to clients on Wednesday.

Ford is just about to launch the new Taurus and now comes word that the next Taurus could be built off the same platform as the next Fusion/ Mondeo. Ford is currently working on plans to consolidate three different platforms that are the foundation of the automaker's mid-large size vehicles worldwide.

The next Fusion is expected to use an evolution of the European C/D-class platform which underpins the Ford Mondeo and Galaxy in Europe. The next Taurus could also use a version of this platform, although it would be longer than the Fusion, but smaller than the one that is about to be launched.

If Ford does go ahead with these plans, it would still be a few years off. Ford is currently working on an all-new Explorer that will share the same platform as the Taurus.

GM is also looking at a similar strategy by moving the Chevy Impala to the same platform as the Malibu. Although GM won't confirm it, the automaker is considering moving the Impala to the Epsilon II platform that is expected to be the foundation of the next Malibu.

Although GM CEO Fritz Henderson has repeatedly stated that the Pontiac G8 would not be sold under another GM brand after Pontiac's demise, Bob Lutz has reportedly stated it will. Bob Lutz recently stated that the Pontiac G8 will live on under the Chevy brand as the Chevy Caprice.

"The last time we looked at [the G8], we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet," Lutz said. "It is kind of too good to waste."

GM has officially exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and what's left is what GM is now referring to as the "new" GM.

"Today marks a new beginning for General Motors, one that will allow every employee, including me, to get back to the business of designing, building and selling great cars and trucks and serving the needs of our customers," said Fritz Henderson, president and CEO. "We are deeply appreciative for the support we have received during this historic transformation, and we will work hard to repay this trust by building a successful new General Motors."

The new GM consists of four core brands: Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet and GMC, which means a total of only 34 nameplates. Less GM models will allow GM to focus more attention on making each model more competitive. In addition the new GM has a more competitive cost structure, a cleaner balance sheet, and a stronger liquidity position that will enable GM to invest in new products, key technologies, and its future.

The U.S. Treasury department reportedly owns 60 percent of the new GM, while Canada holds 11.7% and the UAW holds 17.6%.

June 2009 auto sales are just being reported and it looks like the revived Chevy Camaro outsold the also new Ford Mustang. According to GM, the automaker sold 9,320 Camaros, which compares to the 7,632 Mustangs that Ford sold.

GM still has a backlog of 10,000 Camaro orders to fill, so it remains to be seen if the Camaro will continue to outsell the Mustang once all the pre-orders are filled. Just in case you're wondering, Chrysler only managed to sell 1,369 Dodge Challengers last month.

Today is officially the start of July and with that comes the sales numbers for the month of June. While we wait for all the official numbers, here are the top ten best-selling vehicles last month:

* Ford F-Series: 35,915
* Toyota Camry: 26,394
* Chevy Silverado: 24,766
* Honda Accord: 23,995
* Honda Civic: 20,954
* Toyota Corolla: 19,935
* Ford Fusion: 18,561
* Nissan Altima: 16,350
* Ford Escape: 15,385
* Chevy Impala: 14,931

Of course the Ford F-Series continues to dominate the list. Ford as a whole also had the most top models with the F-Series, Fusion and Escape all making the list. Missing from the list is the recently redesigned Dodge Ram.

GM has announced the start of a 72-hour sale that includes zero percent financing for up to 72 months on all Pontiacs and large Chevy and GMC trucks and SUVs.

The soon to be dead Pontiac Vibe, G3, G5, G6 and G8 are all included in the sale, which starts today and funny enough runs through July 6th. Too bad that is a little longer than 72 hours... In addition to all the Pontiac models, GM is also including the Chevy Impala, Silverado and Tahoe in addition to the GMC Yukon and Sierra models in the sale.

Other GM models will also have zero percent financing, but for only 60 months.

GM has announced plans to end its 25 year New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated (NUMMI) joint venture with Toyota.

The plant currently produces the Pontiac Vibe and has produced other GM vehicles such as the Geo/Chevrolet Prizm in the past. Production of the Vibe will end at the plant in August. GM and Toyota could not come to an agreement on a product plan that made sense for both parties.

It's not known what this announcement will mean for the Fremont, CA plant that also produces the Toyota Corolla and Tacoma.

GM has announced the pricing for the 2010 GMC Terrain that will be available in dealerships this September.

The 2010 GMC Terrain starts at $24,995 for the front-wheel-drive model and $26,745 for the all-wheel-drive version (including a $745 destination charge). The Terrain is powered by a 182-hp 2.4L direct-injection engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and gets an estimated 32 mpg on the highway. A 264-hp 3.0L direct injected V6 is also available.

The Terrain comes standard with such features as a rear-view camera, a six-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system with USB connectivity and XM satellite radio, six airbags and StabiliTrak vehicle stability control.

Luxury car maker Koenigsegg and a group of Norwegian investors have signed a letter of intent with GM to take over Saab according to Swedish television.

Final details of the deal have not been finalized.

Citing increased inventory levels, GM has announced that production of the 2010 Chevy Malibu hybrid have been suspended.

Apparently inventory levels are high enough of the 2009 Malibu hybrid, that GM doesn't need to produce any more at the vehicle's current selling rate. GM's hybrid spokesman Brian Corbett recently told AutoblogGreen that there are no plans to produce any of the mild hybrid models:

"There will be some MY2010 production. We will fulfill some MY2010 fleet orders for the Malibu Hybrid. As part of the Memorandum of Understanding between GM and Penske Automotive Group, Saturn plans to offer the Aura, Vue and Outlook models in 2010. Specific details of which versions (i.e. hybrids) has not yet been determined. "

GM has announced this morning that the former AT&T CEO, Edward Whitacre, Jr. will become chairman of the "new" GM when the company is launched this summer. GM's interim Chairman Kent Kresa will continue to serve as interim chairman until the launch.

"The appointment of Ed Whitacre as chairman represents a very auspicious beginning for the New GM," said Kresa. "We look forward to working with him to complete the reinvention of GM and maximize the enormous potential of this new enterprise."

Whitacre and Kresa will join current board members Philip A. Laskawy, Kathryn V. Marinello, Erroll B. Davis, Jr., E. Neville Isdell and President and Chief Executive Officer Frederick A. Henderson will serve as the board for the new GM. The six other members of the board will likely retire.

"I am honored to be able to serve GM at this critical juncture and take part in its reinvention," said Whitacre.

Days after GM officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the automaker has announced an deal with Penske Automotive Group, which will officially acquire the Saturn brand.

Under the proposed deal, Penske would officially own the Saturn brand and GM would continue production of the Saturn Vue, Aura and Outlook on a contract basis. The Saturn Astra and Sky are apparently not part of the deal, which means they will be dead. The deal will save 350 dealerships and approximately 13,000 jobs.

The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of this year.

Following yesterday's bankruptcy announcement, GM has announced that the automaker has entered "into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a buyer for Hummer."

GM stopped short of revealing who the buyer is, but stated that the sale is expected to close by the end of the third quarter this year. GM also stated that the buyer is committed to aggressively funding future HUMMER vehicles, hopefully like the H3T and that 3,000 jobs are now secure.

Well it was Chrysler last month and now as many people expected, GM has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

GM has officially filed for bankruptcy in a New York court citing $82 billion in assets, but an astounding $172 billion in debts. Although GM for most of its 100-year history has managed to hold the title as the world's largest automaker, the automaker has seen its sales drop almost 50 percent this year.

“Today marks a new beginning for General Motors,” GM Chairman Kent Kresa said in a statement this morning. “A court-supervised process and transfer of assets will enable a New GM to emerge as a stronger, healthier, more focused and nimbler company with a determination not to just survive but to excel.”

The process will see GM divided into two groups, good assets and bad assets. The good assets will become part of the new "leaner" GM and the bad assets will be liquidated. To aid in the process the U.S. treasury is going to provide an additional $30 billion to finance GM during the bankruptcy, which brings the total to almost $50 billion.

Cadillac has announced the pricing for the all-new 2010 Cadillac SRX crossover.

The new SRX will be at dealerships this summer with a starting price of $34,155. For 2010 the SRX will be offered with a choice of two direct-injected V6 engines. Either a 260-hp 3.0L or a 300-hp turbocharged 2.8L. Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Additionally Cadillac is also going to release the CTS Sport Wagon later this summer. The CTS wagon will feature the same 3.0L V6 as the SRX and get an estimated 28 mpg on the highway.

Just like Chrysler did yesterday, GM has announced plans to close 1,100 of its "underperforming" dealers.

Although GM has identified the 1,100 dealers that will be closed, the automaker is not closing any dealerships today. GM will be working with the dealerships over the next few weeks to come up with a long term plan. It is expected that their will be a wind-down of the affected dealers over the next year. This is in contrast to Chrysler's plans to close its affected dealers by June 9th.

GM likely to announce more dealer cuts in the future since the automaker wants to pare down its network from 5,969 stores to approximately 3,600 by the end of 2010.

Following yesterday's photo leaks, GM has officially unveiled the next-generation 2010 Opel Astra ahead of its unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show this fall.

The 2010 Astra borrows styling cues from the mid-size Insignia. The new Astra has more interior room thanks to a longer wheelbase. It also features a cab-forward design that exhibits Opel's new design language, sculptural artistry combined with German precision. The wing and blade design cues on the exterior are also used on the inside.

There are a total of eight engines that will be offered, four diesel and four gasoline powered. The diesel engines range in size from 1.3L to 2.0L units, putting out between 95- 160 horsepower. The four gasoline engines put out from 100hp to 180hp.

Now that Saturn is dead, it's been rumored that Buick will receive this new Astra.

Although the Saturn Astra may be dead, the US may still get the next Astra under the Buick brand. The first photos of the all-new Astra (Euro-spec) have surfaced.

The new Astra is based on the Delta platform, which underpins the Chevy Cruze and upcoming Volt. The sixth-generation Astra will be powered by a normally aspirated gasoline1.4L four-cylinder according to CarScoop and turbocharged variants will also be offered. A turbocharged 180-hp 1.6L is also expected. In regards to diesel powerplants, a range of diesels will also be available, including 1.3, 1.7 and 2.0L variants.

CarScoop also claims that the five-door Astra will hit showrooms this fall and a three-door GTC coupe is expected to follow. A wagon, four-door sedan, and a retractable hardtop model are also expected.

Now we just have to wait and see if the Astra makes it to the US, even though GM's ownership of Opel may soon be over.

A new document has surfaced that reports that GM is planning on selling vehicles it makes in China, in the US by 2011. The document that was given to lawmakers reports that GM plans on selling 17,335 units of China-made vehicles in the U.S. by 2011 and hopes to increase that number to 51,546 by 2014 according to the Automotive News.

The plan does not reveal which vehicles the US will receive, but the 50,000+ vehicles only represents 1.6 percent of the planned 3.1 million vehicles GM expects to sell in 2014.

Of course union leaders are not too happy about the plan.

Although Opel has been one of GM's "better" brands lately, the European brand is not going to be under the GM umbrella much longer. It's already been rumored that GM is looking for a suitable buyer for the brand, but now GM CEO Fritz Henderson recently stated that there are several bidders for the brand.

GM hopes to decide on a buyer by the end of this month, right before its June 1st deadline. Fiat and Magna have publicly announced their interest in the brand. GM insists on having the final word on who buys the brand. GM has also asked the German government for 2.5 billion euros to help finance new company.

Now if GM can find a buyer for Saab and HUMMER...

GM North America President Troy Clarke and soon to be departing Vice Chairman Bob Lutz plus four other execs have sold more than 200,000 shares of GM stock.

Spokeswoman Julie Gibson says the sales don’t show a lack of faith in the company. As GM comes closer to the June 1st deadline, GM has publicly disclosed to its shareholders that they run the risk of losing their investments if GM does end up filing for bankruptcy.

Bob Lutz sold all of his 81,360 shares for a total of $130,989.60, while Troy Clarke sold his 21,380 shares for $31,001.

GM has dropped the SS versions of the Chevy Impala and Cobalt sedan for the 2010 model year.

The news came from GM's 2010 Online Order / Reference Guide for dealers. The death of the Impala SS is not that great of a loss, but the Cobalt SS sedan was a decent competitor with its 260-hp, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine.

At the end of April a Camaro5 forum member Bumleb was driving his brand new 2010 Chevy Camaro SS with only 40 miles on it, when it shut down. The culprit was a battery cable that was run from the trunk. The insulation had worn down from rubbing against the starter, which caused it to short out and shut down the car. GM has issued a voluntary safety recall of the 2010 Camaro SS because of a potential shorting problem with the starter making contact with an exposed battery positive starter cable.

GM has a temporary fix, which involves wrapping the battery positive starter cable with protective insulating tape and rerouting the cable to ensure proper clearance between the starter and the battery positive starter cable. A permanent fix is available after May 11th and that includes doing the same procedure as the temporary fix, but with engine wiring harness tape.

Owners have the option of getting the temporary fix now or they can leave their cars at the dealer until the engine wiring harness tape is received by the dealers on May 11th. Lastly the recall only affects V8 equipped Camaros.

Now that Saturn has one foot in the grave, GM is looking at other ways of selling Opels in the US. The newest rumor claims that Buick is going to receive a version of the small Astra.

If these rumors are in fact true, Buick will be getting a new small car in 2011 as a 2012 model. It's not yet known if the Buick will use the Astra name or get something entirely new. It's also not known if it will be a hatchback, a sedan or both. Saturn was expected to get three and five-door versions of the next Astra.

Does Buick really need a new small car? This rumor brings back memories of the not so great Skylark.

Demand for the 2010 Chevy Camaro has prompted GM to add a shift for the week of June 29th at the Oshawa, Ontario plant. That week was originally planned as a week off.

The Peterborough Examiner is also reporting that the flex line workers will begin working overtime on Saturdays during June, July and August.

GM has announced in its most recent Viability Plan to pull forward the resolution of Saturn by the end of 2009. So even though Saturn will not be a part of GM by the end of the year, the automaker is going to move forward with the hybrid plans that were initially planned for Saturn.

Saturn currently has two hybrids in its lineup, the Aura and Vue. A Vue plug-in hybrid was planned for 2011, but now that the Vue will be dead soon GM has pledged that the technology will be used in one of its other four core brands. In addition there will not be a delay in the introduction of the plug-in technology.

It's still not known, which brand will get the technology. Maybe the new Chevy Equinox or GMC Terrain, since they are built on the same platform as the Saturn Vue...

Following the announcement of Chrysler's bankruptcy yesterday, attention is now focusing on what will happen to GM at the end of this month.

GM has a deadline of June 1st to convince 90 percent of its bondholders to swap $27 billion in debt for a 10 percent stake in the company. If the United Auto Workers and bondholders cannot agree to money-saving concessions by the end of the month, GM could also be forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

"When there is a lot of bluffing going on in any negotiation, this shows the government is serious," said Jeremy Anwyl, chief executive officer of Edmunds.com

Earlier this week GM announced an updated Viability Plan that announced the death of Pontiac, more plant and dealer closures and more job cuts in an effort to qualify for more government aid.

Currently GM and its bond holders remain far apart on an agreement to swap debt for stake in the company. GM originally offered a 10 percent stake in exchange for $27 billion in debt, but the bond holders quickly counter offered with a deal that would give them a 58 percent stake in the company.

GM's current exchange offer expires on May 26.

The news that GM has killed Pontiac may make some of you want to rush out and buy a G8 or Solstice in the hope that it may one day become a collectors item, but you may want to rethink that.

According to General Manager Rob Huting of AutoTrader Classic, the current Pontiacs are unlikely to become significant to collectors. GM has already produced 12,000 units of the G8, which has only been on the market for a short time. Although it represents a good performance value, it is unlikely to become as collectible as say a Corvette. The same will likely go for the Solstice or any other car currently in the Pontiac lineup.

In addition to announcing the death of Pontiac, GM is launching an exchange offer with its bondholders in exchange for equity in the automaker.

GM has announced that it is offering common stock plus accrued interest in cash for $27 billion of outstanding public debt. Bond holders would own 10 percent of GM. If GM does not get enough enough tenders of notes to consummate the exchange offers by June 1, 2009, GM will seek "bankruptcy relief."

If the plan does go through bondholders will own 10 percent of GM, while the U.S. government and VEBA (Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association) would then own around 89 percent of GM's stock post- debt-for-equity swap. The remaining 1 percent would be owned by GM's current common shareholders.

As was rumored last week, GM has officially announced the death of the Pontiac brand this morning.

General Motors released an updated Viability Plan this morning that focuses on speeding up the reinvention of GM's U.S. operations. GM hopes to become more leaner, more customer focused and a more cost-competitive automaker.

GM is going to continue to focus on its four core brands, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC, which unfortunately for G8 fans means the death of Pontiac. Pontiac is going to be phased out by the end of 2010. In 2010 GM plans on offering a total of 34 nameplates, which is a reduction of 29 percent from 48 nameplates in 2008.

The updated plan also moves up the resolution of Saab, Saturn and Hummer to the end of 2009, at the latest, which is two years earlier than expected for Saturn.

Last week it was rumored that GM could eventually kill Pontiac and GMC to cut costs. Now according to Inside Line, GM could kill Pontiac as early as this coming Monday.

Inside Line called Tom Wilkinson, news relations PR man for General Motors, who said: "There's nothing I can share with you at this time. Keep your eyes on our media site. Officially, nothing has changed with Pontiac's niche-brand status, until you hear differently."

Pontiac was officially labeled as a "niche" brand in GM's first viability plan that was released last December. According to a source GM is going to announce a "faster, deeper" reorganization plan that will likely include a death sentence for the brand that brought us the GTO, Firebird and most recently the G8.

Buick chose the Shanghai Auto Show to unveil the Buick Business Concept MPV.

The Buick Business Concept is meant to showcase Buick's future vision of "business class on the road." The MPV was developed in China by the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center. Designers started with the design language that was established by the Riviera concept car and applied it to an MPV architecture.

"The Business Concept Vehicle has a grand presence and makes a strong statement when it pulls up to the front of any establishment," said Ed Welburn, GM Vice President of Global Design. "The Chinese market and business person have some unique requirements. Our team has responded with an elegant solution to their business and personal needs."

The Business Concept is powered by a 2.4L four-cylinder with direct-injection mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The concept has also been designed to accommodate the next-generation GM Hybrid system. The new system builds upon the belt-alternator-starter hybrid technology and improves fuel-economy by 20 percent.

GM may be close to a June 1st bankruptcy filing if the automaker can't restructure. In an effort to show that the automaker is serious GM may kill Pontiac and GMC in an effort to further cut costs.

Killing Pontiac and GMC would eventually mean that GM would only have three brands: Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac. The Saturn, Saab and HUMMER brands are either going to be sold off or closed.

According to some sources GMC has a better chance of surviving than Pontiac.

Currently the two brands are being studied as GM tries to find a way to avoid bankruptcy.

Although Opel and Vauxhaull's parent company GM may be having some financial problems, Opel and Vauxhall are still moving ahead with the unveiling of the 325 horsepower Insignia.

The Vauxhall version of the hot Insignia is dubbed the Insignia VXR and the Opel version is dubbed the Insignia OPC. No matter which name the Insignia receives, both models feature the same turbocharged V6 and Nurburgring-proven chassis.

Under the hood there is a turbocharged 2.8L V6 that puts out 325 horsepower and 295 lb-ft. of torque. That's 25 more horsepower than in the Saab 9-3 Turbo-X, which uses the same engine. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual that puts the power to the ground via all four wheels. According to the automaker the car reaches 0-62 mph in 6 seconds.

Deliveries are expected to start this fall.

According to Motor Trend, GM has approved the Cadillac Converj Concept for production. The extended-range electric coupe is based on the same architecture that powers the Chevy Volt.

GM execs want the car on the market by 2011 as a 2012 model. In addition a source claims that GM is also working on a crossover that will use the same technology.

A GM spokesperson claims that the Converj has still not been given the green light, but sources that have talked to Motor Trend have given many details that provide more proof that it is likely to be approved.

Of course all of this could change if GM's finances don't improve.

Late last year when GM announced plans to sell a Pontiac-badged version (G3) of the Korean made Chevy Aveo, many of us asked why. Well apparently car buyers have asked the same question or have at least ignored the thinky revised Chevy Aveo that is now also sitting in Pontiac showrooms as the Pontiac G3.

Last month Pontiac only sold 141 units, which means that roughly only 1 in every 19 of GM's approximately 2,700 Pontiac dealers sold a G3. To make matters worse at the end of March Pontiac dealers had 3,479 G3's in stock, which based on the current selling rate would mean that it would take 617 days to move them...almost two years!

Of course the G3 was just launched in February and sometimes it takes new models a few months to ramp up, but the news doesn't look good.

NHTSA has just announced that GM is recalling 1,497,516 vehicles due to potential engine fires.

The vehicles being recalled are powered by GM's 3.8L V6. In some of these vehicles engine oil may drop from the engine onto the exhaust manifold. If the manifold is hot enough the oil could ignite and a fire could spread to the plastic spark plug wire channel, thereby causing an even bigger fire under the hood.

GM dealers are going to remove the existing spark wire retention channel on effected vehicles and install two new spark plug wire retainers.

Buick has announced the pricing for the all-new 2010 Buick LaCrosse.

The 2010 LaCrosse CX starts at $27,835 and that includes a new 255 hp 3.0L direct-injection V6 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and standard 17-inch wheels.

The CXL FWD at $30,395 adds heated leather seats, automatic climate control, fog lamps and 18-inch wheels. The CXL AWD starts at $32,570. The top of the line CXS starts at $33,765 and includes a 280 horsepower 3.6L V6, leather heated and cooled seats, and chrome-plated 18-inch wheels.

GM officially unveiled the 2010 GMC Terrain over the weekend and now we have a video that goes in-depth to explain the car’s styling and design from some of the designers and engineers that worked on it.

The 2010 GMC Terrain will be officially unveiled at the 2009 New York Auto Show this week.

Although the new 2010 GMC Terrain shares its basic platform with the equally new Chevy Equinox, its obvious that GM finally tried to make them look different...although the Terrain definitely has the more controversial design.

"We wanted to carve the GMC Terrain away from the pack and establish its identity as a powerful, fresh crossover SUV with a confident and strong stance," said John Cafaro Jr., director of exterior design, Global Crossover Vehicles. "Everything about the Terrain communicates a sense of tailored toughness and passionate craftsmanship."

After you move past the bold design, the Terrain is powered by the same 182 hp, 2.4L 4-cyl and 264 hp, 3.0L V6 as the Equinox. GM expects the 4-cylinder Terrain to achieve 30 mpg on the highway.

The 2.4L equipped Terrain also sees GM's first use of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology to counteract noise inside the vehicle. Th Terrain also features a standard MultiFlex rear sliding seat that can be fore or aft nearly eight inches.

A new poll shows that a majority of U.S. voters feel that the U.S. economy can recover even if GM goes out of business.

The Rasmussen Reports’ poll found that 76% of U.S. voters surveyed believe that the U.S. economy could recover even if GM were to go out of business. Fifteen percent weren't sure and nine percent disagreed.

Further 77 percent of investors and 74 percent of investors feel that the economy will bounce back even if GM does not.

Additionally 62 percent of voters oppose the U.S. government giving GM and Chrysler further loans to stay in business. Lastly 59 percent believed that it is “very likely” or “somewhat likely" that GM or Chrysler will go out of business in the next few years.

What do you think?

The poll consisted of 1,000 voters and had a margin of error of three percent.

GM has asked the U.S. government for an additional $2.6 billion in loans to support the development of new hybrid vehicles.

The loan request would help the development of two spinoffs of the upcoming Chevy Volt. This is the first time that GM has confirmed plans to produce spinoffs of the Volt. In January, GM unveiled the Cadillac Converj concept which was based on the mechanicals of the Volt. GM executives have stated that GM plans on using the Volt system in other models to raise volume and reduce costs.

Chevy has announced the pricing for the all-new 2010 Chevy Equinox.

The 2010 Chevy Equinox will start at $23,185, which is $1,800 less than the outgoing model. The new Equinox can be powered by either a 2.4L Ecotec 4-cylinder with 182 horsepower and an estimated 30 mpg highway or a 3.0L DOHC V6 engine with 264 horsepower and an estimated 25 mpg highway.

Although the 2010 Equinox has a lower starting price than the 2009 model, it will have more standard features when it goes on sale in June.

Of course March sales were down last month compared to March 2008 with GM down 45 percent. For the most part most of the major automakers posted a better month than February, but the sales were still dismal.

Here's the list of the top ten best-selling vehicles last month. Of course most of the same models are listed:

-Ford F-Series: 32,728
-Toyota Camry: 25,783
-Chevy Silverado: 23,508
-Honda Accord: 22,722
-Toyota Corolla: 22,257
-Honda Civic: 20,645
-Nissan Altima: 19,521
-Dodge Ram: 19,328
-Chevy Malibu: 14,772
-Honda CR-V: 12,959

General Motors has launched a new customer protection package called GM Total Confidence to encourage people to start buying cars again.

The new package is similar to what Hyundai launched a few months ago, although GM's version goes a bit further to help potential buyers. The payment protection plan will pay your car payment up to nine months if you lose your job within the first two years of vehicle ownership ($500 max per month). The residual value of the buyer's vehicle is also protected and one year of OnStar is also included.

The GM Total Confidence plan is available for vehicles purchased between April 1 - April 30, 2009.

In its Viability Summary of GM, the U.S. government stated, "While the Volt holds promise, it will likely be too expensive to be commercially successful in the short-term."

The Volt, " is currently projected to be much more expensive than its gasoline-fueled peers and will likely need substantial reductions in manufacturing cost in order to become commercially viable."

The Chevy Volt is expected to be released by the end of 2010 with a starting price of $40,000, which will likely hurts its volume. In the government's audit of GM's restructuring plan, the government stated that GM spent too much time developing the Volt to go against the Prius. Instead the government stated that GM should have been using the time to focus on building better small cars.

This past weekend the Obama administration asked GM's CEO Rick Wagoner to step down as part of its restructuring plan.

The Treasury Department has banned GM from issuing any severance packages to its executives, but that doesn't mean that Wagoner can't receive millions in retirement benefits. Wagoner has worked for GM for nearly 32 years and according to documents Wagoner could receive a $20.2 million pension package.

According to GM spokeswoman Julie M. Gibson, most of Wagoner's benefits will be paid out as an annuity over the next five years. But if GM is forced to file bankruptcy, Wagoner could get a lot less, since less than $1 million of his pension package is guaranteed.

President Obama has just finished his press conference regarding the government's decision on the viability plans that were submitted by GM and Chrysler on February 17th after they received $17.4 billion in loans.

“Neither goes far enough to warrant the substantial new investments that these companies are requesting,” Obama said. “They must produce plans that would give the American people confidence in their long-term prospects for success.”

Obama warned the two automakers that they may be forced into a quick bankruptcy. The quick bankruptcy would be quick and could last for as little as 30 days.

"We also cannot continue to excuse poor decisions. And we cannot make the survival of our auto industry dependent on an unending flow of tax dollars. These companies -- and this industry -- must ultimately stand on their own, not as wards of the state."

It's official Rick Wagoner has stepped down from his post as the CEO of GM.

As a request from the government, Wagoner is going to be replaced by Fritz Henderson immediately. The Obama administration requested Wagoner's departure as part of the rescue plan. Wagoner was named president and CEO in 2000, and assumed the role of chairman in 2003.

Fritz Henderson will assume the role immediately. He was previously vice chairman and chief financial officer.

There's more bad news for Cadillac fans in Europe. Yesterday it was reported that GM had stopped plans to introduce a much needed V6 turbodiesel for Cadillac in Europe. Today it looks like GM has decided to pull Cadillac out of half of Europe.

GM has decided to halt Cadillac sales in half of Europe following the collapse of its regional distributor, Kroymans. The issue obviously has to do with the collapse of auto sales.

“We will take it down to less than a dozen markets,” a GM Europe source told Automotive News Europe.

As of right now Cadillacs are sold in 25 European countries.

General Motors announced today that 7,631 United Auto Workers have accepted early retirement and buyout offers. The buyout will allow GM to cut costs and hire new, less expensive workers.

"This is a significant milestone of progress towards our restructuring plan," said GM Spokesman Tony Sapienza. "There is more work to do, but this will help us become leaner and stronger."

More than half of the workers accepting the buyouts are located in Michigan.

According to GM most of the workers that accepted the offer were eligible for retirement, meaning they had been employed by GM for over 30 years. Those workers were already eligible for a $37,000/ year pension plus the buyout package that included $20,000 in cash and a $25,000 voucher toward a new GM vehicle.

Those workers that accepted the offer must leave the company by April 1st.

Cadillac has been struggling to gain traction in Europe. A much needed diesel engine, which would have made Cadillac more competitive in Europe has now been canceled.

Cadillac was expected to receive a 2.9-liter V6 turbodiesel that was developed with and was to be manufactured by Italian diesel-engine expert VM Motori S.p.A. According to division spokesperson Joann Krell the diesel has been "indefinitely delayed." A source states that the design and development of the engine has been completed.

The cancellation of the V6 diesel now effectively means that Cadillac is going to have a hard time increasing market share in Europe, since 54 percent of all light vehicles sold in Western Europe are diesel powered. Currently the only diesel powered Cadillac is the slow selling front-wheel-drive BLS.

The 2010 Chevy Camaro is finally starting to roll off the production line, but there are rumors that two of the hotly anticipated variants are in jeopardy.

The Detroit Bureau is reporting that the Camaro convertible and Z28 variants are being delayed and may eventually be canceled due to the budget crisis hitting GM and its many suppliers. The main issue with the Camaro convertible has to do with the collapse of the German company that was supposed to supply it. It was originally planned that the convertible would launch about a year after the coupe, but since GM now has to seek a new supplier, the convertible could be delayed even further.

As for the Z28, it may just cost too much to produce according to Gene Stefanyshyn, Camaro’s Vehicle Line Executive. Stefanyshyn estimated that it would cost GM approximately $50 million to bring it to market. The Z28 would have featured well over 500 horsepower and would have been the halo car for the Camaro lineup.

GM is recalling 1,738 2009 HUMMER H3T models to fix an issue with the fuel tank.

The front support strap that holds the fuel tank in place could fracture, which would mean that the tank would only be supported by the rear strap and the stone shield. If left in this condition the rear strap and stone shield could also break causing the fuel tank could fall off the truck.

Dealers have been instructed to install a new-design fuel tank front support strap, free of charge.

Now that Saturn is all but dead in a few years it looks like GM is trying to figure out to bring its impressive Opel Insignia to the US. Originally the next-generation Saturn Aura would have been our version of the Insignia, but instead the sedan could come here as a Buick or Cadillac.

Automotive News is reporting that the Insignia is set to hit US dealerships under the Buick brand as a replacement for the discontinued Regal sedan. But the fact that the Insignia shares the same front-wheel-drive platform as the next-generation LaCrosse, it may not make much sense. Instead GM may bring the Insignia to the US under the Cadillac brand, which could feature both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions.

GM is set to unveil two more versions of the Volt at the Geneva Motor Show. In Europe the Volt will be called the Ampera and sold under the Opel and Vauxhall brands.

The Ampera is essentially the same thing as the Chevy Volt although with a bit more style on the front and rear of the car.

The Ampera will enter production in late 2011.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has announced that the 2010 Chevy Camaro will be the official pace car of the 93rd Indy 500 on May 24, 2009.

The 2009 race marks the fifth time that a Camaro has been the official pace car. It also marks the 44th time that a GM vehicle has paced the event.

GM has unveiled the Australian versions of the Cruze and Volt as the Holden Cruze and Holden Volt.

The Australian version of the Chevy Cruze features a new grille and badges. Other than that everything else is pretty much the same. The Holden Cruze is powered by a 1.8L 4 cylinder petrol or an optional 2.0L turbo charged diesel.

The Holden Volt is nearly identical to the Chevy Volt besides new badges and the steering wheel being on the opposite side of the car.

GM has announced that Saab has filed bankruptcy in Swedish courts in an effort to reorganize the company and to become independent from GM.

The reorganization of Saab will lead to the design, engineering and manufacturing being concentrated back in Sweden. But in order for this to happen GM needs to secure financing, which is the main issue. The Swedish government already rejected GM's request for cash. According to the Automotive News Saab may need as much as $1 billion to remain sustainable on its own.

Currently Saab plans on launching three new vehicles of the next year and a half, the 9-3X, 9-5 and 9-4X...well that's if Saab can raise the money to sustain itself.

GM released its Viability Plan yesterday in which the automaker revealed its plans to return the company to profitability. Today GM has announced that it is disbanding its high-performance unit.

This team was responsible for the development of the V-series Cadillacs and the Chevrolet Cobalt SS, HHR SS and a V-8 version of the Colorado.

"All high-performance projects are on indefinite hold," spokesman Vince Muniga said. "The engineers are moving into different areas of the organization, and they will work on Cadillacs, Buicks, Chevrolets and Pontiacs."

There are currently no plans for high-performance versions of future vehicles.

The team could be reinstated once GM is back in the black.

Just as Chrysler submitted its Viability Plan to the U.S. Treasury Department, GM also submitted its own plan which detailed the automaker's plans to turn the company around. In Chrysler's plan the new Chrysler 300 and Jeep Grand Cherokee were revealed. GM also revealed a new model in its plan as well, the production version of the Cadillac CTS Coupe.

In addition to the CTS Coupe, GM also detailed plans for a new dual-clutch transmission, a new range of four-cylinder engines, a production version of the Cadillac Converj and a third generation hybrid system that will be released by 2015.

GM has already received $13.4 billion in loans from the U.S. goverment, but in its viability plan, the automaker asked for an additional $16.6 billion.

Part of GM's restructuring plan is to focus on its core brands; Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. GM is going to make a decision by the end of March if it will sell or phase out the HUMMER brand. Saab is currently on the market and Saturn is going to be phased out at the end of the current product cycle.

GM has officially unveiled the 2010 Chevy Spark that will have its official unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show next month.

The Chevy Spark draws its inspiration from the Chevy Beat Concept. The five-door hatchback features Chevy's two-tier grille mated to a wedge-like profile. The interior features a motorcycle-inspired instrument cluster that is mounted on the steering column.

The Spark is powered by either a 1.0L or a 1.2L 4-cylinder engine.

Sales will start in Europe in early 2010 with other markets following. Sales will start in the U.S. in 2011.

GM has announced that Bob Lutz, GM's Vice Chairman of Global Product Development is going to transition into a new role starting on April 1, 2009 as Vice Chairman and Senior Advisor. Lutz's new role will allow him to provide strategic input into GM's global design until his retirement at the end of 2009.

Thomas Stephens will take over as the Vice Chairman of Global Product Development.

GM has released several photos of the first pre-production 2010 Chevy Camaros rolling down the assembly line in Oshawa, Ontario.

The first 2010 Chevy Camaros will start production on March 16th.

Enjoy the photos

The sales numbers from last month have been released and they are not good. Nearly every major automaker was down in January compared to January 08'.

Chrysler lead the pact with a 55 percent drop last month. GM's sales were off by 49 percent and Ford declined 40 percent.

Japan's major automakers didn't escape the dismal auto sales with Toyota being down 32 percent, Nissan's sales were down 30 and Honda's were off by 28 percent.

The news wasn't bad for everyone though with Subaru posting an 8 percent increase, its second month in the row of sales increases. Hyundai also posted a 14 percent sales increase. Hyundai attributed its sales improvement to its new program which will take a owner's car back if they lose their job in the first 12 months of ownership.

"This program gets to the root cause of today's economic concerns — fear of job loss," Hyundai regional general manager Peter DiPersia said in a statement.

Last month GM unveiled the Cadillac Converj Concept that combined the Volt's powertrain with a much sexier shell.

Although the Converj Concept is a coupe, GM is reportedly considering a four-door version for production. A four-door Converj would keep its coupe-like roofline, meaning it would be dubbed as a four-door coupe. Four-door vehicles simply sell better than two-doors so it would make for a stronger business case. According to Bob Lutz a production version of the Converj will not differ much from the concept, much in the same way that the production Camaro is very similar to its concept.

Even if the Converj is eventually given the green light, don't expect it to be released before 2013. Also who knows how much it would actually cost. The Volt is expected to start around $40,000, so a Cadillac version would definitely cost much more.

It is being reported that contracts for GM's new engine plant in Flint, Michigan have been canceled.

The $370 million plant was supposed to produce the 1.4L engine for the upcoming Chevy Volt and Cruze in turbocharged and naturally-aspirated forms. GM spokesperson Sharon Basel, confirmed the news to the Flint News. Basel also stated that GM remains committed to the area and could possibly build the engines at one of the existing plants in the future.

The plant would have created 300 new jobs for the suffering town of Flint.

For now the engines will be produced by one of GM's European plants that already builds variants of the "Family Zero" engines, which range from 1.0-1.4L in size.

The 2010 Chevy Camaro finally enters production this March, but GM has yet to officially unveil the convertible version. We've seen countless photos of the new Camaro, but here are two more of the convertible testing in Australia.

According to Bob Lutz, GM has reportedly pushed back the release date of the Camaro Convertible until sometime in 2011.

GM was supposed to release the much anticipated Cadillac CTS Coupe this summer, but it looks like the coupe has been delayed a year until the summer of 2010.

The change is plans is most likely due to GM's current economic condition. Cadillac's director of communications cited "changes to the overall portfolio" as the reason for the delay.

Cadillac is still moving forward with the launch of the CTS wagon this spring and the new SRX crossover this summer.

The fate of GM's Saturn brand has been unknown ever since the automaker sought assistance from the federal government. Seeking to become more profitable it made since that GM would figure out a way to do away with its "less profitable" brands like HUMMER and Saturn.

Well now comes word that GM has funded the Saturn brand through 2012. Which is good news for Saturn dealers, since the brand should be around for at least another 3-4 years. But since GM is hard up for money any further Saturn product development has been put on hold until the fate of the brand is certain. According to Saturn's General Manager, the fate of Saturn should be known in the next three to four weeks.

So at this point the brand could still eventually die.

GM Holden chairman and managing director, Mark Reuss announced Thursday that plans to offer the Cadillac brand in Australia have been indefinitely delayed.

“With the downturn of the Australian automotive market and the broader global financial situation, we have made a common-sense, commercially responsible decision to not introduce a new brand into the exceptionally challenging Australian market at this time. GM Holden was faced with making a significant investment to launch a new, niche brand into a tough market.” Reuss said

The plans are not completely dead because once the economy improves, the plans to launch Cadillac in Australia will be re-considered.

GM has unveiled a new Cadillac concept, the Converj, which is based on the Chevy Volt's "Voltec" drivetrain.

The Converj Concept combines GM's new electric technology with styling that is distinctly Cadillac. Since it uses the same technology as the more pedestrian-looking Volt.

Let's hope they make something like this in the future....

GM originally stated that the production version of the Chevy Beat and Chevy Orlando would not be coming to the US, but things change. With a lack of small cars in the US, it makes sense to bring the two vehicles to the US.

The production version of the Beat, officially now dubbed the Spark and the Orlando will come to the US in 2011. The Chevy Spark is going to have its official debut at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Sales of the Spark in Europe will begin in the first-quarter of 2010.

The one photo we have of the Spark was apparently leaked. Expect more details soon.

Production of the 2010 Chevy Camaro was supposed to start next month, but now it looks like production has been delayed a month until March 16th.

The one month delay is not due to supplier issues, since the issues with supplier Cadence Innovation have been solved with secondary suppliers.

The Camaro convertible had been put on hold but now it will be released at a later date as a 2011 model.

Yesterday GM officially took the wraps off the all-new 2010 Buick LaCrosse.

Here are two videos of the new LaCrosse. One is of the designers and engineers discussing the new LaCrosse and the other shows the LaCrosse in action.

The 2010 LaCrosse is powered by either a 255 horsepower 3.0L V6 or a 280 horsepower 3.6L V6. Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive is available.

The LaCrosse will be officially unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in a few days.

GM has officially unveiled the all-new 2010 Buick LaCrosse, which will be officially unveiled in a few days at the Detroit Auto Show.

The all-new LaCrosse further defines Buick's current global design theme, which was previewed with the Invicta Concept at the 2008 Beijing Auto Show.

For 2010 the LaCrosse is available with either of two V6 engines, a 255 horsepower 3.0L V6 or a 280 horsepower 3.6L V6. Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive is available.

Inside there is a new two-tone interior that features an in-dash navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, an auxiliary audio input and a USB port. A DVD entertainment system for the rear seat passengers is also available.

Notable safety features are the Side Blind Zone alert that notifies the driver if there is another vehicle in the driver's blind spots, an available head-up display in the windshield, and an available adaptive lighting package.

Production of the new LaCrosse starts this summer.

Finally a Buick that isn't incredibly boring.

Pickuptruck.com is reporting that GM has quietly decided to kill plans for the 2010 Pontiac G8 ST.

GM unveiled the Pontiac G8 ST last year at the New York Auto show. The unibody pickup version of the G8 sedan was expected to be V8 powered, feature a 74-inch cargo bed and be able to tow up to 3,500 pounds. The vehicle immediately recalled previous vehicles like the Chevrolet El Camino and Ford Ranchero.

Last month, Susan Docherty, vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC stated that GM was going to pare down the number of Pontiac vehicles and that the G8 ST was under review to see if it made sense.

The G8 ST was expected to be launched as a 2010 model with prices starting in the low $30,000's. It was also rumored that GM was going to introduce a V6 version of the vehicle with the same direct-injection V6 as the upcoming Camaro.

Should we be sad?

2008 is finally over and with it ends one of the worst years for the automotive industry in recent history. Most of 2008 was plagued by high fuel prices, which forced buyers to look for more fuel efficient vehicles. Even with this trend the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado pickups managed to remain at the top of the list for 2008.

In addition, even though buyers continued to ask for more fuel-efficient vehicles, the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic were the only "small" cars to make the list.

Cadillac has officially unveiled the 2010 Cadillac SRX crossover.

The next-generation SRX ditches the wagon-like styling from the last-generation for something more "crossover" like. It's styling was previewed by the Provoq concept. The 2010 SRX builds on Cadillac's Art and Science design theme with its multi-piece shield grille and iconic vertical headlamps.

The SRX is powered by a new, 260 horsepower 3.0L direct injected V-6 engine, standard and a new, 300 horsepower 2.8L turbocharged V-6 is optional. Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Front and all-wheel-drive will be offered. It's not known if GM is planning a hybrid version of the SRX to help it go head to head with its closest competitor, the Lexus RX.

Here's a new video of the 2010 Cadillac SRX that is going to be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show next month.

Cadillac hasn't released any of the official details of the second-gen SRX. So stay tuned until next month.

Saab loves its special edition models and although the current 9-5 is close to the end of its life cycle, Saab is releasing a 9-5 Griffin Edition.

The 9-5 Griffin Edition is powered by a 2.3L 260 horsepower 4-cylinder engine that can be mated to either a manual or automatic transmission.

The exterior of the 9-5 Griffin features a matte chrome grill, Xenon headlights, rear spoiler, unique five-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels and Griffin badges. Inside there is a high gloss interior trim and Aero-inspired leather seats.

The 9-5 Griffin starts at $42,775 for the Sedan and $ 44,045 for the SportCombi model.

GM has unveiled the all-new 2010 Chevy Equinox, which will have its official public debut at the Detroit Auto Show next month.

The all-new Equinox receives new styling inside and out in addition to new 2.4L and 3.0L direct injected engines. The 2.4L four-cylinder engine puts out 182 horsepower and gets 30 mpg on the highway and 21 mpg in the city. The 3.0L V6 puts out 255 horsepower and gets 25 mpg on the highway and 18 mpg in the city. GM expects the driving range to be more than 500 miles between fill ups with either engine.

In terms of styling the all-new Equinox gets Chevy's new face that is similar to that of the Malibu and larger Traverse crossover with its two-tier grille and prominent gold Bowtie insignia. The Equinox continues to share its Theta platform with the Saturn Vue.

Inside the new Equinox gets features such as Bluetooth, a USB port for your audio devices, DVD-based rear entertainment system and an available power liftgate.

GM hasn't announced if the Equinox will eventually get one the same two-mode hybrid system as the Saturn Vue.

Since Congress was unable to come to an agreement about a bailout for the U.S. automakers, President George W. Bush has approved $17.4 billion in emergency loans to the U.S. automakers. The loans are needed to help save hundreds of thousands of jobs and prevent GM and Chrysler from going bankrupt.

GM and Chrysler are expected to dip into the money immediately, while Ford claims that its liquidity is adequate for now and does not need a bailout loan.

"If we were to allow the free market to take its course now, it would almost certainly lead to disorderly bankruptcy and liquidation for the automakers," Bush said.

President elect Barack Obama also supports the loans to the automakers.

Although the loans are going to help GM and Chrysler survive, the loans will only get them through until March of next year.

Pontiac has announced the pricing for the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP. Pricing starts at $39,995.

The G8 GXP is powered by a 6.2L V8 that puts out 415 horsepower and 415 lb-ft. of torque. It reaches 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds and comes standard with a six-speed automatic transmission. A six-speed manual is available.

Everything is in a "state of flux" right now for the U.S. automakers. Even if they manage to secure loans from the U.S. government and possibly the Candian government, there will still be major changes.

There have been many reports and rumors that GM may end up dropping or scaling back the slow selling Saturn, Pontiac and GMC brands. In its plan that it submitted to the U.S. Congress last week, GM stated that it is "exploring alternatives" for the Saturn brand. Although Saturn currently has a strong product lineup, the brand has failed to meet sales expectations.

Many people would assume that GM should just cut its losses with the Saturn brand and move on, but doing so would cost GM at least $1 billion in all the dealer buyouts.

A final decision from the U.S. government about the loans for the U.S. automakers is expected anytime now, but it's expected that the final amount will only be between $15-17 billion. Which is much less than the original $34 billion the automakers were asking for. To help raise more money, the automakers are now asking the Canadian government for $6.8 billion. The Big 3 employ about 100,000 workers in Canada.

“North American economic conditions now make it necessary for us to seek government assistance to sustain our business and supply chain,” said Arturo Elias, president of General Motors Canada.

Ward’s Automotive Group has announced its 2009 10 Best Engines list.

The list is compiled by Ward's editors and 2009 is officially the 15th year of the Ward’s 10 Best Engines program.

This year the list of winners is very broad with hybrid engines as well as high output turbocharged engines receiving the award.

“A decade ago, few consumers in the U.S. paid serious attention to hybrids or diesels. This year, they have to, if they don’t want to be pinched the next time fuel hits $4 a gallon,” says Tom Murphy, executive editor of Ward’s AutoWorld magazine.”The diesels from VW and BMW and the Ford Escape Hybrid all got better than 30 mpg (7.8 L/100 km) during our testing, and often they topped 40 mpg (5.8 L/100 km),” he says. “And the diesels meet the strictest emissions regulations in the world. If Americans want to find a vehicle that consumes less fuel and is fun to drive, our list is a great place to start.”

The news has been pretty grim over at GM the past few weeks, but one thing the automaker can celebrate is that the 2009 Opel/ Vauxhall Insignia has been named the 2009 European Car of the Year.

The Insignia achieved the award by a mere one point (321) over the 2nd place finisher, the Ford Fiesta (320). The bronze winner was the VW Golf with 223 points. This is the first win for the Opel brand in 22 years.

Today Congress is meeting to discuss the details of the $25 billion bailout plan for U.S. automakers. Debates are going back and forth from both sides on how to solve this problem. Some senators are now even saying that the CEO's of the Big 3 should consider stepping down from their positions if that is what it will take for Congress to approve the plan.

During an interview yesterday on NBC’S “Meet the Press”, Michigan Sen. Carl Levin stated I’d be happy to tell (GM CEO) Rick Wagoner that he ought to consider resigning if that is the difference between getting this kind of support and not. If it was the difference between getting this kind of support or not, obviously the management should consider resigning."

In an effort to stay afloat while congress decides on a bailout plan for The Big 3, GM has decided to sell its entire stake in Suzuki Motor Corp. for 22.37 billion yen ($230 million).

Suzuki is going to buy back the 3.02 percent stake from GM. Suzuki stated that it is necessary for the automaker to buy back the stake from GM to help the ailing automaker. Although Suzuki is buying the 3.02 percent stake, the two automakers will continue to have a partnership in the future, which includes the development of hybrid vehicles and SUVs in Canada.

GM has put together an informational video of what it predicts will happen if the Big Three automakers all fail next year.

Some highlights:
-If all three fail next year it will result in 3 million U.S. jobs lost in the first year
-Total governement tax loss over three years = $156.4 billion
-The U.S. GDP would drop 4 percent, compare that to the fact that the current economic downturn was caused by a .3 percent drop
-One out of every ten jobs in the U.S. relies on the U.S. auto industry

Yesterday it was reported that GM has canceled all of its press events and major intros at the LA Auto Show, which leaves the automaker with very little to show off. Since there isn't much to show, Saab is going to quietly debut its 25th anniversary edition of the 9-3 convertible.

The 2nd limited edition 9-3 convertible is available in three colors, Jet Black, Carbon Grey, and Bright Champagne. It's powered by a 210 horsepower 2.0L engine that can be mated to either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission.

The anniversary 9-3 convertible will be in showrooms in January 2009 with a starting price of $46,725.

These past few weeks have been really bad for GM and now comes news that the automaker has canceled all of its press events at the LA Auto Show next week.

It's already been reported that GM canceled plans to unveil the new Buick LaCrosse and the production version of the CTS Coupe at the show. GM spokesman Scott Fosgard told the Detroit News that all of GM's bad financial news and the pending government bailout would have overshadowed the show.

Instead of showing anything new GM is going to bring the Chevy Volt and the Saab 9-4X Air Concept that was unveiled in Paris.

Very sad...

Last week GM reported that it lost $2.5 billion in the third quarter of 2008, while spending $6.9 billion. Today General Motors stock has plunged more than 31 percent to their lowest level in more than 55 years after two analysts downgraded GM's stock claiming that it will be worth very little of nothing if GM does receive a government bailout.

Deutsche Bank analyst Rod Lache reduced GM to sell and put a price target of $0 a share.

"Without government assistance, we believe that GM's collapse would be inevitable, and that it would precipitate systemic risk that would be difficult to overcome for automakers, suppliers, retailers, and sectors of the U.S. economy," Lache wrote. "As part of GM's restructuring, we are also convinced that a large number of stakeholders who are senior to GM's equity will have to settle for pennies on the dollar."

GM has taken the wraps off of four Camaro concepts that will be unveiled tomorrow at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.

This year's Official Vehicle of SEMA will be shown in four distinct concepts: Camaro LS7 Concept, which features the GM Performance Parts LS7 Crate engine with 550HP; Camaro Dale Earnhardt Jr. Concept, which was produced with input from the Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Camaro GS Racecar Concept, which is powered by a production LS3 V8 mated to a Tremec 6060 six-speed; and the Camaro Black Concept, which features a blacked out exterior and interior.

GM officially unveiled the Pontiac Solstice Coupe at the New York Auto Show earlier this year and now the automaker is going to show off a GXP version of the coupe at this year's SEMA show.

Earlier this week GM approached the U.S. government for $10 billion to support a merger between GM and Chrysler.

It's now being reported that the U.S. Treasury has denied the request due to the fact that the merger could result in the loss of thousands of U.S. jobs. Since the U.S. Treasury denied the request the merger talks have been put on hold.

The U.S. isn't getting the Chevy Cruze until 2011, but GM has recently introduced the car in South Korea as the Daewoo Lacetti.

The launch of the Lacetti in South Korea is the first market that one of GM's most important new cars has been launched in.

GM's LS9 6.2L supercharged V8 makes the 2009 Corvette ZR1 the fastest production GM car ever. GM Performance Parts has announced that the 638 horsepower engine will be available as a complete crate engine package.

The LS9 crate engine is ideal for enthusiasts that want to add even more power to their vintage Corvettes and project cars. The crate engine comes with the ignition system, supercharger assembly, exhaust manifolds, etc. Those that are interested in the crate engine will need to also get an external oil tank, external coolant tank (for the charge cooler) and an ECU/wire harness.

General Motors has reportedly asked the U.S. government for $10 billion in aid to support its acquisition of Chrysler LLC from Cerberus Capital Management. Roughly $3 billion of the proposed aid would be in exchange for preferred stock in a merged automaker.

GM has been in talks with Cerberus since last month, but the talks have stalled due to difficulty in securing the funds, which is where the U.S. government would come in.

"The automakers are facing a maelstrom and that's why I think an unprecedented government infusion could happen," said Efraim Levy, an automotive equity analyst with S&P.

According to an undisclosed source the U.S. Treasury Department is considering a request for direct aid to facilitate the merger and a decision could come this week.

Both automakers feel that the merger would help save American jobs, but how exactly is unknown. If both automakers merge its expected that many models/ brands could be killed, which would result in factory closures, layoffs, etc.

GM has officially unveiled the Chevy GPiX Crossover Coupe Concept at the Sao Paulo International Auto Show.

The 2-door crossover concept was developed by GM in Brazil. GM claims that its 2-door body with high ground clearance makes it ideal for the roads in emerging markets around the world.

"It offers the sporty design and versatility necessary for a country with the continental dimensions of Brazil," said Carlos Barba, General Director of Design for GM Latin America, Africa and Middle East.

The GPix Concept features Chevy's traditional grille highlighted with LED headlights. Inside the concept seats four and all seats are able to fold forward for increased versatility.

The name GPiX is a pseudonym for Global Image. "G" for global and "Pix" meaning "picture" or "image".

Last week it was reported that GM was going to cancel the next-generation Pontiac G8 and Solstice models.

Well now Pontiac has responded to those rumors by saying that those rumors are not true. It's true that the G8 just launched earlier this year and is one of GM's best products sold in the US, so it does seem a little crazy to speculate that the GM is going to kill the model in a short five years. Especially considering that the G8 GXP will be in showrooms by the end of the year and the G8 ST is going to be released next summer, but who knows. Crazier things have happened considering the state of the current market. A stronger case could be made about the fate of the Solstice considering its much lower sales. It would make more sense for GM to cut the Solstice than the G8 if the automaker is trying to cut costs/ models.

But who knows. Everything is speculation. Either way enjoy the next five years...

Chevy has already taken 6,000 orders and counting for the 2010 Camaro that is set to be released early next spring.

It's only expected that Chevy would already have that many orders considering how long consumers have been waiting for it to be released. What is interesting is that most of the orders are for the V8 SS Camaros. 84 percent of the orders are for the SS Camaros, while the lesser powered V6 Camaros have received significantly less orders. The base Camaro LS has only received 2 percent of all the orders. Of course most of the initial orders are from enthusiasts that definitely wouldn't settle for the lesser powered model. It's not known how long it will take GM to fill the orders once production starts since GM may end up producing more V6 Camaros and V8 powered models.

It was already reported that GM had postponed the replacements for the Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon and Escalade SUVs, but now according to Bob Lutz there will not be replacement at all.

Lutz told the New York Times, “It would have been very difficult in today’s environment to spend a couple of billion dollars to do a replacement.”

The next-generation Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon and Escalade were set to arrive in 2011 as 2012 models. It is not known if the current models will continue past 2011.

GM announced plans earlier this month to kill the Chevy Trailblazer, GMC Envoy and Saab 9-7x due to slow sales. GM also announced plans to close its plant in Janesville, Wisconsin that currently produces the GMC Yukon and Chevy Suburban.

GM is definitely going through some hard times with the declining US market and still managing to blow through $1 billion bucks a month.

GM is trying to cut costs across the board, which may lead to a delay in the introduction date of the new Chevy Cruze and the next-generation Chevy Malibu. Last week it was announced that the upcoming Cadillac CTS Coupe and next-gen Buick LaCrosse are being delayed. Now BusinessWeek is reporting that the Chevy Cruze is going to be delayed a year until 2011 (2012 model) and the next-generation Chevy Malibu is going to be delayed 6 months until 2013.

The delays are expected to help GM save some money, but is it smart to delay the introduction of the Cruze? GM needs more quality small cars in its lineup and 2011 is not soon enough.

Pontiac launched the G8 earlier this year and received positive reviews from the automotive media, but it looks like Pontiac's most exciting model in a long time is going to be short lived.

According to sources the rear-wheel-drive Pontiac G8 will be dead in five years. InsideLine is reporting that Pontiac will not receive the next-generation platform that underpins the Australian Holden Commodore. GM is going to reposition the Pontiac brand due to the rise in fuel economy standards and consumers' increasing demand for fuel efficient vehicles.

There will also not be a new Pontiac Solstice/ Saturn Sky. This means that Pontiac will no longer have any rear wheel drive vehicles in its lineup. What's left is the boring G6, G5 (rebadged Cobalt) and G3 (rebadged Aveo), none of which are particularly sporty. The G6 is also not going to receive a full redo for about another five years.

Here's a video of the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V at the Milford Proving Ground, at the Monticello Raceway in New York and at the Nurburgring track, where John Heinricy completed a lap in 7:59.32.

The 2009 Cadillac CTS-V is powered by a 556 horsepower supercharged 6.2L V8 mated to either a 6-speed automatic or 6-speed manual transmission. Cadillac has announced that the uber-fast CTS-V will start at $59,995.

Cadillac has announced the pricing for the 556 horsepower Cadillac CTS-V.

The 2009 CTS-V will start at $59,995. The car is powered by a supercharged 6.2L V8 mated to either a 6-speed automatic or 6-speed manual transmission. The CTS-V also comes standard with a Bose audio system with a 40-gig hard drive. 14-way adjustable Recaro performance seats, "Ultra-View" sunroof and automatic transmission with steering wheel mounted shift buttons are optional.

GM has announced the pricing for the 2010 Chevy Camaro that will be in dealerships next spring.

The 2010 Camaro LS starts at $22,995 and the V8-powered Camaro SS starts at $30,995.

The 2010 Camaro will come in three versions, the V6-powered LS and LT models and the V8-powered SS. The V6 Camaros feature a 300 horsepower 3.6L engine. The V8 SS is powered by a 6.2L V8 when it is mated to the six-speed manual it puts out 422 horsepower. The automatic equipped SS puts out 400 horsepower.

GM has announced that it's going to close its Janesville, Wisconsin SUV plant by the end of the year due to poor SUV sales.

The plant currently produces the GMC Yukon and Chevy Suburban. GM originally planned on closing down the plant sometime in 2010, but the scary automotive market has sped up the process. The plant employs 1,200 workers and will close right before Christmas on December 23rd.

Earlier this month GM also announced plans to close another SUV plant in Moraine, Ohio that currently produces the Chevy Trailblazer, GMC Envoy and Saab 9-7X.

Today the Dow dropped below 9,000 points, its lowest point in five years.

Just as the rest of the market, GM and Ford have been hit hard by the decline. GM's dropped 31 percent and ended the day at $4.76, while Ford dropped 22 percent to $2.08. Yes that means that a single share of Ford stock is currently cheaper than a gallon of gas. Also GM's shares haven't been this low since the 1950's.

When will it all end?

Yesterday DigitalCorvettes started a rumor that GM had stopped production of the Corvette ZR1 and that the car had been killed. Well today those rumors have been put to rest by Terry Rhadigan ), Chevrolet’s manager for global communications.

Rhadigan recently told Autoblog that the rumors were "Not True." GM still has orders for the ZR1 and production is going to start up again next week.

GM has officially unveiled the Chevy Orlando Concept at the Paris Motor Show.

The Orlando Concept hints at a new production MPV for the Chevy brand. The 7-passenger Orlando Concept is based on a modified Delta II platform, the same platform that the Cruze is built on.

GM is going to officially debut the new Chevy Cruze at the Paris Motor Show tomorrow, but GM has released official photos a little early.

We've already seen photos of the Chevy Cruze compact that will hit our shores in 2010, but this is the first time that we are seeing official photos of the interior of the car. The overall interior design is aligned with GM's new design theme and draws cues from the Malibu. It looks far better than the current Cobalt interior!

The Cruze is going to launch in Europe first next spring, but we will not see it until the spring of 2010 as a 2011 model.

GM recently introduced the all-new Chevy Traverse crossover that is based on the same architecture as the Buick Enclave, Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia. GM is hoping that the Traverse will have what it takes to grab the number one sales spot in the large crossover segment.

Currently Toyota and Honda own the segment with the Highlander and Pilot. Last year Toyota sold 127,878 Highlanders and Honda sold 117,146 Pilots. Chevy boss, Ed Peper claims that the Traverse can beat both of them.

When the 2011 Chevy Volt was unveiled last week it was understood that the small 1.4L engine would not recharge the battery for the electric motor, well now it looks like it may.

John Lauckner, GM's VP for Global Program Management claims that the engine in the Volt will indeed send whatever surplus energy it has to the lithium-ion battery. It was originally understood that once the Volt reached 40 miles the battery would become a"paper weight" until the battery could be recharged using a 120 or 240-volt outlet. Although the engine does have the ability to recharge the battery, the engine will never come close to fully charging the battery.

GM has announced plans to invest $370 million in a new manufacturing plant that will build global 4-cylinder engines.

The plant is going to produce the new 1.4L engine for the Chevy Volt and Chevy Cruze small car. Construction of the new plant is expected to start immediately and be completed in 2010. The new plant will create 300 hourly jobs.

Saab has unveiled the 9-X Air BioHybrid Concept ahead of the Paris Motor Show next month.

Just when we thought GM was done with the sort of badge engineering they did in the 80's they go and unveil the Pontiac G3, which is basically a Chevy Aveo with a new grille.

Here's a video of two of GM's beloved cars hitting the track together.

Saab is set to unveil the all-new 9-4X SUV at the LA Auto Show in November, but we now have our first view of the production version.

GM is going to unveil the Chevy Orlando Concept at the Paris Motor Show next month. The automaker released two sketches of the concept earlier this month and now we have a third shot of the rear of the car.

As the world waits for GM's newest small sedan the Chevy Cruze, now comes word that the pricing for the car could be higher than its main competitors.

GM officially unveiled the 2011 Chevy Volt today during its 100-year celebration. Here are a bunch of videos for your enjoyment.

After weeks of photo leaks, GM has finally unveiled the 2011 Chevy Volt during the automaker's 100-year celebration today.

Cadillac is planning on launching a new small rear-wheel-drive sedan that will go head to head with the BMW 3-Series.

GM is going to halt production of the Chevy Corvette for a week starting Oct. 6th due to the economy and the ongoing automotive recession.

Here's a video of the 2009 Chevy Corvette ZR1 speeding down the Autobahn. In this video the uber-fast Corvette reaches 315 kph (195.73 mph). Apparently it could have gone even faster if it hadn't run out of road.

Yes, yes...I've heard your gripes about all the Camaro news..but get over it. Some people still want to hear about this car. :P

GM is going to unveil the Chevy Orlando at the Paris Motor Show next month.

Almost 300,000 Chevy HHR's are being recalled to fix a storage bin latch issue.

GM has already announced that the automaker has postponed plans to redesign its large SUVs, so what does that mean for the next-gen Cadillac Escalade? Well GM may build the next-gen Escalade off the same platform as the Acadia, Outlook, Enclave and Traverse crossovers.

GM officially unveiled the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP earlier this year and now according to the SAE the final output from the 6.2L V8 is 415 horsepower and 415 lb-ft. of torque.

The first official photos of the 2011 Chevy Volt aren't expected until next week to celebrate GM's 100th anniversary, but thanks to The Car Connection we have some shots of the car now.

Last week we saw our first glimpses of the production version of the Chevy Volt on the set of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. GM has released a few teaser photos, but the grainy pics from last week were much better...Now to coincide with GM's 100th anniversary, GM is going to officially unveil their most highly anticipated new model.

We've seen so many photos of the new Chevy Camaro, but very few of the SS variant. Last week a batch of un-official photos surfaced on the internet, but now GM has released the first official photo of the Chevy Camaro SS.

GM launched the "Employee Pricing for Everyone" campaign last month to move the remaining 08' models and a few 09' models off dealer lots...well GM has extended the program until the end of September.

Earlier today a photo of the interior of the production Chevy Volt hybrid surfaced and now we have some shots of the car on the set of Transformers 2. What's exciting is that these our are first look at the production version of the car.

GM has slowly been releasing more teaser images of one its most highly anticipated new models, the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid.

Yesterday reports surfaced that Cadillac is working on a new small 4-cylinder powered sedan and now rumors are circulating that Cadillac may also receive a version of the highly anticipated Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid.

GM has released a single teaser photo of the all-new 2010 Buick LaCrosse.

Cadillac is currently working on a small 4-cylinder sedan that will be offered in the US in late 2010 as a 2011 model....something that was unthinkable a year ago.

GM has yet to officially release any photos of the 2010 Chevy Camaro SS, so for now we've had to just deal with the photos of the lesser powered Camaros..until now.

GM has officially released three photos of the upcoming 2011 Chevy Cruze small sedan that is going to be officially unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October .

GM has officially unveiled the V6 powered 2010 Chevy Camaro, but has yet to unveil the V8 Camaro SS...although thanks to Fergie and Conde Nast, we have the first photo of the car.

GM officially unveiled the 2010 Pontiac G8 Sport Truck earlier this year with the same 361-horsepower 6.0L V8 as the sedan, well now it looks like the G8 ST might get a V6 as well.

Ok...so its been what about a week or two since we've had any new Camaro news. Well it looks like one dealer has already received the salesperson reference guide for the 2010 Camaro and of course here it is on the internet.

One of the more exciting things, besides the cars of course at the annual NAIAS Auto Show in Detroit is GM’s Style event. This year the exciting pre-auto show party featured some of GM's exciting model's on stage with artists such as Mary J. Blige and Maroon 5...there were of course lots of hot models as well.

GM surprised everyone with the unveiling of the Cadillac CT coupe earlier this year. Now that the new CTS Sport Wagon has been unveiled we can look forward to November when the production CTS Coupe is set to make its debut.

GM has announced the return of employee pricing for its 2008 models and the 2009 Pontiac Vibe.

Cadillac has officially unveiled the 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

Earlier this year Cadillac unveiled the Provoq Concept, which featured an E-Flex fuel cell drivetrain. Well Cadillac has basically taken the Provoq and put a conventional V6 engine to come up with the all-new SRX crossover.

GM has released more photos the production version of the upcoming Chevy Volt.

HUMMER is seriously on the brink of extinction now that the SUV market has died and GM is looking to unload the brand...but HUMMER is still here for now. HUMMER has unveiled the 2009 HUMMER H2 Black Chrome Edition.

Pontiac officially unveiled the G8 Sports Truck earlier this year, but at the same time announced that no official name had been picked. Well its been confirmed and I'm sorry to all you El Camino fans out there...but the G8 Sports Truck has been officially named the Pontiac G8 ST.

Consumers' demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles has caused GM to put the replacements for its largest Cadillac sedans on hold.

Earlier this year GM quietly released the XFE version of the Chevy Cobalt. XFE stands for "Xtra Fuel Economy" and means that vehicles labeled with this tag feature more fuel-saving technologies to save even more gas. GM has announced today that the Cobalt XFE is going to be joined by XFE versions of the Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon.

Chevy is going to replace the current Cobalt with the Cruze in late-2010 and the new vehicle can't come soon enough to help save GM.

The very first 2009 Corvette ZR1 went for $1 million at the recent Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released the results of its first ever side crash testing of five small pickup trucks.

Bob Lutz has confirmed that the all-new Opel Insignia is definitely coming to the US as the next Saturn Aura, but the Aura will have not share the Insignia's body.

GM finally took the wraps off the 2010 Chevy Camaro on Monday and the news is still coming in on the new car.

Well the wait is finally over GM has officially taken the wraps off the production 2010 Chevy Camaro.

Well its still a few days until the official unveiling of the 2010 Chevy Camaro, but a few photos of the coupe have already leaked.

This month has been a very difficult month for GM with its declining sales and plans to reduce costs by $15 billion by the end of 2009.

GM’s CEO Rick Wagoner announced today the many new steps that GM is going to take to cut costs by $15 billion by the end of 2009.

It had been rumored that GM was not going to sell its uber fast Cadillac CTS-V in Europe, but according to a senior source at GM, the 556 horsepower CTS-V is in fact headed to Europe.

Chevy is just about to unveil the production version of the long-awaited Chevy Camaro and more details are starting to surface about the car.

HUMMER has announced the pricing for its the pickup truck version of its smallest SUV, the H3.

GM released a video of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 on the famed Nurburgring yesterday. The video shows the ZR1 completing a lap around the track in 7:24:6, which officially beats the time of 7:29 that was set by the Nissan GT-R.

GM has released the video of the 2009 Chevy Corvette hitting the famed Nurburgring on June 27th.

By now most of us are tired of seeing photos of the many Camaro prototypes on the road. According to 5thgen.org the production version of the Camaro is going to be unveiled to Chevrolet dealers on July 22nd.

It's widely known that GM is currently conducting a review of the HUMMER brand which will most likely result in the brand being sold or eventually killed. GM is claiming that no other brands are currently under review.

GM's upcoming Chevy Volt is one of the most anticipated new cars especially with these insane gas prices. Well when GM originally unveiled the Volt the automaker boasted that the hybrid would have a 600 mile range...well things have changed.

Automakers have been hit hard this year due to declining sales and those that relied heavily on SUV and truck sales are even worse off, specifically the Big 3. GM has seen its sales drop off drastically since no one wants its many pickups and large SUVs.

2008 is half way over and its been a very difficult six months for most automakers. GM which saw its sales decline 16.3 percent so far this year may be thinking about cutting even more jobs and possibly selling off some of its brands.

GM's yet to be named Pontiac G8 Sport Truck has yet to receive an official name, but Pontiac is already discussing the idea of offering a V6 in the spiritual successor to the El Camino.

GM has unveiled the special-edition Corvette S-Limited for the Japanese market to celebrate GM's 100th anniversary.

GM has released the 2009 Corvette ZR1's official lap time on the Nurburgring.

Chevrolet has announced the pricing for the all-new 2009 Traverse crossover.

Chevy officials have stated that the 2009 Chevy Traverse crossover is going to have more power and better fuel efficiency than the 2008 Saturn Outlook, Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia.

Thanks to the Camaro5 forums we now have or first look at what looks like to be a production-spec 2010 Camaro SS in silver.

GM is postponing redesigning its large SUVs and full-size pickups as the market shifts towards more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Chevrolet has announced the final pricing for the uber fast 2009 Corvette ZR1.

Yes, we know all the Corvette news lately has been about the uber fast ZR1, but for 2009 the Z06 version gets a few updates.

There have been so many photos of the upcoming Chevy Camaro..that its getting a little crazy, but due to the positive feedback of the first pre=production photos, GM has released two new ones of the Camaro Convertible.

When the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V was unveiled earlier this year, Cadillac estimated its final output at 550 horsepower, but now it is confirmed and the car actually produces 556 horsepower.

Chevrolet has announced the pricing for the 2009 Aveo and redesigned Aveo5.

GM's CEO is set to announce the closer of 4 of GM's truck plants in North America.

Jay Leno recently described what he feels is plaguing American automakers, poor quality economy cars.

Camaro5 forums (the site that is all about the new Camaro) has just put up photos of the V6 Chevy Camaro. Rather than just a few pics of the exterior of the car, these photos give us our first glimpse of the actual V6 engine under the hood.

There has been a lot of news lately about the Nissan GT-R and Corvette ZR1 times on the Nurburgring in Germany. Well another car is also making great times on the track.

Corvette ZR1 chief engineer Tadge Juechter recently sat down to answer many of the current questions about the upcoming Chevy Corvette ZR1.

GM has released details on its new 4.5L V8 Duramax turbo-diesel engine that will debut in the 2010 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra light duty trucks.

Yesterday Nissan announced that the Nissan GT-R completed a lap of the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:29. That announcement may be put to rest sooner than later if GM engineers manage to pull it off. They are hard at work on the 2009 Chevy Corvette ZR1. Last week GM released official stats, 638 horsepower and 604 lb-ft of torque. GM also released a video of the car reaching 205 mph on the track.

The slowing economy and insane gas prices in the US have made it increasingly harder for automakers to sell their large SUVs and trucks.

GM officially unveiled the 2009 Chevy Corvette ZR1 at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, but at that time the automaker had yet finalize the certification of the 6.2L LS9 V8.

Gas prices are over $4 a gallon in some places in the country, so everyone is finally demanding more fuel efficient models. Couple that with the Bush administration announcement a few days ago about the new fuel economy standards. Now automakers are trying to figure out creative ways to squeeze out even better fuel efficient models. Chevy is hoping to capture some of these fuel-economy minded consumers with an updated Cobalt.

Chevy launched the all-new Malibu last fall and it has recieved a lot of attention especially from the automotive press. I even drove all three versions right before it was released. One of the main sore spots was the 4-cylinder that was mated to a four-speed automatic (how archaic for a 2008 model). GM promised that eventually the 4-cylinder would be mated to the six-speed automatic transmission and here it is...

Buick officially took the wraps off the Invicta Concept today at the Beijing Auto Show.

After several leaks the last few days, Opel has finally taken the wraps off the all-new Insignia sedan.

Production of GM's Lambda SUVs (Outlook, Acadia and Enclave) came to a halt when UAW hourly workers went on strike at GM's Lansing, Michigan plant.

GM officially unveiled the Cadillac CTS Coupe at the Detroit Auto Show this past January. At the time the automaker would not say if the car was ever going to enter production, although we all new better.

GM unveiled the Corvette ZR1 at the Detroit Auto Show this year and the car just recently hit the Nurburgring in Germany to get some track times. Engineers behind the wheel claimed that the ZR1 was able to achieve lap times in the low 7:40s.

Buick officially unveiled the new Lucerne Super at the New York Auto Show last year, but it isnt actually being released until this month. In additon to the new "Super" model, Buick is also releasing a Lucerne CXL Special Edition.

GM just held a press event for the upcoming Chevy Volt, where those lucky enough to get invited were able to see an actual pre-production Volt dressed up in Malibu sheetmetal and a scale model of what the Volt will look like.

Chevy has released one official photo of the upcoming Chevy Cobalt SS Sedan.

Pontiac's new G8 sedan is just now hitting dealerships and many GM execs might like you to think of it as a much more affordable BMW 5-Series. This video actually tries to convince you that the $30K G8 is equal to and in many areas superior to the almost $60K BMW 550i.

According to the person that posted these photos on the Camaro5 forums, these two photos are of the production base Chevy Camaro.

In addition to the many spy photos and now leaked production photos of the Camaro Convertible, the Camaro5 forums now have the first photos of a full scale Camaro that features many of the accessories that will be available on the car.

The guys over at Camaro5 seem to have new photos of the Camaro every few days. Well the latest batch even includes a very short video of the new Camaro in Arizona.

By now I'm sure most of us are tired of seeing the countless spy photos of the 2010 Chevy Camaro, but anyways here are some more.

GM has announced the pricing for the Cobalt SS coupe.

According to GM's Bob Lutz there is a possibility that GM could put GM's 2.0L turbocharged DI 4-cylinder engine in the new Camaro.

Pontiac is going to officially unveil the all-new 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe at the New York Auto Show today.

Buick has released a single teaser image of its new Invicta Concept that is going to be unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show next month.

The El Camino has been dead in the US for quite some time, but its spirit is going to live again in the 2010 Pontiac G8 sport truck.

The all-new 2008 Pontiac G8 and G8 GT are just hitting showrooms and next week Pontiac is going to unveil and even hotter version of the new G8 sedan.

Another forum member at Camaro 5 has caught more photos of the 2010 Chevy Camaro, this time its in white.

We've seen several spy photos of the 2010 Chevy Camaro in white, but now we have our first shots of the car in black.

Chevy has released more photos of its all-new Cobalt SS Coupe.

This past weekend I had the chance to experience the all-new Pontiac G8 firsthand in San Diego, CA.

Hey everyone, GM invited me down to San Diego, CA to test drive the new 2008 Pontiac G8. I am going to be driving the car throughout the day.

Chevy has unveiled the Corvette 427 Limited Edition Z06, alimited edition model that pays homage to the Stingray models of the 1960's.

The upcoming re-introduction of the Chevy Camaro has had some people speculating that a Pontiac Trans Am version could be in the future. Pontiac has also been lobbying for a version of the Camaro, but GM has rejected it.

GM has officially unveiled the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse crossover, which is the fourth Lambda-platform crossover from GM.

The new fuel-economy rules are forcing automakers to rethink their current and future vehicle lineups.

GM has officially unveiled the 2009 Sierra Hybrid, which is essentially the same thing as the Chevy Silverado Hybrid.

GM has unveiled the GMC Denali XT Hybrid Concept truck that will be officially unveiled this week at the Chicago Auto Show.

GM is going to officially unveil the HUMMER H3T pickup in Chicago next month.

GM surprised everyone with the CTS Coupe concept at the Detroit Auto Show this month.

GM has released a second image of a Camaro prototype undergoing testing.

The smaller than an H3, HUMMER HX Concept has been unveiled prior to its official unveiling at next week's Detroit Auto Show.

Cadillac has unveiled the all-new 2009 CTS-V before its official unveiling at next week's show in Detroit.

Cadillac has unveiled the Provoq fuel-cell SUV concept today, which is the latest example of GM's E-Flex propulsion system.

GM has unveiled the second hybrid version of its Saturn Vue SUV with two-mode hybrid technology.

After 75 years of being in the number two spot in the US, Ford has given up the title to Toyota.

According to GM's Fastlane Blog, Bob Lutz has ordered that all pre-production Camaros have all of their camouflage removed.

GM officially unveiled the much anticipated Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 today. After much speculation it looks like GM finally decided on the ZR-1 name (instead of Blue Devil or SS).

GM announced today that it is going to increase the prices on most of its 2008 models to make up for the rising cost of steel and other commodities.

GM has released three images of the HUMMER HX concept that will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show next month.

It's been almost a year since GM first unveiled the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid at the Detroit Auto Show. Last month Bob Lutz revealed that the production version of the Volt would be different than the concept version although it would still borrow some of the same design cues. Well today GM released the first official teaser image of the production Volt.

According to the latest rumors the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro is going to start being produced on February 16, 2009. You can expect the car to start trickling into showrooms about a month or so after that.

Car and Driver's January 2008 issue is just starting to hit mailboxes and in it is their 10 best list for 2008.

GMC has unveiled the Terrain crossover, which is essentially a rebadged Saturn Vue or Opel Antara depending on where you live.

Motor Trend has announced the winner of their coveted "Car of the Year" award and this year the award goes to the 2008 Cadillac CTS.

GM's new 2-mode hybrid system has already been revealed in the Cadillac Escalade and Chevy Tahoe SUVs and now it is making its way into the Silverado pickup.

According to recent reports, Chevrolet is working on a new compact seven-seater crossover.

Following the release of the all-new Toyota Corolla and Matrix last week, Pontiac has now officially unveiled the Pontiac Vibe (don't forget that the Matrix and Vibe are cousins).

Chevrolet's all-new 2008 Malibu is just now hitting your local Chevy dealers. GM has high hopes for the Malibu, as the new sedan is one of their most important new releases for the 2008 model year.

GM has confirmed that the Hummer H3T pickup truck will arrive in dealers sometime in Q3 2008.

Although there is a new 600 horsepower Corvette ZR1 right around the corner, Jay Leno decided it couldn't come soon enough.

The all-new Cadillac CTS is one of GM's most important new 2008 models. While we wait for the V-badged version of the CTS, Cadillac has revealed a stop gap model.

There has been some speculation the last few days that Chevrolet is going to release a new more powerful Cobalt SS. Now those rumors have been confirmed and the new Cobalt SS Turbo has 55 more horsepower than the old Cobalt SS.

The SEMA Show is still a week away, but GM has given us a preview of what to expect at this year's show.

There has been speculation for quite a while about a new 600-700 horsepower "Blue Devil" Corvette. Well yesterday the car hit the track at the Laguna Seca Raceway for a few quick laps (take a look at the video).

What should be on your list of priorities for today? The 2-disc Transformers DVD is now in stores and it should be on your to-do list.

On October 16th the Transformers DVD will finally hit stores. It is being reported that GM is taking part in this release by holding a sweepstakes where three lucky buyers will win a 2009 Chevrolet Camaro.

According to a new analyst report by Goldman Sachs the "Big 3" all had sales declines last month.

GM has been talking about their upcoming full-size SUV hybrids for a while now and there has been lots of speculation about how great they will be.

The strike that involved approximately 73,000 people walking off their job two days ago has ended this morning.

Transformers has managed to pull in over $700million worldwide since its release this summer, so it is no surprise that there is going to be a sequel.

Earlier this summer it was rumored that the GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado are going to get a new V8 option for the 2008 model year. Well after some digging the rumor has been confirmed.

One of this summer’s biggest blockbusters is coming to DVD on October 16th. The Transformers movie has grossed over $650 million to date.

Or Maybe not... According to BusinessWeek Volkswagen takes the award for having the most recalled 2007 models. VW recalled just over 1 million New Beetles because of faulty brake light switches.

Brenda Priddy & Co. have taken some new shots of the upcoming Lamda-based Chevy CUV. GM currently has three CUVs based on this platform, the GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave and Saturn Outlook. It is up in the air if Chevrolet is going to stick with the Traverse name when the CUV debuts in 2009.

Chevrolet has unveiled the newly restyled Aveo 5-door for the European market, the successor to the Kalos. The sedan version already received a restyle for the 2007 model year, although for some reason Chevy did not update the 5-door. Well now the automaker has updated it and all I can say is....what's up with that wannabe Audi grille?

Reuters has posted a list of the 20 top-selling vehicles in the U.S. through July of 2007. There aren't really any big surprises here.

It has already been reported that the sales of GM's new GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado pickups are not selling as well as the automaker had hoped. Recently GM also announced that production of their full-size pickups is going to be scaled back due to slow sales. Toyota's full-size Tundra is also new this year and has had some issues as well, which are mainly due to engine quality issues and crash test results. Well now it looks like Toyota's once ignored full-size pickup is the fourth best-selling full-size half-ton pickup in the US, narrowly squeezing out the GMC Sierra.

Last month will go down in the record books as the first month that Detroit's Big 3 (Ford, GM and Chrysler) sold less vehicles than their foreign competitors. Sales from Ford, GM and Chrysler only made up 48.1 percent of all vehicles sales in the U.S. last month, while foreign competitors made up 51.9 percent.

Pontiac is going to drop the Torrent crossover and focus on becoming GM's "affordable performance" brand with vehicles like the new G8 and upcoming Solstice coupe.

Cadillac hopes to rejuvenate its lineup by killing off its large slow selling STS and DTS sedans. For years Cadillac has had an image of a producer of large luxury barges, for example the Escalade XL SUV. The automaker hopes to change that image by discontinuing its largest sedans and introducing a new small RWD sedan.

Forbes has put together a list of the top 20 most dangerous vehicles on the road. The Buick Rendevous SUV/ Minivan topped their list as possibly the worst car to buy right now in terms of safety. Compared to other minivans the Rendevous is up to three times more likely to cause a fatality.

Toyota for the first time ever outsold GM worldwide in the first quarter of this year. So far this year Toyota is still outselling GM, but only by 46,000 units. In addition GM even outsold Toyota last quarter (April-June). Could GM win back its title of number 1 automaker this year?

Just like the 2008 Subaru Impreza a few days ago, the pricing for the new 2008 Cadillac CTS has been leaked. The new CTS will start at $32,245 for the base 3.6L V6 model with a manual transmission. The 3.6L VVT model with 300 horsepower and standard automatic transmission will start at $34,545.

Most people already know that the Saturn Aura and the Opel Vectra are similar vehicles that are sold on different sides of the Atlantic. A common misconception is that the two sedans are based on the same platform. This will change with the next generation as both sedans will be virtually identical.

GM, Honda and VW and many other automakers have been discussing the futures of diesels in the US a lot lately. Last week GM's Bob Lutz went on camera to discuss the future of GM diesels. He stated that the first diesels will be under the hoods of Cadillacs and Saturns. Well now the automaker has decided to expand its diesel capacity by buying a 50 percent stake in VM Motori S.p.A, an Italian diesel maker.

It is very obvious that there will be a Transformers 2 movie. The film has brought in over $222,000,000 in less than two weeks and add another $100,000,000 for the international box office. Before the sequel is released a prequel is planned for the Transformers DVD.

GM has confirmed plans to release diesel engines in Cadillac and Saturn cars by 2010. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz discusses his take on diesel engines and their future in the US in his video blog.

GM has unveiled the hybrid version of its upcoming 2008 Chevy Malibu sedan. The sedan will look exactly like the non-hybrid version and will be powered by a 2.4L 4-cylinder engine mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission.

Cadillac's gas-guzzling SUV is about to get gas-saving technology that will hopefully help improve its image. Spy photographers have caught the upcoming hybrid version testing in Nevada. Unlike the upcoming Tahoe and Yukon hybrids, the Escalade will not get specific styling to differentiate it from the regular gas powered version.

Saab is going to end production of the Saab 9-7x next year because of slow sales after only being on the market for three years. The 9-7x is built on the same platform as the Chevrolet Trailblazer and is built in Moraine, Ohio. The Trailblazer is also going to be discontinued. Both SUVs will be replaced by crossovers.

With gas prices at near record levels, consumers continue to flock towards more economical and environmentally friendly vehicles, such as hybrids or the new diesel powered vehicles. HUMMER currently does not offer a hybrid or diesel powertrain in its lineup, which has hurt their image. Currently HUMMERs are seen as gas-guzzling, over-sized machines.

GM is going to build a new range of diesel in engines in 2009. The new 4.5L V8 will have class leading torque, power and refinement. According to GM, the new Duramax turbo-diesel will boost efficiency by 25 percent, while cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 13 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions by 90 percent.

Ford is planning on expanding their range of hybrid vehicles beyond the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs, but the automaker is having engineering issues with a new generation of rechargeable electric cars.

Yesterday we informed you about the new campaign that Saturn is going to do, which will involve placing Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords in Saturn showrooms. Saturn hopes that buyers will see that their Aura sedan is better than the Accord or Camry. The comments are still coming in about that original story.(Click Here) Well now thanks to Autoblog and Saturn we have a look at their first commercial for the campaign. The video is after the jump.

It seems like GM is becoming very confident in their new models. First the automaker announced that they are going to have Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords in their Chevrolet showrooms, so that buyers can compare them against the new 2008 Chevy Malibu. Well now Saturn is going to try the same idea with its Aura sedan.

Inside sources are confirming that the 2008 Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup is going to have a V8 option. The V8 will be the same small block 5.3L V8 that is in the 2008 Hummer H3 Alpha. The engine is good for 295 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque.

The Detroit Free Press has posted the list of the top-20 best selling vehicles in the US last month. The list looks pretty similar to last month, with only a few vehicles moving up or down the list. The overall trend seems to be that consumers are moving further away from trucks and SUVs.

A new study by Harbour Consulting has announced that Toyota is the most productive automaker, since it only takes Toyota 29.93 hours to make a car. Nissan came in second with 29.97 hours and Honda came in third at 31.63 hours.

It seems like everyday an automaker announces plans for a new crossover vehicle. Well now we can add Chevrolet to the list. Due to slipping Trailblazer sales, Chevy is hard at work on a crossover replacement for its aging SUV. The new vehicle, will be built on the same platform as the new Saturn Outlook (shown above), GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave crossovers.

It seems as if General Motors is continuing their "alternative" marketing approach that they started with the upcoming "Transformers" movie, which features GM vehicles. The latest effort is in the upcoming music video for rapper 50 Cent.

According to California Attorney General Jerry Brown, the federal government may need to bail out U.S. automakers in order to keep them in business. The bail out could amount to several billion dollars.

According to a report by the Automotive News, GM is going to try to convince buyers that its new 2008 Chevrolet Malibu is better than the Toyota Camry by having the Camry in their showrooms.

Honda has announced that it will put its new fuel-cell vehicle into production next year. The automaker is also working on another hybrid vehicle that will be cheaper and smaller than the current Civic Hybrid.

GM has released the first official photos of the new 2008 Saab 9-3 SportCombi (the wagon version of the 9-3). In addition to the new sheetmetal, the 9-3 line will get a new 255hp in the Aero version, new sound system, leather and new Xenon cornering headlights.

In the past month GM has announced that their sales were down due to the slowing housing market and increasing gas prices. The automaker also stated that the sales of their new full-size pickups are not doing as well as they had hoped. Now comes word that the automaker is offering incentives to move the large trucks, since sales dropped 7% last month.

According to The Car Connection, GM is rethinking the future of their mid-size SUVs. The site has received insider reports that it is very possible that the automaker may decide to discontinue future development on their GMT-360 SUVs such as the Chevrolet Trailblazer.

Since the concept version of the Chevrolet Volt was unveiled earlier this year, GM has been working hard on the production model. The project which is going to cost the automaker at least $500 million is as top of a priority as the new 2008 Chevy Malibu.

Edmunds.com has posted a list of the most wanted cars in 2007 based on reader feedback. Out of the 32 categories you may be surprised which automaker took home the most awards....

There have been numerous postings lately of spy photos of the upcoming 2008 Saab 9-3. This latest photo shows the front end of the sedan with very little (if any) camouflage.

Transmission maker ZF has announced plans to produce an 8-speed automatic transmission that will likely be used in future Ford, BMW and VW vehicles. The transmission called the "8HP" will be used in the new 2009 BMW 7-Series that will debut in late 2008.

April's auto sales numbers have just been posted and almost every major automaker had a sales decrease last month. Even the Asian automakers that have been making headlines for their sales gains, took a hit.

Automakers have just released their April 2007 U.S. sales figures. Here is the list of the top 10 best selling vehicles last month (in order by number of sales). The bottom of the list may surprise you.

According to recent reports by Edmunds and the Detroit News, the new Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks are not selling as well as the automaker projected. The automaker was hoping that the all-new trucks would speed their recovery, but that may not be the case.

Saturn has released the pricing of its all-new 2008 Saturn Vue. The new SUV will start $3,295 higher than the model it is replacing. That means that the new Vue will start at $21,395, which is right in the price range of its main competitors.

Chrysler has announced that there will be a hybrid version of the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango on the market in 2008. The SUVs will feature a Two-Mode hybrid system that was developed with GM and BMW, coupled with a 5.7L V8 HEMI engine with cylinder deactivation.

GM has released a pic of GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner, Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz and Fritz Henderson standing in front of a production clay model of the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro. As you can tell the clay model that is being chiseled in the picture is very close to the concept version of the new Camaro. It is almost identical.

Now that GM is the Number Two automaker in the world, many analysts are discussing what the automaker needs to do in order to get back on top. Alex Taylor at Fortune wrote an article on what he suggests the automaker do to gain back their title.

The once long-neglected GM division, Saturn is finally starting to make a comeback . Thanks to an influx of new models that have been supplied by Opel, the division is starting to finally see a surge in sales. Sales increased 20.5 percent during the first quarter of this year, which is a stark contrast to the other domestic automakers.

For the first time ever, Toyota has sold more cars and trucks worldwide than GM, in the first three months of this year. Toyota's sales for the first quarter rose 9% to a record 2.35 million compared to GM which only rose 3% to 2.26 million vehicles.

Everyone has heard about the housing crisis in the U.S. that is being caused by the mortgage industry meltdown. Well now Vice Chairman of GM Bob Lutz, says that it is effecting the auto industry as well.

Hummer's general manager, Martin Walsh has confirmed that the smaller than an H3, H4 will be released in 2010. "Our growth will be downwards in terms of size." There could also be a smaller model than the H4, if there is demand for it.

According to a report by the Automotive News, between September 2006 and February 2007, 48.5% of Chrysler brand sales were to fleets. That is an increase of 10% from the same period a year ago. 44.9% of Pontiac sales go to fleets, which is slightly lower than the 46.2% from the year earlier.

In the first quarter of this year, fewer than 50% of Americans that bought new cars, bought from domestic brands. 48.9% of Americans bought cars and trucks from Ford, GM or Chrysler. This is down from last year and represents a continued downward slide for the domestic automakers.

Everyone already knows the apparent risks of driving while talking on a hand-held cell phone. Lawmakers also know about the percentage of deaths and accidents that are caused each year by drivers who were not paying attention because they were talking on their phones. That is why a number of states in the U.S. have made it illegal to drive while using a hand-held cell phone.

Now, according to the Wall Street Journal lawmakers are proposing legislation that would make it illegal to send text messages from your phone while driving.

Following the announcements made by President Bush to raise corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards, Vice Chairman of GM, Bob Lutz has announced that the company is going to have to put their RWD cars on hold.

According to GM Vice President Bob Lutz, President Bush's proposed fuel efficiency increases could raise car prices by as much as $5,000.

Toyota's sales increased 9% last month compared to March 2006. This was largely driven by sales of the new Camry, the RAV4 and the Prius.

HUMMER has finally addressed a major problem with the H3, a lack of power. Since its intro the SUV has only had a 5-cylinder engine that was borrowed from the GMC Canyon/ Chevy Colorado trucks.

Saturn has announced today that the 2007 Saturn Aura Green Line hybrid will be the lowest-priced hybrid on the market, starting at $22,695. The car also qualifies for a $1,300 tax credit from the IRS.

GM has set 2010 as their goal for the release of a production version of the Chevrolet Volt electric concept car. The concept car has a range of 640 miles on a single tank of gas. The main difference between this car and the Toyota Prius or Honda Civic hybrids is that the gas motor in the Volt does not directly drive the wheels. Instead, the gas motor simply powers the electric motors. GM's main goal is to make the car run for 40 miles on pure electric power. This means that most commuters can go a whole day without using a single gallon of gas. The car also has plug in capabilities, so the batteries can be charged at night. A running prototype of the car is expected by the end of this year.

The editors over at Autoblog have discovered that Chevy is quietly ending production of the Chevy Monte Carlo. May 4th is the last day that you can order the car and production will end on June 20th at the Oshawa plant in Canada. Apparently Chevy has high hopes for the new 2008 Chevy Malibu, which is going to take up the extra capacity left by the Monte Carlo. Sales in Jan 07' were down 64.2%.

Rumors have been circling after DaimlerChrysler said that they were looking at every option necessary after the huge $1.3 billion loss last year (Chrysler Division). A possible de-merger could be on the horizon.

Chrysler and General Motors are currently discussing the possibility of collaborating on a large suv for Chrysler. The SUV would be about the same size as the Suburban, something that Chrysler is currently missing from their lineup.

Pontiac's new 2008 G8 sports sedan has been revealed. The car is based on (rebadged) the Holden Commodore, which is sold in Australia.

Saturn has announced the addition of the new Astra to their lineup for 2008. The car is basically a rebadged version of the Open Astra (not sold in the US).