GM auto news

Report: GM marketing chief thinks there are only two truck companies: Chevy and Ford

The Super Bowl ad for the Chevrolet Silverado shows that the rivalry between Chevrolet and Ford still rages strong. But is there room for another brand or two to mix it up in the battle for pickup supremacy? Not according to General Motors marketing chief Joel Ewanick.

Fox News reports that Ewanick said during a web chat on Jalopnik that "the two big players are Ford and Chevy." Ewanick added that it's like a presidential debate, saying "We want to have it with the other strong candidate - and we want to engage them and want them to engage us."

The Ram, also an excellent pickup, finished a distant third with a reported 244,763 sales. Still, Ram brand spokesperson Dave Elshoff insists that Ram trucks remain part of the equation, adding "across much of the west - where trucks are worked hard - it's Ram that's either number one or two in market share."

We're not so sure that the truck battle is Chevy versus Ford and then everybody else, but it sure is nice to see GM and Ford getting a little chippy. It's a good bet that the chatter grows louder as the next generation Silverado and F-150 hit the auto show circuit in about a year.

Chicago: 2013 GMC Acadia shows up with slightly new look

General Motors has lifted the veil on its refreshed 2013 GMC Acadia at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. Designers gave the big crossover a slight redo with a new front valance, headlight details and new interior materials.

Up front, the 2013 Acadia boasts a new grille set into a more vertical nose (reminiscent of the Granite, anyone?), and buyers can now look forward to more attractive diffused LED daytime running lights on both projector and HID headlight-equipped models. At the back, the Acadia now wears wrap-around glass and a redesigned spoiler. GM has also thrown in a few more wheel design options in both 18- and 19-inch sizes.

Inside, the new Acadia offers upgraded materials, including details like French stitching and red ambient lighting. High-zoot models will boast aluminum trim work, as well.

More importantly, the 2013 Acadia will come with what GM calls the industry's first center air bag. The system is designed to protect drivers and front passengers in accidents where the impact is on the opposite side of the vehicle. The bag inflates from the right side of the driver's seat and stabilizes occupants during the crash. Follow the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading 2013 GMC Acadia shows up with slightly new look

Report: Bush says he'd pull the trigger on auto bailouts again

President George W. Bush recently spoke to a gathering of auto dealers in Las Vegas, saying that while he believes in the free market under normal conditions, he doesn't regret the $700 billion bailout fund used to rescue General Motors and Chrysler from the brink of collapse. Bush was quoted as saying he'd do it again, and that he didn't want there to be a 21 percent unemployment rate. The former leader avoided addressing remarks from the current gaggle of Republican presidential candidates who have criticized his decision to lend a hand to banks, insurers and automakers.

"If you make a bad decision, you ought to pay," Bush said. "Sometimes circumstances get in the way of philosophy."

Bush championed a $17.4 billion bailout for the two automakers in December of 2008 as part of the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said both Bush and current President Barack Obama were mistaken in bailing out the auto industry. Instead, Romney believes GM and Chrysler should have been allowed to go into a controlled bankruptcy from the start.

Official: 2013 Buick Regal gets standard eAssist, automatic option for GS

Buick launched its mid-size Regal sedan in late 2010 as a 2011 model, with the Turbo, high-performance GS and eAssist models following suit over the past year. Now, General Motors' tri-shield arm has announced a couple of powertrain updates that will go into effect for the 2013 model year, namely the discontinuation of the naturally aspirated 2.4-liter inline-four in the base Regal.

For 2013, the Regal's standard engine is the 2.4-liter eAssit powerplant - a mill that, according to the EPA, is good for up to 36 miles per gallon on the highway. Buick pulled a similar stunt with its larger LaCrosse, killing off the base 2.4 in favor of the eAssist powertrain with a V6 available as a no-cost option. That said, Buick has not announced pricing for the updated 2013 Regal line, but we'll be interested to see if the 220-horsepower 2.0-liter inline-four of the Regal Turbo will be available at no additional cost.

The 270-hp Regal GS carries over largely unchanged, though as initially promised, a six-speed automatic transmission will now be optional. Buick states that the self-shifting unit will not hinder performance (well, except for that whole shift-on-your-own-terms thing), citing that the automatic-equipped Regal GS will sprint to 60 miles per hour in 6.7 seconds, just like manual-equipped cars.

Buick will release full pricing and availability for the 2013 Regal line later this year. In the meantime, read the full details for yourself in the press release below the fold.

Continue reading 2013 Buick Regal gets standard eAssist, automatic option for GS

Report: Wagons West: Domestics picked up market share in California last year

Most days, California must seem like Kazakhstan for the Big Three. Domestic products aren't so popular out West, where Toyota and Honda have long stood atop the sales charts. But not in 2011.

According to a report in Automotive News, both General Motors and Ford managed to bump Honda from its silver medal position in 2011, though Toyota still holds a commanding market share lead. In a storyline we've heard before, the twin natural disasters in Asia curbed Japanese production, causing a 4.5 point loss of market share. Toyota's market share dropped from 22.8 to 19.2 percent, while GM and Ford tied at 12.6 percent - ahead of Honda at 12.1.

Booming sales in the Golden State helped the domestics to their 1.8 point gain. New vehicle registrations in California were up 9.9 percent, according to the report. The biggest sales gains last year were made by Kia and Jeep, which were up 53 and 49 percent, respectively.

Cadillac denies ATS Coupe development halted [w/video]

Motor Trend launched its new "Wide Open Throttle" news program on YouTube with a bombshell: "Cadillac Puts Hold on ATS Coupe." While it certainly gave us reason to click play, there's just one problem. The report - claiming that not just the coupe, but multiple ATS variants have been delayed or cancelled - may not be accurate.

Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell gave us the usual manufacturer disclaimer about not commenting on future product, but he did tell us, "There has been no recent radical shift in strategy" for the ATS. Reading between the lines, that either means an ATS coupe hasn't gotten past the idea stage, or that GM is still working hard at bringing us a two-door version of Caddy's BMW 3 Series fighter.

"On either end of the spectrum the reporting is inaccurate," Caldwell said, referring to those who have opined that Cadillac will launch several variants of the ATS sedan that comes to market later this year, including a coupe, a convertible, a wagon, and a shooting brake.

"We do plan to do variants," Caldwell told us. "We haven't yet called our shot of how we're going to execute that."

So what do we make of all this? We're pretty sure that we'll still see an ATS-V sedan, and perhaps that could be it for ATS models if the standard sedan is not well received. If sales take off, however, don't be surprised if Cadillac does move forward with at least one new bodystyle.

Click past the jump to watch the premiere episode of "Wide Open Throttle."

Continue reading Cadillac denies ATS Coupe development halted [w/video]

Report: Foreign auto companies irked by Obama snub at DC Auto Show

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama visited the Washington Auto Show, and he even had time to get a closer look at a few vehicles. We're guessing that the carmakers were more than happy to set aside some time to talk to the Commander In Chief, but not every automaker got the chance.

Bloomberg says that the Association of Global Automakers is upset because the president only spent time with the Detroit Three, even though other automakers reportedly flew in executives from around the world for the occasion. The executives were reportedly on hand and waiting in a "bullpen" in the event President Obama had any questions about specific vehicles, but The Pres stuck to American cars like the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Chevrolet Silverado.

AGA CEO Michael Stanton voiced his disappointment about the perceived slight, adding that many members "bent over backwards to meet the request from the White House." Stanton also points out that AGA members have invested $43 billion in the U.S. and employ over 80,000 workers here.

Report: GM stock price leads to greater estimate of losses on bailouts

The "Government Motors" crowd isn't going to be happy about this: The Detroit News is reporting that the U.S. Treasury now says it has lost an extra $170 million in the auto industry bailout. The culprit? The declining price of General Motors stock.

According to the report, GM's stock crested at $37.23, but is down 35 percent from that level today. The Treasury Department based its calculations on a $21.29 value from November 30, 2011. The government's share of GM was initially 61 percent, but has been reduced to 26.5 percent. The News says that the lower stock price has kept the government from selling its remaining 500 million shares.

While political opponents of the Obama administration will no doubt jump all over this report, the final cost of the bailout is still looking like it will be far less than originally thought. According to the report, the $44 billion estimate was reduced to $30 billion in December 2009, and this most recent estimate puts the total sum at $23.77 billion.

Matthew Anderson, a Treasury spokesman, was quoted as saying: "The auto industry rescue helped save one million jobs and is still projected to cost dramatically less than many had expected during the crisis."

Report: Bob Lutz: Hey right-wingers, stop attacking Chevy Volt

In the wake of last week's bruising hearing on Capitol Hill about the safety of the Chevrolet Volt (which itself followed an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that concluded plug-in vehicles do not "pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles") former General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz has written a column for Forbes that strikes back against the media (especially conservatives) who are attacking the car he thought would be one of his most important legacies.

Politicians and members of the media on the right, from Mitt Romney to Neil Cavuto, have talked smack about the Volt, and Lutz says this "has attracted my attention and ire." In typical Lutz fashion, he doesn't mince words, writing:

The Oscar for totally irresponsible journalism has to go to The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News, with, as its key guest, Lou Dobbs. Amid much jocular yukking, the Volt was depicted as a typical federal failure. ... Boiled down to the subtext, Dobbs' message was this: "All Volts catch fire, and therefore all Volts have been recalled." That simply isn't the case. ...

To top it off, these two media pros lamented the fact that the same government that had forced GM to produce the Volt was now extending $7,500 tax credits towards its purchase, thus squandering even more of "our taxpayer" dollars on this failed Socialist-collectivist flop. Truth? The $7,500 tax credit was enacted under the Bush administration!

Report: Analysts: U.S. automakers will lose marketshare in 2012

Domestic automakers have much to be happy about, with Chrysler, Ford and General Motors all gaining market share last year for the first time since 1988. Yet according to Bloomberg, 2012 won't be as good to Detroit. Total sales are projected to grow from 12.8 million vehicles last year to 13.6 million, according to the report, but increasing competition from Korea and a Japanese recovery from the natural disasters of 2011 mean those extra sales aren't likely headed to the Big Three.

The news agency spoke to five analysts, and predictions have the U.S. automakers losing 1.3 percentage points this year. The analysts estimate that GM will drop 0.6 of a percent, Ford will lose 0.5 percent, and Chrysler will be down 0.2 percent. Toyota is seen gaining 0.9 percent, with Honda grabbing an extra 0.5 percent, while Hyundai and Kia are only projected to see their combined market share improve by 0.01.

If all this comes true, GM would have the top market share in the U.S. at 19 percent, with Ford in second at 16.3 percent, followed by Toyota at 13.8 percent, Chrysler at 10.5 percent, and Honda at 9.5 percent.