Showing posts with label GMC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GMC. Show all posts

Wednesday 12 August 2009

GM announces. 2011 Chevrolet Volt will get 230 mpg city!

2011 Chevrolet Volt will get 230 mpg city!

In case you missed it this morning, General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson made some big news just one month after the "new" GM emerged from bankruptcy protection.

First of all, Henderson announced that the GM FastLane blog would now be used to solicit feedback on new designs directly from customers. Over the next two years, GM will be launching 25 new models in its four remaining "core" brands (Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC).

After the webcast ends, we'll going over to the design dome for a preview of the new large XTS and small ATS models from Cadillac. The latter will slot in below the CTS and be aimed directly at the BMW 3-series with rear- and all-wheel drive. The XTS is expected to be based on a stretched Epsilon II platform.

The biggest bombshell is Henderson's announcement that the "230" marketing campaign floating around for the past week is related to the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. The EPA has released a new methodology for determining a draft fuel economy standard for extended-range EVs like the Volt, and under this new procedure, the Volt will have a composite urban fuel economy rating of 230 mpg! On the electric side, the Volt will consume 25 kW/hours per 100 miles. That makes the Volt the first car ever to get a triple digit fuel economy rating.

According to Frank Weber, vehicle chief engineer for the Volt, the number is based on combined electric only driving and charge sustaining mode with the engine running. He declined to get specific about the proportions, but did say that the urban cycle would be predominantly EV only. The EPA has been studying real world vehicle usage and is developing the formulas to try and provide a representative number of what most customers could expect to achieve. In addition to the composite number, the new EPA stickers will likely also get numbers for mileage in charge sustaining mode and electric efficiency in EV mode.

Stay tuned for more news from this morning's event as it happens.

[Source: General Motors]

Monday 3 August 2009

GM starts leasing Cadillac, Buick, GMC and Chevy models again

2010 Cadillac SRX

Understatement of the Year: It's been a rough 2009 for General Motors. The 101 year-old automaker lost billions of dollars in record time, its market share plummeted, and overall sales were down over 30%. Oh, and the General had to ask for billions in loans from the US government before ultimately going through bankruptcy. A bad year indeed.

The fact that GM went through these tumultuous times without a leasing program made matters even worse, but that's about to be rectified. GM is teaming up with US Bank on a pilot leasing program in Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Already underway and set to run through August 31, the program will only apply to certain vehicles. The 2009 Chevy Malibu and Traverse, along with the Cadillac CTS and 2010 Cadillac SRX are included, joining the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Chevy Equinox.

While the program is regional for the time being, the launch of the SRX will be accompanied by a nation-wide lease program through US Bank. Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president of U.S. sales, feels the SRX lease will help launch the new luxury crossover. "Leases are an important part of the luxury market, so we decided that launching the all-new 2010 Cadillac SRX crossover with a national lease will add a lot of excitement."

[Source: GM]

PRESS RELEASE:

GM Announces Lease Program - Provides an Additional Consumer Financing Option for New Vehicle Purchases

* U.S. Bank offers rates on select Cadillac, Buick, GMC and Chevrolet models
* Five-state pilot program covers eight models
* All new 2010 Cadillac SRX lease available nationally

Detroit – General Motors Company announced an expansion of leasing today with enhanced lease programs on select 2009 and 2010 Cadillac, Buick, GMC and Chevrolet models. The leases, offered by U.S. Bank, are part of a pilot program that includes select GM vehicles sold in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan and Ohio. In addition, a lease on the all-new Cadillac SRX will be offered by U.S. Bank nationally. The pilot is currently planned to run through August 31, 2009.

"GM and our dealers have done an incredible job without a leasing program throughout this difficult economic period, but we always knew that we would get back into leasing as it is important to a certain group of our customers," said Mark LaNeve, GM vice president of U.S. sales. "We have a number of products that offer a great opportunity for a lease option. Also, leases are an important part of the luxury market, so we decided that launching the all-new 2010 Cadillac SRX crossover with a national lease will add a lot of excitement."

"U.S. Bank has one of the largest auto loan and lease programs in the nation. We have supported the auto industry for more than 50 years, and this is an example of our continued commitment to the industry," said Tom Wirth, who leads indirect lending at U.S. Bank.

Initially, lease offers will be available on the 2009 Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Malibu and Traverse. For 2010 models, leases will also be available on the Cadillac SRX, Buick LaCrosse and Enclave, the GMC Acadia and the Chevrolet Equinox. Monthly payments will vary according to the customer's down payment and the first month's payment due at signing, but are expected to be very competitive. No security deposit will be required.

For more information, customers in the five lease states (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan and Ohio) should visit their local Cadillac, Buick, GMC or Chevrolet dealer.

About General Motors: General Motors Company, one of the world's largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 235,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 140 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 34 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM's largest national market is the United States, followed by China, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia and Germany. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. General Motors Company acquired operations from General Motors Corporation on July 10, 2009, and references to prior periods in this and other press materials refer to operations of the old General Motors Corporation. More information on the new General Motors Company can be found at www.gm.com.

About U.S. Bank: U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), with $266 billion in assets, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the 6th largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates 2,850 banking offices and 5,173 ATMs in 24 states, and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. Visit U.S. Bancorp on the web at www.usbank.com.

Tuesday 28 July 2009

The Blake Project offers $100k worth of free brand consultancy to GM

The Blake Project offers $100k worth of free brand consultancy to GM

General Motors is probably swimming in ideas and getting another thousand offers every day on how to turn the company around – there are fifteen pages of responses on the Tell Fritz site alone, and those are just the questions the GM CEO has answered. Add the company's recent advertising issues to that, and the internal suggestion box is most likely brimming as well.

Enter The Blake Project, a brand consultancy firm that is offering GM $100,000 worth of time for free. That won't include economy travel expenses, but will include a day with the firm's three-man team of Jack Trout, Brad VanAudken, and Mark Ritson, to "share insights, ideas and expertise."

What might those insights and ideas be? Some of them were looked at in a piece called "New Brand Strategies for GM." The first task given is to define the brands, e.g., Chevrolet should stand for something like "Good value, variety and heritage," instead of "big, small, expensive, cheap, truck, van or sports car." Buick should "stop making cheap Buicks," and Cadillac "can never be a prestige car. The fancy imports dominate that category." Is that glimpse worth setting aside a day of GM's time? If anyone at the General thinks so, click the link below...

[Source: Branding Strategy Insider]