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L.A. offers sobering reality check for Cadillac

Posted 2:06 pm U.S. ET, May 25
blogs Mike Colias covers General Motors for Automotive News.
 
LOS ANGELES -- When I arrived here for a work trip this week -- my first visit to L.A. in about seven years -- I expected to see a lot of Hondas and Toyotas clogging this city's infamously congested freeways.
And I did. But I was more struck by the hordes of luxury imports prowling the roads of west L.A. The streets were thick with BMWs. Audis. Jag ...
     Continue reading "L.A. offers sobering reality check for Cadillac" » May 25, 2012 2:06 pm U.S. ET
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Five reasons why GM's Super Bowl pass is baffling

Posted 12:33 pm U.S. ET, May 24
DETROIT -- Since General Motors' decision last week not to suit up for the Super Bowl next year, I've chatted with folks inside and outside GM. I've read what others think. I've mulled.
And I still don't get GM's decision not to advertise during the Big Game. Here are five reasons why:
1. I'm skeptical of GM's ...
     Continue reading "Five reasons why GM's Super Bowl pass is baffling" » May 24, 2012 12:33 pm U.S. ET
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Cadillac's 'avalanche of new product' should reverse sales slide

Posted 11:09 am U.S. ET, May 22
LOS ANGELES -- The sense of excitement (or is it relief?) is evident among Cadillac executives.
Since putting the DTS and STS sedans out to pasture last year, General Motors’ luxury brand has been limping along with just three nameplates: the CTS line, SRX crossover and Escalade SUV.
It’s Cadillac&r ...
     Continue reading "Cadillac's 'avalanche of new product' should reverse sales slide" » May 22, 2012 11:09 am U.S. ET
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GM's Peper brings competitive fire to fleet biz

Posted 12:53 pm U.S. ET, April 30
DETROIT -- Zero to 60 in just under 16 seconds normally is nothing to brag about. Unless you're Ed Peper.
General Motors recently floated a press release touting a 15.58-second acceleration time for its Chevrolet Express 4500 van. The chest-thumping part: That was nearly two seconds faster than Ford's rival fleet van, the E-450, in a recent head-to ...
     Continue reading "GM's Peper brings competitive fire to fleet biz" » Apr 30, 2012 12:53 pm U.S. ET
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Trail of clues leading to Chevrolet SS nameplate

Posted 3:27 pm U.S. ET, April 25
DETROIT -- Connecting the dots that lead to Chevrolet's as-yet-unnamed new model seems to lead back to one storied name: SS.
The latest clue that a rear-wheel-drive performance sedan named simply SS could soon join nameplates such as Malibu and Suburban in Chevy's lineup came from an unlikely source: GM itself.
...
     Continue reading "Trail of clues leading to Chevrolet SS nameplate" » Apr 25, 2012 3:27 pm U.S. ET
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Beijing show offers respite for weary GM execs

Posted 4:05 pm U.S. ET, April 19
DETROIT -- Next week's Beijing auto show probably can't come soon enough for General Motors' top brass.
For at least a week, GM execs should be able to sidestep the chorus of questions from the media and investors about GM's game plan to stem the tide of red ink flowing from Europe.
Instead, the spotlight will ...
     Continue reading "Beijing show offers respite for weary GM execs" » Apr 19, 2012 4:05 pm U.S. ET
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Why GM's Ewanick is excited by new Chevy campaign

Posted 10:11 am U.S. ET, April 5
NEW YORK -- General Motors marketing boss Joel Ewanick really likes a new Chevrolet advertising campaign that features the antics of a fictional staff at a Chevrolet dealership.
How much?
"We think there's a TV show in this. I kid you not," Ewanick said in an interview on the sidelines of the auto show here. "W ...
     Continue reading "Why GM's Ewanick is excited by new Chevy campaign" » Apr 5, 2012 10:11 am U.S. ET
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Finally, Chevy Volt gets some love

Posted 2:51 pm U.S. ET, April 3
The Chevrolet Volt finally got some good news this week -- a double jolt in fact.
General Motors said today that March was the best sales month yet for the Volt, which has been plagued by sluggish sales and flogged by conservatives as symbolic of President Obama’s meddling in the free market.
GM sold 2,28 ...
     Continue reading "Finally, Chevy Volt gets some love" » Apr 3, 2012 2:51 pm U.S. ET
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Death knell for the navi?

Posted 3:06 pm U.S. ET, March 29
DETROIT -- When I bought a new vehicle last year, I politely passed on the navigation system.
I figured it wasn't worth an extra two grand or so when I could buy a GPS system for one-tenth as much. And I've got plenty of map access with my iPhone.
It's a calculus that more and more drivers are making. But latel ...
     Continue reading "Death knell for the navi?" » Mar 29, 2012 3:06 pm U.S. ET
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Why PSA link-up is just the start of GM's European fix

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, March 1
DETROIT -- General Motors' freshly inked alliance with PSA/Peugeot-Citroen raises a lot of questions that we won't be able to answer for years.
But there's one thing we know with certainty now: The pact is only the first big move by GM to fix its money-losing European operations.
That's because none of the $2 b ...
     Continue reading "Why PSA link-up is just the start of GM's European fix" » Mar 1, 2012 12:01 am U.S. ET
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Why Peugeot link-up is just the start of GM’s European fix

Posted 4:13 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 29
DETROIT -- General Motors’ freshly inked alliance with PSA/Peugeot-Citroen raises a lot of questions that we won’t be able to answer for years.
But there’s one thing we know with certainty today: The pact is only the first big move by GM to fix its money-losing European operations.
That’ ...
     Continue reading "Why Peugeot link-up is just the start of GM’s European fix" » Feb 29, 2012 4:13 pm U.S. ET
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It's Chrysler vs. Chevy in the battle for post-Super Bowl buzz

Posted 1:13 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 10
Chrysler Group once again grabbed a disproportionate share of the post-Super Bowl buzz this year with its national pep-talk commercial delivered by Clint Eastwood. (Count me among those scratching their heads at the "controversy.")
But was it the buzziest?
Not according to Continue reading "It's Chrysler vs. Chevy in the battle for post-Super Bowl buzz" » Feb 10, 2012 1:13 pm U.S. ET
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Cadillac to shine early spotlight on ATS in Super Bowl return

Posted 4:13 pm U.S. ET, Jan. 26
DETROIT -- General Motors execs have been telling just about anyone who will listen how importantly they view the upcoming launch of the Cadillac ATS sport sedan.
Now, they plan to tell a few hundred million more.
Cadillac will use its first commercial during the Super Bowl since 2007 to showcase the rear-wheel ...
     Continue reading "Cadillac to shine early spotlight on ATS in Super Bowl return" » Jan 26, 2012 4:13 pm U.S. ET
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Why GM means business with the Cadillac ATS

Posted 9:37 am U.S. ET, Jan. 9
DETROIT -- In the past, General Motors has tried and failed to transform Cadillac into a global luxury player on par with the German stalwarts. So what's different this time?
GM execs have fielded that question a lot lately, since CEO Dan Akerson began touting the goal early last year. The execs gave their most convincing answer last night at the u ...
     Continue reading "Why GM means business with the Cadillac ATS" » Jan 9, 2012 9:37 am U.S. ET
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In some showrooms, 'It feels like the old days'

Posted 1:00 pm U.S. ET, Dec. 30
If you're looking to take the temperature of the Average Joe car buyer right now, Mike Bowsher offers pretty good perspective.
The owner of four dealerships in the Southeast is having his best holiday sales week in five years.
"It's crazy right now," Bowsher told me this week in his thick Georgia drawl. "It fee ...
     Continue reading "In some showrooms, 'It feels like the old days'" » Dec 30, 2011 1:00 pm U.S. ET
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GM’s stock: Cheap, or a sucker’s bet?

Posted 1:47 pm U.S. ET, Dec. 23
DETROIT -- Investors in General Motors probably feel like it’s time for a Santa Claus rally.
GM’s stock sat at $20.70 at Thursday’s close, about 39 percent below the price of its November 2010 initial public offering.
Its market capitalization of $32.4 billion roughly matches its cash reserves ...
     Continue reading "GM’s stock: Cheap, or a sucker’s bet?" » Dec 23, 2011 1:47 pm U.S. ET
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GM to miss Volt sales goal. Should we care?

Posted 3:55 pm U.S. ET, Dec. 1
DETROIT -- General Motors today raised the white flag on its goal of selling 10,000 Chevy Volts this year.
GM said it tallied 1,139 Volt sales in November. That brings the year-to-date total to 6,142. There’s no chance of a 4,000-unit sales boom this month, so GM cried uncle.
The question now is: Should a ...
     Continue reading "GM to miss Volt sales goal. Should we care?" » Dec 1, 2011 3:55 pm U.S. ET
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Buick: It's the interior, stupid

Posted 3:44 pm U.S. ET, Nov. 10
DETROIT -- The soon-to-launch Buick Verano comes with an interior color that the brand bosses love: It's called "chocochino."
The espresso-drink theme -- all rich caramel hues -- is one of the many food-derived interiors Buick is considering for future models, some as early as next year.
How about an eggplant-a ...
     Continue reading "Buick: It's the interior, stupid" » Nov 10, 2011 3:44 pm U.S. ET
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Chevy 100 film transcends mere marketing pap

Posted 3:50 pm U.S. ET, Nov. 4
DETROIT -- Chevrolet's 100th anniversary has come and gone. I'm glad.
Nothing against the gold bow tie and storied brand that became an American icon, sold 209 million vehicles worldwide, and all that. Marking its centennial is an important and valuable exercise.
It's just that here at Automotive News, ...
     Continue reading "Chevy 100 film transcends mere marketing pap" » Nov 4, 2011 3:50 pm U.S. ET
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GM's Reuss sees room for variety in U.S. pickup market

Posted 8:49 am U.S. ET, Oct. 19
DETROIT -- Anyone who's surprised by General Motors' recent decision to remain in the U.S. market for smaller pickups with a redesigned Chevrolet Colorado -- even as competitors flee the segment -- must not have been listening to Mark Reuss.
For awhile now, GM's president of North America has been espousing his view of the U.S. pickup market. And i ...
     Continue reading "GM's Reuss sees room for variety in U.S. pickup market" » Oct 19, 2011 8:49 am U.S. ET
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As mortgage rates fall, is there a silver lining for automakers?

Posted 4:04 pm U.S. ET, Oct. 6
Cash for Clunkers II?
Not exactly. But a housing-stimulus plan being mulled in Washington could give a big boost to auto sales.
Before you roll your eyes at the prospect of anything getting done in D.C., you should know this: The housing-stimulus proposal does not require Congressional approval.
...
     Continue reading "As mortgage rates fall, is there a silver lining for automakers?" » Oct 6, 2011 4:04 pm U.S. ET
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Despite UAW vows, GM labor 'innovations' spread to former Saturn plant

Posted 4:02 pm U.S. ET, Sept. 30
The groundbreaking labor deal that allowed General Motors to fire up production of the only U.S.-built subcompact at its Orion assembly plant last month was a one-off. A special case. An extraordinary agreement struck on the eve of GM's 2009 bankruptcy.
At least that's what UAW officials insisted heading into labor talks this summer. The Orion arra ...
     Continue reading "Despite UAW vows, GM labor 'innovations' spread to former Saturn plant" » Sep 30, 2011 4:02 pm U.S. ET
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Field of Dreams for Buick-GMC dealers

Posted 11:06 am U.S. ET, Sept. 23
MILFORD, Mich. -- I can think of worse opening lines for a new-car salesman than this one: “When I was test-driving this car up at the GM Proving Grounds in Milford …”
After this week, almost 1,400 dealers and salespeople from Buick-GMC stores around the country will be able to drop that line on customers.
...
     Continue reading "Field of Dreams for Buick-GMC dealers" » Sep 23, 2011 11:06 am U.S. ET
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Chevy, GMC dealers could have reason to cheer for UAW-GM pact

Posted 3:45 pm U.S. ET, Sept. 19
DETROIT -- Some good news for Chevrolet and GMC dealers is starting to seep out in the details of General Motors' tentative deal with the UAW.
Most significant: the prospect of a boost in production of the high-demand Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain crossovers.
GM could use its shuttered Spring Hill, Tenn., a ...
     Continue reading "Chevy, GMC dealers could have reason to cheer for UAW-GM pact" » Sep 19, 2011 3:45 pm U.S. ET
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Former Saturn plant could influence GM-UAW talks

Posted 11:35 am U.S. ET, Sept. 16
DETROIT -- Politicos in Tennessee apparently have impeccable timing.
A coterie of mayors from communities around General Motors’ Spring Hill, Tenn., plant arrived in Detroit Thursday to lobby the automaker for more production there -- just as contract talks between GM and UAW near a climax.
A coincidence? ...
     Continue reading "Former Saturn plant could influence GM-UAW talks" » Sep 16, 2011 11:35 am U.S. ET
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