GM FastLane

We’re Not Declaring Victory … But We’re Here to Report Progress

2009-11-04T17:42:03Z

By Susan Docherty

Vice President, US Sales

Today, we reported October sales for the new GM of 177,603 units, up four percent from last October – our first US sales gain in 21 months. Retail sales were up 15 percent for the same period. So, while no one is declaring victory … we are seeing signs of progress.

Our estimated share of the US market for October was 21 percent. That was better than September and significantly better than last October.

With 95 percent of our retail sales for the month attributed to Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac, our sales mix is healthier than it was with eight brands. Importantly, our six newest products (Equinox, Camaro, Traverse, LaCrosse, Terrain, and SRX) are off to a great start, showing improvement in traffic and sales compared to the models they replaced. Camaro has outsold the Ford Mustang five months in a row; Equinox and Terrain are gaining share in the crossover segment; LaCrosse is bringing younger buyers to Buick; and SRX had the best month in its history.

We know we have a lot of work to do to earn consumer trust, change perceptions about our company and products, and strengthen relationships. And, while we’re encouraged by consumer acceptance of our new vehicles and our October results, no one is celebrating. We will continue to work hard every day to make our customers our top priority – and that means offering cars and trucks they “gotta have,” and giving them the service they deserve.

Stay tuned, and let us know what you think of our new products.

(Click here for a video in which Susan Docherty explains the sales numbers in more detail.)

Webchat: Chevrolet Volt Leadership Change

2009-11-02T20:21:31Z

Global electric vehicle development chief Frank Weber is moving back to Europe to join the Opel/Vauxhall senior leadership team and Doug Parks will takeover the reins of the Chevrolet Volt development team on Dec. 2. Doug was the global compact car team leader, or more specifically, the leader of the same architecture on which the Volt is based, and we expect he will provide the same tireless work ethic and attention to detail put forth by Frank and the entire Volt team. We’re sure there are lots of questions you have for Frank and Doug, so they’ll both be available here for a webchat later today at 4 p.m. EST to answer as many as they can. Frank has done an excellent job getting the Volt to the point it’s at today, and we wish him well in his new role on the Opel/Vauxhall senior leadership team. - Rob Peterson, Electric Vehicle Communications Manager

Frank Weber and Doug Parks, Volt Team Leadership Change

Mark Reuss on Autoline After Hours

2009-10-30T00:18:04Z

Our new head of Global Vehicle Engineering Mark Reuss will be on Autoline After Hours tonight at 7 p.m. EDT and you can join the webcast right here on FastLane. Mark is the son of former GM President Lloyd Reuss and is back stateside from a stint down under running Holden. He is a certified car guy and has been known to throw a car or two around such famed race venues as the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah and Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany. Get your questions ready and join Mark, John McElroy, Peter Delorenzo and others right here on FastLane to talk cars, culture and customers with an engineering spin.

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CTS-V Answers the Challenge

2009-10-29T20:37:30Z

By Bob Lutz
GM Vice Chairman

Today, at the Monticello Motor Club in New York, the Cadillac CTS-V stood tall in the V-Series Challenge, a race pitting the CTS-V against several of the best production sedans on the market today — those that showed up, that is.

Here are the results from the track. There were no winners or losers today – the point was to have fun with great cars because that’s what they’re all about, and to show that GM vehicles can compete with the best in the world, in every class. It was a great day for the CTS-V, and an exceptionally fun day for me. I’ll have to issue another challenge so I can do this again sometime soon, although I wish I had started doing these when I was younger!

Global Vehicle Engineering VP Mark Reuss on Autoline After Hours Tonight

2009-10-29T16:29:08Z

Our new head of Global Vehicle Engineering Mark Reuss will be on Autoline After Hours tonight at 7 p.m. EDT and you can join the webcast right here on FastLane. Mark is the son of former GM President Lloyd Reuss and is back stateside from a stint down under running Holden. He is a certified car guy and has been known to throw a car or two around such famed race venues as the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah and Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany. Get your questions ready and join Mark, John McElroy, Peter Delorenzo and others right here on FastLane to talk cars, culture and customers with an engineering spin.

VIDEO: Learn How Coskata Makes Ethanol at New Flex Facility in Pennsylvania

2009-10-28T12:52:56Z

Coskata recently opened its first semi-commercial flexible ethanol plant in Madison, Pa. This facility, called Project Lighthouse, will be producing ethanol from numerous feedstocks such as wood biomass, agricultural waste, sustainable energy crops and construction waste. Through the video below, take a tour of the facility and learn how Coskata makes ethanol from virtually any carbon-based feedstock. Project Lighthouse represents the successful scale-up of Coskata’s technology, and serves as a showcase for the world’s first commercially-viable flex ethanol process. Coskata’s technology reduces greenhouse gasses by as much as 96 percent over conventional gasoline, while using less than half the water it takes to produce a gallon of gasoline, and we’re already using some of the ethanol from Project Lighthouse for vehicle testing at our Milford Proving Grounds.

Opel Update

2009-10-23T14:25:21Z

Many of you have been interested in what’s happening in Europe with the sale of Opel to Magna/Skerbank. Here’s today’s post from the Driving Conversations blog, in which GM Vice President John Smith, GM’s chief negotiator for the sale of a stake in Opel/Vauxhall, provides an update on the transaction.

By John Smith
GM Group Vice President, Corporate Planning and Alliances

It has been a while since I last provided you all an update on the status of Opel, but assume you’ve kept up with the selection of the Magna/Sberbank proposal in early September, the subsequent approval of that recommendation by the Opel Trust Board, and the occasional reporting ever since — which has been mostly around the work being done on preparing the binding agreements for signing, negotiations with various labor unions, etc. A lot of progress has been made to be sure.

Since the Trust Board approval was given, the European Union has been reviewing the Opel investor process and the circumstances surrounding the selection of Magna/Sberbank. Such a review is usual and customary when extensive government financial support is involved. Last week, the Directorate-General for Competition expressed concerns about possible limitations on the availability of government financing for all Opel bidders, and how that may have influenced the selection process. The German Government was asked by DG Competition to communicate its position on financing availability to GM and the Opel Trust Board who, in turn, were requested to consider the recommended bidder for Opel accordingly.

Given the significance of the Opel transaction, GM’s Board will soon meet in its regularly scheduled monthly meeting (November 3) to consider Minister zu Guttenberg’s letter and changes to the Magna/Sberbank proposal that have occurred since its last review on September 9. In the meantime, work will continue to resolve remaining open points with the Magna/Sberbank proposal—for example, related to labor cost reductions and the government-backed financing package — to document the related understandings, and complete all preparations for the signing of binding agreements should that be authorized by GM’s Board at the November 3 meeting.

More to come!

Webchat: Discuss Key Developments in Electric Infrastructure

2009-10-19T21:02:54Z

Electric vehicles and the infrastructure to support them are key elements of The Business of Plugging In conference that kicks off tonight in Detroit. Please join Britta Gross, GM director of Global Energy Systems, Infrastructure and Commercialization, and Mark Duvall, executive director of the Electric Propulsion Research Institute (EPRI), on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 4 p.m. EDT for a live webchat to discuss key developments in the electric infrastructure space, including who needs to do what and when.

Britta Gross, Chevrolet and Mark Duvall, EPRI

The Real MOTOR City

2009-10-19T17:21:57Z

By Tony Posawatz
Chevrolet Volt Vehicle Line Director

Detroit has long been known as the epicenter of the global auto industry, hence the nickname Motor City. However, Motor City isn’t an entirely accurate nickname since most of the vehicles produced here have been powered by internal combustion engines.

But with vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt going into production at the Detroit Hamtramck Assembly Plant next year, GM is helping put the motor with electric motors and electrified propulsion back into the Motor City.

Beginning this evening, all the major players in the electric vehicle, infrastructure and policy arena will gather at the sold-out Business of Plugging In conference to discuss what it will take to bring electric vehicles to market. We’ll discuss items such as how to assure consumers have easy access to charging and what extra benefits are possible for being an early EV purchaser among many other topics. For Detroit, the conference is significant as it strives to retain and create jobs at the forefront of a developing industry.

The Chevy Volt team has played a key role in shaping the discussion surrounding electric vehicles. And GM as a founding sponsor of the conference has played a key role in shaping its direction. This evening, our vice chairman of Global Product Development Tom Stephens will welcome the conference attendees to Detroit. The conference opens tomorrow when our vice president of Global Product Planning Jon Lauckner joins Pacific Gas and Electric CEO Peter Darbee and former New York Governor George Pataki in a keynote discussion on creating a national strategy for electric vehicles.

Several Volt team members will also participate in panel discussions throughout the two-day conference. On Tuesday, Britta Gross, director of global energy systems, infrastructure and commercialization, is moderating a panel on plug-in ready cities while Denise Gray, director of hybrid energy storage systems, will moderate a battery technology panel. On Wednesday, Volt planning manager John Ferris will be part of a supplier development panel addressing the challenges of creating a supply base for EVs.

The conference concludes at midday on Wednesday and is followed by a GM-sponsored public day where more than 300 high school and college students will have the chance to learn about the industry through a “Passport to Knowledge” tour and mentoring opportunities with those working in the industry. I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to attend. The Volt Age is upon us, and Detroit and Michigan are leading the charge.

Webchat: Making Electric Vehicles Attractive to Consumers

2009-10-16T19:34:10Z

One of the big questions surrounding electric vehicles is how many will actually make it to market and when. Chevy Volt Vehicle Line Director Tony Posawatz and California Cars Initiative founder Felix Kramer will answer questions on what needs to happen to quicken public acceptance of EVs beyond making sure they are appealing and relevant. Join us for the webchat Friday at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Posawatz and Kramer are part of an aptly named panel, “The Consumer: Who, Why and When” next Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the Business of Plugging In conference in Detroit.

Tony Posawatz, Chevy Volt and Felix Kramer, California Cars Institute