It’s no secret that all the GM lines have been struggling. All US automakers are being forced to deal with a cataclysmic shift in consumer buying trends. All across the US, soccer moms are abandoning their SUVs in favor of smaller, lighter cars that get better fuel economy.

In answer to this dominant trend, numerous new cars are coming about. The recent exposure of the Chevy Cruze (once thought to be the replacement for to Cobalt) has sparked new interest and new life in the ailing automaker. The Chevy Cruze is just one of the new cars set to take the stage in the near future. However, Europe will get a taste of the Cruze before the US. The Cruze will debut in 2009 in Europe, while the US release comes in 2010.

What is the Cruze? It’s the rumored head of a new family of fuel conservative cars from GM. The specifics of the American release have already been released. The Cruze (in America) will be powered by a 1.4 liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. The new fuel efficiency of the engine is estimated at 45 mpg, with 140 horses under the hood. That’s a considerable displacement difference compared to the Cobalt’s 155 horses from a 2.2-liter engine.

While the Cruze is slated to replace the Cobalt, the Cobalt is not going anywhere just yet. Chevy intends to sell the two at the same time, while the rest of the Cruze family is put into production. Rumors abound concerning a SS-type Cruze with 260 hp, as well as a non-SS type coupe. Thus far, only the sedan has been confirmed for production.

Other rumors are circulating about possible Volt-like systems in the Cruze. Most likely, these would take the form of lower power lights, wipers and other electrical components. The car was developed to help combat the popularity of imports, such as the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic, as well as American standards such as the Focus. However, if Chevy intends to compete in that market, the Cruze will have to be more appealing than the Cobalt.

In order to do that, Chevy may add several optional packages with the new Cruze, such as larger wheels and better appointments in the interior. It remains to be seen just what the future holds, but the Cruze could conceivably unseat the long time favorites.

By now you may have caught a glimpse at yesterdays “leaked” images of the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Volt with Bob Lutz standing at its side. It was a big hoopla about “how the hell did it happen” and the simple explanation that it was “human error” behind the supposedly accidental release of the new Chevy Volt images. Either way, bloggers and auto enthusiasts have taken these photos and spread them throughout the internet so it is basically, TOO LATE to pull the images now. The images were originally set to be released next week during the “official release” of the “official” Chevy Volt. Whether it was intentional or not, we still get to see what the Chevy Volt looks like! WOOT WOOT!

Look for the Chevy Volt to make an appearance in the upcoming Transformers 2 movie – wonder who is one of the sponsors of the Transformers movie… hmmm Chevy maybe?

Enjoy! – MotorWeek’s Hybrid Round Up:

Within the industry, they’re referred to as “mild” hybrids. They’re cars like the Saturn Aura and Chevy Malibu that have conventional engines with oversized starter-motors, which allow the engine to be shut down whenever the car is braking, coasting, or stopped (such as at a red light) without requiring a full re-start. Gauges, systems (like air conditioning) and electronic accessories (mp3 players, GPS systems) run on existing electrical power, and the motor spins the engine back to operating RPMs before any fuel is injected.

While mild hybrids don’t have electric motors, they do still offer some hybrid features. For example, they use less battery power, over all, and some mild hybrids even use regenerative braking to recharge that battery, just like the Toyota Prius hybrid, and their other true-hybrid cousins.

Because these cars do not have actual hybrid drivetrains, and because their fuel economy is generally within 10% of that for similar models with standard, non-hybrid drivetrains, mild hybrids are often the subject of negative feedback. “Why spend more,” people wonder, “on a hybrid that really isn’t one, when there don’t seem to be any obvious benefits?” The truth, however, is that there are still reasons other than the mpg numbers to consider one of these cars.

Those reasons include:

• Mild hybrids are good first steps. For people who are interested in hybrid technology, but not so certain they wish to commit to a whole new style of driving, these cars are a bridge, sort of like automotive training wheels. They are excellent first-hybrid options for those who want a greener vehicle.
• They’re less expensive, over all. While mild hybrids such as the Saturn Aura are more expensive to purchase than the Aura with a standard internal combustion engine, they’re still significantly less expensive to purchase than a true hybrid. As well, since they have fewer non-standard parts, these cars are less expensive to repair than hybrids with battery packs and electric motors. As well, with this summer’s dramatic gas prices sending people shopping for full hybrids in droves, and often being wait-listed, mild hybrids come in many more models, and have a greater availability.
• Hybrid incentives still apply. Like full-hybrid vehicles, mild hybrids qualify their owners for a tax credit from the government (though it’s important to remember that each automaker only has a limited number of hybrids that can be sold before the credit goes away).

The dictionary definition of “mild” is “gentle or moderate in force or effect,” and “moderate in intensity, degree, or character.” While it’s true that so-called mild hybrids meet this definition in the negative aspect – they don’t offer as much fuel efficiency as a fully-hybrid vehicle – these cars meet the definition in the positive aspect as well: they do offer an improvement in fuel economy of about 10 percent, and they are less expensive to own and operate than a true hybrid car. From that point of view, perhaps mild hybrids are worth considering, after all.

Enjoy the video!

DETROIT (Reuters) – General Motors said today it would cut salaried employment costs by 20 percent, sell up to $4 billion of assets and borrow at least $2 billion in a bid to bolster its liquidity by $15 billion through 2009.

GM CEO Rick Wagoner, speaking to employees before a 9 a.m. press conference, also said GM would suspend its common stock dividend in a restructuring driven by high fuel prices, a shift away from trucks and SUVs, and the lowest U.S. industry wide auto sales in a decade.

The full story can be found on Automotive News Here!

Trans AM for sale

Enjoy!

This Pontiac commercial is largely inspired by the popular action/driving game from the early 80s. In the Pontiac spot, the mission is the same, with the G8 starring as the hero car.

Today GM released the announcement to its employees and to the public that they have plans to majorly cut production including 4 truck plants. The slow in the economy and high gas prices is obviously a major factor in the decision that GM is making in the upcoming months. Surprisingly Rick Wagoner, GM’s CEO, announced possible closing of plants that make many GM SUV’s and trucks with a mention of a possible removal or sale of Hummer which may remove this brand from the market all-together.

This may come as a surprise when you listen to Rick Wagoner mention the closing of plants that produce the Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon. We all know that is a big monster in the SUV market but we also know the SUV market is diminishing very fast mainly due to the fact that SUV’s consume A LOT of gas and the economy just cannot support the high price of such vehicles.

CNN.com posted the news this morning and reads:

GM: Trucks out, cars in

Automaker plans to shut 4 pickup and SUV plants, build more fuel-efficient vehicles, and may dump the Hummer brand.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — General Motors announced plans Tuesday to shut four truck and SUV plants that employ thousands of workers. It also said high gas prices are here to stay – and, with them, consumers’ growing preference for more fuel-efficient vehicles.

At a news conference in Wilmington, Del., GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner announced plans to roll out more fuel-efficient vehicles, including approval to start the production process on a vehicle that can run gas-free for trips up to 40 miles.

But the plant-closing plans are a stunning admission from the nation’s largest automaker that its long dependence on large SUVs and pickups is no longer a viable strategy for a company struggling to end losses from its North American operations.

The plants to be closed include two U.S. facilities: The Moraine, Ohio plant that builds midsize SUVs, such as the Chevrolet Trailblazer and GMC Envoy; and the Janesville, Wisc., assembly line that builds large SUVs such as the Chevy Tahoe and Suburban and GMC Yukon.

In addition, it plans to close a pickup plant in Oshawa, Canada, and a truck plant in Toluca, Mexico.
The Mexican plant that builds medium-duty trucks sold to businesses rather than consumers will close later this year. The other plants will close in 2009 and 2010, with sooner closings possible if sales do not improve. Each U.S. plant has about 2,500 employees.

iReport.com: Still driving a gas guzzler?

The company said it believes that high oil and gasoline prices will be the norm, and that prices are likely to go higher due to strong global demand for oil.

“These higher gasoline prices are changing consumer behavior and rapidly,” said Wagoner. “We don’t think this is a temporary spike or shift. We think it is permanent.”
Goodbye Hummer Wagoner also said GM is looking at possibly selling its Hummer unit as part of a strategic review of the SUV brand based on military vehicles. The Hummer H3 mid-size SUV gets about 13 to 14 miles per gallon in city driving in the most recent EPA ratings. The H1 and H2 are larger vehicles on which EPA does not give mileage estimates.

The brand has become the symbol to many members of the public of a gas-guzzling large U.S. vehicle.
Hello Volt He also announced that GM has approved production of the Chevrolet Volt, a so-called plug-in hybrid vehicle that can run about 40 miles without any use of gasoline. The Volt will be built in GM’s Hamtramck, Mich., plant and is due in showrooms by the end of 2010.

Read more at cnn.com

Hummer H2 for sale