GM expands Chevrolet Volt orders to all 50 states, lowers price

General Motors opened up orders for the Chevrolet Volt to all 50 states today, lowering the base price for the 2012 model by about $1,000 and adding four option packages.

The 2012 Volt will start at $39,995, including delivery, and customers may be eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit. GM was able to lower the base price because the car has more optional content now that it's available nationally, the automaker said today in a statement. The 2011 Volt had been available in eight states and Washington, D.C., and only had three option packages.

GM is expanding Volt ordering as it prepares to add two shifts worth 2,500 jobs to the Detroit-Hamtramck plant that builds the car. Volt engineers are seeking to cut the car's cost through powertrain and production improvements, which will mostly be used to make the car profitable, rather than slash the price for consumers.

GM plans this year to build 16,000 of the Volt and its European version, the Opel Ampera. That includes about 3,500 for overseas delivery and 2,500 as demos at dealerships. Next year, GM plans to build 60,000 Volts at its Detroit-Hamtramck plant, with 45,000 designated for the U.S.

Detroit-Hamtramck this spring discontinued its other two cars, the Cadillac DTS and Buick Lucerne, leaving it free to build just Volts until the 2013 Malibu starts production next year. The factory will also assemble the next-generation Chevrolet Impala, expected to start production by 2013.

The plant is in a four-week shutdown to update for Volt and Malibu production. After it restarts, the factory will start adding the second shift of workers, with the third to start at an undisclosed future date.

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GM will spend $131 million to prep plant for next Corvette

General Motors plans to spend $131 million to prepare its Bowling Green, Ky., plant to build the next-generation Chevrolet Corvette.

GM said assembly of the current-generation Corvette will continue at the plant for at least the next two model years, including the 2012 model that goes into production this summer. Work to prepare the plant for the next iteration will occur during that time, adding about 250 jobs.

The Corvette has been assembled at the plant since 1981. Nearly 400 production workers assemble the cars on a one-shift, Monday-through-Thursday schedule. The workers are represented by UAW Local 2164.

"This is a significant day for anyone who believes that America should build world-class, high-performance products," Mark Reuss, GM North America president, said in a statement. He made the announcement Wednesday, May 4, alongside Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear at the plant.

The current version is the sixth generation in the Corvette's 58-year history. GM says about 50,000 visitors a year tour the plant.

GM sold 4,293 Corvettes from January through April, a 22 percent increase from the same period last year. In April, Corvette sales totaled 1,454 units, a 34 percent jump over April 2010.

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Chevrolet Will Expand Military Discount in May

Spouses and retirees included in honor of U.S. Military Appreciation Month

Chevrolet will honor National Military Appreciation Month by expanding the industry-leading GM Military Discount to military spouses and retirees; offering an exclusive “Honor” badge to anyone who buys an eligible Chevrolet through the program, and by donating $100 to Cell Phones for Soldiers for each eligible vehicle sold with a military discount.

“We are committed to offering military professionals and their family members the best value in the industry,” said Dan Akerson, General Motors Chairman and CEO. “As a former Navy man, I hold the highest regard for the men and women of our Armed Forces – past and present – who help keep our country safe and preserve our precious liberties.”

During May, the GM Military Discount program – already recognized as the best program in the industry – will be extended to spouses of Active and Reserve members, as well as retirees, of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, National Guard and Coast Guard. The discount is available on most Chevrolet, Buick and GMC models with discounts typically ranging between $500 and $4,000 off the suggested retail price of the vehicle purchased.

In addition, the GM Military Discount offers a $750 discount on selected Chevrolet, Buick and GMC vehicles to eligible members of USAA, a financial services provider for the military community.

In 2010 alone, the GM Military Discount program provided more than 70,000 discounts to military personnel and their families with a cumulative value of more than $60 million.

For every person who purchases, leases or orders a new Chevrolet using the GM Military Discount in May, Chevrolet will provide an exclusive set of “Honor” vehicle badges as well as contributing $100 to Cell Phones for Soldiers, a non-profit group that provides free communication tools to troops serving overseas.

Since May 2010, Chevrolet and its dealers have collected more than 50,000 cell phones. Since the program began, proceeds from phone collections have provided more than 114 million minutes – or more than 200 years – of free calls home for U.S. troops.

At the customer’s request, dealers will install the badges on their new Chevrolet at no additional charge. The badge features a yellow ribbon and “Honor” script, a subtle recognition of their service.

The Military Appreciation Month program will conclude with 99 “Honor & Valor” Limited Edition 2012 Chevrolet Camaro SS vehicles, which will debut during the Indianapolis 500 military personnel parade on May 28. The limited-edition Camaro will be available to order through www.gmmilitarydiscount.com, beginning in May.

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New Malibu counts on styling, eAssist

General Motors is counting on a sportier Chevrolet Malibu -- and a fuel-efficient Eco variant -- to extend the mid-sized sedan's successful run.

Last week Chevy unveiled the 2013 Malibu at the Shanghai auto show and followed that at the New York show with an Eco version GM says will get an estimated 38 mpg on the highway, a level that mid-sized cars usually reach only if they are hybrids.

Before the current Malibu debuted in late 2007, the previous generation had been rental-fleet fodder. The improved styling and refinement racked up awards and made the Malibu GM's best-selling U.S. car with 198,770 units sold last year, up 55 percent from 2007.

"We made such a big move with the current car to get ourselves solidly in the game in this segment," said Russ Clark, Chevrolet product marketing director for mid-sized and performance cars. "We want to push it even further."

The Malibu Eco will have GM's eAssist technology, a stop-start system to be introduced this year in the Buick LaCrosse and Regal sedans. The redesigned Malibu, which goes on sale early next year, will be the first Chevrolet to get the fuel-saving technology.

Mark Reuss, GM's North American president, said the relatively inexpensive technology gives buyers a moderately priced option to boost fuel economy significantly without having to buy a conventional hybrid or plug-in hybrid such as the Chevrolet Volt.

"Not everyone can afford those. We know that," Reuss said. "The customer base finds cars like this very attractive because they pay for themselves."

The 2013 Malibu is about 3 inches wider than the current model and a half-inch shorter. It has a wedge-like profile, with the hood line lower to the ground than the trunk lid.

Bryan Nesbitt, General Motors' executive director for North America exterior design and global architecture strategy, said, "The term I used on the last car was 'elegance,' elegance in the profile and the length." In contrast, the 2013 version "is definitely a sporty persona, not an elegant persona."

The Malibu will soon face revamped rivals. A redesigned Toyota Camry, the best-selling car in the United States, is scheduled to arrive later this year, to be followed by a redesigned Honda Accord for the 2013 model year.

Greg Heinrich, a dealer with three Chevrolet stores in Nevada, said the redesigned Malibu can't arrive too soon. He noted that makers of other mid-sized sedans, such as Hyundai, which builds the Sonata, have "raised their game."

"It's a good sign when GM takes a product that's already successful and tries to refine it and make it even better," said Heinrich, Chevrolet's representative on GM's National Dealer Council. "That's something they didn't do much of in the past."

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GM Puts Production of Malibu on Fast Track

General Motors Co. will begin building its next-generation Chevrolet Malibu about four months ahead of schedule, the latest in the company's efforts to accelerate the delivery of new cars and trucks to dealer showrooms.

GM spokesman Dave Darovitz said Monday the automaker has advanced its timetable for the midsize Malibu to early 2012 — several months earlier than planned. The 2013 model Malibu will go on sale shortly after, he added, but declined to pinpoint a date.

According to a Jan. 27 internal GM report, the new Malibu will start production in January 2012, as opposed to May. Some factory jobs may be added; GM is still assessing how many and where, Darovitz said.

The Detroit automaker will make the car at its Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas, where it makes the current Malibu, and at the Detroit Hamtramck factory, where GM makes the Chevy Volt.

GM Chief Executive Officer Daniel Akerson advocated the Malibu's early arrival. The new version will be the company's first globally sold midsize car.

"Mr. Akerson requested we study the program to see if we could move quicker," Darovitz said.
The automaker was forced to delay spending on a number of new car and truck programs during its 2009 bankruptcy, to save on costs.

Akerson, who became CEO in September, has pressed company officials to pick up the pace.
"Since Mr. Akerson came aboard, he's challenging us to move faster and this is the latest example," Darovitz said.

GM took advantage of greater manufacturing flexibility at its factories and efficiencies built into its global platform to accelerate the car's production schedule, he added.

The Malibu is a real workhorse vehicle for GM, ranking among its top-selling vehicles for 2010.

The car has won many industry awards, helping GM gain a leg up in the highly competitive midsize segment. GM sold 198,770 Malibus last year, according to Autodata Corp.

"GM is really in a position where it had to pull up the production to compete," Sullivan said. "This gets the Malibu out in advance" of its Japanese competitors, he added.

GM will debut the 2013 Malibu Monday at the Shanghai auto show, and webcast the car's unveiling on Chevrolet's Facebook page.

Chevrolet also will show the car at the New York International Auto Show next week.
Detroit News. April 12, 2011.

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Chevrolet Captiva Sport announced for U.S. fleet customers

Do you miss the Saturn Vue? If so, General Motors is ready to wipe your tears away. Meet the new Chevrolet Captiva Sport, a shockingly familiar crossover being offered for fleet sales here in the United States. GM is quick to point out that the Sport is a variant of the popular Captiva CUV sold in other markets, though its Saturn-badged kin can still be found all over the nation.

The 2012 Chevrolet Captiva Sport will be available in three trim levels – LS, LT and LTZ – with two different powertrain choices. The base engine is GM's Ecotec 2.4-liter direct-injected four-cylinder, while the uplevel powerplant is The General's 3.0-liter direct-injected V6. Having experienced both of these units in the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain crossovers, we found the four to be far smoother and more refined than the anemic V6. In any case, both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel drive is optional on LTZ models.

LT and LTZ models use the 3.0-liter V6 and come standard with OnStar and Bluetooth connectivity. LTZ standard equipment also includes leather-trimmed seats (heated for front passengers), a rear-view camera and premium audio system.

Fleet companies can take delivery of the Captiva Sport as early as the fourth quarter of 2011.

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OnStar offering Crisis Assist services to tsunami victims

OnStar customers who live in areas affected by the tsunami warnings are getting help from their cars. General Motors has announced that those who live in affected areas can push the OnStar button their vehicle and be connected with a Crisis Advisor, who will help them get through the situation as safely as possible.

The Crisis Advisors can contact emergency services; provide points of contact for assistance, including food, shelter and hotel accommodations; help subscribers without power to access the internet or charge phones so they can stay in contact and receive weather and incident updates.

According to GM, OnStar can also be used to funnel information from subscribers to federal emergency management agencies to get assistance to people in need.

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Chevy aims to double Volt output to 120,000 next year, report says

General Motors Co. plans to double the 2012 production capacity for the Chevrolet Volt to 120,000 as the automaker works to boost the plug-in hybrid's sales, said two people familiar with the matter.

Volt output this year may increase to 25,000 from an original plan of 10,000, GM CEO Dan Akerson said earlier this month. GM now is working with suppliers to raise 2012 capacity from an earlier target of 60,000. It may not build that many if parts aren't available or demand isn't strong enough, said the people, who didn't want to be named because the plans are private.

Akerson, who became CEO in September, wants to sell more of the $41,000 Volt and is pushing to use its Voltec gasoline- electric drive system for models sold by other GM brands. Akerson has said he wants GM to have more fuel-efficient models ready for a possible increase in oil prices to $120 a barrel.

“We want to stay sharply focused on technology,” Akerson told analysts at Deutsche Bank's Auto Industry Conference in Detroit on Jan. 11. “We don't want to be caught flat-footed as we were in 2008.”

Crude oil that year climbed to more than $140 a barrel and average gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon. Sales of trucks and cars with large engines plummeted, contributing to GM's $30.9 billion loss that year.

Randy Fox, a GM spokesman, declined to comment on production plans. He said he didn't know how many people have ordered a Volt or how long they will have to wait.

Volt goals

Akerson told his executive team in early December that he wanted to boost Volt production and explore adding its drive system to several models with a goal of at least tripling sales of vehicles with that technology by mid-decade from the 2012 target, people familiar with the matter said at the time.

After exploring its options, the team settled on doubling capacity for the Volt next year, they said. GM is still evaluating the Volt's technology for other models.

Higher output will allow GM to reduce the cost of the Volt's drive and battery systems, helping it lower the car's cost in future years, said Jim Hall, principal of 2953 Analytics Inc., an automotive consulting firm in Birmingham, Mich. GM

GM should be able to sell all of its Volt production as long as the government's $7,500 tax incentive is in place, Hall said. The incentive expires after GM sells 200,000 units of the car.

“The only way they will get cost down is with more production,” Hall said. “They are in a race to get costs down concurrent with selling 200,000 Volts.”

GM may announce the production increase at the Washington auto show next week, one of the people said.

The Volt can travel about 35 miles on a fully charged battery before the gasoline engine kicks in, giving the vehicle an additional 340 miles of range on a full tank of gas, GM said on its website.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated the Volt's energy use as the equivalent of 93 mpg in electric-only mode. In combined gasoline-electric driving, the EPA estimated the Volt would average 60 mpg, GM said. In gasoline-only mode, when the battery was drained, the car would get 37 mpg, GM said.

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GM invests $5m in Powermat for Volt

Tired of cables cluttering your car? General Motors thinks its a big enough problem to invest $5 million in the wireless charging start-up Powermat and equip it on the Chevrolet Volt in 2012.

For those unfamiliar with inductive charging, users can place their smartphone, MP3 player or portable gaming device on a special panel and an electromagnetic field transfers energy to the battery to charge the device. Powermat was one of the first companies to commercialize the technology and GM has signed a one-year exclusivity agreement to supply its vehicles with the system. What vehicles the General plans to install the system remains to be seen, but the Volt will be the first out of the gate.

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