“GM in the Media” highlights GM news from around the globe. It also presents our perspective on the news of the day. We’d like this to be a two-way conversation, and welcome your thoughts at tom.wilkinson@gm.com.
Some Detroit-area media had the opportunity to drive early versions of the Buick Regal alongside Regal’s sister, the Opel Insignia (2009 Car of the Year in Europe, thank you very much). For those of you who are jealous, hey, there has to be some compensation for putting up with Novembers in Michigan.
We will let you read for yourself what AutoWeek and Jalopnik think of the upcoming Buick. Me? I think the 2.0-liter turbo with the six-speed manual sounds like just the ticket for a flack who has been happily driving Saab 9-5s and Saturn Aura’s over the past several years.
As a lot of would-be car builders are finding, making a car run on electricity is easy. Making an electric car a real car, one customers will be happy with every day, is tougher. Detroit Free Press writer Mark Phelan spent time with Chevrolet Volt development engineers and came back with some great stories on final development of this important new vehicle.
Cadillacs have always been exotics in the UK, not always easy for the natives to understand. But reviewer James Martin for The Mail had no trouble figuring out what he liked — make that loved — about the CTS-V.
Like a rock band with new music to promote, the Chevy Cruze is on tour, its launch hopping from continent to continent. The latest venue: South Africa, where reviewer Sukasha Singh of the Mail and Guardian found a lot to like about the newest Chevy. Not every day you get to try out the handling by swerving around a “badly placed monkey.”
The recent dialog between Jalopnik’s Ben Wojdyla and GM’s Steve Anderson about the OnStar Car Hero Concept is pretty cool. The question: Can you create a car that can engage kids raised on video games in the art of driving? Steve’s thoughts are intriguing.
“The proud sibling of the stellar 2010 Chevy Equinox” with “a distinctive bulldog look.” Sounds to us like Scott Burgess, chief auto critic for The Detroit News, has the new GMC Terrain pretty well nailed. If a bulldog could blush, this one probably would.
AutoBlogGreen has joined the discussion over the cost of fuel cells. In an extensive post, the site reviews reports that the fuel cell stacks in the Chevy Equinox Project Driveway fleet cost ten times as much as a production Chevy Volt, and finds this an apples-to-oranges comparison.
We hope electric vehicle fans will read this thoughtful post, but the key point is that the Project Driveway vehicles are hand-build prototypes, and that the costs will drop as development continues and the technology moves toward production.
GM, like many other global car makes, continues to believe that a number of technologies have important roles to play in the future of transportation. Driving down the cost of all of these technologies is a critical step in moving them toward volume production.
The New York Times has posted its review of the new Buick LaCrosse and a companion piece on the Chinese-U.S. partnership that created the look of the car. Reviewer Chris Jensen complimented both the design and performance of the car, and concluded that the LaCrosse “bodes well” for Buick as the new GM works to regain market momentum.
Former Pontiac dealer Robert E. Cherney’s letter in the October 19 Automotive News asked the heartfelt question that is on the minds of many fans — Why did GM make the decision to phase out Pontiac and focus on Buick? The response from Susan Docherty, GM vice president for U.S. sales, ran the following week. It is reprinted below:
“Regarding Robert E. Cherney’s Oct. 19 letter, “Why kill Pontiac? Why keep Buick?” I’d like to assure readers that phasing out Pontiac was one of the most difficult decisions of my career, but also one of the most necessary.
“Pontiac had been unprofitable for several years. A team, many of whom were passionate about the brand, tried in vain to formulate scenarios to save Pontiac and make it profitable — but none of the scenarios proved viable.
“We kept Buick in the GM family because it is highly profitable and will grow with new models for the next few years, giving Buick an offering in several sedan and crossover segments.
“The Enclave is already a market success, with 50% of the buyers brand new to Buick. The 2010 LaCrosse is performing well, attracting younger buyers and those who are trading in imports like Lexus and Acura. And the 2011 Regal, a midsize sport sedan, arrives in U.S. dealerships next spring. The Regal is already a hot seller in China and is based on the highly successful Opel Insignia, the 2009 European “Car of the Year.” A little further down the road there will be a compact sedan and a small crossover joining the family.
“We feel confident that we chose to save the right brand, and that Buick has a bright future ahead of it.”
Jane Devin woke up one morning to middle age and an empty nest, and decided to embark on a year-long journey to rediscover America, and herself. Chevy and GMC are providing the wheels. Jane is doing the rest, chronicling her trip at Finding My America. We think you might enjoy the ride.