The long rumored Chevrolet Cruze hatchback was unveiled today by Holden, General Motors’ Australian division. The five-door Cruze was designed and built at Holden’s Port Melbourne design studio and will be shown publicly at the Paris Motor Show at the end of the month.

The hatchback features a forward sloping rear glass and a shorter rear overhang than the existing four-door sedan but significantly better access to the cargo space. The new body style is labeled as a global model – just like the sedan – but General Motors has not announced if it will come to the U.S. market. If the Cruze hatchback does make it to America, it will be the first C-segment hatchback from Chevrolet since the first-generation Cavalier ended production way back in 1988. GM will no doubt be watching the sales mix for the new Ford Focus, which is being offered as both a sedan and hatch in North America, before deciding. Holden will launch production of the Cruze hatchback down under in late 2011.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading General Motors Australia reveals new Chevrolet Cruze hatchback

General Motors Australia reveals new Chevrolet Cruze hatchback originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For years now, some electric vehicle advocates have argued that despite the higher up-front cost of batteries, plug-in cars would be cheaper to own and operate in the long run. The problem was, until the Tesla Roadster came along a couple of years ago, there were no factory-built and sold electric vehicles (EVs) to gather any real evidence from. The real test will begin in the next few months when Nissan, General Motors, Mitsubishi, Ford and others start to sell EVs to the masses.

Two big factors really can’t be argued against right now. Even with government incentives, EVs will be more expensive to buy than an equivalent internal combustion vehicle and energizing them from the grid will cost less. However, one of the big arguments against buying most new cars, regardless of power plant, has been that they lose a good chunk of their value as soon as you drive them off the lot. The rate of depreciation varies widely and is often connected to how well they hold up after several years on the road. A typical car might be worth half or less of its original value after just five years.

How will this affect plug-in cars? With an EV, the battery pack often accounts for a much larger percentage of the car’s original value other types of vehicles. While an engine that has been maintained properly can easily exhibit most of its original performance after 100,000 miles – and many can often go 200,000 miles or more – the same cannot reliably be said (yet, as far as we know) of a battery in an EV. The reality is that no one really knows how much value a battery will retain after 50,000 or 100,000 miles. It’s a hard number to calculate. Nissan has said that the Leaf battery might only hold 80 or 70 percent of its original charge after ten years, for example, which will make it worth less. Speaking to the BBC, Mitsubishi has acknowledged that the i-MiEV’s depreciation over three years could turn out to be more than the original cost of an internal combustion car (a Fiat 500 Lounge 1.2 petrol, in the example given). That’s a tough bunch of numbers.

[Source: BBC]

Mitsubishi admits i-MiEV’s total cost of ownership might be higher than expected due to serious depreciation originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Our brothers from another mother over at Translogic just released their latest episode yesterday, episode 5.4 for whoever’s counting. Host Bradley Hasemeyer spent a day with General Motors at the automaker’s Milford Proving Ground driving the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and came away with some heretofore unknown tidbits of information about the series hybrid.

For one, in addition to Eco, Normal and Sport modes, the Volt will have what’s called Mountain Mode that allows it to climb any grade in the country. A GM engineer says they checked to be sure its Mountain Mode was adequate for any grade in the States and we have proof of at least one major mountain the Volt can climb. When Mountain Mode is selected, ideally about ten miles out from any big hills you want to climb, the Volt will kick on its on-board generator and create extra energy for the batteries. This allows the Volt’s drive system to draw more power than normal from the battery packs while climbing a grade. If the battery packs are drained and the generator’s already on, Mountain Mode will then increase the engine’s RPM to make up the difference.

Bradley also performed an impromptu 0-60 miles per hour test in the Volt, completing the run to highway speeds in 8.53 seconds while the car was in Sport mode. Not earth shatteringly quick, but plenty spry to feel normal in everyday driving conditions. Over the course of the day, Bradley drove the Volt a total of 59.7 miles, 16.1 of which occurred with the gas-powered range-extending on. During that time, 0.59 gallons of gas were consumed, which means the Volt achieved about 100 mpg for the day and 27.3 mpg while the engine was operating.

The rest of the video is full of Volt information of which we’re already aware, including how it interacts with mobile devices, charging options and the like, though we can’t say we’ve seen anybody throw around the Volt yet like Bradley did. Follow the jump to view episode 5.4 for yourself and visit the Translogic blog here.

[Source: Translogic]

Continue reading Video: Translogic tests Chevy Volt, reveals Mountain Mode and 0-60 time

Video: Translogic tests Chevy Volt, reveals Mountain Mode and 0-60 time originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that General Motors has submitted the necessary paperwork for its IPO to the SEC, Forbes read through the entire 734 page filing and found this curious tidbit: “We have determined that our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal control over financial reporting are currently not effective.” And yes, that means exactly what you think it means.

In case you think it’s only cautious puffery, the document goes on to say, “Until we have been able to test the operating effectiveness of remediated internal controls and ensure the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, any material weaknesses may materially adversely affect our ability to report accurately our financial condition and results of operations in the future in a timely and reliable manner.”

And there’s more, but the gist is that GM wants you to know that it might have to shuffle some of its past numbers at some future date. The problem seems to go back to early last year, when new accounting procedures were put in place to please the SEC. The General’s trip to Narnia bankruptcy and back, however, prevented it from fully vetting those procedures, so it can’t be 100% certain that they’re 100% accurate. It could actually just be caution on GM’s part, but nevertheless, some funny things are happening on the way to this IPO…

[Source: Forbes]

GM to Investors: Internal financial reporting controls are ineffective originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Tesla struck a deal a few months ago with Toyota to buy the closed NUMMI factory in Fremont, CA it was made clear that the million price tag only included the building and property. At the time, Tesla officials indicated that most of the equipment previously used to build Toyota Tacomas and Pontiac Vibes was unsuitable for its upcoming products.

Apparently, after going through the machinery that was available, Tesla did find some items it can use and has reached an agreement with Toyota and Motors Liquidation Company (the remnants of the old, bankrupt General Motors) to buy some of that equipment for a total of million. Tesla has paid .6 million as a deposit toward the purchase and will close the deal along with the property purchase. The purchase likely covers generic equipment such as lift trucks, robots and perhaps paint equipment.

[Source: The Street]

Tesla to buy old resources from GM, Toyota for NUMMI plant originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sun, 22 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lear Corporation is a company best known for supplying vehicle interior systems, particularly seats. However, like many other major automotive suppliers, Lear has seen an opportunity in vehicle electrification and is branching out into new product areas.

For Lear, that means charging systems and its first customer is General Motors and the Chevrolet Volt. Lear is providing the on-board charger for the Volt as well as the 240-volt, wall-mounted chargers that GM recommends for Volt buyers. In addition to the chargers, Lear is also supplying some of the low-voltage wiring and the main battery disconnect.

Like the design of the car itself, GM tried some new things when it sourced suppliers for the Volt. Traditionally, where the main systems of a vehicle are known quantities, automakers go to suppliers with specifications and a request for quote. Because so much of the Volt was new, GM opted to work with its suppliers earlier on in the process to determine what was needed and develop specifications together.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Lear to produce chargers, parts for Chevy Volt originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rush Limbaugh and Fox News might not like the Chevrolet Volt, but Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm will gladly go to bat for the car and for General Motors. She did just that at the Center for American Progress recently after being asked about Limbaugh’s comments by Think Progress, saying:

It’s just un-American. I can’t believe that somebody would say this about this American product. He hasn’t even driven it. He hasn’t sat in it. You know, why wouldn’t you be supportive of American manufacturers building American vehicles with American workers, who now have jobs as a result of this. Why wouldn’t you be supportive of that? It is mind-blowing to me. And of course, the public is getting paid back. You know, GM has paid back the loan – the bottom line is, is this is a good news story, and somebody who would twist it to be something negative obviously has another agenda. Which we all know he does.

The State of Michigan and Granholm have been strong supporters of the auto industry (how can they not be?), and GM has responded by making the Volt as much of a Michigan car as it can. The battery pack will be made in Brownstown and the Volt itself will be put together in Hamtramck. Design and testing, of course, have been done at the GM facility in Warren, and even some of the non-GM parts will be produced in the state, like the battery cells, which will be made in Holland, MI once that plant gets going by 2013. So, this whole tiff is unsurprising, but worth noting. Watch a video of Granholm’s remarks after the jump.

[Source: MLive, Think Progress via Energy Boom]

Continue reading Michigan Governor says Limbaugh hating on the Volt “un-American” [w/video]

Michigan Governor says Limbaugh hating on the Volt “un-American” [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We get the feeling that a memo was sent out to right-wing pundits recently to attack the Chevrolet Volt. After Rush Limbaugh’s rant a few weeks ago against the plug-in hybrid, we found similar editorials in the Chicago Tribune and the Tuscon Citizen. We don’t have time to point out every misguided critique of the Volt, but we were a bit surprised by the results of research done by the left-leaning Media Matters: the Volt is causing Fox News to change its definition of who’s rich in America.

See, the conservative attacks on the Volt and the federal subsidies it qualifies for are based on the idea that it’s too expensive. The Tuscon Citizen calls it “just the latest expensive toy” while Jonah Goldberg says it’s a “plaything for the rich.” Fox News’ Stuart Varney played along, saying:

This car, even at ,000 a pop, is heavily subsidized. So if it is young, urban, very rich people who buy it [...] This is wealth redistribution in reverse. This is average taxpayers subsidizing the purchases of very rich people, 0,000 income per household.

Ignoring the part about how “Doctor Zero” told Fox a Volt really costs ,000 (the methodology used is weird. In any case, we’ve heard cost could be as high as 0,000, but General Motors insisted it’s nowhere near that high), what’s interesting here is that at other times, Varney was adamant that anyone making 0,000 a year is not rich. Oh, how hard it is to keep up with the talking points these days. Better luck next time, Varney.

[Source: Media Matters, Tuscon Citizen, Chicago Tribune]

Rightwing pundits attack the Volt, which forces Fox to change definition of who’s “rich” originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Despite the fact that the Corvette C7 has long been developed almost entirely because of the financial crisis of 2008 Chevrolet was forced to postpone its release. However, the company now intends to return to this model.

According to preliminary data, serial version of the supercar will be released in April 2012. According to its new size will yield C6, furthermore, it will be built of lighter materials that would give it less fuel consumption and emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere. Reportedly, the basic version will be equipped with Corvette C7 turbocharged V6. As for appearance, the new sports car made in the same style as the concept of Stingray, made its debut at the international Motor Show in Chicago last year.

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Before General Motors and Chrysler entered bankruptcy, the predominant fear was customers wouldn’t purchase vehicles from a bankrupt automaker. Those fears turned out to be more or less unfounded, as the market share of the fallen two didn’t fluctuate all that much during court proceedings, and both companies have seen sales increases the following year. Automotive News reports that while GM’s sales are up 13 percent and Chrysler up 11 percent, the majority of those increases have come courtesy of fleet sales.

The General’s fleet sales are reportedly up 53 percent to 400,000 units while Chrysler is up 40 percent to 242,000. GM does point out that its retail sales are up by one percent after the automaker cut four brands from its portfolio, while Chrysler isn’t breaking down sales.

GM and Chrysler aren’t the only automakers padding sales figures with fleets. So far in 2010, 35 percent of Ford’s sales come from bulk buyers, more than the 31 percent at GM, but still less than the 39 percent at Chrysler. But to Ford’s credit less, than half of those sales come from rental outfits, where discounts are deeper than they are with government and commercial fleets. Both GM and Chrysler are reportedly pushing two-thirds of its fleet vehicles to rental companies. The only other automakers to top 10 percent in fleet sales are Hyundai (16 percent) and Nissan (15 percent).

So do all these fleet sales spell trouble for GM and Chrysler? Not likely. Retail sales have remained relatively flat over the last year while fleet sales are up across most automakers. Detroit automakers also see higher fleet sales because each produces a large amount of heavy duty trucks and vans, while the overseas competition doesn’t compete in those segments. All three Detroit automakers foresee a drop in fleet sales for the rest of 2010, with Chrysler and GM projecting about 25 percent of its sales going to fleets for the year while Ford is shooting for 30 percent.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req. | Image: Chris Hondros/Getty Images]

Report: Fleet sales are behind GM and Chrysler post-bankruptcy resurgance originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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