GM Building World's Largest Rooftop Solar Power Station in Spain

General Motors is planning to install the world’s largest collection of solar panels on the rooftop of its Spanish car assembly plant in Zaragoza that builds the Opel Corsa, Meriva and Combo models. When the project is completed in the fall of 2008, the Zaragoza solar installation will comprise of about 85,000 solar panels covering 2,000,000 sq. ft. of space on the rooftop.

The project is being co-developed with Clairvoyant Energy, Veolia Environmental and the Government of Aragon. GM will lease their roof space to Clairvoyant Energy and Veolia Environment, who will build, own and operate the rooftop solar installation. -Continued

Once operational, the solar installation is expected to generate about 12 megawatts of power at its highest output. The installation will generate about 15.1 million kWh of power annually, which according to GM, is equivalent to the demand of 4,575 households with an average annual consumption of 3,300 kWh in Spain.

US June Sales: GM Drop 18.5%, Toyota Down 21.4%

We’ve already told you about Ford Motor Company’s and Chrysler LLC’s June sales (along with the top-20 best selling vehicles for the previous month), so its time to see the results for the two top contenders in the U.S. market. Despite an 18.5% decline in sales compared to June 2007 (326,300 units), GM easily maintained first place with 265,937 units. In second place we find Toyota (including Lexus and Scion) that saw its June sales drop 21.4% compare to the same month last year (193,234 vs 245,739 units).

For the first half of the year, GM sold a total of 1,604,942 vehicles (down 16.5%) while Toyota, 1,240,086 units representing a 6.8% decline compared to the same period in 2007.

GM to Merger with Ford? The Idea was actually thrown on the Table!

Some could see it as a “MegaMerger”, others as a “MegaDisaster”. Either way, BusinessWeek magazine learned from an unnamed source that at a few recent meetings, unammed General Motors executives shared their thoughts about the possibility of a merger with arch American rival, Ford Motor Company.

However, some narrow minded fellow execs (before you start commenting, we’re being sarcastic now…) dismissed the idea as they believed a merger with a company that has even worse problems than GM would be a huge distraction at a time when management needs to focus on a turnaround.

Commenting on the report, David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research said, "I don't think a merger is likely. But you'll see a lot of options considered if they think bigger problems will come by." -Continued

What do you think about the idea of a “MegaMerger” between Ford and GM? Would GMF (that stands for General Motors Ford and not for Genetically Modified Fords…) be something worth looking into or would it be the end of both automakers?

Via: BusinessWeek

GM Raises Prices by 3.5% for ’09 Models, Launches New 0% Interest for 72 months Sale

Details from a teleconference between GM execs and the automaker’s dealers that took place today and found their way into the internet, reveal that GM is planning to raise prices on average by 3.5% for most 2009 vehicles.

It was also revealed that most Chevrolet and Buick-Pontiac-GMC products will be offered for a week with a 0% financing sale. According to dealers, the sale starts tomorrow, Tuesday June 24 and runs through June 30 offering customers 0% interest for 72 months.

Via: Autonews (sub, req)

18,657 GM Hourly Workers Accept Buyouts

More than 18,000 of GM’s U.S. hourly workers or about a quarter of its American blue-collar work force have accepted the automaker’s buyout packages, the company announced today. Most of the employees are expected to be gone by July 1, 2008. Although GM won’t replace all of the workers who opted for the buyouts, it’s expected that the automaker will replace an unidentified number of highly paid veterans with lower-wage workers.

GM Halts SUV & Pick Truck Redesigns

Along with shutting off many production lines that build large SUVs and full-sized pick-up trucks, GM is now postponing the redesign of these models as it is revaluating its whole vehicle line up, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. GM’s spokesperson Tom Wilkinson told the newspaper that the company will extend the life cycle of its current range of full-size pickups and SUVs (know internally as GMT900) that include the Cadillac Escalade SUV and the Chevrolet Silverado pickup.

Although the replacements for these models weren't set to hit the market until at least 2012, due to the crumbling full-size SUV/Pick Up segment, GM will take these resources to develop more fuel-efficient vehicles for the U.S. market.

GM Delivers First Chevy Malibu & Tahoe Hybrid Taxis to Dubai Goverment

Not that they're facing any problems with gas prices in Dubai -or with anything that involves money for that matter, but GM delivered its first hybrid vehicles in the Middle East to the Government of Dubai and the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The Chevrolet Tahoe & Malibu hybrids are part of project that involves a 12-month trial using eco-friendly vehicles as public taxis.

Terry Johnsson, President of GM’s Middle East Operations, said "When the Dubai Government decided to investigate the feasibility of alternative propulsion systems in the Middle East, GM moved very quickly to support them. Naturally, we are very pleased to be part of such an historic and important project."

GM Considering to Export Chevrolet Models to South Korea

General Motor’s Asia Pacific executive director James Reymond told reporters in Seoul today that the American carmaker may add the Chevrolet brand in its South Korean portfolio. “Sales of imported vehicles are gradually growing, so it's natural for us to see an opportunity to increase our sales here,'' said Reymond.

In South Korea and apart from its domestic Daewoo brand, GM currently sells Cadillacs and Saabs. The reason why GM is thinking of adding mid-size Chevy’s in its range, is because sales of imported cars surged at seven times the pace of the overall market last year. Plus, there’s a huge growth potential as Hyundai and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp still hold an amazing 75% of the total South Korean car market.

Via: Bloomberg

GM Introduces New 1.4-liter Turbo With 120-140Hp and 1.6-liter Turbo CNG With 150Hp

General Motors has developed two brand-new engines for vehicles marketed in Europe and other regions, a 1.4-liter Turbo gasoline unit and a 1.6-liter Turbo natural gas unit. Starting off with the new 1.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, it will be offered in vehicles worldwide starting in 2010 with outputs ranging from 120 hp to 140 hp and torque values of 175 to 200 Nm.

It is estimated that this unit will deliver an approximate 8% improvement in fuel consumption compared to a higher displacement naturally aspirated engine with similar output and will be EURO 5 compliant. The 1.4 Turbo variants will be manufactured at the GM Powertrain assembly facility in Aspern, Austria.

The 1.6-liter Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that generates an estimated output of 150 hp and 210 Nm of torque will be introduced in the Opel Zafira minivan in 2009. The 1.6-liter CNG Turbo features a 25% lower CO2 value than a comparable gasoline engine and it will be produced in the GM Powertrain assembly facility in Szentgotthard, Hungary.

GM May Adopt Car-Like Construction For Its Future Large SUVs

The days of GM’s pick-up frame based large SUVs may soon be over as the American carmaker is considering a shift in 2012 to a car-like construction for the successors to the Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Cadillac Escalade and other large SUVs according to a report from Bloomberg citing sources familiar with the effort.

The reason is none other than the rising fuel prices which have resulted to a decline in light truck and pickup sales. GM recently announced that it will cut one shift each at three truck plants and one making SUVs starting in July because of this.

While a shift to a unibody construction for large SUVs will not only add to the cost but it will also alienate customers in search of a frame-built model because of their towing abilities, on the other hand, these types of SUVs are lighter which means reduced emissions and better fuel economy. -Continued

“It's a sea change in the type of vehicle that Americans are going to be driving,”' said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst at consulting firm Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Massachusetts. “This is a big thing. For a long time, GM has been able to rely mostly on profits from trucks. That's changing.''

Via: Bloomberg

GM Slashes Pickup & SUV Production by 138,000 Units

In what is deemed as one of the biggest one-time production cuts in the past few years, GM announced that it is eliminating one shift at its full-size pickup truck assembly plants in Pontiac, Michicgan; Flint, Michigan; and Oshawa, Ontario; and its full-size SUV assembly plant in Janesville, Wisconsin.

What this means is that GM will produce 88,000 full-size pickups and 50,000 full-size SUVs less than it planned this year. This also means that the General will proceed to layoffs, and even though the American carmaker is still working on the details, it is speculated that approximately 3,500 workers would be laid off.

GM says that this move was necessary in order to bring production in line with market demand as the full-size pickup truck and full-size SUV segments were down (for the whole industry) by 15 and 26 percent, respectively, through the first quarter of 2008. -Continued

“With rising fuel prices, a softening economy, and a downward trend on current and future market demand for full-size trucks, a significant adjustment was needed to align our production with market realities,” said Troy Clarke, president GM North America. “This is a difficult move, but we remain committed to retaining and growing our leadership position in the full-size truck market.”

Clarke noted that with the market shifting toward cars and crossovers, GM is seeing strong sales of the new Chevrolet Malibu, Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G6, Chevrolet Impala, Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia. He added that the company is continuing to explore options to increase car and crossover production, but there are no changes to car production at this time.

GM’s Q1 Global Sales 1% Down at 2.25 Million Vehicles

The General announced that it sold 2.25 million cars and trucks around the world in the first quarter of 2008, down less than one percent compared to the previous period. Strong first quarter sales in GM's Latin America, Africa and Middle East and Asia Pacific regions, and improved sales in the GM Europe region helped offset a significant 10 percent decline in North America. Sales outside the North American market were up by 8 percent compared with last year.

"GM posted record sales in three of our four regions driven by continued strong demand in emerging markets," John Middlebrook, GM vice president, Global Sales, Service and Marketing Operations, said today. -Continued

"While the challenges of the U.S. economy continue to put pressure on the automotive industry there, we saw nearly 20 percent growth in the Latin America, Africa and Middle East and 6 percent growth in the Asia Pacific region. We're also very pleased to see 3 percent growth in Europe, where we established a new sales record with 572,000 vehicles sold. We continue to see a higher percentage of our business coming from outside the developed markets - and the non-U.S. share of GM's global sales of 64 percent clearly reflects that trend."

Global sales highlights include:

• First quarter 2008 global sales of 2.25 million vehicles, with sales records set in three of the four regions.
• 
  
• At 1.45 million vehicles, GM first quarter 2008 sales outside of the United States accounted for about 64 percent of total global sales. Overall, first quarter global industry sales of 17.99 million vehicles were up 3 percent. The annual market is expected to hit almost 73 million in 2008, up about 2 million vehicles from 2007.
• In the Asia Pacific region, GM had record sales of 411,000 vehicles that were 6 percent higher than the previous year, and GM China sales of 312,000 vehicles posted a more than 7 percent sales increase compared with 2007. GM remained the top-selling global automaker in China. Wuling posted a 6 percent sales increase with nearly 173,000 vehicles sold in the region. GM India also set a sales record in the quarter with sales up 58 percent to 18,000 vehicles. GM sales in the region set a record for the quarter.
• In the Latin America, Africa and Middle East region, GM sales reached a first quarter record 323,400 vehicles, up nearly 20 percent in volume compared with 2007 and GM sold an all-time March monthly high of 111,300 vehicles. Sales in Brazil were up 36 percent for the quarter, a first quarter record. First quarter sales records were also set in Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela, Middle East and Israel. The Chevrolet Corsa, Celta and Aveo continued as the top sellers in the region, representing 40 percent of total GM sales.
• 
  
• In Europe, GM also set a quarterly sales record with deliveries of 572,000 vehicles, up 3 percent. Growth in Russia, up 78 percent, led the increase. Opel sold 23,500 vehicles in Russia, up 150 percent. Cadillac, Hummer, and Chevrolet set European sales records for their brands. Chevrolet achieved record sales of 132,000 vehicles, up 30 percent.
• 
  
• Continued softness in the U.S. market due to rising fuel prices and concerns about housing and credit availability, resulted in North America sales of 947,000 vehicles, a decline of 10 percent compared with last year. GM's U.S. mid-car and mid-utility crossover segments saw volume and share gains on the strength of mid-cars Chevrolet Malibu, Saturn Aura, and Pontiac G6, and mid-utility crossovers GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave and Saturn Outlook. Cadillac CTS sales were up 55 percent compared with a year ago. Chevrolet Malibu sales were up 17 percent in the U.S. Total GM U.S. truck deliveries of 476,000 vehicles were down 15 percent compared with the same period a year ago, while car deliveries of about 330,000 were off 6 percent compared with first quarter 2007. However, GM's total U.S. retail share of 21 percent was comparable with last year's first quarter.

BMW Considering Selling Engines to General Motors and Other Carmakers

Could it be that your next Chevrolet sedan be fitted with a Bavarian straight-six engine? Well, while we don’t think that BMW is thinking about its top-end 6-cylinder, V8 and V12 engine series fact is that Friedrich Eichiner, BMW’s board member for corporate and brand development, told Automotive News that the German carmaker will decide by the end of the year if it will sell various engines and components to General Motors and other rival automakers. –Continued after the jump

When asked by AN’s reporters if BMW is talking to GM, Daimler and Fiat about supplying engines, Eichiner said, "We are talking with those companies you mentioned.” Apparently, the Bavarian carmaker is in talks about its PSA Peugeot Citroen co-developed 4-cylinder engines that equip the MINI along with its 4-cylinder diesel engine range. According to reports, BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer Selling engines and other components to other automakers is part of BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer's Number One strategic plan to boost the carmaker's profitability

Via: ANE , Picture: Carscoop

BMW Considering Selling Engines to General Motors and Other Carmakers

Could it be that your next Chevrolet sedan be fitted with a Bavarian straight-six engine? Well, while we don’t think that BMW is thinking about its top-end 6-cylinder, V8 and V12 engine series fact is that Friedrich Eichiner, BMW’s board member for corporate and brand development, told Automotive News that the German carmaker will decide by the end of the year if it will sell various engines and components to General Motors and other rival automakers. –Continued after the jump

When asked by AN’s reporters if BMW is talking to GM, Daimler and Fiat about supplying engines, Eichiner said, "We are talking with those companies you mentioned.” Apparently, the Bavarian carmaker is in talks about its PSA Peugeot Citroen co-developed 4-cylinder engines that equip the MINI along with its 4-cylinder diesel engine range. According to reports, BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer Selling engines and other components to other automakers is part of BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer's Number One strategic plan to boost the carmaker's profitability

Via: ANE , Picture: Carscoop

Chevy Volt Eco Ad: Don’t Bath, Let Your Dog Lick You…

Even though GM's eco-friendly ad for the Chevy Volt is supposed to be funny, we must say that we found its humor too "grotesque" for our taste. The TV ad shows a dog licking someone’s foot with the following text rolling on the screen: “If you care about the environment, you could save water and let your dog give you a bath. Chevy cares about the environment. That's why we're working on an extended range electric car expected to go up to 40 miles without a drop of gas. The Chevy Volt concept”. -Video after the jump

Chevy Volt Eco Ad: Don’t Bath, Let Your Dog Lick You…

Even though GM's eco-friendly ad for the Chevy Volt is supposed to be funny, we must say that we found its humor too "grotesque" for our taste. The TV ad shows a dog licking someone’s foot with the following text rolling on the screen: “If you care about the environment, you could save water and let your dog give you a bath. Chevy cares about the environment. That's why we're working on an extended range electric car expected to go up to 40 miles without a drop of gas. The Chevy Volt concept”. -Video after the jump

Chevy Volt Eco Ad: Don’t Bath, Let Your Dog Lick You…

Even though GM's eco-friendly ad for the Chevy Volt is supposed to be funny, we must say that we found its humor too "grotesque" for our taste. The TV ad shows a dog licking someone’s foot with the following text rolling on the screen: “If you care about the environment, you could save water and let your dog give you a bath. Chevy cares about the environment. That's why we're working on an extended range electric car expected to go up to 40 miles without a drop of gas. The Chevy Volt concept”. -Video after the jump

Chevy Volt Eco Ad: Don’t Bath, Let Your Dog Lick You…

Even though GM's eco-friendly ad for the Chevy Volt is supposed to be funny, we must say that we found its humor too "grotesque" for our taste. The TV ad shows a dog licking someone’s foot with the following text rolling on the screen: “If you care about the environment, you could save water and let your dog give you a bath. Chevy cares about the environment. That's why we're working on an extended range electric car expected to go up to 40 miles without a drop of gas. The Chevy Volt concept”. -Video after the jump

GM to List Certified Used Vehicles on eBay Motors

General Motors has come to an agreement with eBay to list their entire national inventory of certified used vehicles on eBay Motors. For the time being, GM says that the 3,900-plus GM Certified Used Vehicles dealers in the U.S. won’t pay a penny to list their cars on the world’s most popular site for buying and selling.

According to the American carmaker, there are also future plans to allow dealers to opt-in to complement this new offering with additional packages and features, such as eBay Motors Local Market, a subscription-based service that enables automotive dealers to easily upload and list their entire used-car lot for one low price. These additional options for dealers are currently scheduled to become available during the second quarter of this year. -Continued

"The eBay Motors agreement means that GM Certified dealers will have millions more eyeballs looking at their inventory, and more traffic drives sales," said Mark Mathews, director, GM Used Vehicle Activities. "Teaming with eBay Motors provides shoppers with convenient access to all GM Certified inventory and continues GM Certified's commitment to interactive marketing. We now offer our dealers the most comprehensive program in the industry, listing their inventory on more than 300 websites."

"Dealers understand consumers are migrating online to find their next vehicle," said Rob Chesney, vice president, eBay Motors, Marketplaces. "eBay Motors creates a rich shopping experience for consumers and drives more qualified leads to dealers through exposure to more than 11 million unique online-automotive shoppers a month."

Thanks for the tip Stu!

GM to List Certified Used Vehicles on eBay Motors

General Motors has come to an agreement with eBay to list their entire national inventory of certified used vehicles on eBay Motors. For the time being, GM says that the 3,900-plus GM Certified Used Vehicles dealers in the U.S. won’t pay a penny to list their cars on the world’s most popular site for buying and selling.

According to the American carmaker, there are also future plans to allow dealers to opt-in to complement this new offering with additional packages and features, such as eBay Motors Local Market, a subscription-based service that enables automotive dealers to easily upload and list their entire used-car lot for one low price. These additional options for dealers are currently scheduled to become available during the second quarter of this year. -Continued

"The eBay Motors agreement means that GM Certified dealers will have millions more eyeballs looking at their inventory, and more traffic drives sales," said Mark Mathews, director, GM Used Vehicle Activities. "Teaming with eBay Motors provides shoppers with convenient access to all GM Certified inventory and continues GM Certified's commitment to interactive marketing. We now offer our dealers the most comprehensive program in the industry, listing their inventory on more than 300 websites."

"Dealers understand consumers are migrating online to find their next vehicle," said Rob Chesney, vice president, eBay Motors, Marketplaces. "eBay Motors creates a rich shopping experience for consumers and drives more qualified leads to dealers through exposure to more than 11 million unique online-automotive shoppers a month."

Thanks for the tip Stu!