We've already given you the full scoop on the all-new Astra GTC, but in Frankfurt, Opel held the world premiere of its latest C-segment model that blurs the line between three-door hatchbacks and coupes. Based on the five-door Astra, the low-slung GTC sports a unique body shell as well as different platform dimensions as it has a 10mm longer wheelbase and wider tracks (+40mm up front and +30mm at the rear). Opel says it has also fine-tuned the chassis with an exclusive HiPerStrut front wheel suspension and a Watt’s link rear axle to further hone the car's driving dynamics. Initially, the Astra GTC will be offered in Europe with a choice of five engines delivering between 100HP and 180HP, including a 1.7-liter CDTI exoFLEX diesel available with 110HP and 130HP, both fitted with a fuel-saving Start/Stop system. Future plans include the introduction of a high-performance OPC (called the VXR in the United Kingdom) model believed to be equipped with a turbocharged four-pot generating close to 300-horsepower.
Following Cadillac's unsuccessful efforts to enter the compact luxury sedan segment and challenge Germany's finest including the Audi A4, BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class with the European market BTS that was a basically a Saab 9-3 dressed as a Caddy, General Motors appears to have learned its lesson about cutting corners. The Detroit carmaker is now developing a brand new competitor for the 3-Series from the ground up based on a rear-wheel drive platform. The entry level Cadillac is codenamed ATS and it is destined to enter production next summer (2012). After the recent release of a teaser photo, Cadillac is now ready to begin sharing more details about the ATS with a series of videos, the first of which brings GM boss Mark Reuss behind the steering wheel of a development prototype talking about the car. Hit the break to check it out.
“If you build it, he will come”; now this may be the whisper heard by Kevin Costner in the 1989 movie Field of Dreams, but it also stands true for any product –and especially cars.No matter what your image or marketing strategy, in the long term the product itself makes or breaks a carmaker. Recent “rags to riches” stories include Hyundai, Kia and Skoda, all of which a little over a decade ago were offering below par, or at best acceptable, models but are now posting record sales year after year thanks to their new, much improved range. Cadillac, once the default choice in the luxury car segment in North America, witnessed a streak of uncompetitive products ruin its image and sales before GM buckled up and began reshaping the brand starting with the CTS. Now, things appear to be looking better for Cadillac, which is planning a barrage of new models. The brand's offensive that will help it compete with the German and Japanese rivals include models like the BMW 3-Series-challenging ATS, the large luxury XTS sedan that will replace both the DTS and STS, and of course the ELR, the production version of the Converj EV coupe concept. But GM thinks that, to truly rival the opposition, Cadillac needs a flagship model that will also act as a “halo” model for the rest of its range. And it seems to have found it in the Ciel concept that was revealed at the Pebble Beach event and which gathered largely positive reactions from both the press and the public. According to Autocar magazine, GM insiders claim that the Omega project, as it is code-named within the company, is expected to be given the green light very soon. Official GM execs such as Cadillac General Marketing Manager Don Butler, admit that the company is “studying its options.” It is yet unknown if the production version will actually be a four-door convertible like the concept or, more likely, a range-topping premium sedan.
An electronic invitation to the press conference that Opel and sister company Vauxhall will hold at the 64th Frankfurt International Motor Showon September 13 gives us our first sneak peek at the firm's upcoming concept model.
General Motors' European arm is keeping details surrounding the prototype model under wraps for now, as the only bits of information we get is that it is a "sexy experimental vehicle" that "continues Opel’s pioneering spirit" and explores "a new interpretation of mobility". Along with the concept model, Opel will also stage the world premieres of the new Opel Astra GTC sport hatch, the Zafira 7-seat MPV, and theFiat-based Combo Van in Frankfurt.
No matter the age, a petrol head like Bob Lutz can't stay away too long from the car industry. In fact, even though GM's former vice president and product czar had retired in the May 2010, the 79-year-old has been providing advice to the firm's executives without pay ever since.Now, GM decided to formally hire Lutz as an advisor to provide counsel to the senior leadership team of the company. "Lutz will be available to executives on a part-time consultancy basis effective immediately," GM said in a short statement. "He brings a wealth of experience built over the course of more than 40 years in the industry, including two stints at GM. He has also been a senior executive at Ford, Chrysler, BMW and was CEO of Exide Batteries," the company added. Lutz's advisory work at GM is expected to include product development as well as marketing and communications. "In most cases, it'll just be reinforcing the direction they're already on. I couldn't be more pleased with the way the company is being run, with the way the products are being marketed, with the pricing, and, of course, I'm very familiar with the future product," Lutz told the Detroit Free Press. "I think a lot of it will be saying, 'Wow, that's good, keep it up,' and occasionally I'll offer some critical comments."
OnStar has announced a new mobile application for GM vehicles fitted with its RemoteLink system. The app allows drivers to search for a destination on their smartphone and send it directly to their cars via text message or voice mail. The system can store up to five endpoints.Once the driver starts up his or her car, the route will be readily available and navigation will be activated. “RemoteLink’s navigation enhancement offers our customers another choice in how they get directions, whether they’re in their car, on their computer or using their compatible smartphone”, said OnStar’s director of advanced system design Steve Schwinke. The enhancement is already available for download on Android and iPhone app stores. So in a few years you will text or call your car, which by then will be driving itself, and order it to come and pick you up. Sounds a bit like a cheesy David Hasselhoff ‘80s TV series, unfortunately without the front mounted scanner bar or, most importantly, the money dispenser…
On June 29, a woman named Donna Trusky filled a class-action lawsuit against General Motors in Detroit. The subject was a defect in the suspension rods of the 2007-2008MY Chevrolet Impala, which caused the tires to wear prematurely – in Trusky’s case, after only 6,000 miles. As it turns out, GM had warned police departments about the issue and fixed the defective rods, but it did not do the same on the civilian cars. General Motors seeks to dismiss the lawsuit, which could cost it millions of dollars as it potentially affects more than 400,000 cars. The company's argument is that the warranty claim was honored by its predecessor, General Motors Corp, which is now called Motors Liquidation Co – or “Old GM”, after its 2009 bankruptcy and the subsequent bailout by the US government. The “New GM”, the company claims, didn’t assume responsibility to recall the Impala, only to make repair “subject to conditions and limitations stated in express written warranties”. In other words, the “New GM” says that Trusky is after the wrong company: the one she should be after is the now bankrupt “Old GM”. This argument held in court earlier this year in a case about the OnStar navigation system. John Penn, former president of the American Bankruptcy Institute and currently a partner at Haynes and Boon in Texas, comments: “The question of successor liability is common for companies that go through bankruptcy.” He is also not surprised by Trusky’s predicament: “This type of issue was widely discussed during GM’s bankruptcy. The court will need to evaluate the claims to see if they fit within any cubbyhole of liability that New GM assumed”.
We've already given you the full scoop on the all-new Astra GTC, but in Frankfurt, Opel held the world premiere of its latest C-segment model that blurs the line between three-door hatchbacks and coupes.
Following Cadillac's unsuccessful efforts to enter the compact luxury sedan segment and challenge Germany's finest including the Audi A4, BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class with the European market BTS that was a basically a Saab 9-3 dressed as a Caddy, General Motors appears to have learned its lesson about cutting corners.
An electronic invitation to the press conference that Opel and sister company Vauxhall will hold at the 64th Frankfurt International Motor Showon September 13 gives us our first sneak peek at the firm's upcoming concept model.
No matter the age, a petrol head like Bob Lutz can't stay away too long from the car industry. In fact, even though GM's former vice president and product czar had retired in the May 2010, the 79-year-old has been providing advice to the firm's executives without pay ever since.
OnStar has announced a new mobile application for 
