Skip to Content

GM


Government bailout does not mean EV mandates for GM, Chrysler

GM and Chrysler may have gotten government help totaling almost $40 billion, but that money does not come with strings attached demanding that the two companies build electric or high-mpg cars. Government task force head Ron Bloom told Reuters that, "We obviously would be very happy if Chrysler and GM were making lots and lots of high mileage cars. It's not a prerequisite. It's not an obligation." While the U.S. as a whole would benefit if the cars on the road were more efficient, the government's stance is understandably self-serving. ... Read more →

GM awarded DOE money to research Shape Memory Alloy heat engines Chris Shunk

General Motors has been awarded $2.7 million by the Department of Energy to create a working prototype engine using Shape Memory Alloys (SMA). The idea is for the prototype to use SMA tech to ...

Chevy Volt leader Frank Weber leaving for Opel, reaffirms Volt remains on track Sebastian Blanco

One of the main men working to get the Chevy Volt out the door on time, Frank Weber, has announced he will leave General Motors on December 1 for a senior leadership post at Opel. This is the ...

GM CEO: electric cars require teamwork; hydrogen cars 10x more expensive than Volt Sebastian Blanco

New GM CEO Fritz Henderson has some good words for his competitors. Surprised? It's all in an effort to make sure that plug-in vehicles get the help they need to become cost competitive. Henderson ...

REPORT: Detroit ignored voices calling for fuel efficient vehicles, says GM insider Sebastian Blanco

We noted the other day that a recent survey from PriceWaterhouseCoopers that found out fuel economy has finally overtaken cup holders as the most important feature in new cars and trucks for ...

GM's OnStar EV Lab opens its doors, loves the Chevy Volt 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

One of the features that GM is promoting with the Chevy Volt, due late next year, is a completely new level of connectivity for the plug-in hybrid. Well, completely new isn't quite right. The Volt will certainly communicate with the grid and with GM in new ways, but the underlying OnStar ...

Coskata opens doors to first semi-commercial flex ethanol facility 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

Coskata caught our attention back in January 2008 with the announcement that GM would take an equity stake in the cellulosic ethanol producer in an effort to bring the biofuel to market at a cost of just $1 a gallon. Since then, things haven't gone quite as smoothly as Coskata executives might ...

GM's Hybrid/EV engineering director Bob Kruse resigns 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

Bob Kruse is going freelance. Kruse has been executive director of global vehicle engineering for hybrids, electric vehicles and batteries at General Motors since early 2008. He has overseen the teams led by Denise Gray, Larry Nitz and Micky Bly that are developing hybrid and electric vehicles for ...

GM shows off fifth-generation fuel cell stack, hopes to commercialize unit by 2015 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

While improvements to the tried-and-true internal combustion engine continue to come in small, incremental bits year after year, hydrogen fuel cell technology is progressing in leaps and bounds. Evidence of such can be seen in the latest version of General Motors' hydrogen fuel cell system. ...

Elektromotive and GM team up to lobby UK MPs to support EVs 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

In order for companies getting into the electric vehicle business to have a chance to be financially viable, they are going to need help from governments. That means incentives to help offset the vastly higher initial cost of such vehicles as well as a means to charge them. General Motors and ...

GM and Toyota agree: gas, battery prices defining parameters for plug-in acceptance 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

GM has not been secretive about how important gas prices in late 2010 will be on the price of the Chevy Volt. During a webchat this week, GM vice chairman Bob Lutz said again that higher gas prices are needed for the Volt to become "generalized." Specifically, he said: The Volt technology is ...

GM to suppliers: Keep working on Two-Mode Hybrid PHEV 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

Now that General Motors has offloaded its Saturn brand and the once-planned Buick plug-in hybrid SUV failed to get off the ground after being roundly criticized by the press and public, GM needs to pick yet another platform to introduce the Two-Mode Hybrid powertrain in its first plug-in capable ...

GM's Project Driveway hydrogen fuel cell program passes a million miles 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

It's been two years since General Motors embarked on its Project Driveway hydrogen fuel cell test program here in the United States. We're not sure exactly what the automaker would consider a successful demonstration, but the fact that the vehicles will pass the one million mile mark sometime ...

GM to hold webchat with Project Driveway manager Mark Vann and one of the drivers, 2pm EDT today 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

This week, General Motors' Project Driveway Fuel Cell test program will top the 1 million total mile mark after only two years on the road. GM built over 100 of the hydrogen fueled electric crossovers and they have been in daily use with both corporate partner fleets and average drivers who ...

Paying attention? Why the Volt's fender and hood cut lines were altered 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

By now, we've likely all seen dozens of pictures of the latest Chevy Volt integration vehicle engineering releases – better known as IVERs – running around GM's various testing facilities. Our own Sam Abuelsamid even hitched a ride in one. Unless you're paying really close ...

Chevy Volt's 230 mpg rating, ad campaign comes under fire from Bill Ford, AdAge 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

The Chevrolet Volt's 230 mpg number continues to be questioned. The latest to criticize is Bill Ford, who takes issue not only with the General Motors-approved 230 figure, but also Nissan's claim that its Leaf EV will get 367 mpg. The real culprit here, Ford said, is the EPA's methodology, which ...

At Witz' End - A sneak peak at the "new GM's" critically important product future 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

It was probably mid-1980, soon after the federal government agreed to guarantee massive loans to financially struggling Chrysler Corp., when then-Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca invited groups of auto media and analysts to its styling center for an off-the-record preview of what was coming two, three, ...

Next-gen GM 6-speed automatic to boost mileage another 5 percent 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

It's only been a year since General Motors launched its 6T40 six-speed automatic transmission for mid-size and compact cars. When it was introduced, it brought with it a five percent bump in fuel efficiency. The engineers at GM Powertrain are now developing a second-generation variant of the 6T40 ...

EPA backs away from GM claim of 230 mpg for Volt 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

Apparently, we're not the only ones trying to figure out the exact methodology that was used to determine the supposed 230 mile per gallon city rating claimed by General Motors for the upcoming Chevy Volt. In response to a query from the boys at Green Car Advisor, the EPA issued the following ...

Two new GM concepts go back to the Bare Necessities (w/VIDEO) 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

General Motors says that it's learned a lot since the Chevy Volt concept was introduced a few years back. Paramount among these new revelations is that not all green vehicles are created equally, and not all customers looking for an eco-friendly ride really want the same thing. Some want a ...

Chevy Volt gets 230 mpg, but how? 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

Neither General Motors nor the EPA are making declarative statements about how, exactly, the 2011 Chevy Volt will achieve it's much-touted 230 mpg rating that was announced today. GM's most clear statement (available in full after the break) says that some consumers "may be able to be in pure ...

REPORT: GM admits Volt concerns to U.S. Treasury 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

According to a report on Autocar, General Motors submitted a regulatory filing with the U.S. Treasury on Sunday that disclosed a number of potential problems with the Chevy Volt program. Not only is it possible the car may not be ready by its promised launch in November of 2010, but GM knows it ...

What is 230? GM knows, but isn't saying... 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

The graphic above has been appearing all over the place -- television, billboards, elevators, baseball games, even people's shirts. It has a blog, Flickr and Facebook pages, and a YouTube channel. What it doesn't have is an explanation. Ad Age lined up the perps behind the online assets and ...

REPORT: GM gets out from under its polluted sites scot-free 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

Next in the line of those clamoring for attention and payouts from Motors Liquidation Co., the company that was given all of GM's unwanted assets, are the environmental and economic redevelopment departments of state governments. General Motors was able to exit bankruptcy without responsibility ...

Full water ahead: GM reminds us that hydrogen is a "key" long-term solution 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

Not that we really expect to hear anything different from GM, but even with the company's most vocal hydrogen proponent Larry Burns set to retire, The General is sticking to the line that it is committed to bringing H2 vehicles to market. Beth Lowery, GM vice president of environment, energy and ...

VIDEO: Before you weld a Volt, you have to stamp out the bodies 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

The other day we pointed you at a video produced by General Motors that is part of a series on the building of the pre-production Chevy Volt prototypes. That video showed the IVER (integration vehicle engineering release) bodies being assembled, welded and painted in the body shop at the ...

2010 Chevy Silverado XFE updated to achieve best-in-class 22 mpg highway 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

A couple years ago, the battle of the pickup trucks was all about power and towing capabilities. Now, with volatile fuel prices and an increased focus on the environment, fuel efficiency is the new battleground. For the 2009 model year, the GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado XFE took fuel economy up ...

VIDEO: See how prototype Chevy Volt bodies are built 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

Right now, the crew at General Motors pre-production operations center at the Warren Technical Center is in the midst of building 75 Chevy Volt IVER prototypes. IVER – integration vehicle engineering release – prototypes are the vehicles in the last stage prior to pilot builds. For ...

General Motors 4.5L Duramax V8 could be revived when the conditions are right 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

Earlier this year, as General Motors was slashing spending on programs in a desperate and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to stave off bankruptcy, one of the victims was the new new 4.5-liter Duramax diesel V8. The engine, which was intended to start production in early 2010 for use in GM's ...

Day one for The New GM: the more things change... Lutz stays, company needs vehicles that matter 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

After only 40 days in bankruptcy, General Motors emerged today as the new GM (sans green logo, for now). While the bankruptcy was about as short and sweet as they come, the future is what everyone is most interested in, and it's kind of looking a lot like the present/past. For one thing, Chevy Volt ...

The Greenwash to End All Greenwashing? GM reportedly pondering changing logo color 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

General Motors has certainly been pumping out a greener message for the last few years, but, on the eve of its likely emergence from bankruptcy, it looks like it might be ridiculously difficult to miss the company's shift to a new and very public eco-mindset: The General's traditional blue ...

WSJ Column: Higher gas taxes better strategy than CAFE to save GM 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford and AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson were just two voices that spoke out in favor of a higher gas tax earlier this year. While we took the Cato Institute's Alan Reynolds to task for muddying the waters of the "Toyota-licensed hybrid Fusion", there's reason to look ...

Dead Diesels: Six automakers reportedly kill plans for oil burners 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

Diesel's near-term prospects in America took a huge hit with the revelation that nine diesel-powered 2010 models are on hold. Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan have put the kibosh on rolling out more oil burners due to cost and perception issues. Toyota's obviously on a ...

GM Veep Beth Lowery: Future Volts will turn a profit 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

Since the automaker's descent into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a number of people have taken to referring to GM as Government Motors. That's clever, but Beth Lowery, GM Vice President, Environment, Energy & Safety Policy, has a different acronym on her mind: Green Motors. A bit flowery perhaps, ...

REPORT: GM persuing Chrysler for repayment of Two-Mode Hybrid development 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

In a case that's sure to light up our own comments section along with untold numbers of message boards across the web, our friends at PickupTrucks.com are reporting that General Motors has filed documents in court in an attempt to get New Chrysler to honor its full pre-bankruptcy debt of $531,275 ...

GM and Toyota deny reports of hybrid sharing 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

Reports have been flying rampant over the last few days that General Motors and Toyota would be entering a joint agreement to share Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive technology through the two automaker's NUMMI joint venture. It appears the rumors began when Bloomberg ran a story quoting unnamed ...

Next Page →


Featured Galleries

  • 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom
  • Smart ED production
  • Tesla Roadster audio recording for video games
  • Production i-MiEVs in the UK
  • Hyundai 2.4L direct injected Theta II
  • Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid bus
  • Chevy Volt hits the streets in Royal Oak
  • 2010 Nissan LEAF
  • 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML450 hybrid
  • Renault Fluence ZE concept
  • Governor Schwarzenegger with the Zero S
  • Peugeot Concept HYbrid3 Evolution

Categories

Autoblog

Daily Finance

Download Squad

Engadget

Joystiq

Autoblog Spanish

Switched.com

FanHouse

Asylum