Category: Industry News

www.GMInsideNews.com
March 13, 2012
By: Nick Saporito

Chevrolet announced that the brand will be showcasing an all-new racecar during the 2013 NASCAR season. The new car will be replacing the Impala, which has been Chevy’s NASCAR racer for many years. While that in itself is a sizable announcement, the rest of the story is even more interesting. Chevrolet states the new NASCAR will have a production sister car under an entirely new nameplate.

Now, we at GMI do not like to speculate, but for months we’ve been reporting that GM has plans to bring the Holden Commodore back to North America under the Chevrolet brand. The latest information we’ve gotten suggests Chevrolet will bring the Commodore back to North America as a high-performance Chevrolet sedan. The car will be very low volume and likely V-8 only.

At last report, this sedan was slated to launch in spring 2013, which happens to correlate with Chevrolet’s stated scheduled release date for the new production car and corresponding NASCAR racer.

The timing also aligns with Holden’s scheduled update to the Commodore for 2013. The revamp is said to include revised styling inside and out, better aerodynamics and an overall design theme that fits better with new Holden’s (thus Chevrolet as well).

It’s very possible we’re entirely off base here, but needless to say, today’s press release is foreshadowing a new product for Chevrolet. It just so happens that we at GMI know Chevrolet’s future product portfolio really well and the only one that seems to fit this mold is the supposed Commodore import.

How Kia wants to tease U.S. buyers with rwd concept car

February 24, 2012

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RICK KRANZ

February 17, 2012 – 3:09 pm ET

DETROIT — Kia seems to be prepping America for the brand’s first luxury sedan, one auto show at a time.

Executives say no decision has been made to sell its first rear-wheel-drive sedan here, but Kia is sure spending a lot of time and effort moving its big, head-turning GT concept across the show circuit. So far, the sporty-looking GT is slated for four U.S. shows and one in Canada.

Thus it appears Kia will soon be competing with the Audi 6, BMW 5 series, Mercedes-Benz E class — and the Hyundai Equus.

This week, Kia Motors Corp. announced that the sedan will be unveiled in Korea by this summer.

The production car, code-named KH, will be sold globally. Much of the GT’s design will appear on the KH, which shares a platform with Hyundai’s Equus sedan.

Today, Kia’s most expensive U.S. sedan is the Optima Limited, which stickers for about $35,000. If the KH is sold here, it would presumably be priced similar to the Equus, which ranges from about $59,000 to $66,000.

Tom Loveless, Kia’s North American sales chief, said that if the rwd sedan is sold here, it would be slotted above the Cadenza, a new Kia sedan that goes on sale here next year.

The front-wheel-drive Cadenza is larger and more luxurious than the Optima and aimed at buyers of the Chrysler 300, Ford Taurus and Toyota Avalon. Loveless didn’t talk pricing, but the Cadenza will likely sell in the mid-$30s to low $40s.

Michael Sprague, Kia’s North American marketing boss, wouldn’t say if the KH is coming to America, but revealed a little bit of the strategy.

“It would definitely be a halo vehicle, limited number,” Sprague said. “You don’t want to build anymore than you have to. You want it to be unique vehicle for the brand.”

Kia released drawings of the KH after my conversations with the Kia team at the Chicago Auto Show. Those drawings reveal a similarity to the GT concept, which debuted last September at the Frankfurt auto show and has been shown in Los Angeles and Chicago. The concept is now is heading to Toronto, Atlanta and New York.

What’s been the public’s reaction?

“Overwhelmingly positive, here and overseas,” Sprague said. “We know L.A. loved it. We want to get a Midwest perspective. We want to get a Southern perspective and then a Northeast perspective.”

He added: “People are asking, ‘When are you going to build it?'”

You can reach Rick Kranz at rkranz@crain.com.

GM changing Volt for California carpool lanes

February 24, 2012

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By Bernie Woodall

updated 2/23/2012 3:48:44 PM ET

General Motors Co is adjusting its plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt to meet strict California requirements for a $1,500 state rebate and allow drivers to use special carpool lanes there, the carmaker said on Thursday.

Volts sold in California starting later this month will have an additional emissions system fan to help curb tailpipe emissions and some software changes not available on Volts sold outside California, GM said.

The change comes at a time when Volt sales have been slow for a car seen as a game-changer for GM. California is the biggest U.S. auto market in general, and the biggest market for alternative fuel vehicles.

A fourth of the 7,671 Volts GM sold in 2011 were sold in California.

GM said that it did not include the additional equipment for California Volts until now because it did not want to delay the vehicle’s launch. Sales began in December 2010.

California has 1,400 miles of roads with lanes designated for cars carrying two or more people. Volt drivers along with drivers of other advanced-battery and zero-emissions cars can use these lanes even if the cars are carrying only the driver.

GM says that cars on congested Southern California roads that use the high-occupany vehicle lanes can save about 36 minutes a day in commuting time.

The ability to drive in the “HOV lanes” in California was a boost to sales of the Prius hybrid when Toyota Motor Corp ramped up sales of the market’s dominant hybrid car. But standard hybrids like the Prius are no longer eligible for special stickers to allow access to HOV lanes for cars without passengers.

Toyota will next month begin selling a plug-in Prius that will get about 15 miles on battery charge alone.

This new version of the Prius will be eligible for the $1,500 California rebate and the HOV lane stickers.

California plans to issue up to 40,000 HOV lane stickers in 2012.

GM said that single-occupancy Volts are also eligible for access to carpool lanes in New York, Florida and Georgia.

GM is not saying how much it will cost to add the new equipment to each California Volt. The costs will not be passed onto the customers because GM wants a national sales price for the Volt, a spokesman said.

The Volt retails at $39,900 before a $7,500 federal tax credit and the $1,500 California rebate.

GM lowered the retail price of the Volt from $41,500 on its 2012 models.

Shipments of the “low emissions package” Volts started last week from GM’s Detroit-Hamtrack plant.

The Volt operates for about 35 miles on battery power when fully charged. Under this mode, there are no tailpipe emissions. When battery power is low, a gasoline engine powers a generator that creates power to run the electric engine, allowing the Volt to have a range of about 380 miles, based on U.S. government estimates.

Chevy planning new NASCAR model for 2013 season

How Kia wants to tease U.S. buyers with rwd concept car

GM changing Volt for California carpool lanes

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