General Motors’ new transmission plant in its Mexico’s Silao complex has been in the news since it began operations last month.
The $660 million plant builds a new six-speed rear-wheel-drive family of gearboxes, which uses 4 percent less fuel compared to regular transmissions in certain applications. 1,500 of them are built everyday which are distributed to other countries, where they will find application in 25 different vehicles.
However, the gearboxes will not be exported to the U.S or neither will they be fitted on vehicles assembled in Silao.
The Silao complex currently employs 3,900 people and the transmission plant will employ 1,100 workers at full production. The Silao complex opened in the year 1995. It assembles the Chevrolet Suburban, Avalanche and Silverado Crew Cab, GMC Sierra Crew Cab and Cadillac Escalade EXT models.
General Motors has announced that it will build a cheap city car for EUR 8,000 using motorcycle parts. This measure will keeps costs down and also make it easier for the manufacturer to put the car together in the assembly stage. Tata Motors were also at some point of time, thinking along those lines during the Nano’s development stage, but the plan was subsequently dropped.
Opel is presently in the "discussion and examination phase" of the project and it will be long before the rear-engined, entry-level car rolls out of their factory. Opel will outsource the parts from either a scooter or motorcycle manufacturer and is also looking at Asian suppliers to help them out. The car is expected to carry a drive train similar to a motorcycles’ and will be ready within a few years time.
The $2500 Nano from Tata Motors has challenged international players. What was at one point termed ’impossible’ has now turned into ’competition’. GM announced it would use its Chinese company Wuling to pit against the Nano in the future. Wuling is a Chinese company which manufactures vans and pickups for around $3,000, and is partly-owned by General Motors.
GM’s vice chairman of global product development Bob Lutz, said "We move a legacy architecture and parts that have been around for a long time,". "Then we create a vehicle that’s very inexpensive, and it could not be sold in the developed world because it wouldn’t meet regulations.", describing the way GM would go about making their small car.
GM is right now working on a parallel products program which focuses completely on small cars for developing countries like eastern Europe and Asia where the battle ground for super low-cost car is heating up.
"You add an extra passenger seat, that’ll be slightly extra and so forth," comments Lutz, questioning whether that the Nano will retail at $2,500 once amenities are added. "The average retail is probably going to be more," he added.
I don’t think there is room for another passenger seat in the Nano, Mr.Lutz. You should check your facts before making such statements!
The Hummer H3T is scheduled to be unveiled in the Chicago Auto Show next week. To stir it up a little before the official reveal, GM gave the test mules to HMR Magazine. The testers put the H3T through its paces and were pleased with the truck’s overall performance. This is what one of the excited testers had to say.
"Priced in the high thirties, I think the H3T will not only be a hit with recreational consumers, but everyone from Contractors to Search and Rescue crews will fall in love with this truck. I know HUMMER sees their main competition for the H3T being smaller pickups like the Tacoma or the Dakota. But anyone who’s seen the H3T will tell you that it’s "Like nothing else" and anyone who’s driven the H3T will tell you…there is no competition."
We met with Mark LaNeve on monday night at a diner organized by GM to promote their new concepts at the Detroit Auto Show. Mark confirmed the upcoming reveal of a small Hummer truck, a small Cadillac and a G8 based pick up. The first two vehicle will certainly be very close to the Hummer HX and CTS coupe jsut unveiled in Detroit earlier this week. It is just strange that the HX concept it so close to the hummer H3T concept from 2004, moreover we have the feeling that the new Hummer will not be a pickup only version. About the Cadillac, the 2 door concept pave the way for smaller Cadillac vehicle. Let’s just hope the smaller Cadi will not be a Malibu re-badged! God knows how much GM think the Malibu is the next best thing after their Volt concept of course.
about the G8 pickup, we already know what it will look like, as Holden, who build the G8, already have car pickup in their lineup. LaNeve just said that he is looking for a good name, anything aside of ’ElCamino’!
Wanna help Mark? Submit your baby names for the baby Cadillac and the G8 pickup. My personal take: Cadillac CTA and Pontiac Trucko!
Keep in mind that LaNeve is ’only’ head of Marketing, which means that even if he identified demand for those cars, other consideration such as engineering or budget might not allow those project to go through. Time will tell.
Check out our video of the 2008 GM style event. Lots of celebrities, VIPs and live concert from Mary G.Blidge, Maroon 5, Kid Rock to introduce the Corvette ZR1 and a fashion runway show ... and .. free beers for us!
The Ecojet car , presented in early 2007 was present at CES 2008. The 650hp turbine engine supercar isn’t even one year old but it is already forgotten and doing some dirty promotional job on a audio booth, next to Joe Shmol tuned car.
Earlier this week, TopSpeed.com was graciously invited by GM to attend a press event on their famous Detroit test track ’Milford Proving Ground’. In the morning, we completed the safe driving program and test drove several GM vehicles. Later on, we met up for dinner with several other car bloggers and GM’s general manager, Edward J. Peper. Below are the highlights of the event.
After Joe Gibbs Racing announced that they will switch GM to join Toyota from the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series the manufacturer, who won more Nextel Cups and races than any other competitor, expressed its dissapointment. This happened due to the fact that for 16 years the collaboration between GM and Joe Gibbs Racing was absolutely perfect.
"While we understand the business nature of racing, we are disappointed in J.D.’s decision and announcement today. With our long-standing relationship (...) > More
General Motors will display an advanced technology compression ignition engine at its Milford Proving Grounds in Michigan today. The engine is a peek at new internal combustion engine developments at GM. The engines have been installed in a Saturn Aura sedan and an Opel Vectra.
The concept is similar to that of a diesel, in that the fuel/air mixture is ignited by the heat caused by its compression, rather than by a spark plug. Unlike a diesel, however, the GM engines are designed to (... > More
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General Motors has announced that it will build a cheap city car for EUR 8,000 using motorcycle parts. This measure will keeps costs down and also make it easier for the manufacturer to put the car together in the assembly stage. Tata Motors were also at some point of time, thinking along those lines during the 
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