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How GM cars got better

Lutz's memoir gives an insider's view of a dysfunctional culture and counterproductive process.

Even before he rode into General Motors as the product-development savior in 2001, Bob Lutz found himself being recruited for plots to take over the company.

There was Heinz Prechter, the ASC sunroof king who proposed that Lutz and ex-Chrysler executive Steve Miller join with him as a pre-assembled management team to buy shares and get the board to clean out management.

There was J.T. Battenberg, the former GM executive who undertook the thankless and ultimately impossible task of making money at Delphi Corp., … Read more

GM ups Volt, Ampera production outlook

General Motors said yesterday that it will make 60,000 Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera plug-in hybrids in 2012, up from its previously announced 45,000 production outlook.

GM also said that its Volt and Ampera production will be 16,000 in 2011, up from a previous forecast of 15,000.

The plant in Detroit that makes the two plug-in hybrids will shut for four weeks starting in early June, which will crimp already tight supplies, GM said.

Volt, the poster car for GM's effort to tilt its model lineup toward fuel-efficiency from gas-guzzling, will experience delays in dealer deliveries this summer as gasoline prices could soar over $4 per gallon, GM said.

"Already in tight supply, the number of Volts available for delivery to retail customers will be further restricted over the next three months before production resumes and the Volt and the Opel Ampera begin being exported to Europe and China," GM said in a statement.

Volt sales are to be especially reduced in June and July, GM said.

In April, Volt U.S. sales were 493, and for the first fourth months of this year sales were 1,703. It debuted late last year. … Read more

A closer look at GM's MyLink and IntelliLink

After enjoying a healthy lead with Sync, Ford may finally have to watch its back. GM officially debuted MyLink and IntelliLink at the 2011 New York International Auto Show, and its new smartphone-integrated infotainment platform could be a game changer for the industry.

Badged as IntelliLink in Buick and GMC vehicles, MyLink uses Bluetooth or USB to sync the occupant's smartphone with the vehicle, and integrate certain entertainment applications with the head unit. If you don't own a smartphone, don't worry--you still have access to all the standard entertainment system features, such as CD player, audio inputs … Read more

Chevy celebrates birthday with 2012 Corvette Centennial Edition

To celebrate its 100th birthday, Chevrolet created a racing inspired Centennial Edition appearance and suspension package for the entire line of 2012 Corvettes.

The special edition package gives the 'Vette a dark and sinister makeover inside and out. The first thing you'll notice is the all-black color scheme. Your only paint choice is Carbon Flash Metallic with Centennial Satin Black wheels and red brake calipers. The lightweight cast-spun aluminum wheels are specific to each model: 18-inch/19-inch wheels for the Coupe, Convertible and Grand Sport; and 19-inch/20-inch for Z06 and ZR1. On Z06 models, a thin red line … Read more

Next Chevrolet Malibu's MyLink interface teased

In this shot we get a peek at Chevy's new MyLink infotainment interface, the aesthetic of the dashboard, and--if you look closely at the blurry background--the bi-gauge instrument cluster that seems to mimic the instrumentation of the Chevrolet Camaro. Button labels appear to feature a very Buick-like cool blue glow, and an odd, large physical switch below the touch screen has us scratching our heads.

A second shot, revealed last week, shows that the instruments aren't the only part of the next Malibu that will be capitalizing on the Camaro's design language. The tail lamps feature a … Read more

Chevy, Ford win gold medals at Edison Awards

GM's Chevrolet Volt and Ford's MyFord Touch and MyKey won the domestic carmakers' gold medals at the Edison Awards gala held in New York last night.

The technology awards show highlights breakthrough products and services and recognizes innovative industry leaders. Basically, it's like the Oscars for technology companies, but with much, much longer speeches and videos.

In the Personal Transportation segment, the Chevy Volt beat out the Copenhagen Wheel by Senseable City Lab and the Nissan Leaf for first place. Senseable City Lab and Nissan earned the silver and bronze medal respectively.

Ford was the big awards … Read more

Chevy unveils new Malibu in China, on Facebook

Punctuating its move toward global cars, Chevy will unveil the next-generation Malibu simultaneously at the Shanghai auto show and on the marque's Facebook page. The auto show unveil will be shown live on Facebook at 5:30 p.m. PT on April 18.

Prior to the unveil, Chevy released a teaser photo showing a set of LED taillights and the rear fender of the car. The square design of the taillights reveals a retro look, similar to the square gauges in the new Chevy Camaro.

The only other clues Chevy offers about the new Malibu is that it will … Read more

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion close to Golden Master release

According to tech news site TechCrunch, Apple may be ready to deploy the first Golden Master (GM1) of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. The release will be a major update since last month's developer preview, which many thought, according to the report, wasn't as smooth as it could have been.

"Apple has been working through many OS X Lion bugs and performance issues as they move towards the stated Summer release date. Given that GM candidates are already nearing, they definitely appear to be on schedule."

This is good news for those of us patiently … Read more

Gasoline prices rise; this time, industry is ready

Three years ago, when the price of gasoline shot past $4 a gallon, Detroit's automakers were trapped.

They couldn't give away the boatload of trucks that had long been the bread and butter--and profit generators--of the Detroit 3. With gasoline prices rising and with scant offerings in the small-vehicle segment, Detroit's sales plunged even before the financial crisis invaded in September 2008.

Last week, oil passed $100 a barrel, and gasoline prices rose to $3.50 a gallon in some markets. This time the Detroit 3 are in a better position to make money and not give … Read more

Chevy MyLink catches up with Ford Sync

Ford Sync took an early lead in providing advanced integration with cell phones and MP3 players, but now Chevy is catching up, announcing a new technology called MyLink, which will offer many similar features.

Last year OnStar started testing app integration, using Pandora and Facebook. Chevy MyLink refines this functionality, incorporating Pandora and Stitcher, a podcast streamer. These apps are resident in the car, but use a paired smartphone's data plan for connectivity. Ford recently expanded Sync with AppLink, a service that integrates apps on a paired phone with the car's interface.

Beyond apps, MyLink provides the same … Read more

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