Scoopful of GM News – April 28, 2009: European suitors; Billion-dollar baby; Cadillac CTS; 7 Pontiac Killers; Saab still alive?; Pontiac Fiero in top 10 questioned; Keep Opel & Sell Vauxhall?; Police for GM?; Effect on Marketing efforts; Toyota’s Supplier Jitters; Pontiac models morph into..?
Fiat and Magna emerge as serious bidders for Opel…GM is said to favor a single bidder, which may improve Fiat’s chances somewhat. Union officials and policymakers in Germany, on the other hand, have voiced concerns over the Italian automaker’s plans, saying they welcome the alternative plan from Magna. It should be interesting to see how this all plays out in the coming weeks.[Source: Automotiv…
Deal Would Combine Financing Arms Auto lenders Chrysler Financial and GMAC would be combined under a proposed Chrysler restructuring plan.
GM Offers U.S. a Majority Stake GM outlined a new turnaround plan that would leave the U.S. government controlling the auto maker, as it set up a showdown with bondholders that could determine whether the troubled American icon lands in bankruptcy court.
Statement from GM Bondholder Committee’s Advisers Here is the statement from advisers to ad hoc committee of GM bondholders:
Billion-Dollar Baby: We Drive the Chevrolet Volt…wheel of GM‘s last best hope: the electric Chevy Volt.
REPORT: Cadillac to base new sub-CTS on front-drive Epsilon II platform…gma-based predecessor, the Escalade would get a Lambda-based replacement and the Converj would come to market. Cadillac was also tipped to launch a new small sedan to slot in below the CTS using the new rear-drive Alpha platform, plus a new larger sedan to replace the aging DTS and STS models. However while the CTS derivatives, the new SRX, Esca…
…gment. It’s headline feature — the trick-sliding sky-view sunroof was pretty neat, but way too expensive and it made the car something of a one-trick pony. In base, four-cylinder form, it clogs the lots of airport rental companies and never really had the stuff to go head-to-head with competitors. And don’t even get us started on the int…
…being on GM‘s auction block. [WCF]
Our Pontiac top ten list made it into Kai Ryssdal’s final note on yesterday’s NPR Marketplace. Ryssdal expressed shock at the Fiero’s inclusion. A lesson: never underestimate the staggering awesomeness of a mid-engined two-door. [NPR]
…GM, Opel, VauxhallEmerging reports concerning the future of General Motors’ European assets casts some new light on the role which the American automaker could take with Opel and Vauxhall. The ownership and investment in Adam Opel GmbH has been a topic of much discussion recently, with General Motors seeking local government support, considering…
…lost by GM killing Pontiac. A re-badged Commodore police car? Sweet. This after the folks at Melbourne’s National Safety Agency put together the above LAPD-liveried Chevy-badged Commodore for the 2009 APCO Australasia Conference & Exhibition last month in Sydney. The expectation is the LAPD would be the first police force to buy the new …
…GM, Earnings/FinancialsThe “television upfront” is the term used when networks sell advertising time for the coming season’s shows. An advertiser will commit to buying a particular amount of commercial time and then pay much closer to the show’s airing in the fall. With everyone still unsure of whether GM and Chrysler will end up in bankruptcy, …
…GM JumpWall Street JournalBy ROB CURRAN NEW YORK — Stocks fell as a swine-flu scare weighed on transportation and hospitality shares and as the technology sector snapped its winning streak. Still, the resilience of the market in the face of health and bank-solvency-test fears …
…GM, Toyota, Earnings/FinancialsFearing that a couple dozen of its U.S. suppliers could shut down production, Toyota has established a “war room” to monitor suppliers and has begun to warehouse assembly components. While the move marks a departure from the automaker’s “just in time” production philosophy, a mantra that associates stockpiling with…
…GM kills Pontiac Rumors from late last week have come home to roost, and as part of its restructuring efforts, General Motors has just announced that Pontiac will be “phased out by the end of 2010.” Top 10 Greatest Pontiacs Of All TimeWith Pontiac’s death official, we decided it was only appropriate to take a look back …
…Plan that GM released today, GM has moved up the “resolution” of three brands – Saturn, Saab and Hummer – to the end of 2009. That means that some of the hybrids that we were promised – including the 2010 Saturn Vue 2-mode hybrid and the plug-in Vue hybrid – aren’t headed for your local dealership any time soon. GM once hinted that the PHEV Vue …
…important of GM‘s list of stakeholders at the moment and there’s little desire on the part of the administration, the biggest of the new stakeholders, for building a high-horsepower super-sedan. Which is a shame. So although it’ll never happen, even with Pontiac now dead, that won’t stop us from dreaming high-horsepower Corvette-engined dreams f…
…happen to GM‘s joint venture agreement with Toyota to produce models at the New United Motor Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) facility in California. The Pontiac Vibe is currently produced there along with the Toyota Matrix, its platform mate. GM has stated that it’s already negotiating with Toyota to produce a new model at NUMMI that would be s…
