Is GM back?

[KevinNYC]

I was talking with a friend about cars today and we started mentioning that GM is getting a new CEO. I googled GM and was shocked to see how well their stock price was doing
http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/kaavio.Webhost/charts/big.chart?nosettings=1&symb=GM&uf=0&type=2&size=2&sid=5310637&style=320&freq=1&entitlementtoken=0c33378313484ba9b46b8e24ded87dd6&time=8&rand=218133461&compidx=&ma=0&maval=9&lf=1&lf2=0&lf3=0&height=335&width=579&mocktick=1

I don't follow cars too closely and I know the stock market has been roaring, but I remember after their IPO it went down and seemed stuck in the 20's.

Folks are raving about the new CEO (http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-12-12/exclusive-the-inside-story-of-gms-comeback-and-mary-barras-rise), an electrical engineer who worked her way up through GM and has been one of the folks credited with turning GM around. As head of rproduct development she oversaw the new Silverado and Impala.

[CelticBaller]

I want a chevy camaro so bad :(

[KevinNYC]

It seems like they are building good cars these days (http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/10/autos/mary-barra-gm-crappy-car/)


"No more crappy cars." That was Mary Barra's mantra as head of product development at General Motors. Now as the newly-named CEO of world's largest automaker, experts say she's got what it takes to make it really happen.
Already, the mantra seems to have taken hold. GM (GM, Fortune 500) has been on a product roll lately, having introduced several award-winning vehicles in the past year.
The Cadillac CTS was recently named Motor Trend Car of the Year and, shortly after that, the Chevrolet Corvette was named Automobile Magazine's Automobile of the Year. And Consumer Reports, arguably the most influential publication among car shoppers called the new Chevrolet Impala the best sedan it had ever tested and the Chevrolet Silverado the best truck.
And the hits could keep rolling in. The CTS and the Corvette are two of the three finalists for North American Car of the Year, an award that will be given out by a jury of top auto journalists at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Meanwhile, the Silverado is a finalist for Truck of the Year.
Gallery - Chevrolet Impala: Big American car done right
"If you look at anything that's been conceived post-bankruptcy, it's been very, very good, just right down the line," said Jake Fisher, head of auto testing at Consumer Reports.

[KevinNYC]

They seem to be having a very good year car wise

Consumer Reports
With the release of our latest road tests, the 2014 Chevrolet Impala becomes the highest-scoring sedan in Consumer Reports’ ratings. Among all cars, its 95-point score falls short of just the Tesla Model S ultra-luxury hatchback (99) and BMW 1 Series coupe (97). No other domestic car has topped the sedans ratings since we began tracking scores in that fashion over 20 years ago.

Consumer Reports’ engineers found the Impala rides like a luxury sedan, with a cushy and controlled demeanor, while delivering surprisingly agile handling, capable acceleration, and excellent braking. The Impala corners quite well for a large car, with prompt turn-in response and controlled body lean. Steering is nicely weighted; it’s light enough for parking maneuvers and provides decent feedback. When pushed to its handling limits, the Impala proved secure, responsive, balanced, and easy to control.

Consumer Reports is giving high praise to the new Chevrolet Impala, calling it the best new sedan the magazine has tested. It's the first time an American sedan has held that standing in at least 20 years.
The newly redesigned Impala, which only recently entered dealerships, replaces a previous generation that scored at the bottom of its class in Consumer Reports' tests.Motor Trend Car of the Year
2014 Motor Trend Car of the Year: Cadillac CTS

If it's not obvious yet, the CTS' intended function is to take the fight to BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi -- and win. It had to beat them on style, on performance, on comfort, and on quality. It has. In this year's competition, the CTS was forced to directly face down its strongest rivals. Present and fighting for the Calipers were both the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the old guard of the segment and of luxury vehicles. The CTS demonstrated superior advancement in design, performance, handling, and experience over the other two. The CTS' ride and handling compromise was unmatched, as were cabin noise and isolation. Were the Cadillac to give ground, it would only be on rear-seat space.
Autoweek Best of the Best
The Corvette beat two other stout new cars, the Mercedes-Benz S550 and Jaguar F-Type. We haven't exactly been shy about our lust for Chevrolet's seventh-generation two-seater. Corvette engineers were charged with developing a car that would exceed expectations of the Corvette faithful, one that would also be the greatest performance car for the dollar on the planet. Oh, and they were also told to make sure it's good enough to compete around the world. The team succeeded.

[longhornfan1234]

Your agenda is pretty obvious, Kevin. :lol :applause:

[KevinNYC]

Your agenda is pretty obvious, Kevin. :lol :applause:

Answer the question, rubberneck.

[KeylessEntry]

They should be doing more with their plug in hybrid technology. Volt is a cool idea but I could never buy one because it looks worse than Prius. A plug in hybrid that looks like the Camaro tho, that would sell.

The world of automobiles is rapidly shifting toward electric. GM would be wise to stay ahead of the curve for once.

[Crystallas]

There is a lot of influence behind rankings for GM right now. As we have seen in years past, many awards and ratings have become corrupt in themselves. "Might makes right" etc.

The real test is, how will these cars do after 10 years. Like many prior attempts to influence the market, we'll see just how bought everything winds up being.

I'm not a fanboy of any car company. The best product gets my purchase, even if Yugo came back and made something that was superior for my needs and wants. That being said, I'm not rooting for GM to fail, I want them to succeed. I work on my own cars, and nothing GM makes right now is attractive to me(compared to the competition). That can change in a year or two, and I'd gladly buy a GM vehicle.

[DukeDelonte13]

every 5 years or so this question gets asked.


every round of new models GM puts out the auto-journalists rave about them when they first come out, then a year or two later they say how much they suck.


Saturn Ion was one i recall. So much hype. Gonna turn GM around. Got positive reviews immediately after release, then starts getting slammed months later.

Same with the chevy cobalt.

Same with those Pontiac G6's and G8's


GM will always be a major force business wise, but they IMO will always perpetually make sh*tty cars. Buddy of mine got a 2012 CTS. Interior quality is just straight up garbage.


I hear the chevy cruze is nice though.

[PHX_Phan]

Interiors lack on the cheap models, but GM vehicles have always had solid drivetrains and last if you take care of them. I've always preferred them over other US brands.

As far as them being 'back', I'm not sure. The newer model cars look pretty nice and the interiors are drastically improved. The Cruz is probably the only Chevy compact I'd be interested in out of the last 10+ years, but IIRC it is priced higher than other cars in it's class and I'm not sure I'd pay the extra to have that over a new Civic.

[CeltsGarlic]

Yep, I was doing financial report on them couple weeks ago, and those mfers are doing just fine lately. Not really sure about future investments, but right now, they have great numbers.

[Balla_Status]

Your agenda is pretty obvious, Kevin. :lol :applause:

No shit.

[cuad]

ITT: Nobody is a mechanical engineer or knows anything about thermodynamics. That includes the god damned new CEO of GM. I can tell all she wants to do is put Apple software in the cars and then pay off all the magazines. :lol

[CelticBaller]

They should be doing more with their plug in hybrid technology. Volt is a cool idea but I could never buy one because it looks worse than Prius. A plug in hybrid that looks like the Camaro tho, that would sell.

The world of automobiles is rapidly shifting toward electric. GM would be wise to stay ahead of the curve for once.
GM needs to redesign the chevy malibu or at least bring back the cobalt, have it like the Dodge Avenger, good MPG with the sportier look

http://imganuncios.mitula.net/2013_dodge_avenger_se_odessa_tx_odessa_99248657797 068098.jpg

[KevinNYC]

They should be doing more with their plug in hybrid technology. Volt is a cool idea but I could never buy one because it looks worse than Prius. A plug in hybrid that looks like the Camaro tho, that would sell.

The world of automobiles is rapidly shifting toward electric. GM would be wise to stay ahead of the curve for once.

They are saying the next Volt in 2016 will be "a moon shot."
http://www.autospies.com/news/GM-Preparing-30K-Volt-Moon-Shot-To-Combat-Tesla-79359/

but they have used that phrase before
http://www.wired.com/cars/futuretransport/news/2008/01/lutz_volt_qa

[KevinNYC]

ITT: Nobody is a mechanical engineer or knows anything about thermodynamics. That includes the god damned new CEO of GM. I can tell all she wants to do is put Apple software in the cars and then pay off all the magazines. :lol


What?

[KevinNYC]

The real test is, how will these cars do after 10 years.

That's probably the biggest question for them. After raving about the Impala, Consumer Reports doesn't recommend it, because they don't have any reliability data.

[KeylessEntry]

They are saying the next Volt in 2016 will be "a moon shot."
http://www.autospies.com/news/GM-Preparing-30K-Volt-Moon-Shot-To-Combat-Tesla-79359/

I think that is a phrase that they really like
http://www.wired.com/cars/futuretransport/news/2008/01/lutz_volt_qa
While its cool that they have a cool marketing term for their new volt that is 3 years out, my point was that I dont understand why volt technology is not showing up in any of their other cars right now. The Chevy volt has already been out for 3 years and GM has basically just been sitting on their hands when they could be getting ahead of the game. Look at how many different hybrids are made by manufacturers like Toyota and Honda. Even Ford is ahead of GM in this regard.

sorry for the late edit, i misread your post

[BrooklynZoo]

seems like theyre trying to hype up american cars lately. people have been talking highly of fords as of late

[nathanjizzle]

the new impala.
http://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/news/gallery/2014-chevrolet-impala-unveiled-photo-gallery_13.jpg

[KevinNYC]

While its cool that they have a cool marketing term for their new volt that is 3 years out, my point was that I dont understand why volt technology is not showing up in any of their other cars right now.

I don't know if you clicked the second link, but they used that same phrase 5 years ago about the Volt.

Well their next electric is a Cadillac coming out next month. I think their issue is they have to get the technology cheaper before they move to lower prices. The thing everyone is shooting for is 200 mile range for $30,000. Whoever gets there first is going to sell a lot of cars.

[johndeeregreen]

I swear by their pickups, but the quality of both GM and Ford has improved dramatically over the last 20 years.

[KevinNYC]

10 worst cars of 2013

The gas powered version of the spark seems to be a much worse car than the electric version which has 400 foot pounds of torque and folks are saying is fun to drive. The gas powered is like 3 seconds slower 0-60. The electric however is only available in CA and OR.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/chevrolet/spark.htm?EXTKEY=AYAHAFP06

Chevrolet Spark CVT
Price as tested: $15,420

The Spark’s low price and clever connectivity features may be tempting, but for daily driving, it is painfully slow, irritatingly noisy, rides uncomfortably, and feels Spartan—and not in a mighty warrior way. We expected at least fuel economy would be impressive, but we measured only 31 mpg overall, which is less than larger, quicker, more substantial cars. What the Spark can do is fit four adults comfortably with easy access in a tiny package. But most cars deliver so much more.

[Frozen1]

I don

[rufuspaul]

I wonder what you can get with US$ 30K in the US.


A crappy Chevy and a house in Detroit.

[KevinNYC]

General Motors just introduced their new small truck for 2015 (http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-2014-detroit-auto-show-gmc-canyon-20140112,0,1883108.story#ixzz2qDCqwvS7), the Canyon recalled 370000 current trucks (http://fox6now.com/2014/01/12/general-motors-recalls-370000-trucks-over-fire-risk/) over fire risk

Continuing to diversify its truck portfolio, General Motors on Sunday showed off the second of its smaller trucks, the GMC Canyon, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
GM is convinced that America’s love affair with pickup trucks is enduring. But consumers also want smaller vehicles that provide the same utility with less fuel.
“They are looking for something that is easier to live with, to park and maybe at a lower purchase price,” said Roger McCormack, director of Buick/GMC marketing for GM.
DETROIT AUTO SHOW: Big trucks, fast cars and more
GM is targeting the truck directly at the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier. Together, those trucks sell about 225,000 a year. But they are aging vehicles, needing redesigns and lacking the refinement GM claims the Canyon will offer.
Young truck buyers will be jazzed by the new GM offerings, said Karl Brauer, an analyst with car information company Kelley Blue Book. “The Tacoma and Frontier are neither impressive nor modern.”
General Motors announced that it’s recalling some 370,000 trucks in North America because of a fire risk.
The affected models include 2014 Chevy Silverados and GMC Sierra full-size trucks. GM said the vehicles had problems with their software that could lead to the overheating of exhaust components and cause fires.
GM said it had confirmed eight fires that have resulted from this issue so far, though no injuries.
“All occurred in areas with very cold weather,” the automaker said.

[PHX_Phan]

That new 2015 Canyon/Colorado looks nice. Also supposed to be a turbo diesel option.

[KevinNYC]

http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/GLOB/crop/980x659+0+0/resize/628x417!/format/jpg/quality/85/http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/adam/c74ddcd6212e3ccd397c89e4546f4ffe/chevrolet-corvette-z06-2_1035.jpg

[KevinNYC]

GM did pretty good at the Detroit auto show. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/sns-rt-us-autoshow-gm-award-20140113,0,334604.story)


General Motors Co on Monday swept the coveted awards handed out each year at the start of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, claiming the top prize in both the car and truck categories.

The company's redesigned Chevrolet Corvette Stingray was named 2014 North American car of the year by a jury of automotive writers, while its redesigned full-size Chevrolet Silverado pickup was named 2014 North American truck/utility of the year.

It was the first time in GM's history that it won both awards in the same year

One of two other finalist for car of the year was the Cadillac CTS.

The new Ford F-150 seems pretty cool. (http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-detroit-auto-show-ford-truck-20140112,0,1291156.story#ixzz2qQSocn72) It's 700 pounds lighter than last year's model because they are using lighter, stronger aluminum instead of steel.


Ford Motor Co. will introduce the “reinvention” of its F-150 pickup truck at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit Monday.
The automaker is gambling with its 2015 model year redesign of the truck – for decades America’s top-selling vehicle – eschewing the traditional steel for lightweight aluminum alloys.
The aluminum body – doors, hood, engine compartment, bed and tailgate – will be a first for full-size trucks and a rarity in the automotive world.

The switch to an aluminum body is a complicated and expensive undertaking for Ford, but shaves 700 pounds off the weight of the truck - with a big payoff in performance and efficiency.
“They are trying to leapfrog the competition on fuel economy,” said Stephanie Brinley, an analyst at IHS Automotive. “As we get closer and closer to the stricter government regulations, this is something all automakers have to deal with.”

[MetsPackers]

Bu-bu-but Obama trying to steal muh freedoms

[I<3NBA]

it's not just electric cars that is the future, but smart cars. cars that drive themselves, are voice activated, or shit like that.

[Balla_Status]

Holden, whose parent company is GM, is basically going to total shit here in Australia. The only people that buy them are bogans (redneck equivalents). Costs are TOO DAMN HIGH in this country. They're even pulling Chevy out of Europe. So I believe Aussies can still buy Holden vehicles but koreans will be building them now.

Great investment by GM.

[KevinNYC]

Didn't know that about Europe.

General Motors Co. is abandoning a strategy of making Chevrolet its global calling card and will pull the brand from Europe to focus on promoting its German-made Opel nameplate in the region.

Most Chevrolet sales will halt in Eastern and Western Europe by the end of 2015 as the U.S. auto maker puts its marketing muscle behind Opel and Vauxhall, its British sister brand. Only "iconic" Chevrolet vehicles, such as the Corvette, will be sold in those regions. GM will continue to expand its Cadillac luxury-car marketing in Europe.

"The decision to focus on growing Chevrolet's presence in Europe was made years ago when Opel's future was in question," GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky said in an interview. "It has become clear that Chevrolet's results have become unacceptable, and we have to make a resource-allocation decision here. Opel is gaining momentum, and the Chevrolet resources will be redeployed to help that and grow the brand elsewhere."

I was surprised to find out that GM's biggest market is China. They sold over 3 million vehicles there. Including 800,000 Buicks. Buick is a brand we hardly think about here in the states. Apparently the last emperor of China owned a Buick, so people still know the brand there.

[Lebowsky]

Didn't know that about Europe.


I was surprised to find out that GM's biggest market is China. They sold over 3 million vehicles there. Including 800,000 Buicks. Buick is a brand we hardly think about here in the states. Apparently the last emperor of China owned a Buick, so people still know the brand there.
I can't say I'm surprised. I've never known anyone who owned a Chevy, and hardly ever have I seen one. I'd say there are seen as cheaply made cars here. On the other hand, Opel has been releasing some fantastic cars for the past several at very reasonable prices.

[KevinNYC]

First crisis for the new CEO (http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140226/AUTO0103/302260102/0/AUTO0103/Feds-investigating-GM-s-handling-ignition-switch-recall)

They just issued a recall for ignition switch problems that go back a decade.
Feds are investigated what took so long.
The National Traffic Highway Safety Administration said Wednesday it is opening a formal investigation into General Motors Co.’s handling of a recall of more than 1.6 million older cars because of faulty ignition switches.

Thirteen deaths and 31 crashes in which air bags failed to deploy have been linked to the issue.

NHTSA said in a statement it has “opened an investigation into the timeliness of General Motors’ recall of faulty ignition switches to determine whether GM properly followed the legal processes and requirements for reporting recalls.”

NHTSA also urges owners and drivers to follow GM’s recommendation to “use only the ignition key with nothing else on the key ring” when operating their vehicle and to seek permanent repairs from GM as soon as replacement parts become available — but that won’t be until April, the automaker said.


GM is hiring an outside law firm to conduct a review.

[9erempiree]

As much as I am a buy American kind of guy. Our cars suck. The trucks do as well.

[KevinNYC]

GM CEO getting grilled in Congress (http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/regulators-did-not-properly-track-complaints-on-gm-switches-inspector-general-says/2014/04/01/bba5ea82-ba6e-11e3-9a05-c739f29ccb08_story.html) over the ignition switch debacle.

I would be many more people hear about this than recent run of good press.