Commentary: Obama Declaring ‘Mission Accomplished’ in Detroit?

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

By Bill Visnic
President Obama didn't come to Detroit last week to drive a 2011 Chevrolet Volt off the assembly line at General Motors Co.'s Hamtramck plant; he came to tacitly declare a success of the federal bailouts of GM and Chrysl…

GM plans ‘green’ air-conditioning refrigerant for selected 2013 models

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

General Motors Co. plans a new greenhouse gas-friendly air-conditioning refrigerant for 2013 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models.

GM’s Hybrid Secrets Stolen, Pitched for Sale to Chinese Competitor

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

By Michelle Krebs

2010 Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid - 210.JPGThis story has all the makings of a Robert Ludlum spy novel.

On Thursday, the U.S. government arrested a Troy, Mich., couple on charges of conspiring to steal General Motors' hybrid technology secrets and attempting to sell them to Chinese automaker Chery, a GM competitor in China.

 

GM’s Management of AmeriCredit Offers Chance to Show a “New GM”

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

By Doron Levin

General Motors logo - 100.JPGIf the new General Motors truly is a different company, it can ratify that claim by shrewdly managing AmeriCredit, a Texas-based subprime lender it's buying for $3.5 billion. More broadly, GM has to learn once again how to profit from automotive finance while remembering that its main business is car-making.

The old GM's management of its GMAC lending subsidiary was dreadful. In the bad old days, GMAC financing became the tail that wagged the AmeriCredit logo.pngdog, providing incentivized leases, cash rebates and 0 percent financing as catnip to shoppers unimpressed with GM's vehicles. Old GM morphed into an automaker that sold deals, not cars.

 

OnStar Gets Smart (Phone)

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

General Motors is bringing OnStar to smartphones with apps that will let drivers do things like lock their doors, turn on their A/C or even start their cars from miles away.
And why would you want to do that?
Well, imagine you’re about to catch a flight and can’t remember whether you locked the door of your [...]

GM Gambit on Below-Prime Lending is Low-Risk

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

By Bill Visnic

General Motors Co.'s plan to purchase Fort Worth, TX-based auto-financing company AmeriCredit Corp. is firing speculation about GM's judgment in purchasing a finance operation that focuses on lending to those with less-than-perfect credit, but the numbers show GM's decision to hold little actual risk.

GM logo - 119.JPGAlthough AmeriCredit's focus is on financing auto buyers with below-prime credit, financing buyers in that segment – and those with even lower credit scores – does not necessarily bring outsized risk. According to data from credit-information company Experian Automotive, the industry repossession rate was well less than 1 percent in the first quarter this year. And in the month of April, just 1.9 percent of all auto loans were in default.

GM to Acquire AmeriCredit for $3.5 Billion to Provide Automotive Financing

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

By Michelle Krebs

GM logo - 119.JPGGeneral Motors announced Thursday morning that it has signed an agreement to acquire AmeriCredit, one of the nation's leading independent auto finance companies, for $3.5 billion to provide automotive financing for its vehicles.

AmeriCredit becomes GM's captive financing, a function that GMAC used to perform before GM solds its controlling interest in the finance company in 2006.

"This acquisition supports our efforts to design, build and sell the world's best vehicles by expanding the financing options we can offer to consumers who want to buy GM vehicles," said GM Chairman and  CEO Ed Whitacre in a press release issued Thursday. "Adding AmeriCredit to our team will improve our competitiveness in auto financing offerings."

AmeriCredit logo.pngThe two companies hold a joint press conference call Thursday morning.  

GM Quick to Resolve Safety Concerns in HD Pickup Trucks

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

Toyota could learn a thing or two from General Motors. Less than a week after PickupTrucks.com discovered a potentially dangerous glitch in the hill-hold assist feature equipped in GM heavy-duty trucks, GM has already identified the problem and issued a fix. PickupTrucks.com explains the problem: “Hill-hold assist automatically applies the vehicle's brakes for 1.5 seconds once you lift your foot off the brake when you're on an incline that’s 5 …

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