GM gets World's Fastest Man to Drive Insignia OPC at Goodwood

General Motors' Vauxhall division announced today that World Land Speed Record holder, Andy Green, will be behind the wheel of the all-new, 325HP Insignia VXR (OPC for the rest of Europe) at this weekend's Goodwood's hillclimb course. Andy Green, a British Royal Air Force pilot, is the first and only person to break the sound barrier on land when he recorded a top speed o 763mph or 1,227km/h in 1997 driving Richard Noble's Thrust SSC (SuperSonic Car).

"The Festival of Speed is one of the highlights of my year," said Andy. "So when I was offered the chance to drive Vauxhall's new high-performance Insignia up the Hill, it was just the icing on the cake! Fast road cars are the essence of the Festival and I am really looking forward to giving the Insignia a good run up the Hill this weekend."

Report Says Opel-Magna Deal Hits Snag, GM Close to Signing Agreement with Belgium's RJH

General Motors is close to signing an memorandum of understanding with RHJ International, a Belgium-based industrial holding company, to sell a stake of its European division that includes Opel and Vauxhall, as talks with Magna International have hit obstacles, the Financial Times reported today. Citing a person close to the sales process, the newspaper said that RHJ improved its earlier bid and that GM was "taking it very seriously" adding that a deal could be signed within a few days.

"GM's negotiating team would love to see if we can get two very solid, definitive agreements sketched out from which to choose," the person told FT adding that RHJ's new offer would save more jobs in Germany.

The newspaper reported that one of the problems between Magna, which teamed up with Russia's GAZ and Sberbank to buy a 55 percent of Opel, and General Motors, is that the Austrian-Canadian parts supplier wants to secure access to the Detroit automaker's global technology, on behalf of its Russian partners.

Aside from Magna, it is reported that China's Beijing Automotive Industry Corp is also anticipated to present an improved offer for Opel while Fiat's bid that does not include cash, remains on the table.

Via: FT

New GM Backs out of NUMMI Partnership with Toyota

Following the announcement on the termination of the Pontiac Vibe that was the last remaining project of the New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated (NUMMI) joint venture with Toyota, the so-called 'New GM' said today that it plans to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection without its 25-year old California tie-up with the Japanese automaker.

"Given that, GM believes it is in the best interest of the 'New GM' and its stakeholders that we place our ownership interest in NUMMI in 'Old GM'," the company said in a prepared statement.

General Motors added that the two sides could not reach an agreement on a future product plan that "made sense for all parties" and that there are no future GM vehicles planned for the joint venture at this time.

GM Selects Orion Plant in Michigan to Build its New Small Car in 2011

General Motors today announced that it has chosen its assembly plant in Orion Township, Michigan, to build its future small car with stampings provided by the nearby Pontiac Metal facility. The company said that its decision to build the car in the States will reinstate approximately 1,400 jobs in total, 1,200 of which at Orion Assembly and 200 at Pontiac Metal Center, Building # 14.

"Small cars represent one of the fastest-growing segments in both the U.S. and around the world," said Troy Clarke, president of General Motors North America. "GM will be the only automaker, foreign or domestic, to build small cars in the U.S."

With the addition of the yet to be revealed small car, the Orion assembly plant will churn out 160,000 small- and compact-sized vehicle annually. Production of the new small car (the forthcoming Chevy Spark is a possible candidate though it could be a different model altogether) will begin in 2011.

"This is great news for our members at UAW Local 5960, Oakland County, and the State of Michigan, and shows the world the UAW can compete in the most competitive segment of the automotive industry," said Cal Rapson, UAW Vice President and Director, UAW-GM Department."

As for the two other assembly plants that were also under consideration to build the future small car, GM said Spring Hill will be placed in standby capacity status in Nov. 2009 but could be reinstated if additional capacity is required while the Janesville that was placed on standby capacity in May 2009, will remain in that status until further notice.

VIDEO: Chevy Volt's Chief Engineer Takes First Pre-Production Model for a Spin

Even though General Motors is in the midst of bankruptcy protection, the firm's engineers and technicians have somehow managed to stay ahead in the development of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid - or at least that's what they support. On Wednesday, the automaker completed the build of the first pre-production Volt more than a week ahead of schedule. Up until now, the development team was working with prototype mules utilizing the body of the Chevy Cruze and the hybrid drivetrain of the Volt.

The model's chief engineer, Andrew Farah, took the first pre-production Volt for a quick spin and while he was at it, GM also recorded the test drive on film. According to Farah, only a few Volts are being produced per week now but the company will soon ramp up production to create a fleet of around 80 pre-production vehicles by October.

"Most of these vehicles will be used for testing and validating the production intent design as well as developing the final vehicle software and controls - we'll also use them to tune the vehicle's overall driving experience," said Farah. "Some of these Volts will have very short lives as they'll be used in safety and structural integrity testing."

New GMC Terrain SUV to Hit the Road Priced from $24,995

The Chevy Equinox's spinoff, the "squary" looking 2010 GMC Terrain SUV will arrive at GM's showrooms in September priced from $24,995 for the front-wheel drive model and $26,745 for the all-wheel drive variant. Both prices include a $745 destination and freight charge. The base SLE1 model is powered by a 182HP 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine linked to a 6-speed automatic delivering an EPA-estimated highway fuel economy of 32 miles per gallon.

Standard features on the SLE1 include an integrated rear-view camera system and six-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system with USB connectivity and XM satellite radio service, along six airbags, StabiliTrak vehicle stability control, and OnStar.

The better equipped SLT2 trim level that features leather seating, a premium Pioneer sound system, a power liftgate, sunroof and a special chrome appearance package, starts at $29,995 (including DFC).

Aside from the 2.4L engine, the Terrain is also offered with a 3.0-liter direct injection V6 engine producing 265HP that returns an estimated 25 mpg highway, 18 mpg city. The V6 model comes with additional standard equipment such as integrated navigation system and a rear-seat DVD infotainment system. Detailed pricing will be revealed closer to the launch date.

European and Asian Automakers to Build More Cars than Detroit's Big Three in N. America by 2012

According to a new study from financial advisory firm Grant Thornton LLP, European and Asian automakers will churn out more cars in North America than Detroit's 'Big Three' by 2012. The study expects that after the completion of the restructuring of the domestic auto industry, the combined capacity of General Motors, Chrysler Group LLC and Ford in North America will fall by more than 4 million units or a 35 percent reduction compared to 2008, for a total of 7.5 million units in 2012.

At the same time, all other foreign automakers combined are expected to increase their North American production by around 1.5 million a year or 20 percent, to more than 8 million units.

"A new order is emerging where the Detroit companies may no longer be the volume leaders in their home market," said Grant Thornton LLP Principal Kimberly Rodriguez, co-leader of the firm's global automotive practice.

Grant Thornton LLP reports that Volkswagen and BMW will nearly double their combined production, increasing their output capability to around 1 million units a year while Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Hyundai are projected to expand their combined production by 20 percent, or nearly 1 million units.

The study finds that the dramatic shift in production will have a large impact on North American parts suppliers that will need to secure more business from European and Asian makers.

"Suppliers largely dependent on Detroit OEMs will have to present a new value equation to potential customers from Europe and Asia if they want to participate in the accelerated shift that is coming," said Kimberly Rodriguez.

Source: Grant Thornton LLP

2010 Buick LaCrosse: GM Adds 182HP 2.4-liter Four-Cylinder to the Mix

As predicted, General Motors has confirmed the availability of a more fuel-efficient four-cylinder power plant for its new 2010 Buick LaCrosse semi-luxury sedan. The engine of choice is none other than GM's direct injected 2.4-liter Ecotec unit that churns out 182 horsepower and 172 lb-ft. of torque (233 Nm), and is matched to a six speed automatic transmission. GM expects that its entry-level Buick LaCrosse will deliver a fuel economy rating of 30mpg highway (7.8lt/100km) and 20mpg city (11.8lt/100km).

Along with the Ecotec 2.4L, is also offered with a direct injected 3.0L V6 with 255HP and a 3.6L V6 producing an estimated 280HP. With the exception of the 3.0L V6 model that is also available with all-wheel drive, the rest of the range is strictly front-wheel-drive.

GM has not disclosed prices for the 2010 LaCrosse 2.4L model, but the company previously announced that prices for the V6 lineup start from $27,835 for the 3.0L V6 CX model and rise to $30,395 for CXL FWD 3.0L V6, $32,570 for the CXL AWD 3.0L V6 and $33,765 for the 3.6-liter V6 CXS -all prices include a $750 destination charge.

The 2010 LaCrosse that is based on the second-generation Epsilon platform shared with the Opel Insignia, targets the semi-luxury sedan segment rivaling cars such as the Lexus ES 350 and Lincoln MKZ.

Extra-Terrestrial Vehicle: A Chevy Aveo of the Third Kind

The Extra-Terrestrial Vehicle or ETV -we're not even kidding, that's the car's official name- is a futuristic-looking custom build created by Mike Vetter and his Florida-based company, 'The Car Factory'. It's hard to believe it just by looking at the ETV, but underneath that sci-fi outfit you'll find a Chevrolet Aveo stripped out of its body but not its heart.

Mike, who also works on Carrera GT replica bodies for the Porsche Boxster, claims on his website that buyers can opt either for an Aveo or a Boxster donor car. Somehow though, we find it hard to believe that anyone would give up a Porsche, no matter how many thousands of time they've seen Captain Kirk and Spock fighting off intruders from other planets.

But even in the case that the Chevy Aveo is the donor car, the ETV will most likely alienate you with its 'out of this world' price. We discovered that the Florida-based company has listed a completed ETV on eBay with a 'Buy it Now' price of just... $86,000. Cool but not $86k cool.

Links: The Car Factory & eBay